Like many artists featured in Open Mic Mondays, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter JD Nash says old-school rock ’n’ roll is dear to his heart – even though he’s jumped from genre to genre a bit throughout his long musical career. Playing and listening to classic rock, grunge and punk have given him a good foundation, and he’s got the guitar skills to prove it. But these days he’s hung up the flannel and spikes, spends less time on his skateboard and hit the jackpot by becoming one of Albuquerque’s most successful alt-country performers. He’s been gigging as a solo artist since 2018, but in September of 2021 he went for broke and took a gamble joining forces with a group of fun-loving troubadours known as “The Rash of Cash.” Luke Seelau (Drums), Ken “Southpaw” Easton (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Derek Luján (bass) have been just the ticket Nash needed to win the hearts of “y’alternative” music fans across the country.
Fittingly for a twangy band with an undeniably Western vibe, JD Nash and the Rash of Cash just recorded their latest album, Like Water, at the famed Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, TX just outside of El Paso. About a month before they hit the sound booths, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats recorded their release South of Here at Sonic Ranch, so Nash and company now join a roster of artists that they’ve looked up to – Fiona Apple, Waxahatchee, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Lil Yachy, the list goes on – who have made music history in those very same rooms. Like any good gambler, Nash always keeps a cool head – both on stage and in the studio. And when you talk to him, he seems just as grounded and down-to-earth as you’d imagine he was in his youth – riding horses and jamming old Zeppelin albums in small-town Moriarty, New Mexico.
Will you describe your sound for us?
Y’allternative/alt-country/indie. I would say it’s definitely a blend of a lot of influences. Y’allternative is a sub genre of country that leans more towards the indie rock side of music. I think it’s a great way of describing an indie group like my band, singing with a bit of twang and wearing hats and boots.
What are your favorite venues to play and why?
As of late, we have really been loving the Summerfest series stages. It’s always nice to get a chance to crank the amps and let loose. Second to that would probably be FUSION Theater. It’s where we had our release show. It’s a really cool venue to hang out in.
What are your lyrics about?
Our album Like Water has a lot of personal stories that I took from growing up in the small town of Moriarty, NM. Some of them are autobiographical, and then some of them are about people I’ve met. The title track is a story being told by someone in the future, once the Rio Grande has completely dried up, and we don’t have free-flowing water sources.
What bands or genres inspire your music?
Lately, I’ve been influenced by and listening to a lot of Jaime Wyatt, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, and Jimmy Deveney and the Hold Fast Union. I listen to a lot of different genres. Metal, punk, alt-country. Recently, I’ve been really digging the newest Deftones album.
I grew up riding horses when I was younger, listening to a lot of classic rock music (Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy was a cassette tape I was given that I completely wore out) and transitioned into skateboarding and listening to grunge music: Soundgarden, Nirvana, anything from Seattle. I studied music in college and got into a lot of more experimental and punk music. I had always told myself when I was younger that I would travel and collect experiences so I could be a songwriter. A couple of bands I played in toured the U.S. a handful of times, and I’d like to think that, coupled with my experiences when I was a kid, gave me a wealth of material to create from. I started getting into songwriters like Jason Isbell, the Drive-By Truckers, Kacey Musgraves, Jaime Wyatt and a whole lot of different alt-country groups. All of that culminates to what is on the recent album. It truly has a little bit of all of that, within 10 songs.
What is the best show you have ever played and why?
It was definitely our release show for Like Water at FUSION Theater in May, 2024. Everyone we know – and then some – turned out to support. The energy was unbelievable.
Listen Up:
You can stream the recent album Like Water on all streaming platforms, or find a link to your favorite platform at JDNashmusic.com.
Watch JD Nash & The Rash of Cash performing “It Ain’t Easy” live at KUNM/Studio 505 in 2024 here.
Check them out at Marble Brewery in 2022 performing “Misty Memphis Stop” here.
If you’d like to see a JD Nash solo acoustic video, watch him covering “Goddamn Lonely Love” by Jason Isbell (Drive-By Truckers) here.
JD Nash has a ton of cool stuff on his YouTube channel youtube.com/@jdnashmusic. He showcases some serious skills on guitar, especially with this cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (solos and all).
These guys have quite a sense of humor – or maybe this promotion is real, in which case you should check out their killer prices on this commercial: “JD Nash & the Rash of Cash USED CARS, TRUCKS, TRACTORS and TRAILERS.”