Regina: Megan Nash

photo by Aidan Morgan, intro by Dana Durell

Megan Nash gigs a lot, and she brings a lot of herself to every performance. The things she says to a crowd are enthusiastic, affective, and sincere, and so are her songs.

Two weeks ago, from a cozy cuddle sandwich under a blanket, I got to watch Megan perform at a house concert in Saskatoon. She had driven in that day from her home, a tiny hamlet in the south of the province, for the show and another in North Battleford. She told us that earlier that week she’d played for toddlers doing yoga.

Megan Nash fits into people’s lives in these ways, unexpectedly sometimes, lifting them up to places where they are better than they were before.

KC: What kinds of projects are you involved in right now?

Currently, I am working on Song Harvest: Volume Two, the follow up to Song Harvest: Volume One that I recorded last year and released in March, 2015. It’s a collection of original songs that will be recorded in the Spring in a one hundred and one year old country church. The church is not insulated so we have to wait until it is warm again to record. I want to release it in 2016.

KC: What’s your day job? What do you like about it? What’s challenging?

The majority of my income comes from playing music. I own a sound system which allows me to create venues in unique spaces across the province. I also facilitate song writing workshops which is rewarding. I believe song writing can be very therapeutic. When I’m not travelling I do support work in Moose Jaw. I have been on the casual list with the non profit Citizens All for over two years. I normally work a couple shifts there in a month. It’s been great to get the opportunity to do something non music related.

KC: What’s important to you?

It’s important to me to live passionately. I want everything I do to be with my whole heart. I want to be able to inspire others and to be surrounded by others who inspire me.

KC: What do you like most/least about Regina?

Regina has a lot of talented musicians and passionate bloggers that want the scene to flourish. I have met a lot of kind people through the Regina music scene. They also have some beautiful venues. I love playing the Artful Dodger and the Artisan. Sometimes I wish the shows were better attended. It can be difficult to get people out.

KC: What is your impression of Saskatoon?

I love Saskatoon. Great scene, good coffee, beautiful art galleries. Both Regina and Saskatoon feel like second homes. I lived in Moose Jaw for years so I was on the edge of both music scenes and felt welcome in both.

KC: How do you survive the winters?

Skating on sloughs, baking bread in tiny kitchens, writing songs and playing guitar. I live with my partner which makes the cold months in a tiny hamlet easier. I don’t know if I would want to live in the middle of the frozen prairies alone.

KC: (From the Proust Questionnaire) What is your greatest extravagance?

Chocolate, coffee, and crystals.