Aaron Lee Tasjan with special guest, Connor McLaren
Saturday, July 2, 2022
7 pm Doors // 8 pm Show
$25 Advance General Admission // $32 At The Door
All Ages
Ticket Purchases are Final and Non-Refundable
Grammy nominated indie folk rocker Aaron Lee Tasjan headlines The Parkway, touring in support of his critically-acclaimed self-titled fourth album, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!, a masterclass in interstellar pop, vintage glam, 90s Anglophilia and experimental and psychedelic rock & roll.
A genre-bending rising star whose bold reimagination of classic sounds and songwriting has established him as one of the most idiosyncratic artists of his generation.
Psychedelic folk rocker Connor McLaren opens the night with a set of original tunes.
Every now and then an artist comes along who makes you remember why you started listening to albums in the first place: Aaron Lee Tasjan is that artist.
With his wrecked cool, off-center charm, and restless creative dazzle, he makes music with conviction and arch mystique that has its roots in rock’s murky past, armed with an arsenal of songs that spill over with humor, intelligence, irony, personal vision and at times prophecy; pushing boundaries of taste and imagination to new heights, unrestrained by genre or subject matter. Songs that speak to the tribe.
An obsessive creative, Aaron Lee Tasjan writes pop songs with a twist. Irreverent lyrics may show Aaron Lee Tasjan with his tongue in his cheek, but Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! is an album with something to say. His autobiographical lyrics reflect on self-acceptance, expose his own contradictions and offer a unique self-deprecating critique on the millennial generation’s simultaneous capacity for great empathy and narcissism. The album also explores notions of mental health, identity and sexuality and is dedicated to the alternative kids who also felt “other” growing up.
Tasjan has been on a shapeshifting musical journey his whole life. From his glam rock roots, when Jimmy Iovine told him “guys in make-up don’t sell records” and Lady Gaga would open for his band in NYC, to his legend-hopping guitar sideman days, where he played with everyone from The New York Dolls to Sean Lennon and traveled the globe, collecting road war tales from doing mushrooms with Bono to twitter spats with Peter Frampton.
His search for a musical locus and geographic wanderings began in his early teens. They took him from Delaware, to California, to New York, to his current home in Nashville. He moved there in 2015 to play guitar in a band that imploded on his arrival. Through dumb luck, he quickly landed a deal with New West Records and became an established musical entity, releasing a diverse succession of critically acclaimed albums that drew the attention of everyone from NPR Music to Rolling Stone.
Despite this success, seeds of doubt started to bloom. After multiple musical incarnations, his label questioned Tasjan’s direction and where he should go next. So did Tasjan, as he internalized their recommendations, musical paralysis ensued. He toured through 2019 and then came to a realization that he needed to give himself permission to go rogue. Sparked by the fond memory of an LSD-laced songwriting session that occured years ago, when he felt at his most accomplished and free. With equal parts uncertainty and recklessness -- he hid from his label and covertly crafted Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! co-producer Gregory Lattimer and mixed with John Congleton (Angel Olson, Bill Callahan, Sharon Van Etten, Lana Del Ray, and others).
There was no need for doubt. With humor, wit and irony, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’s personal and hopeful vision was a coded message to himself and showed him, self-belief was all he needed to get out of his own way. He feels grateful to his label for “motivating him to prove them and himself wrong.” Tasjan’s determined pursuit of his singular sound, led him to a sense of musical realization and his most compelling album to date.
Connor McLaren is a psych-folk artist from Bloomington, Indiana. Referred to as the "American Liam Gallagher but friendlier", he builds his musical home on a faded denim foundation - think Bob Dylan or The Who. His walls can tell a thousand stories - think Todd Snider or Lou Reed - and though it’s only apparent in some of the rooms, there’s a distinct love for Reggae, thanks to his yearly pilgrimage to Jamaica. As you look upon the mostly vintage decor, you’ll notice the occasional shiny item - think Mike Posner or Billie Eilish. Everything comes together like cutting edge comfort food for the ears. If you could live inside of a sound, you’d probably move here and stay awhile... Welcome to the home of Conner McLaren. While attending Appalachian State University, Connor discovered a key building tool for his music; Cannabis. As his mind expanded, so did his desire to hit the road. Without a team or music biz knowledge, he and his brother Alec, began setting up outside of their favorite bands’ concerts. They’d play on the street amidst droves of music fans exiting venues, accepting generous donations to their “Weed Fund” tip box. These DIY antics got the attention of indie-icon Ben Kweller who invited the brothers to Texas to write and record. In the spring of 2022, Connor signed with The Noise Company to release his forthcoming debut album, Innocence.