The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

I told my mom I would record a song of hers for mother’s day, so after we walked, she and her co-writer Pamela Hayes came over and we recorded the song with my dad playing guitar. It came out well considering it was pretty much one mic. Then we went to lunch at the woodlands cafe and I like it even better than Sitar. It’s vegetarian, but the whole time you’re eating, you’re thinking to yourself: “I could be a vegetarian.” because it’s so tasty. Felicia Woods was there and she came over to our table and said “I want to thank you for everything you are doing for the Nashville music scene.” and that was sweet of her. She has an 11 month old baby now and she’s married. Then I went home and took a nap, then it was time to walk again. Then I went by Grimey’s to get some money for Guilty Pleasures and they said the Bees were number 4 on the top 10 best-sellers. Then I went to the airport to pick up Leslie and I drove around a couple times and she still wasn’t there, so I checked the messages on the home phone and sure enough, she said she would be late, so I figured out I had just enough time to drive home and turn around and drive back, so that’s what I did. I drove home and drove back to the airport and there she was. We went to Hecht’s and she was thirsty so I got her some water at the Exxon ($1.34). Then we went to Baja Burrito ($13) and i’m starting to get addicted to that place. Then we went home and Posh had been really destructive like she was trying to prove a point. This must stop. This aggression will not stand. Leslie was tired and had to work in the morning so we went to bed. Read an article in the New Yorker about Maurice Sendak and how Spike Jonze is directing the movie of “Where the Wild Things Are”.

Walked early and fell back to sleep. Woke up and put on some coffee and Natalie Hemby came over and she played me her album, “Under The Radar”. Her husband, Mike Wrucke, has just produced the platinum selling artist Miranda Lambert. I remember him from years ago being an excellent guitarist. Her album is cool, very “Euro” sounding. We played with a couple different ideas, and I forgot what a good singer she is. We ended up working on a country idea I started. It came out well, and she was very enthusiastic about it. We went to Chinatown for lunch and I had chicken with garlic sauce ($5.75) and she had four eggrolls and a bowl of wanton soup. She talked about how much she enjoys being married and she said she hopes that Leslie and I will get married someday. Went home and worked a little longer, then I took the dogs to the post office and Sula went to the bathroom right in front of the window at the library so everyone saw and it was funny, then the dogs wrestled for a while, then I went home, changed and Leslie called and I was glad because I was missing her and she said everything was going well and Kenda and Rami found a house. I told her I would try to work less and spend more quality time with her. Then I went to Mercy Lounge for Kate York’s cd release party and she’s very good, really. She has an article coming out about her in Esquire, also, she was featured in Paste magazine’s segment on CNN today. She just quit her day job and was in a good mood and I enjoyed the concert. She kind of reminds me of Christine McVie, who is of course, the best member of Fleetwood Mac. After her show, John Bruton was playing dance music, which he calls “Dingo Dance Party” and it was hilarious! Everyone was dancing, and I love watching people dance. I was developing some “long” dances, because the Mercy Lounge is so long, and long dances are where you travel a long ways while you’re dancing and then I came up with a charity idea and I was telling Leigh Nash about it. It would be called (chuckle): “Dance Across America”!!! People would put their ipods on and dance all the way across the country for charity! Leigh Nash thought it was a good idea! I saw John Kelly Gannet and he’s funny. He doesn’t mean to, but he always goes straight for the most uncomfortable subjects and it cracks me up. Like somebody just got through telling Megan Thompson that they missed her set and he says, “Oh, so you just got here? You completely missed it?” Ha Ha! He says he’s harsh because he’s a Saggitarius. I saw Carla from Big Yellow Dog and Thad Cockerall. Then everbody went to the Sunset Grill and Melissa Mathes poured her wine all over the table and then we went to Bosco’s and had a beer with Matthew Ryan and his brother and Kate York and Melissa and they said they wanted to start the Fleetwood Mac of Nashvile and I thought that was a good idea. When I came home, Posh had gotten my baseball cap out again and I don’t know why she’s being so destuctive when I leave. It may be time for a crate.

Woke early and took Leslie to the airport. I was tired and in a bad mood so I don’t think she was sad to be leaving me. She’s only gone for a few days. Went to walk the dogs and started to perk up, and I thought this was the day I had Natalie Hemby, but she was tomorrow, and this was the day I had Emily West coming over but she wasn’t coming over til one, so I took a small nap, then put some coffee on. We worked until 5 and we got a verse and a chorus and it came out pretty good, and it seemed like she was real excited about it, but it’s hard to tell, she may have been just being nice. Anyway, now I have seven billion new songs to demo so I have to set aside some serious hours to do that. She showed me this funny site where you get a monkey to send a message for you and it’s hysterical. I made some bagels and cream cheese with cucumbers and sea salt and I could eat those all day long. Then I went to Mercy Lounge for the 8 off 8th thing and saw Teal and his room mate Andre, and Ryan Smith was there and John Bruton. And I’ve renamed his apartment “Le Chateau du Dique”. John Bruton was saying the reason the show is still so successful is that he’s really kept an eye on the quality control, and he doesn’t let just anyone play, but to me, alot of the bands sounded terrible! Then he came in (we were sitting in the pool room) and said some band had just trashed everything. He said he told them he didn’t think it was funny and they would have to pay for it. I think it’s so stupid when bands act like that. Like petulant children. Got home quite late and took 2 advil and went to sleep.

