Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to the recap and recording of another wonderful collaboration between East Side Story and The Post. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the 66th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 65 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 East Side Storytellin’ 66. Let us begin, again.
The first featured guest of the night was someone who moved from Los Angeles over three years ago to start the baby-making process closer to her Southern-very large family in Florida. With a dog, two cats, and a healthy toddler to make their plans to build that family zoo complete, she currently stays busy working at home in East Nashville where she writes and produces web shows (for money) and young adult fiction (for love and possible future money). She has said that she gets stupidly excited about books, cool breezes on hot days, and anything that makes her son laugh with his entire body. A graduate of Eckerd College with a double major of Creative Writing and American Studies, we already knew she is wicked smart. She is a steady contributor for Nashville Mom’s Blog and has participated in five That Time of the Month shows (alongside being a featured author in the most recent That Time of the Month anthology released last month). She arrived read to share some of her original prose from that book and more. That Time of the Month founder, Melanie Vare, and many others in her close and extended family dropped everything and gave a rumbling applause for one of their favorite people and writers in that of Amanda Elend.
Amanda stepped up to the microphone and immediately made us laugh and feel at ease by introducing her contribution to said anthology with some classic lines describing several things that her husband, also in the crowd, told her on the side when she was pregnant with her son, also in the crowd. I’ll let you read the book and listen to the recording below to find out some of these gems that he can never take back, but I will say that I was belly laughing from the word go. Amanda read an endearing story about the first night the married couple spent in their then new home in Nashville and how one of them got themselves locked out of the house in the middle of the night while the other slept through every attempt of the person locked out to get their attention. Again, I won’t spoil the ending for you so you can drop by East Side Story to purchase this story and several other instant classics in that anthology.
Amanda split her time between the anthology story and another that she has been working in progress as a young adult novel. It was a quick switch in time and tone, but you could tell from her delivery and point of view that she is on the right track for where she wants to go with it. I believe by the time she finished the excerpt she decided to share for the event that she had everyone in the crowd wanting to hear and read more. That is all any author can ask for in the end.
The featured musician of the night was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and session musician who came highly recommended to me via our good mutual friend, the talented musician with a new release coming out this same week’s end in that of East Side Storytellin’ alumnus Erin Rae, also in the crowd. Originally from Gloucester, Massachusetts, it hasn’t taken him very long since moving to Nashville the first and second time to find his place among other bright stars on the music scene such as Cale Tyson, Luke Bell, the Western Swing outfit Johnny Appleseed, and another East Side Storytellin’ alumnus in Caitlin Rose. A member of a group of Nashville musicians known as Santa’s Ice Cold Pickers who perform every Sunday night at Santa’s Pub, we are more than lucky to finally have this guy on stage with us and welcome him to our East Side Storytellin’ family. He’s a picker like few you’ve heard in some time in this town, and a man who plays anywhere from straight-faced to smiling on a dime as he always takes just the right amount of serious for whatever the occasion calls for. Erin Rae was far from alone when putting her hands together to help put a smile on this guy’s face as we all enjoyed some real good pickin’ and singin’ from the likes of Pete Lindberg.
Pete, as all who know him already, is such a natural. He picked up his guitar, grabbed a stool to sit down comfortably, and then took us all to a place far beyond the walls of East Nashville. His first song was a ditty called “For Holy” and was about cats and what cats and men do and don’t do, like you do. Somewhere in the repetitive line of it being a “beautiful day under the Mexican sun and it’s a beautiful day to be on the run” I personally was swept out to a North American Southwestern frontier setting with Pete as my guide and soundtrack. He went from cats to describing a very personal and deep tale called “To Get a Feeling Back” inspired by rough times and friendships back in Gloucester (again, you really need to listen to the recording to hear the backstory to its fullest). But then, maybe combining my visions of the Southwest and then personal tales of chasing memories and people, he dropped the bomb of the night with the song inspired by Chuck Jones’ character of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. With a unique sound effect ending and all, this was one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in quite some time.
In the end, Pete finished up with a few other songs that were equally as awesome as what came before and he completed his set with a final song where he mentioned Erin Rae had covered at a recent event where a lot of great local musicians who are all friends (including some of the names listed above in Pete’s introduction) each covered the others’ favorites. I’m looking forward to checking out the next round of this fun before all of these talented musicians take their skills to the masses and world at large and we don’t have the chance to see them play so close to home so often.
After the music, I yet again had the chance to talk to the featured guests about their experiences that brought them both to Nashville and the people that have made their Nashville experiences so special to each of them. I don’t mean to keep saying listen to the entire recording for the whole truth and big fun we had, but listen to the entire recording below for the whole truth and big fun we had. We talked about college, teenage pregnancy pacts, heroine, Mt. Everest, Santa’s pub, and so much more. I can’t tease the recording any better.
That said, HERE is the edited version of East Side Storytelln’ 66 that featured Amanda Elend and Pete Lindberg at The Post on Tuesday, September 1st, 2015. Enjoy and share it over and over … because you can:
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Amanda Elend and Pete Lindberg for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more about Amanda’s writing here- @amandaelend
You can listen to more of Pete’s music here- @peteontheipad
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’d also like to show much love to Clay Brunton for the beautiful artwork online to promote the show.
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.
The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ event will be …
East Side Storytellin’ 67
Tuesday, September 15th
At The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Nancy Vienneau (nancyvienneau.com)
singing- Kat Milk Blu (facebook.com/katmilkblu)
Well, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 66 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