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James Nash (musician)

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James Nash
Background information
Birth nameJames Nash
Born (1973-06-14) June 14, 1973 (age 51)
Durham, NC, U.S.
OriginSan Francisco Bay Area
GenresAmericana, rock, bluegrass
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, mandolin, singing
Years active1992–present
LabelsCompass
Websitewww.jamesnash.com

James Nash (born June 14, 1973) is an American guitarist and singer best known for his work with the band the Waybacks.

Career

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Nash has performed with self-described "acoustic mayhem"[1] quartet the Waybacks since 1999,[2] performing at venues such as the Kennedy Center,[3] Ryman Auditorium,[4] Old Town School of Music,[5] the Warfield,[6] the Fillmore,[7] and the Bumbershoot[8] and Wakarusa[9] festivals. He has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center,[10] with the Chattanooga Symphony,[11] and with artists such as Bob Weir,[12] Joan Osborne,[13] Sam Bush,[14] Rodney Crowell,[15] and Jens Kruger.[16] In 2017, Nash was named one of the 50 best acoustic guitarists of all time by Guitar Player.[17]

He is an Artist Ambassador for the Santa Cruz Guitar Company.[18]

Style

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Nash blends bluegrass, swing, country, jazz, and experimental rock influences,[19] and is known for adapting solid body electric guitar techniques to the traditional steel-string acoustic guitar.[20][21] In 2011, he released an instructional DVD Making the Acoustic Guitar Rock! on Homespun.[22] In 2017, Nash was chosen alongside Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, and Michael Hedges as "50 transcendent superheroes of wood, steel, and nylon" by Guitar Player magazine.[17]

Hillside Album Hour

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In 2008, Nash began producing and directing the "Hillside Album Hour" at Merlefest in North Carolina.[23] Featured performers have included Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, [24] Susan Tedeschi,[25] and Joan Osborne.[26] In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the event "one of the most anticipated performances of the festival," and described the band's adaptation of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as "an inventive tribute studded with sounds that spanned the psychedelic era".[14] As of 2024, the event has taken place for 16 consecutive years.[27][28]

Discography

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Nash’s recording credits include acoustic and electric guitar, bottleneck guitar, mandolin, bass, vocals, songwriter, arranger, engineer, and producer.[29][30]

With The Waybacks

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  • Devolver (2000)
  • Burger After Church (2002)
  • Way Live (2003)
  • From the Pasture to the Future (Compass, 2006)
  • Loaded (Compass, 2008)
  • Hillside Album Hour 2008: Led Zeppelin II (2009)
  • Merlefest Watson Stage w/Special Guests (2009)
  • Hillside Album Hour 2010: Abbey Road (2011)
  • Hillside Album Hour 2011: Eat A Peach (2012)

As producer

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With others

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  • Occams Razor, Occams Razor (1992)
  • Occams Razor, Mister Moon (1995)
  • JT & the Clouds, Delilah (2002)
  • Corinne West, Bound For The Living (2004)
  • Patty and Abigail, Here We Go Again (2005)
  • Various, Songs for Sophie: A Collings Collective (2005)
  • Corinne West, The Promise (2009)
  • The Cowlicks, Hey, Hey We're The Cowlicks (2009)
  • Jesse Brewster, Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall (2010)
  • Toby, Sleeptalk (2010)
  • Sherry Austin, Love Still Remains (2010)
  • Scott Gagner, Rhapsody In Blonde (2011)
  • T Sisters, Ready for Love (2015)

Music technology

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Nash has a degree in computer science from Stanford University.[23] In 2010, Nash was musical curator for TEDxAlcatraz in San Francisco,[31] including productions with the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and cellist Peter Gregson.[32] His TEDx talk “Russell County Gorge” was featured in the 2011 TEDx Global Music Project.[33] In 2012, Nash co-founded the music streaming app Spacebar, which was featured at the 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt in New York.[34] Nash and Spacebar hold multiple US Patents for asynchronous audio and video streaming.[35][36] Nash is a regular gear review contributor to Guitar Player magazine.[37]

