- Presented by the Kansas Arts Commission.

Chin shot on the LG test, concerts, beer turning bourbon, bourbon and wine, one drink turn into the rest of the night.

Way we were feeling was strong than bus.

Know what to call it.

But whatever it was, I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it Morning.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it in the morning because I know I couldn't sleep it off even if I tried.

I know this feeling sang it all before than tonight.

I'm gonna feel it.

So I hope you feel it.

Yeah, I hope you feel it in the morning.

Caught up in each other, in the middle of a crowd.

You lean a little closer because music's too loud.

Whisper in my ear.

You got a little crush.

I know the lake is talking.

But when you wake up, I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it in the morning.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it.

I hope you feel it in the morning because I know I couldn't sleep, even if I try.

I know this.

Oh, I hope tomorrow when you're rolling out of bed, it hits your heart in the heart, then it hits you in the head.

I hope you feel it.

Mm.

Yeah.

I hope you feel it in the morning because I know I couldn't sleep it off.

Even if I try, I know this feeling hanging tonight.

I'm feel it.

So I hope you, I hope you feel it in the morning.

I hope you feel, I hope you feel it in the morning.

- Thank you so much.

I'm Jen shot.

And it is such an honor to be playing in the Lieutenant Governor's office today for the LG Desk series in this beautiful space.

And just excited to share some stories and some songs.

I'm a songwriter based in Nashville, but born and raised in Pittsburgh, Kansas, and grew up in a musical household.

My dad taught in Pitt State University in the music department.

My mom is a flutist, so I think it was natural that I was gonna become something of a musician.

And guitar became my main instrument.

And I've been writing songs professionally, Nashville for 25 years.

The last song that I played was recorded by Rascal Flats.

And I've been trying for 20 years to get a song recorded by them.

It took that long and it was worth the wait to have that happen.

And I'm gonna play another song that was recorded by Tim McGraw.

This song, when we wrote it, we didn't have a title that day.

A lot of times the songwriters, we come in with a song title and we didn't have a title, but my, my co-writer was playing a little lick on the guitar and it felt like it was supposed to be a driving song.

And 90 minutes later we had this song written and he went home and did a little home demo of the song.

And by the end of the week, it had been pitched to Tim McGraw.

And two weeks later he cut the song and then the waiting began.

'cause just because it's recorded doesn't mean it's making a record.

And we had to wait months, which in songwriter time feels like years.

And it got to be around the fall when it was about to be the CMA, the Country Music Awards.

And I had my music publisher call the label, are we making the record?

And they still wouldn't say, they wouldn't say, you just wouldn't tell us.

And I got a, I got an invitation.

I got an invitation in my email saying, Tim McGraw invites you to a night of music.

And so I called my publisher again, does this way, the way made the record.

And he said, hang on the label still wouldn't say.

And I was like, well, I'm going to the party.

Maybe I'll hear my song.

And the day before the party, my publisher calls me up and says, I'm emailing you something.

You're gonna wanna read it right away.

And it was a press release announcing Tim's new album.

And the heading of the press release said, Tim McGraw announces brand new album called Two Lanes of Freedom.

And that was the name of our song.

So as a fun way to find out after all the waiting, and when I think about this song and, and what it says, it reminds me a lot of Kansas and the open roads.

There are a lot of two lanes of freedom in Kansas.

And anyway, here we go.

- Two buckets.

Well honey, how fast do you wanna go?

Nas radio loud.

Radio sing.

If you want me to, I can tell God smiling down while, just get the feeling.

Me go town to town on two lanes of freedom.

Smile just in trees, your hair in the breeze, that smile.

God made country road for driving.

Dream.

Yeah.

Here with you on two lanes of freedoms, a bottle of wine in a cheap motel door, 12 feet from the road.

Watch the sunset.

Hold hands and talk bell where we're going to go.

Well honey, where do you want go?

Where do you wanna go?

Where do you wanna go?

Where do you wanna go?

Red stop in trees your hair in the breeze.

And that smile.

And I know God's looking down from that guy.

Sea.

He made these old country roads for driving and dreaming.

