12/07/2025
This Is My Story:
Years ago when I attended my first music conference, I noticed that every time a songwriter addressed the panel they were always asked, “What is your story?” The responses were diverse and interesting. So, what is my story and the story behind my album, “Love Songs To Imaginary Women?”
Telling the whole story would take up too much space here, but the most relevant part of my story took place about nine years ago. I had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor at the base of my tongue. It had started to press on my vocal chords and my voice started to change, and not in a good way.
Jump ahead and following my successful radiation treatment, I was left with sores and ulcers all along my throat, which took eighteen months to heal. When my throat did heal, however, I discovered a remarkable thing. My singing voice had a higher range than before and there was no break between my head voice and my chest voice. In short, the radiation treatment had rejuvenated my vocal chords and I also found it easier to sing.
Creatively, I had been writing songs and lyrics for some time, years, and it became a way for me to keep my guitar playing in practice, along with my voice. Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed. Some friends and I experimented with Zoom meetings and began trading some music files. Before long, we had actually recorded a version of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” with each musician sending me their stem tracks to mix and master into a completed recording. The results were really good, considering the method we used, totally remote recording.
A few months later, I composed a song “Crazy 'Bout You!” that became a recording with the talents of David Uldrich (lead guitar and bass) and Ellen Anderson (violin). That turned out so well that I used it to create a lyric video, which I released for Valentine's Day and currently plays on YouTube. “Crazy 'Bout You!” also became the second song on my new and first album “Love Songs To Imaginary Women.”
It was about a year ago when I first noticed ads for a platform that allows subscribers to book recording sessions with studio musicians all over the world. I checked it out and then waited until I was ready with enough original songs to record an album as efficiently as I think it could be accomplished, unless you had a studio at your disposal and played all the instruments. And that or any variation of it is fine, however, I was in store for a much broader experience with a world full of musical talents, instruments, cultures and experienced musicians that have brought my original songs to life and helped me to create an entire album of unique compositions that will beckon listeners to be immersed in a myriad of lyrical stories and songs. If you want a real treat, listen with a decent set of headphones, you won't be disappointed.
So, producing and recording this album has been an effort to take the blessings of being able to sing after a very challenging time in my life, resulting in a better vocal outcome than I could ever have hoped for (especially at my age!!!) and turning it into something worthy of that blessing! At least, that's how I view it... And I hope that you do too. I really hope you enjoy my efforts, and if you like what you hear or favor a particular song, please let me know!
Thanks!
Nicholas Koontz
http://thegigusa.com/nicholaskoontz
(Click on the link or the picture below)
