Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to another wonderful collaboration between East Side Story and The Post. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the recap and recording of the 69th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 68 previous shows East Side Story has put together, we all decided to take a break from our busy schedules all over town in order to sit back and relax and get everyone cultured up just right in the form of a Nashville writer reading from original prose, followed by an amazing local musician performing and talking about their original music, and then a round-up creative conversation with all featured guests of this event to talk about their individual journeys and personal ties to Nashville. Without further ado, fulfilling the entertainment portion of your day, this is the recap of East Side Storytellin’ 69. Let us begin, again.
The first featured guest of the night was (and still is) one of the coolest writers I’ve met while living in Nashville (and I say this without seeing him regularly in person or reading much of his work or hearing him read all of the time … point being, when I do see him or hear his words, his writing is always a breath of fresh air). The self-professed ambassador-at-large at Woodland Wine Merchant, this young man grew up along the North Carolina coast, and then later lived in New York where he worked in development on both documentary and narrative features which screened on PBS and Toronto and Sundance and other festivals around the world. In 2012 he founded a creative writing workshop on death row (which has no association whatsoever with Suge Knight) and he has uncovered and tapped into some of the deepest narratives I’ve ever read in the process. As the editor of the anthology from the death row writing called So I Can Live and with his own work recently appearing on the blog Philanthropic and busy as all get out currently pursuing his MFA in fiction at Vanderbilt University, it was an honor to final introduce the wonderful Mr. Scott (W.S.) Lyon!
Scott is a pure writer and an excellent reader and finds his comfort in front of a crowd by sticking to his words on paper and/or talking praise of other people. To kick off the show, he jumped head and heart first into the one piece he wanted to share for the evening. He prefaced the reading by saying that it would probably become the first story in the anthology that he is currently in the middle of making for his MFA thesis. Titled Hurricane Party, it was something to behold.
With his writing technique and mission for the thesis adjusted to a clearer focus by a recent enlightening discussion with award-winning author Charles Baxter (who shared his ideas and essays on fiction craft and how great books should ask a spiritual question in the beginning whether you find the answers by the end or not), Scott prepared a most excellent version of a story he’s created. Hurricane Party, to me, was an endearing and brilliant homecoming, a poignant tale between two brothers exchanging memories, emotions, conversation, family drama, and extracurricular illegal activities surrounded by the strong winds of a prevailing storm. It, like the original stories I’ve heard and read from Scott before, was so refreshing. The delivery and pauses and poetic license with which Scott relayed his words weaved in a beautiful sense of awe and order instantly placed the entire audience in just the right position to immerse themselves into the characters and settings in a way to perfectly experience everything he was dishing. He does that every time he reads his work and it is truly a gift.
I won’t share any more about Hurricane Party other than my short review of the reading above because I’d like for you to directly experience it firsthand for the first time when you purchase the final book as soon as Scott finishes the anthology. But know this, after the reading, the stage and the listening crowd was set and ready to take the night and art even further into the territory of something extraordinary.
The featured music of the night was a Nashville-based artist that has survived his own personal death sentence and has gone on to create some of the most impactful music of his career up to this point. A little over 2 years ago, this man completed what some would call a career in a single year – four national tours, a Daytrotter session, an appearance at the Americana Music Festival, and the release of a critically acclaimed EP, but that was also when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctors told him to have surgery and then take a break from his band and music for a bit. He did have surgery, but the break from his band didn’t last quite so long. Then, two years exactly to the date of this very show actually, there was a local benefit show at the Mercy Lounge featuring performances from his talented Nashville friends, including East Side Storytellin’ alumnus Jason Isbell, and he quickly wrote new songs that combined his recent brush with death into beautiful tunes stacked with vocal harmonies, dual guitar leads, B33 organ and super-sized hooks and created a full-length album with producer and former drummer of Wilco in Ken Coomer. Sporting a fresh Lockeland Springsteen baseball t-shirt with the huge news of recently signing with the incredible Thirty Tigers and releasing his newest album titled Skyline in Central Time early next year, a mutual friend of many of our East Side Storytellin’ family of artists (one of them being the fantastic Lauren Farrah who was in the crowd, fully present and making art to promote the show minutes before it started AND who connected me to this guest in the first place) and the namesake and leader behind Andrew Leahey & the Homestead, the entire crowd erupted in applause for the one and only Andrew Leahey!
