Jay Nash + Dean Fields August 26, 2010

800 shows, 5 years, and 150,000 miles have passed since Dean Fields went on the road to pursue a career in music. Now, he hits the road again to promote his most recent release ‘Everything Just Happened the Way that it Happened.' These 11 songs chronicle the scenes and episodes experienced and witnessed during his life on the road. During that time his address changed from Miami to Nashville to Boston until most recently returning to his hometown of Richmond, VA.

His recent homecoming has found Fields selling out shows in Richmond VA, as well as nearby Washington DC. "Dean Fields writes lyrics like Leonard Cohen and sings like Jeff Buckley. It's no surprise that there's a serious buzz on this Virginia singer-songwriter." (Free Times) While continuing to feed his passion for music, Dean is fueled by a single-minded love to perform, sharing the stage with KT Tunstall, Blues Traveler, Rosanne Cash, Auqualung, Hootie and the Blowfish, John Hiatt, Cake, Bruce Hornsby, Rusted Root, Madeleine Peyroux, Carbon Leaf, among others. In addition, Fields' maturity as a writer and performer is brought to the fore by some of the region's finest musicians. The band features members of Mandy Moore, Sparklehorse, Agents of Good Roots, KD Lang, Carbonleaf and Modern Groove Syndicate.

Everything Just Happened the Way that it Happened, Dean's latest release, was written mostly in bars, venues, and hotels while on tour since hitting the road in 2003. The album's 11 songs capture the raw honest expression of a young artist on the rise and the experiences that come with it: the teetering balance of hope and hopelessness in life's pursuits; relationships and break-ups; along with the physical and emotional ups and downs of being on the road. This album is a reflection of his maturity as an artist and heartfelt reflections of his experiences while pursuing his dream. "It's about being at peace with the decisions we make and the benefits and consequences that come with them" states Fields. Prior to his release of Everything Just Happened the Way that it Happened, Fields released "Songs on the Mend," a solo acoustic album and his debut album "Imitations," produced by Alan Weatherhead, independently selling over 5000 copies.

Dean began his career in 2001 while living in Miami. After being inspired by the abrupt break-up of a long-term love interest, Fields began to document his pain and sadness the only way he knew how....he wrote about it. "I was living in this beautiful place with gorgeous people and amazing nightlife, and where was I? Holed up in a corner room depressed and writing songs." Upon receiving the distinction of "Best of Miami" and performing at the premier Billboard Live, the singer-songwriter made the decision to leave Miami and dedicate himself to developing his craft and performing live. "I just woke up one day and said, 'screw this all I want to do is play music.' And off I went." Influenced by great songwriters like Jim Croce, James Taylor and Lucinda Williams, Fields has blended a mix of folk-alternative Americana to create a sound only unique to him. His natural and melancholy voice stands out from the mix. "He sings with the tender high tenor of Tim Buckley and the plain spoken poetry of Jim Croce."(Miami Herald) Fields is truly in his element on stage. His live performances showcase his unassuming yet candid personality; an ‘ah shucks' sort of charisma audiences are drawn to. They cant help but watch, and listen, and be a part of the experiences unfolding in song.

In addition to releasing two albums since taking to the road in 2003 Fields has been showcasing his talents at BMI songwriter showcases in Nashville, Los Angeles, New York and at the BMI Brunch at SXSW. He was also the Southeast Region finalist in the independent music world series in 2004, chosen over a group of 1200 acts and has had his music featured on MTV's Real World, Road Rules and Sorority Life.

Fields continues to win over critics and audiences everywhere. "Go so you can say you saw him when."
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Jay Nash, Californian native and rock troubadour, has been blessed with the kind of excruciatingly rustic voice so rarely heard on record. Coupled with that is his unnervingly candid approach to song-writing - the man is a burgeoning talent set for realisation with his latest studio release ‘The Things You Think You Need'.

It's certainly refreshing to find an artist that refuses to simply dwell on the hard times, instead choosing to bask in the good and the great that life has to offer. At times almost jovial, Nash's charisma and buoyant attitude is infectious to the last with a sound capable of softening the sternest of hearts.

From the resplendent urgency of ‘Hard Lesson' to the elegiac ‘Barcelona', ‘The Things You Think You Need' has the potential to surpass anything that's gone before. The writing/recording process for this, his fourth studio album, saw Nash's creative spark ignite like wild-fire as he wrestled with the concept of producing an album laden with variety and character.

By drawing inspiration from his own life experiences, both past and present, Nash's inspirational and evocative lyrical imagery possesses the ability to shatter those deep-rooted inadequacies and musters a feeling of liberation and new-found confidence. There's no sign of an agenda here - Nash's spirited folk revival offers salvation for the masses.

Too many of today's artists find it easy to trade on a manufactured kinship - creating an unsettling, short-term bond with audiences that they're all too willing to discard on a whim. Jay Nash is a different animal altogether and his desire to connect with people is evident as he produces that very first subtle, Americana-style chord.

There's no bravado, no ill-placed audacity. Nash, its plain to see, is one of us - one of the good guys. A trailblazer for passion and hard graft - a man who knows no limitation.
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http://www.deanfields.com/
http://www.jaynash.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jaynash

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