Few country bands come along that take the traditional sound of the genre and spin it into something different. It is either downright grew-up-in-the-South country or a pop-rock hybrid that does fairly well on the charts. Nash Street is an exception, of course.
The band is Mississippi State bred; the majority of the members are students at MSU and one is a senior at Starkville High School.
There are three vocalists: Art major Jason Graham, communication major Hannah Melby, and her younger sister Caroline; Graham is also a guitarist while Hannah adds the fiddle and Caroline serenades the listener with her mandolin.
Aerospace engineering major Daniel Hare provides upright bass, and English major Clay Lezon is the lead guitarist.
The vocals are eloquent, the lyrics telling a deep story without pretentious complexity. Graham sings with a dulcet voice as the Melby sisters harmonize.
The most notable of songs is “Carry On,” a song of empowerment when all seems lost. Graham says his lyrics come from different places.
“‘Widowmaker’ came from watching old Western movies,” the singer-songwriter said.
Nash Street began in 1996, a project started by Hare and Hannah Melby while they were students at Starkville Middle School.
The duo intended on playing at square dances and church events. However, when Caroline was added to the mix, the band became more serious about its musical aspirations.
Two years later, Graham became a part of the group, and with Hare and Lezon on board, Nash Street started focusing on a distinctive sound in the country genre. This sound would become what the band calls “grassroots country.”
“Every band member brings something different to the table,” Hannah Melby said. “Jason comes from a very country background, Caroline comes from a more classical piano background that coincided with her bluegrass banjo teacher’s style. Clay comes from an interesting combination of old country and modern guitar. Daniel comes from an orchestra background, and I come from a strictly folk and bluegrass background.”
The group says its music is an on-going process, releasing album after album.
“We are always working on an album,” Hannah said jokingly. “When we finish an album, we begin working on our next album,” mandolin player Caroline Melby said. “New material is already being worked on since everybody is feeling so inspired lately.”
This past weekend was quite an event for the country wonders. Nash Street performed in a competition sponsored by Colgate in Nashville.
The band, which faced several competitors, won the $100,000 prize and the chance to meet country artist LeAnn Rimes.
“It was unbelievable,” Graham said. “The reality hasn’t really sunk in yet. We’re all still in ‘La-La Land.'”
Lezon, who was not able to perform with his bandmates due to a technicality, said he was not stirred by the sponsor’s decision to leave him out.
“They changed the time of the preliminaries in Meridian, and I had to work,” Lezon said. “Because I didn’t play in Meridian, I couldn’t play in the competition.”
Though he was not a part of the country performance, Colgate allowed him to do lots of things the other members were able to do. He says he was able to sit on the side and watch, proud for his musical family. But there was a downside.
“I didn’t get to meet LeAnn Rimes,” he said jokingly.
“It’s really the fans around Starkville that have supported the band and helped us get this far,” Lezon said. “What really drives us are the friends and family that help us out.