A leading voice in country music is coming to the Greenwich Odeum on Saturday, March 8. David Nail is a widely regarded singer-songwriter and a Grammy award-nominated artist who has made Nashville home for over two decades.
Nail broke out in 2002 with his song “Memphis,” and later hit #1 on the country charts with hits “Let it Rain,” and “Whatever She’s Got.” His 2009 album I’m About to Come Alive featured a duet with Miranda Lambert and songs co-written with Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts’ lead singer Gary LeVox.
I spoke with Nail recently and learned more about his approach to songwriting and his take on the state of country music.
“I’ve been working on the creative process, recording a couple of new tunes that I hope to have out this spring,” he said in our recent phone interview. “I’ve been working on a couple of things; one is a song about my relationship with my grandfather who passed, and the grieving process. I wanted to be very particular about how I went about it.”
When it comes to songwriting, Nail is at the top of his game, one among that rare club of admired writers in Nashville. He offered some thoughts on his approach to songwriting.
“When I first started out, I would sit down with my guitar, pen, and paper and simultaneously begin something,” he said. “There was always an idea I was thinking about – oftentimes, you don’t realize it, sometimes after the fact, you realize, hey, that was kind of weighing on me. And then you get into co-writing where you sit down and work out who has the best title, who has the best idea, sometimes you have no direct personal ties to the song. I struggled with that early on, but as time went on, I kind of got addicted to it, used to it. It sort of became a crutch.”
Working solo during the COVID shutdown, Nail had to re-learn how to write songs on his own. “Now, before I sit down with the guitar, I try to figure out something that I’m thinking about, maybe something going on with my life, or something that I’ve read or seen recently that sparks something. At least once a day, I try to brainstorm, play the guitar a little bit, see if anything is inside me.”
Modern country music is always evolving, witness Beyonce’s recent foray into the genre. Nail shared a few thoughts on the state of country music today.
“One of the most consistent things I’ve heard over my 20+ years in town, is ‘hey, its changing,’” he explained. “Of course, usually no one knows what the hell they are talking about. It usually is very slow to do what people suspect that it’s doing. The one thing I’ve always tried to pride myself on – I do a specific thing, and I don’t exactly know how to label it or describe it. It just happens. Whatever it is, I’ve been told I was super pop, I’ve been told I was super country, I’ve been told I was super serious. I even had somebody tell me one time that I wouldn’t be appreciated until I was gone.”
True to country music’s roots, Nail wants nothing more than to be seen as an authentic artist. “The people that are fans of me, they’ll know if I try to do the old shifteroo, if I try to drift into no man’s land, they will see right through that,” he said. “And for people that are new fans, I feel like, I’m such a bad actor, if I go out there and try to portray something I’m not comfortable with, that’s not from a pure place, they’re gonna see right through it.”
As an industry veteran, Nail appreciates the big picture regarding the genre.
“I feel like there’s something for everybody. Not everybody wants to sit down and have a glass of wine and listen to music and be super-reflective. Some people just want something that will entertain them on their way to work, or for an hour at night. Country has become another version of pop music, and that was a word no one wanted to hear when I first came to town. I never understood that, because pop stands for popular, and who doesn’t want to be popular.”
“My philosophy has always been, I just hope to have a good enough year that I can have a next year while staying as true to myself as I possibly can.”
The Odeum show with his band is what Nail calls “power acoustic, it’s a bit broken down,” much like the old Storytellers series on VH1. “I talk a bit more in between the songs, more than I would at a regular live show with a full band, and share a little bit behind the songs.”
Special guest Alex2e opens the show Saturday, March 8 at 8PM. Click here for tickets.
