Americana music is defined by the Americana Music Association as “contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw.” Ignoring the incredibly specific restraints placed on the genre by this definition, I’ve often felt contemporary Americana is anchored in folk, rock, and classic country. Singer-songwriter Jay Nash tends to agree. I spoke with him one very sunny Sunday in San Francisco.
Vermont is Nash’s home, and when we spoke via phone he mentioned he was on his way back from a day spent catching some waves. Now, I know I’m not the best with geography, but I’m pretty sure Vermont isn’t exactly coastal. Nash spent nine years in Los Angeles before making the move East, so when the weather is nice he drives up to Maine to spend the day surfing. We spoke about his tenth album, Letters from the Lost, which came out yesterday, May 14, 2013.
For Nash, a seasoned musician, this record was a chance to try something new. “I would start every day with a clean slate,” he said. “I’d record a soundscape, or a guitar part, or a mandolin chord. The story revealed itself as I went. It ended up being a bit more of a stream of consciousness, I wrote probably 30 songs, and then curated the songs that related to each other. This record was sort of the sound that was in my head.” The collected songs are about being lost, which is something Nash feels is important when seeking a new creative voice: “In order to step forward,” he states, “you need to be lost for a moment.”
Though this sentiment is felt throughout the album, the opening track, “Wander” is the best example. It was written in its entirety on the shortest day of the year. The song embarks on a journey of wandering through dark and cold snow. The lyrics (“Wander where you will / that voice you hear, you know somehow”), coupled with echoed guitars, an upbeat percussive rhythm, and snaps does not conjure feelings of fear or anxiety, but rather those of contentment in what one might stumble upon.