Interview: Band of the Week - Jay Nash

Jay Nash makes the kind of music that defies categorisation, but for the sake of this article let's call it alt-acoustic-folk-piano-rock.

Nash makes the kind of music that is fit for any occasion, warm, soulful, energetic, adult, intelligent, just a little bit country, just a little bit rock. It may not be the kind of music that pop 40 aficionados want to hear on the radio; but it is most certainly the kind of music anyone of sense and substance wants to hear on the radio, wafting from the speakers of their convertible, while driving down the Pacific Coast Highway on a warm summer Sunday afternoon.

With hints of alt-country nostalgia, and swimming in acoustic melodies aided by Nash's deep, gravelly vocals his newest album The Things You Think You Need is clearly a fantastic summer-sun kind of album. And it is a clear reflection of the artist himself; down-to-earth, playful, witty and occasionally profound, grounded but sentimental, sensual but intelligent, romantic but only in passing. The Things You Think You Need is definitely something you need; and Jay Nash is doubtless an artist you need to get acquainted with.

Recently this interesting man agreed to spend sometime letting me get to know him. What I found was a man whose career was nearly ended by Bob Dylan (no songwriter should ever compare themselves to Dylan), a man with the heart of a poet but the soul of a rocker. Whose love of music was inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Def Leppard, The Grateful Dead and The Band. We laughed, we cried (with laughter), we talked about his songwriting, starting his own record label and of course his new album.

So why start your own record label rather than sign with a major?

If you sign over to a major you give away everything basically. All rights, all control. Now it's not to say that we would never do that, but I think that we need to have a little bit more traction before we consider doing something like that.

Sara Bareilles is a good friend of mine — she sings on the record (The Things You Think You Need) — for a long time it was looking to be like her experience with a major, it seemed like it wasn't going to work out. I was really disheartened by it but in the last year it's gotten to be really good for her. Also when you get involved with a record label, all of the sudden there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. I don't necessarily want that. (laughs)

Article Author: A.L. Harper

I'm a writer and music journalist originally from Salt Lake City, but now living in Scotland. I was a Punk/Goth in the '80s and these artistic influences have stayed with me; although a love of Chopin, chamber music, and Spanish guitar would seem to belie this. …

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