Before I get started here, I want to just say a few words of deep appreciation for Chris and Tonya and everyone who has worked at The Post since its inception at 1701 Fatherland. I distinctly remember Chris and Tonya and some of their family walking into East Side Story and to my tiny desk one day and asking for insight about my best impressions on how to help be a part of the vibrant Lockeland community in East Nashville and all that while giving me the scoop that they were thinking about opening a tiny café with healthy choices and healthy vibes for everyone around our lovely hood. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. I could see the honesty and altruistic power and beautiful intent with their eyes and words. So it was no surprise to me that they would go on to build what was and is The Post East. In many ways, it helped bridge the magic of The Family Wash and whatever else is next to come that we don’t know about that restores our hope and faith in the goodness of what our neighborhood can be. I write this comment on the very day that Chris and crew will hand over the keys to the new team to lease that magical space and corner. We all wish the new people of Frothy Monkey the best, but I can’t help but post the picture twice of the standing ovation from a packed room of appreciative The Post fans gave to Chris and the space before the final show under the sign of The Post got started. I’m pretty sure that they would have clapped and stood for days, and it still would never be enough to show the thanks we all feel for Chris and Tonya and family.
So, back to the show at hand. Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to one last 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 165th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 164, I repeat … 164, 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’ 165. Let us begin, again.
The first featured artistof the night is a mutual friend of Amy Jackson, our featured author for the previous East Side Storytellin’ show. This lady, not Amy, is known as Tiny Poet. She is a licensed spiritual healer and intuitive. She is a certified energy therapist in integrated energy therapy and Pranic healing (something I’ll ask her to teach us about by the end of this show). Among those things mentioned, this lady has degrees in psychology, theater arts, and is a certified wellness coach, specializing in emotional wellness. She is also a certified yoga instructor, raindrop technique practitioner, and is featured tonight, not because she is lazy and had nothing to do. No. She is here tonight because she is an author known for her deep sensitivity, great care and love of people. The author of two books and a monthly blog respectfully called, Inner Beauty Blog, her poetry and short stories have been published in magazines, online journals, and a part of collective anthologies. Needless to say, with a room without any empty seats, and some younger ones sitting on the floor, it wasn’t hard to ask for and to receive a big round of applause for the one and only Jennifer Circosta.
Jennifer may be self-described as short in stature, but she is and was yet again the epitome of dynamite. She lit our fuse of thought and intention to conjure up everything positive in the room for The Post and the show in mind. She literally set the tone of the night with kindness, positive reflection, and basically everything nice about our environment and the people sharing this time and space together. What she did is something every teacher and coach and religious figure tries to do before any lesson or experience with groups, but she did it from the heart and as easy as breathing. She is a pro and someone you can trust from the first word.
Jennifer not only spoke about the important values and steps of transitions and change, she pretty much wrote the book. I’ve always heard the phrase in movies and books of someone “exercising the demons” but I honestly felt like she was exercising the angels around us. Too late for me to say I don’t want to get meta, because we are already there right here, but she was a guide for all of us to purge a creative sage session. With her phone as a burning stick of sage, she took us on an journey and adventure for anyone sensitive and open enough to follow. She spoke about chasing dreams, being hungry, finding reason, appreciating the act of being alive while noticing things that die, searching for hope, and sitting in the quiet. You can and should listen to the set and recording below, but I feel like all of the positive energy set forth in this set is still looming around us.
Our featured music of the night is one of my close friends that I have the utmost respect for and who I never get to see nearly as often as I want to because he’s so busy and prolific as an artist and good human. He’s the first person I texted when my wife’s water broke on Christmas Eve 2015 (we had just left he and his wife’s presence at the Downtown Presbyterian Christmas Eve service about fifteen minutes before said text), but yeah … he’s the best. He grew up in Jamestown, TN. The son of a small town attorney and a National Pak ranger, you can feel the organic nature and cries for justice with the human experience in almost every song he writes and plays. I first met him via a mutual Dave who is married to a musician and dog trainer named Kat, because you can’t make this stuff up, and I’ve loved every story he has sung. It’s fitting that we have him here tonight to help celebrate and close up The Post East because I distinctly remember him playing an amazing set one of the last times I visited the original The Family Wash (shout out to Jamie). This guy, not Jamie, is the founder and leader of the band The Coal Men. Twenty years in, this guy and his band of brothers are still making some of the best music in Music City. Tonight, we had him to ourselves, with lots of family and friends in the crowd to witness too. I’m talking about the legend, my friend and one of the best producers and guitarists in town, the Dave Coleman.
Dave took a second to point out the fact that he used to live down the street from the location that is/was The Post. He actually parked his car in front of his old home, just because he could, while prepping his set down memory lane and of the occasion. Dave said all of the pleasantries he could recall about the importance of these businesses (including The Family Wash, The Radio Café, The Post East, and others) and life in general in East Nashville. These places are the substance to the surface that gets publicized to the masses. These places give shelter and home to the people who really make the biggest waves of difference and attraction to this city. These places and people give life to the artists who inspire life, such as Dave. It was the perfect self-reflection and nod to a place, a time, a group of people, and an idea that was needed and had to happen and was lucky to happen at a certain place and time.
And then played, like he does. He plays so freakin’ well. Every note and word carefully felt and relayed, Dave puts everything that he is into every second of music that you digest. He set up each song in his set with delicate origin stories that could rival any Marvel superhero for their thoughtful and powerful impact once heard. His honesty is unmatched, his guitar skills also nearly unmatched, and the combination often makes you thank yourself that you are sitting because if you had been standing he would totally knock you off your feet every round. I was hit really hard with the track Tennessee, like the first time I was hit by the track at the original The Family Wash with his backing band years ago. This time, I had my son on my lap in the front row, listening for our individual personal connections together. He thought it was his song. I knew it was mine. We are both right. We are all thankful for Dave and his music.
After the music ended, I had Jennifer return to the stage to join Dave and me. Honestly, I’m not even going to try and write about it. Just listen to the recording below. Real knows real, and these two are as real as it gets. They are teachers, students, givers, helpers, and all of the numbers of the enneagram in one. There. That’s all I’m going to say about the show, other than the suggestion of all suggestions that you should listen to the recording below the next group picture. You’ll thank me and the crew for it. Trust me.
Here is the instant classic recording of East Side Storytellin’ 165, the night we closed The Post East for good … for greatness’ sake. We featured Jennifer Circosta, Dave Coleman, Chris Cowley, and everything amazing about The Post East on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 … the final day The Post East doors were open. It was magical. It was what dreams are made of. It was real. It was.
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Jennifer & Dave for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can experience more of Jennifer’s writing here –
You can listen to more of Dave’s music here-
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 East so welcoming and positively life-changing for the East Nashville community at large. Wake me for the next dream and incarnation. You have a friend in me.
Our next show will be:
East Side Storytellin’ 166
Tuesday, TBD in early 2020
at To Be Determined at 7pm
Reading – TBD
Singing – TBD
That said, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 165 and the grand finale fabulous event at The Post East with East Side Story at the helm.
Stay tuned on social media for the upcoming news for East Side Storytellin’ into the New Year.
That said, thanks for coming out 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