Slept in a little, but Posh was having none of it, but I don’t want to be one of those people who’s life is ruled by their dog. Made a sad omelette with emmenthaler and toast and bacon. I took Posh for a walk and a romp, then it was time to go to Tommy Keenum’s barbecue. We stopped at Mapco for some gas, then to Kroger for some beer and chips. We got there right on time appearantly and everybody was telling stories about guilty pleasures. But Kristy West was calling and her brother had to be admitted to the hospital after choking on something? It cast a strange gloom over the party, but the shrimp was delicious. Everyone was chewing meticulously. For once, Leslie and I both wanted to leave at the same time, so we drove home and I watched some TV and tidied up a little and Leslie packed because she’s going to Florida tomorrow to visit her sister. Watched some of “The Spanish Prisoner” and fell asleep.

Went to breakfast at Cracker Barrell with my grandpa and he said I looked fat. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. He’s one of those people that just don’t always say tactful things, but oh well. I left and went to the Guilty rehearsal and they weren’t quite ready yet, so John Deaderick and I went to get some coffee. We practiced all day and it went well but it was so loud. Leslie came by and brought me a hot dog which was nice, and she brought my ear medicine later. Went to Baja Burrito for dinner after rehearsal with John and Trebing and then took a short nap and Leslie laid out some clothes for me, but she said she was bored and couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted to do. I said she didn’t have to come but she said she might. Went to the club and we played from 10pm to 1:30am, and it was really loud. I felt like I lost some hearing. I said hello to King Williams after the show, and Leslie did wind up coming and she looked beautiful, but she was telling everyone she had a crush on Randy Flowers and we should get him back on the guitar which was funny. I mean, I wonder what it is? It seems like every girl I know has a crush on him! But I thought everyone did a good job and it’s so much work and it takes so much energy, I always feel sort of depleted and depressed, slightly, when it’s all over. Went home and the house needed attention, but I couldn’t do anything. Went to bed.

It was a beautiful day but I couldn’t wake up. I finally got going about 11 and went to Bongo Java to meet an old friend, Amber. I had to park on the hill by Belmont and I tripped and got muddy walking down the hill. But I had my Bongo’s confused and I went to the wrong one. I sat on the porch and read the paper for a while and I saw Ollie O’Shea and there were several jazz musicians and Jeff Coffin was holding court in one corner of the porch. I tried to hear their conversation and it was something about myspace but that was all I got. I was realy hungry but I thought I should wait, and to be honest, nothing at Bongo Java looked very good. Then Amber called and said “are you coming?” and I said “I’m here!” and then we figured out that I was at the west side one, and she was at the east one, so I hiked back up to the car and drove to the east side, and she was there with her sister, Brandy and we talked for a while and Brandy was filling out forms to get her son into the East Nashville Academy, and they both have children now. Amber’s son is called Grayson and she showed me some pictures of him and he’s an attractive kid. Then Brandy gave us some popsicles and said she had to run an errand and would be back. I talked to Amber for a while, and it was neat and a little strange to talk to someone you haven’t talked to for so long, and you really see, not so much how THEY have changed, but how YOU have changed, when you do things like that; and also the ways that you are still the same. She said she sensed that something was missing from my life from reading my blog and maybe she’s right, although I try not to focus on that. I saw Hags and Dave Coleman and this guy who was probably on crack started break dancing on the sidewalk. I talked to Amber for about an hour, and she owns a successful flower shop in Connecticut. She said she would move back to Nashville if it weren’t for her son, and having him close to his father. Although she recently had to be hospitalized for exhaustion from working too hard. She said she had arrived at the conclusion that she couldn’t predict the future. I had a nice time, but I was also thinking about Posh being all alone and what was she potentially destroying, so I agreed to see her at Guilty Pleasures and when Brandy came back, I said goodbye and went home. Leslie called, and said Dr. Torrente had her baby and it was a girl and would I pick up some flowers so I went to Smith and Rogers ($32) and they were really picked over, but I got some nice flowers. When I got home, Posh had stolen half a loaf of Provence bread and was just so pleased with herself, so she had a lot of pent up energy. We went for a walk, and then it was time to get down to business, but it was so hard to concentrate! Plus, I was hungry again, so I went to Harris Teeter ($47) and got a Rotisserie chicken and some Pilaf, and made yogurt sauce with cucumbers and lemon and garlic. Then, with no alternatives or unexplored methods of procrastination left, I started to chart Madonna songs. I had half of a Thai Red Bull (10X the power of U.S.?) and it seemed to work, because I got a lot done. Leslie came home and she said it was a rough day, and that a baby had died. She ate some food, we watched some TV and fell asleep.

Walked the dogs and had some homey nut cheerios. Leslie worked and I worked on Guilty Pleasures songs. The rehearsal went well except I was sleepy because I didn’t get a nap. Then after rehearsal, it was Jonathan Trebing’s birthday, so we went to the Basement and had a couple drinks and I felt sloshed after one whisky! I think it was interacting with the anti-biotics. Anyhow, Jeff Boswell made a grilled cheese and I should have been grateful, but I was critical. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. It’s just that they made the grilled cheese with no butter. Tom Bucavak was asking music trivia questions and Grimey knew all the answers. Came home about 1 am and fell asleep.