For those who aren’t aware of Sean McConnell, he is a singer-songwriter from Nashville with ten albums to his credit as well as countless works as a sought-after collaborator with country stars like Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and Martina McBride, indie rock acts Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast), Michigander pop-rock group Plain White T’s, and on the hit television show Nashville. Nearly one year ago on June 26th 2025, we chatted to McConnell in an interview here on AUK.
Such steadiness and consistency can be unnerving, though, especially as an artist still grasping for growth and greater truths. This contradiction, of seeing how far one’s come, while recognizing that it’s only part of the journey, is exemplified on his song Older Now: “But I’ve got aways to go / And in 20 years or so / Oh, this man I’ve come to know / He will seem to me a child.”
McConnell has carved out a good life for he and his family and animals on a property outside of Nashville. He calls his home studio Silent Desert, which is where he recorded this mini-gig. He sums this up by saying: “Lot of music, little farm, lot of family.”
It’s always the ride and never the destination that makes a trip through one of is albums worthwhile, the latest being Skin (2025), perhaps indicating he has skin in the game of life. “Being a singer and songwriter and a producer gives me a reason to wake up and be in this world. The joy and beauty they bring to my life, even the hard parts, the challenging parts. It’s a beautiful way to spend a life.”
He plays two songs from Skin on the video – Take It Easy Darlin’ and Glasgow Rain – and in between an old one from the Secondhand Smoke album that he recorded with the McCrary Sisters called Shaky Bridges. The lyrics are gripping: “Crossing those shaky bridges, and blurry lines / Deals with the devil on that old cross road / What are you willing to compromise? / You could buy the world for the price of your soul.”
You can catch one of his live performances on his 2026 Saints & Skin tour by checking the schedule on his website. Follow him on Facebook and find his music on Spotify among other streamers.
