Aaron Lee Tasjan

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’s good buddy Eli Thomson of the band Everest, whom he’d met on tour while pulling a stint with Brooklyn indie-folk outfit Alberta Cross, and who produced Delta Spirit’s Ode to Sunshine. “Eli is a very grounded dude, personality-wise—he has a zen way of being,” Tasjan says. “On a subconscious level, that’s a comforting thing to be around during the creative process. You’re relaxed enough to try new things and blow it. And for better or worse, part of my thing is messing up—I have to mess it up first to do it great.

“Really, that idea permeates my life, far beyond being a songwriter,” Tasjan explains. “I always identify with the underdog. Some people, if you look at ‘em, you wouldn’t think much of them, but then they surprise you. It turns out there’s something about them that blows your mind. And that’s kind of the overarching theme of most of the songs on In the Blazes.”

Stylistically, In the Blazes runs the gamut of American roots music, from folk, country and blues to rock & roll. It calls down the quiet thunder of Kristofferson & Prine, with lyrics that’ll snap you out of the deepest trance and make you listen up.

-Steve LaBate (Paste Magazine, Baby Robot Media)

No Depression’s Jay Minkin has declared ALT an “Underdog phenom” and says that In The Blazes is “…vying for album of the year.”

“Looking for moments of dark humor amongst the genius — that’s Tasjan at his core,”-says Rolling Stone about ALT’s song Florida Man off his debut album, In The Blazes

“..telling tales of unapologetic hard livin’ and lovin’ existing somewhere between Todd Snider, Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen.”–American Songwriter

“…honest…fresh…something for everyone…”–USA Today

“…truly poignant…Tasjan croons in his broken tenor, over a slowly steamrolling guitar line. That’s some eternal truth to drop on a changing Nashville landscape.”–NPR Music