The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Had to get up at 5 to be at the Fox Television station for the morning show “TN Mornings”. I went to perform one song and talk about NSAI. Liz met me over there. The amazingly faithful Liz Norris. I performed the song “It happens all the time” and I was nervous because I didn’t know if I could hit the high note at the end. But I did, and my dad said I didn’t look nervous. I should watch because they taped it, but I don’t want to. It was cold and when I got home and I was hungry. Then numerous phone calls about the bees and setting up the record release. I proofed the artwork and it will be nice, I think. Took a nap and answered some emails and the place is getting kind of messy with Leslie gone. I have to vaccum but I just don’t want to. I called Angelo and he said Eulene just got back in town and he was going to hang out with her. I kind of felt like going to the movies but I didn’t know what to see. Jonathan Trebing told me to see the new Woody Allen flick. Jason Gray picked me up and took me to Korea House ($12), a restaurant I had never been to before and I thought it was excellent. Jon Wright was there, and Jason Lehning, and jon gave me a copy of Curios Melodies From the Lost Travel Diaries of Sr. Albus Manchild. I listened to it when I got home and it’s excellent! I had 2 beers and I was almost asleep when my cell phone rang, and I thought it might be Leslie so I got it but it was Melissa Mathes and she was in a reflective mood about her career. She said she was doing a ton of sessions and now she’s not, and she said she wants to do like 5 different kinds of records. I said that you should start with one kind of record and then everybody will know what kind of artist you are, which is exactly the opposite of what I did. I switched bands every five minutes in my 20’s. I was just trying to find my sound.

Rainy and cold. Tried to walk but only made it around the block because it was so rainy and wet. Dogs objective thwarted. Home and showered and shaved and went to the dentist and I think Diane is too rough. She was scraping away at my teeth with a metal pick. Last time they used this high-powered water spray and I don’t understand why they couldn’t just do that. But she told me I had been doing a “good job at home.” I got an email from Leslie when I came home and that perked me up. She said she was confronted by a pack of wild dogs and stood her ground with some Cesar Millan techniques. She will be home in a week from tomorrow but it feels like so long. I start to lose my perspective without her. I miss being able to run ideas by her. Lex Price called and he said he was going to meet Nick Buda for lunch at Le Peep and so I said could I tag along. Got there and there were 2 parties and Jody Williams was there and we didn’t know which one to sit with, but Lex and I had Bloody Marys and I made myself laugh.
After lunch I took a nap. When I woke up, Bernie Cahill called and we talked for a long time about publishing and it was interesting. I need to become a better businessman. For instance, I enjoy watching stocks, but I would enjoy it more if I could buy them. It’s what my grandmother calls “muted rapture” that I feel, as I watch a stock that I picked, rocketing into the stratasphere. Like RIM. I wish I had bought that one.
Josh’s record comes out tomorrow and it’s really good. They played “Quiet Town” on MTV2 and I missed it.
Went to the Basement($12) to see Ruby Rocket (Kristy West’s band) and they were very good. Jerry and Randy Flowers were there and Jerry is really funny. I like both of them very much. Jerry kept saying: “I got the new bees album, and there’s something weird going on in the low end…something is just…off!” I was cracking up. Got Krystal on the way home ($4)

Woke up and I wanted to finish recording the demo because I knew Sara Beck was coming over so I put in a couple hours on it, only to realize I was doing it in the wrong key. This depressed me so I had to take a nap and when I woke up I tried it again. Sara called and said she and Park would come over at about 5 so I didn’t get to walk the dog and my mom had her tea party thing so it worked out fine. Sara and Park came over and I thought they would want tea so I made tea but they wanted water and I have to remember to keep some bottled water on hand. I had to fill up the brita and we were all watching it filter.
Then went to Chinatown with my parents and my grandmother. She said “I wonder what the chances of 2 people getting the same fortune are?” Then she opened her fortune and it was the same as my moms! Worked on a song with Melissa.

All day I thought it was Sunday. Went back to the horsepark. Another dog surprised Posh and she got scared. I thought Melissa was coming over, so I cleaned the house, but she slept through her alarm.
Then I called Sara Beck and she said she was in Chicago but would be home in 2 hrs and we could work then. I didn’t think she would call me, and she didn’t, but Melissa did and she came over. She said she was having a bad day because she slept through her alarm and she told somebody at J. Alexanders that she would work for them but she forgot. We made up a cool song called “One Morning (When We Were Young)”. I answered some emails and talked to Leslie, and she said that she was having fun, but everyday they wake up and go to Starbucks and she wants to do things a little more exotic. She said her sister and Leah are a little more conservative than she is.

