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b'In December 2014, Tasjan spent a week recording In the Blazes at New Monkey Studio in Los Angeles, the same hallowed space where Elliott Smith cut his final record From a Basement on the Hill. At the helm for the sessions was Tasjan\\u2019s good buddy Eli Thomson of the band Everest, whom he\\u2019d met on tour while pulling a stint with Brooklyn indie-folk outfit Alberta Cross, and who produced Delta Spirit\\u2019s Ode to Sunshine. \\u201cEli is a very grounded dude, personality-wise\\u2014he has a zen way of being,\\u201d Tasjan says. \\u201cOn a subconscious level, that\\u2019s a comforting thing to be around during the creative process. You\\u2019re relaxed enough to try new things and blow it. And for better or worse, part of my thing is messing up\\u2014I have to mess it up first to do it great. Really, that idea permeates my life, far beyond being a songwriter,\\u201d Tasjan explains. \\u201cI always identify with the underdog. Some people, if you look at \\u2018em, you wouldn\\u2019t think much of them, but then they surprise you. It turns out there\\u2019s something about them that blows your mind. And that\\u2019s kind of the overarching theme of most of the songs on In the Blazes.\\u201dTruth in advertising\\u2014In the Blazes finds Aaron Lee Tasjan more than just one toke over the line. But it\\u2019s cool. The charmingly self-deprecating underdog of an East Nashville songwriter can handle his shit. Instead of the munchies, young gun Tasjan\\u2014who cut his teeth playing lead guitar in late-period incarnations of The New York Dolls and Drivin N Cryin\\u2014wound up with one hell of a debut LP.\\n\\nhttp://aaronleetasjan.com'