Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again, and happy New Year! 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 145th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 144, I repeat … 144, 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’ 145. Let us begin, again.
The first featured artistof the night is a man who is technically the first repeated guest of East Side Storytellin’ under the same name, albeit he is being featured for his writing over his music this round. A lot has happened for him and the world really, since we last had the privilege of featuring his creativity on this show way back on July 16, 2013 over at Fat Bottom Brewing Co. alongside John Minichillo. Since then, he has had at least one near-death experience, wrote and included an amazing original fictional story in our Based On Anthology, has made more new music, and recently published his second book titled dust bunnies: a memoir. Like me, this guy moved to Nashville from Bowling Green, KY. Unlike me, he founded a post-punk band in BG called Government Cheese. He not only has shared the stage with legends like Todd Snider, Will Kimbrough, and Mike Grimes, but he is their friend. Here on this given night to share a reading and glimpse into his most recent book, I was over the moon excited to start 2019 with my friend, the always entertaining and very talented truth-filled artist who goes by the name Tommy Womack!
Tommy walked slowly to the mic stand like if Charles Dickens had been in a punk band for 30 year called Great Expectations. He tipped his top hat to the crowd, and, per usual, dumped about five lifetimes worth of truth, grit, humor, and all around life onto the packed house at The Post. Tommy explained that he was going to read from his most recent book, the 2nd memoir in his collection, and 3rd book in total. I really want to read the historical fiction one about the gay confederates in the Civil War. I’m sure it is as brilliant as his other writing. That’s the thing, I’ve never been on a tour with any bands in my time, more or less done a millionth of the things Tommy has done and lived to speak and write about in his work, but he writes and reads in a way where you feel like you are in the front passenger seat riding with him during the action and feeling all of the feels, the extreme highs, the extreme lows, and all of the learning from every success and perceived mistake he’s ever made. That is what real art is about, in my humble opinion.
Tommy jumped right into one section of his book and just kept swimming right through it. He spoke about his hate for Vanderbilt, originating and brewing from the part-time coding gig he had some handful of years ago. His descriptions are rich in detail and packed with emotion that doesn’t let you not feel as he felt. He then pushed on into memories of meeting his first love, going to family funerals, defining the phrase “Bless Your Heart” as the equivalent of the Southern Aloha, and then throwing us right into the middle of the scene of his parents wedding and honeymoon night that will leave you crying on the inside for love’s sake. Again, that’s what Tommy does. He is a master chef who throws his content right at your face and heart and soul like he was in the kitchen throwing noodles against the wall to see if it will stick and is ready to digest. Spoiler alert, everything Tommy throws at you will stick and will be digested to your core. You may not have been prepared to order his dish of the day, but you’ll thank him and feel better about life in general after he and you are finished.
And because every show that Tommy does is memorable and out of the ordinary, because he is punk at heart, he grabbed one of the guitars behind him before leaving the stage so that he could play a new song that was inspired by the angst of the country right now and promise of hope to rebuild and come in the near future. But, as fate would have it, and you won’t hear it in the recording below as it happened, he forgot the words to the brand new song and let it fall where it was before moving on to his seat in the crowd. It was one of those, like always, you had to be there moments that I cherished in the imagined and low-key chaos. That’s another gift Tommy brings to everyone else’s world on the daily.
Our featured music of the night is someone who doesn’t wait until Halloween or International “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (Thursday, September 19 this year, if you want to prepare ahead of time) to dress up and embody his full-on pirate spirit. The captain of Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers, he has both hands, as you can see on stage, because he saves his catchiest hooks for his music. I’ve heard many Disney fans say their biggest regret in life has been that this guy hasn’t been given the opportunity to create full-length soundtracks for any of the numerous adaptations of Peter Pan, but we still have time. Like our first featured Tom of the night, this guy has worn many hats. He has been a professional actor, performing in national tours written by Shakespeare and written about Johnny Cash and even has been captured in a film or two as well (I really do need to see his role as Dolly Parton’s dobro player in a Lifetime television movie). In regards to his music, he has released over 7 CD’s to date, also partaking in numerous collaborative projects and CD’s over the years. He’s toured around the world with Phil Lee, our favorite Santa in Supe Granda, and it really feels like this guy is just getting started and planning his next big voyage. Some people have asked me how I was going to introduce 2019 and follow-up a legend in Tommy Womack, so I figured the best thing and the only thing I could do is to invite another legend by a similar name. A swashbuckler like few in existence, the man on his bike on Davidson every morning who I have the honor of honking and waving at on the daily, I’m talking about the one and only Tom Mason! Q
I’m not sure if it’s in life’s unpublished script where it states that all Tom’s that I meet are awesome and unique characters better than anything in Hollywood, but, once again, when you meet and see Tom Mason enter any scene or stage, you know it’s something you’re going to remember for a long time and it is well worth your time. The confidence, the smile, the life experience he glows with everywhere he goes, you can’t help but be a better person and intrigued to listen and learn from whatever he’s sharing. Straying from his frequently performed pirate talk and set, Tom prefaced that he was going to strip down from the pirate songs and tales and get back to the basics and some old and new songs under his own persona. I’m always down to listen to pirate talk and music, but this was a refreshing start and notice to the year ahead.
Tom, now a Shelby Bottom native at this point, started with a few almost true and absolutely true stories that he wrote while being inspired by the surroundings I call home too. Talks of murder, wild animals, jazz musicians who were murdered for a debt unpaid but had thousands of dollars in his shoes at the time of his death, and other things you just can’t make up to sound as authentic as real life, Tom is a brilliant storyteller, a brilliant singer, and a brilliant guitar player. He makes it all seem as easy as breathing on a mid-Summer day near the Cumberland River.
Like Tommy, Tom broke out a brand new song that he wrote the day before election day in 2016 but had never played life. He busted a guitar in the process, but then started again with his second guitar and, even though he said it didn’t have an ending when he started to play it, none of us in the crowd would’ve known any different. It was perfect, a no-holds-barred truth session of the election season of old with amazing metaphors for all players involved in the voting and in the White House. You can take a listen to it below to feel exactly what I’m saying.
Then I was able to wrangle both of the Toms for another around the fire chat about past experiences, current thoughts and dreams, and their specific and unique takes on all things Nashville. As always, these two never disappointed. I could give you examples of what they said, but know that it was all very poignant and right from the heart, two East Nashville veterans who are far from finished but are always open to share their experiences and lessons learned with anyone who will listen and is living honest with themselves. You don’t have to be a musician to take everything they said to heart and apply it to your life instantly in the best of ways. That is a gift. The gift of Tom, I reckon. Take a listen to the recording below and you’ll hear what I’m saying.
Oh, and wouldn’t you know, Tommy grabbed one of the guitars on stage after the interview, having looked in his notes for the lyrics he had for his latest song that he forgot earlier in the show, and finished strong. It was impromptu and perfect, like Tommy always does. You can hear that gem at the end of the recording as well. There’s a lot of love and life in this recording.
So here is the full set and then some, edited recording of East Side Storytellin’ 145. It took place at The Post East on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, and featured the amazing talented Tom duo of Tommy Womack and Tom Mason. I’m not sure it get’s any more Nashville authentic as this. Do yourself a favor and listen to it and share it over and over again.
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Tommy & Tom for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more of Tommy’s writing (or listen to his music) here – www.tommywomack.com
You can listen to more of Tom’s music here – www.tommason.net
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’ 146
Tuesday, February 5
at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Paul Felton
singing- Fawn Larson
That said, that’s all for the recap and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 145 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. I repeat, please remember to be nice to one another out there. Thank you and goodnight.
Much love,
mE