Coming yeah here with you on two lanes of freedom, two lanes.

Freedom.

- Freedom, - Thank you.

This next song that I'm gonna play, it's a newer song and working with an artist in Nashville that's on the rise by the name of Madison Parks.

And she is just a really genuine artist as far as what she wants to say.

She really wants it to be speak from her heart and and be something true in her life.

And we went down to Georgia where she's from for a writing retreat.

And she was sharing with me and my co-writer, Zanie Devet, that she, her family had a farm that had been in their family for a couple generations.

And it was a really pivotal place in her childhood.

Lots of memories there.

And they were getting ready to sell the land and just how hard that was gonna be.

Bittersweet.

Saying goodbye to the cabin.

And we knew we needed to write about it.

And so we thought, how can we do well?

How can we do this and do it a little bit different?

So we wrote it from the angle of what you would say to whoever buys buys that land and lives in that house next.

And everything in this is autobi autobiographical to Madison.

The names, the part that it was hard for me to understand is how a chicken coop got converted into a cabin, but it did.

And so you will hear that in the first verse.

But this is called two stories.

So she released this just a, just a while ago.

So here we go.

- That old chicken coop said, Hey, think I could turn that into pretty good looking into bedroom for me.

And now he hammered that wood with his old heart to a cabin with the porch under Georgia Stars.

Plenty room for us kids run and race.

It might be hard to tell where you sip your morning coffees where we open the stock and you take your boots off and you walk into a place we all call home my star in your new chapter.

But you are happy ever after another life.

These walls have known thinking, living that has to stories.

Uncle Chasing Got Married out behind the barn, 20 rocking chairs out on the lawn with deep and fan strong.

I hope that you can still feel you pulled up the floors, you paved the drive.

Don't you forget every time you sip your morning coffee where we open the bar stock and take your boots off and you walk into a place we all call home.

You might be starting your new chapter, but you are happy after start another life.

These walls have where your babies take their first steps.

Someone headed off to college, the past and present crosses this.

Place me all call home, be starting your new chapter.

But you're happy ever after started after life, these walls have known thinking you on one level, 2040, you that, that.

- Thank you.

Oh my goodness.

- Thank you.

I just have to say again, what a fabulous place to get to play.

I mean, it's just a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful room.

Such an honor to be here.

So as songwriters, we're always trying to come up with a unique title and say something differently.

And this particular day that wrote the next song, my co-writer came to me and he said, I have an idea for a summer song.

And I leaned in, what, what is it?

And he said, June, July, August.

And I thought, well, okay.

Yep, that's summer.

What we, what?

What are we gonna do with that?

And make it make it special.

So we sat and talked about summer and just, I feel like there's a nostalgia to summer, especially young summer.

Young summer love.

And this is called June, July, August.

- Men just seen you since the fall and you were on your way to me after time apart together.

Just a blur.

You wait for those three months.

Like you wait for those three freedom painted sky.

The you jump into is cool.

You close your eyes, come up to find you life.

No one's even taken goodbye.

You take a spin on a carnival ride, get off it's way too soon.

Take us back to June, like the moon frozen in time on Strawberry Hill.

It feels like it was last night.

I still remember you said, I hope this never ends.

Would it have gone so fast?

I'd stop to breathe it in.

Freedom painted Sky the, you jump into cool, you close your eyes up to find you.

No one's even thinking you take a spin on a carni.

It's all this way too soon.

Freedom painted scab the jump into is cool.

You close your eyes, come up to no one's even saying goodbye.

You take a spin on a carni, get off it's way too soon.

Take us back to June and take us back.

- Thank you.

- Thank you all so much.

What a treat.

So this next song has, has a bit of a story.

Again, a journey like most songs do.

Got a call back in 2012 from Capital Records to write with a new artist that had just signed to the label by the name of Mickey Guyton.

I don't know if any of you are familiar with Mickey, but she's phenomenal and had never met her before.

The day we wrote it was me and her and another songwriter named Jennifer Hansen.

And Mickey came into us an open book, which is Songwriters You Hope, you wanna Know What's On the Heart of the So of the Artist.

