On July 17, Nash will be headlining the Great South Bay Festival in Patchogue on Long Island. “It will be a very interesting show. I’ve done it before. I am playing with a great guitar player Shane Fontayne, so we will be performing together, and I’ll be playing music that stretches from the Hollies to a song I may have written that morning,” he said.
Last year, Nash performed at The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island. “It has been an amazing series of concerts. I really feel that I am touching people’s hearts and minds. It seems to me that everybody seems to be having a great time. They are all smiling when they are leaving and that makes me feel good,” he said. “I really like these small, intimate places. I can see if I am making contact with you, and that’s what we want to do as musicians. We want to communicate.”
Regarding the song selection for his new album, This Path Tonight, Nash said, “We wrote 20 songs in a month and we recorded them in eight days. We planned the album as an emotional journey that is going on in my life right now.”
He listed the acoustic ballad “Myself At Last” as his personal favorite song from the new CD. “In the recording process, that was the first attempt and the first song that we tried,” he said.
Each day, Nash is motivated by “getting up in the morning,” realizing that he is “alive,” and getting on with his life. “I try to fill my life with laughter, beauty and creation,” he said.
When asked to reflect upon the last five decades, he responded, “I see a man that tried his best, in every aspect of his life.”
His plans for the future are to continue making music. “More beauty and more creation. I feel like I’m on fire right now,” he said.
The key to longevity in the industry is for one to record “real music.” “My songwriting is inspired by life and curiosity. It is the duty of every artist to try and be as honest as possible, and also try and reflect the times in which we live. These are crazy times that we are going through, especially now with the political climate. It’s a crazy life out there and we need peace and quiet sometimes,” he said.
Nash is both a fan of recording music in the studio and performing live. “I love both of them, because when you are in the studio, the song is at the very beginning of its life, and that’s a very special moment. Playing the song live in front of people and touching their hearts is another special moment. We are very lucky people, us musicians,” he said. “I love to play music. I’m a communicator.”
He continues to say connected with his fans and listeners via his music. “Music is a language that we all love and we all understand. A lot of people that come to see us are musicians themselves. I am thrilled to be playing with Shane Fontayne. The man is brilliant, and he listens to the song and wants to bring it to life,” he said.
Throughout his illustrious career in the music industry, Nash is a two-time inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and with the Hollies; moreover, he is a two-time inductee in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist and with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. In 2010, Nash was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth for his services to music and philanthropy. “Another special moment was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to President Clinton on the lawn of the White House a cappella and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame twice,” he said.
The iconic musician concluded our interview by defining success as “Being able to sleep at night with a clear mind.”
Fans can check out his album This Path Tonight on iTunes.
To learn more about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash, check out his official homepage.
