Aaron Lee Tasjan’s latest album, the cracking psych-americana “Stellar Evolution” came out earlier this year but so far is only available digitally and on import. Hopefully the announcement of Tasjan’s tour in the autumn of 24 to the UK and Northern Europe will result in a release this side of the Atlantic. If not, there is at least the merch table.
After a series of excellent albums on New West, Tasjan released “Stellar Evolution” on Los Angeles label, Blue Elan. The initial singles – ‘Alien Space Queen’, ‘The Drugs Did Me’, ‘Horror Of It All’ had quite an impact – combining Tasjan’s showmanship with the harsh honesty of his lyrics.
On the new album Tasjan’s songwriting is described as being “beholden to nothing — no expectations, and certainly no genre. Just the pure sense of wonder and discovery that had made him fall in love with music as a kid in Orange County, devouring it all with no understanding or care for what was “cool.” As he was writing, times became very dark for the queer community in the South. Bathroom bans and drag bans were enacted in Tennessee, while right-wing rhetoric around LGBT people became uglier and uglier. Tasjan knew his album needed to reflect the vibrant community that has become home to him.”
In 2021 he was nominated for a Grammy for his writing on Yola’s ‘Diamond Studded Shoes’ and most recently, Tasjan produced Mya Byrne’s album “Rhinestone Tomboy” (Kill Rock Stars Nashville) which helped to establish her as one of the first openly trans artists in Americana Music.
As a taster, you can watch the video for ‘The Drugs Did Me’ below. The tour dates are shown below. Ticket links can be found on Tasjan’s tour page.
Aaron Lee Tasjan UK and European Dates 2024:
Oct 23 – Breda, Netherlands Mezz
Oct 24 – Oberhausen, Germany Zentrum Altenberg
Oct 25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands London Calling
Oct 27 – London, United Kingdom Colours Hoxton
Oct 28 – Manchester, United Kingdom The Deaf Institute
Oct 29 – Nottingham, United Kingdom The Chapel Nottingham
Oct 30 – Brighton, United Kingdom Prince Albert
Nov 02 – Groningen, Netherlands TakeRoot Music Festival 2024
Nov 03 – København, Denmark Råhuset
Nov 04 – Göteborg, Sweden Pustervik
Nov 05 – Malmö, Sweden Plan B
Nov 06 – Karlstad, Sweden Gränden – Käk & Bärs
Nov 07 – Hultsfred, Sweden Hotel Hulingen
Nov 08 – Falkenberg, Sweden Tryckhallen
Nov 10 – Oslo, Norway John Dee
Nov 12 – Bergen, Norway Ole Bull Scene
Nov 14 – Ringebu, Norway Arnemoen Gard
Nov 15 – Trondheim, Norway Bar Moskus
Nov 16 – Östersund, Sweden Jazzköket
Nov 17 – Stockholm, Sweden Bar Brooklyn
Fine songsmith.