Andrew, with a tall glass of cold water and a fresh set list by his side, walked up to the microphone casually and collectively picking the flow of the show right where Scott’s story ended and continued the same cool momentum through the finish line. He started with a brand new song, so new in fact that he had never shared it live before. Then he threw in what will become the first track from his new album, just like Scott had shared with the first story in his anthology. Not giving a play-by-play but sort of giving a play-by-play, Andrew jumped from the first two songs into telling the story behind his third about going to church in New York to try and woo a girl once that didn’t work out. The song, as all before and after, was great and worked out just fine for everyone. Above all else, Andrew noticed and mentioned that it was nice to play in front of a listening crowd (something that always comes up each and every East Side Storytellin’ show so far and counting) and to have the opportunity to share stories that he doesn’t normally have the chance to do during any other shows on tour.
In between talking about his life-changing and perspective-changing incident with his brain tumor in the past and telling more stories behind the music for the first time, Andrew played some of the most relaxing and insightful music I’ve heard in a minute. With storybook lyrics like John Cougar Mellancamp in the early 80’s, he brought an honest and openly emotional voice that, to me, resembled a young Willie Nelson but stronger and more confident in his purpose and direction beyond the songs. I heard this comparison more than most in the final track of the night.
After Andrew shared a few more songs to round out the set, I was fortunate to have him and Scott back up to the microphone for a candid talk about their creative journeys and personal gems they wanted to give to the supportive crowd. Two things that I distinctly thought were perfectly put were the following: Andrew spoke more about what the brain tumor experience did to him, both professionally with the story behind being accepted into the Thirty Tigers family and personally with how he never takes music and every moment with his family and friends for granted, and, secondly, with Scott talking about what the MFA experience has meant to his writing and how he sees it positively changing his creative mindset and individual approach to creating his work going forward into the future. Obviously I can’t say it better or clearer than they did in the recording that you can totally check out below, but all I want to say to end this recap is that I was once again blown away by the talent of the guests, their stories and art, their humility and appreciation for being included in this special idea and program in front of a caring audience, and that these two guys made my world in East Nashville even better than it was before I witnessed them do their thing for the show at hand. For all of this and more, I say many many thanks to Scott (W.S.) Lyon and Andrew Leahey.
So, without getting too sappy here, I want to give you the link of the edited recording of East Side Storytellin’ 69 that featured W.S. Lyon and Andrew Leahey at The Post on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015. It was another for the ages and books and all that jazz. Please listen and share the following link with everyone you know and maybe a few strangers too. It is that good. These guys are that good. And we thank them and you for being a part of this Nashville trip. Enjoy!
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for W.S. Lyon and Andrew Leahey for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more about W.S. Lyon’s writing here- www.akashicbooks.com/william-scott-lyon-a-pathos-in-prison/
You can listen to more of Andrew Leahey’s music here- www.andrewleaheymusic.com
You can listen to this show, edited, soon, alongside the previous shows too, on our website,www.eastsidestorytn.com, at our In Our Own WordsTab – see here – www.eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words
I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (efharper), and everyone that came out live to support the show … and to everyone who has helped continue to spread the word and support the show online afterwards.
I’d also like to show much love to Clay Brunton for the beautiful artwork online to promote the show.
Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give one last shout out to Tonya and Chris for making The Post so welcoming and positively life-changing for the East Nashville community at large.
The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ event will be our very special 3rd anniversary show …
East Side Storytellin’ 70
Tuesday, November 3rd
at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Rita Bullwinkel (www.ritabullwinkel.com)
singing- a VERY special guest who needs no introduction and has promised to make it the performance of a lifetime.
That said- that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 69 and another fabulous event at The Post with East Side Story at the helm. Thanks for coming out and sharing the good word and giving some love to all of these great Nashville artists and our creative ideas. Please remember to be nice to one another out there.
much love,
mE
