If you had lasted until three in the morning at the fabled Woodstock festival of August 1969, you’d have witnessed the performance that caught the peace and love era in a bottle. The newly formed folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young took the stage cautiously, with Stephen Stills memorably informing the crowd: “This is the second time we’ve ever played in front of people, man… We’re scared shitless!”
But for Graham Nash, looking out on that sea of humanity, there was a sudden sense that anything was possible. “Woodstock was a coming of age, a flowering of a generation of kids who decided they could take responsibility for their own lives and affect their destiny,” the songwriter later told Rolling Stone. “There was a certain glow about the 60s, a certain naiveté and exploration, an excitement for the future…”
As we know, it didn’t quite work out that way. But while CSNY is surely finished now – David Crosby having left us in January – Nash is still questing at the age of 81, releasing a new studio album, Now, that speaks out against crooked politicians and urges listeners to leave a better world behind them.
Are you pleased with Now?
“I wouldn’t be releasing it otherwise. I wouldn’t waste your time. I wouldn’t make an album that has one great track and nine other miserable tracks. No, I love this record. I’ve said that it is my most personal record. It’s exactly how I feel, right now. I’m 81 years old and if I can’t be honest now – I’m fucked!”
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms