Israel Nash to Play Solo Set at West Oak Coffee Bar

Does the name Israel Nash sound familiar to you? If so, you may know of him via his bandmates, local musicians Joey and Aaron McClellan (the former, of course, also being a guitarist for Midlake). If you’re unacquainted with Nash’s music, you’ve got a chance to fix that — Nash will be performing a solo set at West Oak Coffee Bar on Tuesday, November 15th.

Nash is based in Dripping Springs and has put out two albums since his move from Brooklyn in 2011.  He built Plum Creek Sound, a recording studio, in Dripping Springs with the McClellan brothers. Plum Creek served as the birthplace of Nash’s last full-length album, Silver Season, as well as the band’s new EP, Neighbors, which was a collaboration with The Bright Light Social Hour. Neighbors was released only one week ago on November 4th.

Since Nash usually performs with a full band, the decision to play a solo set — at a coffee shop, no less — is an interesting one. But Nash, an avid fan of Denton, jumped at the opportunity. “Matt from West Oak approached me about doing a super laid back and intimate set there,” Nash says. “I don’t often do shows like that but really thought it could be a special time in a town that’s close to my heart.” Because Nash’s recorded repertoire is fully electric and rife with psychedelic guitar riffs and alt-country melodies, it’s safe to say that this set will be a unique experience. “This set is going to be about the closest to the original constructs of the songs you can get,” he explains. “I write these by myself generally and they become different and expanded with the band. Which I love. But this strips it all down to the space in which the song was originally created… And I love that too.”

When asked if Nash wanted to add anything else, he simply told us that he loves Denton. This intimate, uncharacteristic show looks like it'll give Denton fans new and old a chance to give some of that love back. Make sure to get to West Oak Coffee Bar by 7 PM to catch this solo performance, and don't forget to rsvp here to ensure that you get a spot.

Header image design by Jason Lee