Name: Tim Scott McConnell aka Ledfoot
Nationality: American, Norway-based
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current Release: Ledfoot's new album Plain Simple Honesty is out via TBC.

If you enjoyed this Ledfoot interview and would like to find out more about his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, and Facebook.

For a deeper dive, read our earlier Ledfoot interview.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in writing lyrics or poetry? How and when did you start writing?

Definitely, I’m not sure when I started writing, guessing my mid teens.

I started writing just to see if I could … and it turned out I could … and never stopped …
 
Entering new worlds and escapism through music and literature have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to writing?
 
Telling a story … or expressing a thought … that simple.

What were some of the artists and albums which inspired you early on purely on the strength of their lyrics? What moves you in the lyrics of other artists?

Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Dylan … they all taught me.
 
Have there been song lyrics which actually made you change (aspects of) your life? If so, what do you think, leant them that power?

Anytime a song affects you emotionally it changes you a little.

To pick out one … cant say.
 
It is sometimes said that “music begins where words end.” What do you make of that?

They coexist …
 
I have always considered many forms of music to be a form of poetry as well. Where do you personally see similarities? What can music express which may be out of reach for poetry?

That works both ways …

Sometimes words express what music can’t … But together - that can be powerful.
 
The relationship between words and music has always intrigued me. How do you see it? In how far can music take you to places with your writing you would possibly not have visited without it?

I prefer not to analyze it.
 
What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

The personal point of view.
 
On the basis of a piece off your most recent release, tell me about how the lyrics grew into their final form and what points of consideration were.

I constantly rewrite my lyrics till I’m satisfied …

How long that takes varies greatly I don’t think there’s any construct to the process.
 
Do you tend to start writing with what will be the first line of the finished lyrics? The chorus? At a random point? What are the words that set the process in motion?
 
Again I have no set approach. I just write …

I'd love to know how you think the meaning or effect of an individual song is enhanced, clarified or possibly contradicted by the EPs, or albums it is part of. Does the song, for example, need to be consistent with the larger whole?

These are things I don’t consciously consider … I work till I’m satisfied.
 
When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

I don’t really sing other people’s songs that often ... I leave that to them.
 
I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

I’m not looking for insights in what I’ve done … I don’t really look back.
 
Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing song lyrics or poetry is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Everything I write comes from the consequences of ‘mundane’ acts …

Coffee is in a class all by itself.