Walked at the steeplechase with the dogs. First time letting them off the leash. They loved it. It was so cool out there-misty, boxwood hedges and green lanes, thorny roses here and there. Like an English countryside. Took a long nap and got a call from Natalie at NSAI. They want me to do the Fox Morning Show. I can’t tell you how many of those things I’ve done. It’ll be funny though and I’m up early anyway. But they always call me. I guess they figure most songwriters aren’t morning people. “Let’s call Tashian! he’ll do it. ” But Natalie is really nice, and she’s one of those people you don’t want to dissapoint. I toyed with the idea of asking the Ukulele Club to come too, but that’s a terrible idea. I think we could be big, though. I think we could make it all the way to Letterman. I called Angelo and he said Eulene was in New York. I forgot it was St. Patrick’s day. One of those holidays I would hate, if it didn’t conjur the memory of Hugh Gray half drunk, singing some song listing all the animals on the ark- Lions and Tigers and Chimpanzees etc. at Mulligans on 2nd ave. I mean, if you’re going to celebrate an inane holiday, why not do it in an inane way? But 2nd ave. used to be so cool. We used to hang out all night on the rooftops…nobody had apartments downtown then, it was such a novel thing. There was Laurel’s and all the Junk Shops…there was a big botanical warehouse there, and there was a bar in the back where you could play horseshoes. It’s all gone now. Just the wildhorse and lots of country crap.

Worked on a demo in the AM, then took it to Big Yellow Dog and played it for them. Carla gave me a tour of the place and she said I couldn’t bring Posh in because Sarah Siskind got sick last time and she thinks it’s from dog allergies. Took a nap, then Sean McDermott called and said he was in town to see Wilco and would I like to meet him for a drink. I called him back and said “sure, where and when.” He said he was staying at the Ramada, so I said I’d pick him up. I picked him up and we went to the basement to watch Kevin Rhodes, and the neatest thing he did was this kind of instrumental thing at the beginning of the set. He’s a good musician. So I said, “How have you been, Sean?’ just making light conversation. He looked different from how I remembered him, he was wearing a pink shirt with cartoon characters on his tie and a fishing jacket and red converse low tops. “I’ve been fine.” he said “And you?” I said fine, and then I asked him how we knew each other. “You had a gig in Dublin 10 years ago and I came to it.” I was trying to remember him but I couldn’t. I don’t know if we even exchanged two words. He just looked me up in the phone book and called me on a whim. It was interesting but I thought he was someone else. Dropped him off at his hotel at midnight and went to bed.

Walked early, and Sara Beck came over. She played me the rough demo of our song and it sounded pretty good. We finished that in about 3 hours and she had to go to work, so we agreed to record it on Saturday. I’m looking forward to sharing this stuff with all at ROAR and Big Yellow Dog. Dinner with Bob and Lynn, Melissa came over and we finished our song.

Leslie left to Thailand. So a bachelor again, and I microwaved the chinese at 9:30 AM. I padded around in slippers until the phone rang too much and I had to get ready. Did some work on a few songs, took another walk, talked to Jason and Liz and Matt quite a bit. Leslie called from the airport in Detroit, and she said she doesn’t like Nashville until she leaves, then she romanticizes it. I’m the same way, only I don’t leave, I just romanticize. Melissa Mathes came over and we worked on a song until 9ish, then she went to go sing a jingle. ( jingle house, jingle house, jingle house work…) She’s a great singer, and a great way to tell if you have a good song. Get her to sing it, if it sounds good, it’s a good song. If it sounds bad, it’s not her.

Leslie worked and I cleaned up the house. She leaves for Thailand early in the morning. More consultations with Dick Houghton on the studio, more walks. Went to Target and ate chinese food ($32). Helped Leslie pack.

Leslie went back to work and she leaves for Thailand on Tuesday so there’s stuff everywhere. Dick Houghton came over and I served him tea and we talked about the design of the studio. Half the stuff he says, I can’t understand, but I just say “uh huh.” and nod and hopefully I’ll figure it out later. I took a nap and it was kind of hot when I woke up. Posh was panting. Leslie called and said Sandra and Andy Torrente are having a party and would I make some dip. I told her I would and so I made it and we went to the party with Nicky and they’re really nice. We had barbecued chicken and shrimp and sat out on the deck. I sat next to one of Andy’s college buddies and he was interrogating me about songwriting, and I took the bait and was gushing with info. I guess I was flattered to be asked these things. But really I should have asked him more questions because I found out later he’s written books and is a serious carpenter. All the questions he was asking might have been genuine interest, or maybe just that smoke screen that interesting people put up when they don’t want to talk about themselves. They just ask questions. It’s kind of annoying actually. Because then later, somebody tells you: “That guy is an amazing expert on geneology!” but you never got to know anything because they asked YOU questions the whole time. But then there was this dog who had been exiled to the back yard because they couldn’t get her to get along with the other dog, so that kind of bummed me out and we had to leave before I started to lecture them on dog psychology. The dog was so lonely and ready to do something. I made a mental note to drop off a copy of Cesar Millan’s new video.