And right, right from that.

And 90 minutes later, this song was written and out the door we went.

And it came from a true place from what she was going on at the time, going on in her life at the time, which was a breakup and just some, some drama there.

And the label heard the song and they said, oh, we want her to record it.

And so we were thrilled, and this is gonna sound familiar, about two weeks later, they cut the song.

But as I've learned it doesn't always mean it's making the record.

And so we waited and the label actually came back and said, we love the song.

We're not happy with the ver the recorded version of it.

And I'd never had that happen on a song.

I said, okay.

And so they sent her back into the studio a second time.

And this is in songwriting.

This is in music business time.

So six months gone by maybe recorded again.

And the label says, no, this one's not right either.

And I'm getting a little nervous because these artists are getting pitched amazing songs every day.

And she's also in the room writing every day.

And I thought we're, there's no way this song's not gonna see the light of day.

Well, they sent her into the studio third time, maybe a year, year and a half in.

And that one wasn't right either according to the label.

And so at this point, I've resigned myself that this song is not gonna see the light of day.

But they sent her in a fourth time to the studio, and this is two and a half years in.

And the label says yes, this one is correct.

But no kidding, that was in 2015 and 2021, Mickey put together her first full length album.

She'd just been putting out singles or e you know, short eps and felt like this song needed to be on the record.

It had taken on a different meaning to her over the years.

And so she recorded a brand new version, fifth version to go onto that record.

The record went on to be Grammy nominated.

And as I joke, I don't know which version I sing, but just very grateful to Mickey for believing in the song for nine years from when we wrote it to when it ultimately made her album.

So this is better than You Left Me, - You said with words cold as I breathe.

I just here, it's funny what a little time does.

I'm better than you left me.

Better than I should be.

Better than I was stronger.

You don't, you think I'll take you back like every time?

No baby.

I don't think you know me anymore.

I'm better than you left me.

You're trying to win back my And I be better than I should be.

Better than I was when you walked out that stronger than the you.

No baby.

I don't think you know me anymore.

I'm better than you left me now.

I love a little better I and a fly.

I'm stronger than the woman you.

So don't you think I'll take you back like every time.

No, I don't think you know me anymore.

I'm better than you left.

- I am better than you.

Thank you.

- Ah, well I'm gonna play you a a slow one now.

I've been writing, gosh, over 10 years with a duo based in Nashville, originally from Indiana by the name of Walker County.

They're sisters, Ivy and Sophie.

And just gifted gifted artists, wonderful people, and always just a really comfortable writing relationship.

Just knowing them so well and, and yeah, just grateful to be a part of this song.

- You lean against the wall.

You look her up and down.

You pick out all the flaws when nobody is around you watch her do her hair.

You've seen her all dressed up.

Sometimes you can be so mean you are not wearing any makeup.

So this morning when she wakes up the girl in the eye, she's pretty.

Give her a smile.

Let her know there ain't a thing she's gotta change instead of break in her heart.

Maybe give her a break today.

Me.

I know you got a lot to say.

You've seen every single tear.

Help us see the truth more.

Clear me.

Ram you are harder on her than anybody else.

If you wanna bring her down, well, she don't need your help.

A little lipstick won't fix what's broken inside.

Oh, it's only you who can change her mind.

So look in the eye and tell her.

She's pretty.

Give her smile.

Let her know there ain't a thing.

She's gotta change instead, a break in her heart.

Maybe give her a break to today.

A lot to say.

You've seen every single help.

See the she give her smile.

Let her know there ain't a thing she's gotta change instead of breaking her heart.

Maybe give her a break today.

I know you got a lot to say.

You've seen every single tear.

And help us see the truth more.

Clear me.

Mirror careful what you say when you talk to the me on the wall.

- Thank you so much.

I'm Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce, David Toler.

Across our state and across the world, Kansas artists inspire us and enrich our communities with their talents and creativity.

This program celebrates those Kansas artists, some of whom you may know and others you may not, by bringing you remarkable performances from my office, the Lieutenant Governor's office within the beautiful and historic Kansas State House.