Dash of Nash

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 27, 2002 | 4:22 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: Sept. 29, 2002

During the course of his storied music career, singer/songwriter Graham Nash has starred in two successful bands: British pop act the Hollies and beloved folk-rock group Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young).

At age 60, Nash has embarked on a new phase of his career with the release ofhis first solo album in 16 years, "Songs for Survivors." With CSN on hiatus following a summer tour, Nash is touring as a solo artist for the first time since the 1980s.

Nash will perform with his five-piece band at 8 p.m. Friday at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino's Whiskey Sky Amphitheater.

Relaxing in Central Park during a stopover in New York, Nash recently spoke with the Las Vegas Sun via telephone and discussed performing without Crosby and Stills by his side, Mama Cass' impact on CSN and David Crosby's big Las Vegas jackpot.

Las Vegas Sun: How is the solo tour going?

Graham Nash: So far, very very good. This is a new experience for me in a strange way. I've done a lot of work with David and Stephen (Stills), and Neil (Young), of course. But it's been 16 years since I toured solo.

Sun: Has it been a lot different being the focal point onstage instead of being one of three or four guys?

GN: I'm not used to it yet, I must confess. But I'll get there pretty quick.

Sun: What's been the main difference?

GN: There's no one that I have to get permission from to do certain things. It's just me. I sing whatever I want to sing and that's quite different.

Sun: What does "Songs For Survivors" refer to? Initially I thought maybe it had to do with 9-11.

GN: It's more than 9-11 -- it was actually written before that -- but I think that 9-11 did help bring it into focus. Because part of the focus of "Songs For Survivors" is not only to celebrate the fact that I'm still alive, damn it, but also that I cherish my wife and my kids and my family and my friends. And I think that's what 9-11 brought into focus.

Sun: You and your bands have never been afraid to tackle political issues. Was there some temptation to go into the studio after 9-11 and record a couple of songs or an album about that?

GN: The emotions were a little too raw and I also think it's an incredibly complex problem. It will take a while for people's feelings to be really sorted out I think.

Sun: Cass Elliott is one of four musicians to whom the album is dedicated. I seem to remember reading that she first introduced you to David Crosby. Is that true?

GN: She introduced me to Crosby, yeah, changed my life completely. I have a feeling that Cass knew that I was coming to the end of my lollipop with the Hollies and she knew that David and Stephen were around. They were good friends of hers, and I think she knew instinctvely what CSN would sound like before CSN ever knew each other.

Sun: I know it's hard to predict with that band what might come next, but is there anything in the works?

GN: A DVD of the shows from the last CSNY tour. I'm working on that right now.

Sun: Any idea when that might come out?

GN: Don't have a clue. Getting decisions out of the four of us is like pulling teeth.

Sun: Do you anticipate getting back together again with them soon?

GN: Well it's strange, I never thought we would have gotten together when we did but we've been together twice since then. Who knows? It's impossible to predict with this band.

Sun: You and Crosby released a live show, "Another Stoney Evening," in 1998. Do you anticipate more vault-type material coming out in the future?

GN: Absolutely. We have so much. When I was putting that boxed set together there was a lot of stuff, for instance, 53 of our demos. "Wooden Ships" without words, just funny bits of stuff. To see the demo and then to go back and listen to the actual recording that we presented to the public is really an amazing thing.

Sun: You've been playing "Teach Your Children" and "Our House" for years and years. Do you still enjoy performing them?

GN: I get off more nowadays on the audience reaction to those two songs than I do playing them. The joy of playing them shifts focus from "it's a brand new song" to "'it's on our new record" to "'it's on a multiplatinum album" to "people have loved this song for 20 years" and now it's 30 years.

Sun: Are there some other songs that you personally enjoy playing?

GN: I've been playing songs on this tour that I haven't played in years and years. Things like "Take the Money and Run" and "Barrel of Pain" for instance.

Sun: Do you like playing in Las Vegas?

GN: I'm really looking forward to it. Our fans have really turned out for us in Las Vegas. It's not been the normal casino crowd. When we've played there it's always been like our normal CSN crowd.

Sun: Do you gamble much when you're here?

GN: I stay pretty low key. I'm not a gambler. Stephen likes it much more than I do. The last time we were in Las Vegas, Crosby walked up to one machine, put four coins in and won $1,000. And then he walked away and had dinner.

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