STANDING ROOM ONLY

AARON LEE TASJAN
Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer, songwriter, and guitarist like himself.

Snider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.”

The next morning, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. Do this, Snider wrote. Then this. But never that. The specifics don’t matter — besides, that’d be giving away the secret — but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart.

He began writing feverishly, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like In the Blazes, Karma for Cheap, or his most recent, 2024’s Stellar Evolution. When he was through, Tasjan had Get Over It, Underdog, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and the determination of the dark horse.

“I went to the ultimate oasis for a singer, songwriter, and troubadour: Todd Snider. And he said, in very Todd fashion, ‘You can find your path forward by going backwards,’” Tasjan says with a laugh. “But he was right. I set aside my ego, played shows solo without my band, and wrote a lot of songs. In that process, I found my confidence again.”

Tragically, however, he lost his mentor. Snider died shortly after Get Over It, Underdog, was finished, leaving a void in the folk-rock scene that will prove nearly impossible to fill. But Tasjan is committed to carrying on Snider’s unbridled spirit and lifting up underdogs everywhere.

MADELEINE KELSON

Madeleine Kelson is a Nashville based Americana artist. She pulls from a rich tradition of Folk, Country, and Americana, challenging its boundaries as a queer artist to represent the modern world. Madeleine spent her high school years in Chicago band, The Kelson Twins, playing venues including House of Blues and Thalia Hall, and landing a top Daytrotter Session with Paste Magazine. She later moved to Music City to pursue a solo career. Inspired by artists like Patty Griffin, Jason Isbell, andBrandi Carlile, her dynamic and down-to-earth storytelling and rich vocals are part of why NPR named her one 10 Nashville artists on the rise.