Personal life

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Nash is a frequent Little League Baseball and basketball coach.[23] In 2015 he received a Willie Mac Award from the San Francisco Giants for leadership in youth coaching.[38] In 2024 he received the Uncle Abe/Marty Lurie Award from the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club.[39] Nash and his partner Miranda have two sons.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Yonke, David (2004-05-28). "'Acoustic mayhem' works for Waybacks". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  2. ^ Michael Ross (August 2008). "Players: James Nash". Guitar Player. Vol. 42, no. 8. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Pop Rock Folk Jazz Etc". Washington Post. 2001-07-27. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  4. ^ "McCoury to Ring in 2005 Bluegrass Style". CMT News. 2004-10-15. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  5. ^ "The Waybacks CD Release". oldtownschool.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009.
  6. ^ "The Music Never Stops" (PDF). rexfoundation.org. Retrieved 2021-03-28.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Fillmore Auditorium San Francisco, CA 3/2-3/04". Classic Posters. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  8. ^ "Monday Lineup". bumbershoot.org. Archived from the original on 9 August 2005.
  9. ^ "2007 Artist Lineup". wakarusa.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012.
  10. ^ "The Mann - What Summer Sounds Like" (PDF). manncenter.org. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  11. ^ "The Waybacks headline with the CSO". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  12. ^ "Weir, Waybacks make beautiful fusion at the Sierra Nevada Big Room". marinij.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Danny. "EXCLUSIVE: Joan Osborne greets fans downtown". WRCBtv. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  14. ^ a b Streissguth, Michael. "MerleFest 2017: 11 Best Things We Saw at the Roots Music Festival". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  15. ^ Adams, Sam (2011-07-02). "Here Comes The Orchestra". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  16. ^ "Exclusive: James Nash and The Waybacks Hillside Album Hour". nodepression.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  17. ^ a b "50 of the best acoustic guitarists of all time - By Art Thompson". guitarplayer.com. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  18. ^ "OM - Orchestra Model". santacruzguitar.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  19. ^ John Heidt (October 2002). "VG Hit List: Burger After Church". Vintage Guitar. Vol. 16, no. 12.
  20. ^ Jude Gold (December 2003). "Hot Guitarist Alert: James Nash". Guitar Player. Vol. 37, no. 12. Archived from the original on 7 December 2003.
  21. ^ Scott Nygaard (October 2008). "Private Lesson: James Nash". Acoustic Guitar. No. 190. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008.
  22. ^ "Homespun - James Nash". homespun.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  23. ^ a b c d Overman, Ogi (2019-04-18). "The evolution of MerleFest's Hillside Album Hour". Greensboro News and Review. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  24. ^ Younger, Jamie (2004-05-28). "The Waybacks Prep Hillside Album Hour". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  25. ^ Gilmor, Susan (2013-04-26). "Air of mystery surround Hillside Album Hour". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  26. ^ "Born In The USA: The Waybacks' Hillside Album Hour". nodepression.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  27. ^ Correspondent, Eddie Huffman Special. "The Waybacks to bring spirit of invention, surprise to The Ramkat". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-16. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ "The Waybacks: Mercantile & Boutique". waybacks.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  29. ^ "James Nash: Credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  30. ^ "James Nash: Credits". discogs.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  31. ^ "TEDxAlcatraz". ted.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  32. ^ "More Cool Weir". relix.com. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  33. ^ "Russell County Gorge". youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  34. ^ "Disrupt NYC 2013 Battlefield Leaderboard". techcrunch.com. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  35. ^ "Asynchronously streaming high quality audio of a live event from a handheld device". uspto.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  36. ^ "Asynchronously streaming video of a live event from a handheld device". uspto.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  37. ^ "Stompbox Fever: Way Huge Angry Troll and Red Llama MXR Custom Badass Modified O.D." Guitar Player. October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012.
  38. ^ "Junior Giants Willie Mac Award". mlb.com. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  39. ^ Stephens, Mitch (2024-04-30). "Mary Hile-Nepfel will give and receive at eighth annual S.F. high school banquet". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
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