[A]aron Lee Tasjan is my favorite songwriter. Too bad he’s from Ohio.* Thankfully he’s up and moved down to East Nashville (after a stint in NYC), which means bi-monthly shows down here in Georgia. Aaron has a lot going on… between touring furiously as a solo act, he finds time as the new lead guitarist for Atlanta band Drivin N Cryin** (replacing Sadler Vaden, who’s out on tour with Jason Isbell), & he performed on all the Kevn Kinney produced tracks that Cheryl sings on the new season of FX’s Archer. Additionally, you can also find him slingin’ guitar in a handful of other acts… most recently Tyler James’ Escondido, LA-based indie supergroup Everest, &… well, you get the picture. On top of all that, he was honored last year by ASCAP as part of the Songwriters: The Next Generation program at the Kennedy Center in DC. Honestly, I think he spends too much time as a guitar slinger for hire & not enough time as a solo songwriter superstar, but apparently singing & songwriting doesn’t always pay.
Aaron has two EPs forthcoming, both will be out by the end of the year. The first track released from the first EP, Crooked River Burning, is Don’t Walk Away, which documents the struggles of being a singer/songwriter in an over saturated digital market that values plastic tits over diminished chords or turns of phrase (my words, not his). Aaron seemingly farts out classic lines in his sleep, so this track features a handful of waking gems. “Where does a sad song go to cry? / You sing it so much the words get shy / Turns out nothin’ but another hard try / Just shut up & keep hope alive.”
Don’t give up, Aaron. We’re counting on you. Aaron’s upcoming tour dates are listed below.
* #goblue
** Aaron played lead guitar on the best material Drivin N Cryin has put out in years, the new Songs For the Turntable ep that you can get on iTunes. Correction: Sadler Vaden played on the recordings, but you can hear Aaron putting his stamp on those licks at their live shows.