Aaron Lee Tasjan: Hill Country Live 2024

The plaintive growl of Aaron Lee Tasjan burrows into the corners of his often dark, acerbic lyrics. The subjects tackled aren't easy ones — never more apparent than the disastrous high of his single "The Drugs Did Me," a standout of this Nashville-based singer and songwriter's recent FUV Live set at Manhattan's Hill Country Live.

Tasjan's latest album, Stellar Evolution, is an unflinching testament to not only what he's encountered as a queer person in the South, facing homophobia and hateful legislative bigotry, but the vitriol and threats that the LGBTQ+ community, from drag queens/kings to trans youth, face daily in this country and beyond.

A gifted guitarist (he moonlights with the New York Dolls on tour too) and producer, Tasjan co-founded Semi Precious Weapons and he was nominated for a Grammy in 2021 for co-writing Yola's "Diamond Studded Shoes." Most recently, Tasjan produced Mya Byrne's 2024 release, Rhinestone Tomboy.

Tasjan was joined by his bandmates — Jeff Ratner (bass), Erica Blinn (guitars, keys and vocals), and "Ramblin'" Rob Heath (drums) for this nine-song set for Marquee Members. The concert included a new, unreleased song called "The Real," plus a generous selection from Stellar Evolution, including two available on video: "The Drugs Did Me" and  "Dylan Shades."

[Recorded: 4/15/24; Engineered by Jim O'Hara; produced by Meghan Offtermatt; hosted by Benham Jones; videographers; Caitria Demeroto, Anna Fahy, Therese Burgo and Adithi Vimalanathan.]