Some of you know I’ve had an ongoing fist-fight with depression since the fall of 2019. No, the Covid Apocalypse didn’t help.
Up until that time, I was writing and performing somewhat regularly (for the 2-3 years prior it was usually with my friend Kenneth Largent as The LTD (Largent Tyner Duo) or with our friend Carol Murray as the Band of Pilgrims for the annual Christmas At Red Bank benefit concert for Mission Lexington. Some of you know or even remember that I am / I was… a singer, a writer, a player, a performer. No, depression didn’t help.
But Ken and I were writing up a storm for a while. Ken would start one, and together we would completely rework the lyrics. Or I would have a verse and a chorus, and Ken would supply a melody. We arm-wrestled every bridge and every turn of phrase with the only goal of just capturing the story we had invented for that moment. And it was the moment that was driving the song genre as well. They’re all over the place, but we weren’t writing an album, we were just writing.
But then I sank down into the deep and then Covid hit and the whole kit and kaboodle could have stayed in my dusty songbinder, but Ken wasn’t having it. He drove me crazy, ya’ll. Like a good friend will, he texted, he called, he texted again, he pushed and pushed and pushed me back into the studio with Elliot New (from Elliot and the Untouchables), Ken’s dear awesome friend who for some God-wink reason decided to DONATE all of his engineering and studio time. Our friends Jim, Carol, Richard, and Mike added their masterful layers in, and Ken coordinated it all.
I resisted, as a blue person does, but he just kept after me, like a bulldog on a porkchop. He refused to let our songs die in the quicksand pluff-mud of my depressed apathy. I tell this story so you know that while these songs were 100% The Largent Tyner Duo, but they may never have seen the future light of day (like the Dawn Key Shotguns songs) if it hadn’t been for Ken. So this record, I dedicate to him and his lovely and supportive wife NormaJean Standish-Largent, and their daughter, who welcomed me into their home time and time again, and his mother, Shirley, who also listened and nodded and affirmed all of our sounds.
And if you’ve lost something over the last few years, you may find something here. This is how I lost me and how I lost you, but I’m digging out now, exhuming and unearthing myself. Please pardon the construction.
Up until that time, I was writing and performing somewhat regularly (for the 2-3 years prior it was usually with my friend Kenneth Largent as The LTD (Largent Tyner Duo) or with our friend Carol Murray as the Band of Pilgrims for the annual Christmas At Red Bank benefit concert for Mission Lexington. Some of you know or even remember that I am / I was… a singer, a writer, a player, a performer. No, depression didn’t help.
But Ken and I were writing up a storm for a while. Ken would start one, and together we would completely rework the lyrics. Or I would have a verse and a chorus, and Ken would supply a melody. We arm-wrestled every bridge and every turn of phrase with the only goal of just capturing the story we had invented for that moment. And it was the moment that was driving the song genre as well. They’re all over the place, but we weren’t writing an album, we were just writing.
But then I sank down into the deep and then Covid hit and the whole kit and kaboodle could have stayed in my dusty songbinder, but Ken wasn’t having it. He drove me crazy, ya’ll. Like a good friend will, he texted, he called, he texted again, he pushed and pushed and pushed me back into the studio with Elliot New (from Elliot and the Untouchables), Ken’s dear awesome friend who for some God-wink reason decided to DONATE all of his engineering and studio time. Our friends Jim, Carol, Richard, and Mike added their masterful layers in, and Ken coordinated it all.
I resisted, as a blue person does, but he just kept after me, like a bulldog on a porkchop. He refused to let our songs die in the quicksand pluff-mud of my depressed apathy. I tell this story so you know that while these songs were 100% The Largent Tyner Duo, but they may never have seen the future light of day (like the Dawn Key Shotguns songs) if it hadn’t been for Ken. So this record, I dedicate to him and his lovely and supportive wife NormaJean Standish-Largent, and their daughter, who welcomed me into their home time and time again, and his mother, Shirley, who also listened and nodded and affirmed all of our sounds.
And if you’ve lost something over the last few years, you may find something here. This is how I lost me and how I lost you, but I’m digging out now, exhuming and unearthing myself. Please pardon the construction.
Tonya Tyner vocals
Jim Heidenreich- drums
Carol Murray- cello
Richard Maxwell- electric guitar on track 5
Mark McClane - electric guitar on track 5
Jim Heidenreich- drums
Carol Murray- cello
Richard Maxwell- electric guitar on track 5
Mark McClane - electric guitar on track 5
All songs written by Tonya Tyner and Ken Largent
Produced by Kenneth Largent and Tonya Tyner
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Elliot New, Ballentine, SC
Cover Photo by Tonya Tyner
Link to Record on Spotify
Link to Record on Pandora
Link to Record on Apple Music
Link to Record on Amazon Music
Link to Record on Pandora
Link to Record on Apple Music
Link to Record on Amazon Music