ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – teachers by day, performers by night. Audiences may recognize him by the weekly shows at Sawmill Market in summer or in breweries. From the moment he picked up a guitar in fourth grade, JD Nash knew he was meant to share music with people.
Nash says his father and older brother were the catalysts that got him to learn music. The first song he remembers was Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes, and that same day he brought his guitar to school and played it for his friends. “It was instant. I just wanted to show it and share it with everyone. Just like my dad played music for us, I wanted to play for other people too, ”said Nash.
Growing up in Moriarty, where Nash says there are very few local bands in the area, influenced his decision to study music theory at the University of New Mexico. “It affected me in every way you can imagine. When I play, I don’t think much about music anymore, and I think that’s probably a big part of it, “said Nash. “I just relax and let the songs come whenever they do.”
While describing his music as a mix of alternative country, folk and rock, Nash says that he has experience of all different musical genres. It started with punk rock, then switched to metal and ended up with more indie rock before finding a home in the alternative genre.
“I always told myself that I would take myself on these journeys and go through these places. I toured the US until I had a good story to tell. As soon as I could tell a good story, I wanted to be a country musician, ”said Nash.
After visiting many other cities and states, Nash still believes that New Mexico is a unique place for musicians and songwriters to thrive. That is the artistic answer. Another answer is that we can afford to live here. I can play concerts in breweries and bars all over the city and still afford to live here. I think when it comes down to it, our community here has the same ability to thrive in an environment like this. “
“Albuquerque is something special. We are so disconnected from other parts that we have no outside influence, as perhaps a larger city in the Midwest or on the east coast does. We just have this isolation here, we’re part of the real Wild West, ”said Nash.
Another thing Nash says makes New Mexico such a powerful place for local musicians is the community support. “We know each other, we support each other, we go to each other’s shows, we buy each other’s albums. It’s such a tight-knit community. I haven’t been anywhere else where you can see musicians from their 20s to their 70s still playing in town and still getting the same level of support, “said Nash.
Looking ahead, Nash hopes to continue recording songs and performing for audiences across the country, not just for the New Mexican audience. He is currently working on putting together a full album that he hopes will be out in late 2022.
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