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 128th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 127, I repeat … 127, 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 and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 128. Let us begin, again.
The first featured artist of the night is someone who moved to Nashville back in 2012 from East Moline, Illinois, and a divorce. I believe she may have been one of the handful of people who packed the house at Rumours East on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 for East Side Storytellin’ number 1. This is not her second East Side Storytellin’ show, but it’s her first as a featured writer. The offspring of teenage parents, she spent much of her adolescence with her nose in books. Utilizing her business degree while working as a civil servant by day, she saves the nights for creativity. She’s made a name for herself in the Nashville burlesque scene, Gean Velveteen, where she’s known for her raw, uncensored and abrasive performance style, often with a dark comedic edge. Inspired by the #metoo movement, she created her own female spoken word series titled The Muse’s Mouth, held every 3rd Wednesday of every month at The Bowery Vault (and soon to be moving, as mentioned in the recording but still on this side of town) in East Nashville. Exploring her own writing even further than her performance work, this lady hosts events that focus on giving women a proper voice and platform. To say this friend is empowering and inspiration to all those she meets would be the understatement of the year. Some call her Gean Velveteen but everyone calls her awesome, I’m talking about the all-around amazing artist by the name of Casey Boyd!
Casey took a seat for the reading, deciding to settle in and bunker down instead of standing and looking down on the crowd. She was amped and knew that she didn’t want to overwhelm the audience with what she planned to drop. Like everything Casey does in her life, from art to big life decisions from her heart, she was spot on. She outlined her set by telling everyone it would be in three parts: some prose, an excerpt from a longer piece, and then a spoken word performance. With everyone equally seated and buckled in, we were off to the races. Casey was our conductor, and she gladly took the reigns from there.
Casey started her set with a short reading that was quick and deep. On the surface, it was about the surface of people, the physical characteristics and labels people see. But under the immediate hot take, it was mixed with moral, societal, and age taboos. Just when I started to get a grasp of how to receive it and listen properly, it was finished. Casey wasted little time jumping into the longer second excerpt (mostly because she was still our conductor and only she knew where she wanted us all to go). The long piece was a true story account of Casey visiting an abortion clinic in her mid-20’s. Paired with a boyfriend who didn’t want to be a father, Casey opened her mouth, legs, and heart to one of the most grueling, gritty, painful, detailed, and direct personal stories I’ve ever witnessed. I could see Casey being a prominent, national spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, while sharing all angles of such an experience. Honestly, it was one of the truest true stories I’ve ever heard. I can’t thank Casey enough for being so brave to share it so others can learn from her experiences. Then, just like the first piece, Casey slammed the door on her set by spitting a powerful spoken word, mic drop worthy, poem that encapsulates her stance on being a woman today. If you aren’t inspired to go see The Muse’s Mouth after listening to Casey’s set in the recording below, I’m not sure what I can say to get your attention to her skills and talents as a good human being fighting for progress and understanding for all. Casey is a hero for many.
Our featured music of the night is someone who graced the East Side Storytellin’ stage as a backup musician for the talented Abigail Flowers a few months ago. He is an old soul who isn’t scared to go after his dreams, as evident to him asking Maddy Hanrahan to marry him in Kindergarten (she said yes at the time, by the way = total stud). He started playing guitar and singing at a very young age, before marriage proposals actually, but he said he will not be playing his first ever recording hit titled “Dad’s are the Goodest.” I agree with him on that title more than I’ve ever agreed with anyone other than John Prine. Changing his name from RJ Bracchitta because he is tired of having to spell his last name so many times (I get that too. You would be amazed at how many people ask how to spell Beard and I have to reply that it’s spelled “like what’s on my face.”), it was a honor to introduce my dear friend, sir Raymond Joseph!
If you didn’t know RJ before today, let me tell you how I know him and relate to his music. Like another artist who changed his name, to me, Raymond Joseph is to RJ Bracchitta like the appearance and creative stylings of Cat Stevens is to Yusuf Islam. Gentle by nature and with a guitar in his hand, he is a brilliant heart who cuts through all of life’s bullshit to get to the truth. Sound-wise and lyric wise, and I’m sure you’ll feel similar or exactly like me on this one once you listen to the recording below, Raymond’s acoustic set was like a stripped down version of Radiohead married to my favorite Beatle. With the melodic and repetitive nature found in “Someone Else” bridged into the following song of “Oh My God”, I could feel the best of what I love about Thom Yorke and George Harrison into one package. Don’t believe me? Take a listen below and let me know what your take on Raymond’s set is.
Raymond’s songs are just calming to my soul and a big sense of calm on the surface, like Casey’s words, Raymond digs as deep as he possibly can scrape with his bare hands below the Earth for the clearest sense of truth he can find with any situation and any person’s real personality who he meets. This is also evident in his songs. Whether it is the philosophical dilemmas of wanting to be someone else or feeling like you are constantly chasing behind the person you want to be or believe who you really are, Raymond isn’t scared to ask the tough questions and explore where they take him or you or anyone. The real failure is never asking or trying. In the end, Raymond took us on an adventure to California in our head and finished the set with a song inspired by seeing a failing relationship of a neighbor take the inevitable turn for the worst towards an ultimate break-up. Anyone who has been in a tough relationship that was doomed to fail in the end can relate to “Stop Breathing.” We’ve all been there. And again, like Casey, I am forever grateful for Raymond sharing his time and stories with me and others. No matter what you call him, that boy is talented!
After the hurricane of honesty swept over the crowd, between the category 5 of truth displayed in the reading and musical performance, I was blessed again with the extra few minutes and questions to share with these two wonderful people. Both Casey and RJ opened up about their backstories, their bubble upbringings, motivations that pushed them into the arts, and the immense sets of adversity that fueled their fires and gave way to beautiful contents and lessons. Both RJ and Casey have subtle tones that are smooth and sweet on the surface, but they are both filled with a dynamite heart and moral compass of truth that doesn’t give any energy to anything other than the truth. I love and appreciate their talents and delivery in everything they do, and they both remind me of the track from another one of my absolute favorites with Rage Against The Machine’s “Calm Like a Bomb.” Point being, there is a lot of life and love in everything these two do. I’ll leave you this round this with thought, a feeling I had at the end of the show, as we were breaking down the set together. I always feel like each of the East Side Storytellin’ shows on these given Tuesdays is like what attending church is meant to be every day. For this particular Tuesday, I had the sense that I had a 2-for-1 sermon and session. I couldn’t wait to listen to this show again because I knew that it went quick and smooth like a fast train passing by the East Nashville landscape but then again it was a train that totally knocked me off my feet from the inside out (if that makes any sense to you as it does me). Again, do yourself a favor and listen to the recording below.
So, here it is, the edited version of East Side Storytellin’ 128, the special evening when and where we hosted Casey Boyd and Raymond Joseph at The Post East on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. It was a beautiful night and a beautiful recording. Feel free to listen to and share with others over and over again. Enjoy.
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Casey & Raymond for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more about Casey’s work here-
www.facebook.com/themusesmouth
You can listen to more of Raymond’s music here – www.iamraymondjoseph.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 Words Tab – 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.
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.
Our next show will be
East Side Storytellin’ 129
Tuesday, May 1st
at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Kat Marsh
singing- Scott McMahan
That said, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 128 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