Tanasi is my latest album, a love letter to Tennessee. Born and raised in East Tennessee, I felt it was important to creatively explore what makes this place so special to me and craft an album that truly commemorates it. It’s a magical land — from the rivers and mountains that stretch into the clouds to the communities that ignite the fires burning in our hearts. The album is an alchemical journey of returning home through the elements, with each chapter representing one of those elements.
Chapter 1: Water
The first chapter of Tanasi is centered around the element of water. With “Tennessee” meaning “where the water meets,” it only made sense to start here. The idea for the album came to me during a hike in the Smoky Mountains with my son, up Mount Le Conte. Along the trail, we decided to drink straight from the river — and in that moment, it felt like a download hit me. I heard the voice of Bill Landry from The Heartland Series in my mind, inspiring me to write the entire album.
Water represents balance — flowing with emotion, adapting to change, and not being confined by the realities we face.
Chapter 2: Earth
The second chapter of Tanasi is focused on the element of Earth — the heartland. This chapter is special because the mountains are one of the most unique and defining features of this land. Earth represents being grounded, structured, and disciplined. Discipline is what I needed to build the strength to hike these mountains and to create something that allows me to construct a new world — one where people like myself feel at home in spaces where we’re not typically seen. Outside, in the heartland, deeply in love with what we commit ourselves to.
Chapter 3: Air
Chapter 3 is centered around the element of air — all about our thought processes and how we communicate our love for the craft through the airwaves of our minds. The inspiration for this chapter came while I was at the peak of Max Patch, a mountain range on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. I remember standing there on an extremely windy evening as the sun was setting, feeling like I could lean off the edge and be held by the rushing wind without falling. This chapter is about being mutable like the air, and breathing the same air as our ancestors — knowing we’re all still connected through each breath.
Chapter 4: Fire
When I think about the times in my life when I’ve felt most at home, I picture nights gathered around a bonfire with people I care about—just watching the flames dance. Fire is mesmerizing, and for me, the Native story of the Raven inspired this chapter of the album. In Native traditions, the Raven is known as the bringer of fire.
Fire represents drive, passion, and ambition—all the forces that push us to transform into the greatest version of ourselves. This piece is about embracing the fire within while making peace with the shadow it casts when we stand in the light. This is where the fire refines us, shaping us into gold..