THANK GOD FOR JAY NASH

by Carlos Roberto

Jay Nash is a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll. Jay Nash is an East Coast native and rock troubadour. Jay Nash is blessed with the kind of striking rustic voice so rarely heard on records these days. Jay Nash makes music that is intelligent, warm, soulful, and energetic. Thank God for Jay Nash. At the outset of my career as a photographer, I possessed a camera, enthusiasm, and a love for music. I lacked experience, which resulted in many disappointments and frustrations. However, I persevered. I kept knocking on doors and tearing down walls. Then I met Jay Nash, the first musician who took a chance on an unknown, untried, amateur photographer. He granted me access to many of his performances and then asked me to shoot the cover of his album, Crosby Skills & Nasha 4-song collaboration with Caitlin Crosby. The EP debuted at #6 on the Singer/Songwriter Chart in iTunes. And my artwork graced the cover.

I have Jay Nash to thank for that.

Prior to meeting Nash, I encountered many egos in the music worlds, attitudes that told me to get lost. I believe actions like that will never get you far in life. I believe those who consistently treat others with respect win in the end. And I think thats one of the reasons for Nashs success. Hes kind, humble, and also happens to be a brilliant musician. Jay Nash grew up in Manlius, which is just outside of Syracuse in upstate New York. He spent inspiring summers in the picturesque Thousand Islands region near the US-Canadian border. He was also surrounded and supported by a musical familyhis mother, a piano teacher and his father, an avid rock-n-roll fan. Jays defining moment occurred at age of 12 when had came in possession of a cassette tape with a live Grateful Dead performance on one side and Cat Stevens Greatest Hits on the other. He adored that tape and played it to the point of breaking. The music on that tape led to Jay entering and winning a talent contest where he sang Cat Stevens Father and Song. There was something kind of magical and amazing about it," Nash says of the experience of performing live for an audience of 1,500. Thank God for that cassette tape. Other artists that Jay cites as early influences include Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Band, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Greg Brown, and Martin Sexton. Nash attended Binghamton and then the University of Vermont, where he played in a variety of bands before branching out as a solo act. He played gigs around the ski lodges of Vermont, working packed audiences into a frenzy with medleys that went from Tennessee Jed into Johnny B. Goode, Feeling Alright, and Tangled Up In Blue. After graduation, Jay drove straight to New York City, where he began writing songs, recording, and playing live gigs. In 2000, Jay brought his music to Los Angeles, where he began to pursue a musical career in earnest. He emerged into the national spotlight from LA's legendary Hotel Cafe music scenethe same venue that gave rise to Sara Bareilles, Katy Perry, and many other current pop luminaries. Jay has shared the stage with the Counting Crows, Maroon 5, Keb Mo, Dave Mason, Sara, Katy, and many others.

Hes has put out a series of independent releases including Open Late (2002), Nine (2004), the autobiographical A Stream Up North (2004), The North LaBrea All-Star Conquistadors (2005), Some Kind of Comfort (2005), Over You (2007), The Things You Think You Need (2008), and All the Stars in Copenhagen (2009). Nash has sold over 25,000 albums as an independent musiciana remarkable feat given that hes never signed a conventional record deal. The reasons for his popularity in music circles are simple: he's a talented writer with a distinctively striking voice. He tells a great story, and he does it in song. His current album, Diamonds and Blood, was recorded at Phantom Vox Studios in Los Angeles. All in all, says Nash, I recorded with an all-star dream band. Musicians on the record include David Immergluck (guitars, mandolin, lap steel) and Charlie Gillingham (piano and B3 organ) of the Counting Crows. Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams) and Jamie Wollam (Jackson Browne) shared the drums and percussion duties. Chris Joyner (Ray LaMontagne, Rickie Lee Jones) played keys. Rob Wasserman (Ratdog, Bob Weir) plays bass. Chris Seefried produced, and two-time-Grammy-winner, Seth Atkins Horan, engineered. A highlight of the record is the subdued, yet powerful, Golden State Goodnight, where Kenneth Pattengale and Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) accompany Nash. Its a love letter to the state he resided in for the last nine years. Jay Nash makes music that is intelligent, warm, soulful, energetic, a little bit country, and a little bit rock-n-roll. His striking rustic voice is addictive. It may not be the kind of music the Pop 40 masses clamor to hear, however it certainly is the kind of music anyone of sense and substance wants to hear wafting from the speakers of their convertible while driving down the Pacific Coast Highway on a warm summer Sunday afternoon.

Thank you, Jay Nash. For everything.

Join Jay Nashs fans page: http://www.facebook.com/jaynashmusic Get the latest and the greatest at www.jaynash.com