Tag: aaron lee tasjan

Former And Current 9B Editors on the Radio

Our very own Wolf was on the radio with former 9B writer and editor Charles Hale from the editorial freelancers association this week and this is what it sounded like:

Benchmarks – “American Night” – American Night
Two Cow Garage – “Continental Distance” – Continental Distance
Benjamin Booker – “Have You Seen My Son?” – Benjamin Booker
Adam Faucett – “Rock Ain’t Gold” – Blind Water Finds Blind Water
Gaslight Anthem – “Lonesome Sound” – The ’59 Sound
Kill County – “Straight Six Ford” – The Year Of Getting By
Michael Dean Damron – “Dancing In The Moonlight” – Father’s Day
Shane Sweeney – “Motel Blues” – The Finding Time
Robert Chaney – “The Morning After” – Cracked Picture Frames
Tim Barry – “No News From the North” – Lost & Rootless
Jason Isbell – “Something More Than Free” – Something More Than Free
Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil – “Waiting On You” – Catch the Presidents
Tyler Childers – “Charleston Girl” – Live At The Red Barn Vol. 1
Aaron Lee Tasjan – “Santa Monica & Vine” – The Thinking Man’s Filth
Arliss Nancy – “Front Seat” – Simple Machines
Langhorne Slim & The Law – “Past lives” – The Way We Move
Lilly Hiatt – “Jesus Would’ve Let Me Pick the Restaurant” – Royal Blue
The Killers – “Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf” – Sawdust
Against Me! – “F*** My Life 666” – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Austin Lucas – “Alone in Memphis” – Stay Reckless
John Moreland – “Sad Baptist Rain” – High On Tulsa Heat
Barton Carroll – “Every Little Bit Hurts” – Avery County, I’m Bound To You
Jamestown Revival – “revival” – Utah
Matt Woods – “Beating Down My Door” – Matt Woods Manifesto
Cory Branan – “No Hit Wonder” – No Hit Wonder
Glossary – “At midnight” – How We Handle Our Midnights
Lucero – “Hearts On Fire” – Live DVD
Drive By Truckers – “Daddy’s Cup” – The Dirty South
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires – “Dirt Track” – A Live Show

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this was an excuse to post Charles’ podcast because it completely rocks and he’s pretty damn awesome. I know I miss his voice in the background of things around here. I’ve added his podcast to “Sites We Read” and hopefully you’ll all subscribe to it. There’s a lot worse things you could do with your time.

AARON LEE TASJAN – CROOKED RIVER BURNING

ALT

Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time. I won two tickets to a show of my choice and picked a night at random; I had a last date planned with a girl I’d been seeing. I knew that I’d only have time to see the opener before heading to another show across town, but hell, free tickets are free tickets. We got to the venue right on time, just as the first act was taking the stage. He was one of the guitarists for the headlining band, but evidently they had him open for them sometimes. Well, alright.

Aaron Lee Tasjan, playing solo acoustic, proceeded to absolutely blow my mind. I had no expectations but was consistently amazed by the quality of his bluesy guitar playing, his lyricism, and songs that could turn on you unexpectedly. I was alternately laughing, stomping, awe-struck, and invigorated. It was the best case scenario of showing up early to catch the opener.

Aaron released his new EP, Crooked River Burning, on Tuesday, March 25. It has two previously unreleased songs, as well as three songs that were on his previous record, The Thinking Man’s Filth. I’m going to save a lot of my accolades for Aaron’s first full-length record, which I hope will not be long in coming. When it comes to this EP, I’ll say that I don’t particularly understand some of the production choices; I feel that Aaron’s strength is in his power as a stripped down force of nature, and layered vocals and instrumentation can distract from that. I’d also have enjoyed seeing more new tracks, having already played the hell out of Thinking Man’s Filth as soon as I knew it existed. But those complaints are minor. Every artist is concerned with their own direction, and Aaron has proved with his songwriting that he’s too smart to be lead someplace he doesn’t want to go.

These tracks are great, the instrumentation is solid, and if you listen hard enough you’ll find a line or two per song that really kick you in your gut. Aaron Lee Tasjan is a train you want to get on early, because it’s gonna get crowded quick. I’m going to let his words from the final moments of his recent Daytrotter session close this review out:

“My name is Aaron Lee Tasjan. I’m living proof that one good hat, a fuzz guitar pedal, and a sordid past can go a long way to keep you in free beer and good company in this man’s America.”

Buy Crooked River Burning on iTunes, and The Thinking Man’s Filth on Bandcamp.

The EP is only 5 tracks, so I’m not going to put them up here, but take a listen to these and pick some music up if you like what you hear.

Don’t Walk Away
Streets of Galilee
Santa Monica & Vine