Album
Channeling Thebodiah

James Holcroft

A spectral transmission from the 1980s, reimagined through the circuitry of today.
Canadian artist James Holcroft pays homage to the legendary cult figure Nash the Slash — the mysterious mandolinist, violinist, and electronic alchemist whose masked persona and sonic experiments left a lasting mark on the avant-garde scene.
Forty years after first hearing «Dreams and Nightmares» on a foggy night near Toronto, Holcroft returns to that moment — this time surrounded by a sonic laboratory of SOMA instruments: The PIPE, PULSAR-23, ENNER, UTILITIES, COSMOS.
A spectral transmission from the 1980s, reimagined through the circuitry of today.
Canadian artist James Holcroft pays homage to the legendary cult figure Nash the Slash — the mysterious mandolinist, violinist, and electronic alchemist whose masked persona and sonic experiments left a lasting mark on the avant-garde scene.
Forty years after first hearing «Dreams and Nightmares» on a foggy night near Toronto, Holcroft returns to that moment — this time surrounded by a sonic laboratory of SOMA instruments: The PIPE, PULSAR-23, ENNER, UTILITIES, COSMOS.
Each track explores a different corner of Nash’s eccentric universe — from Séance Session and Grave Warnings to Murder by Crows and Occult Following — capturing his surreal imagination, humor, and devotion to creative freedom.

Release date: 31.10.2025

Label: SOMA Labs Music

Artwork: Kiyán

Press release: Regina Pechenina, James Holcroft

“
«If Nash were still with us, I’m sure he’d be a SOMA artist. This tribute is my way of channeling his spirit while making my own musical statements.»

James Holcroft

About the songs:
01. Séance Session
Nashtag: Nash the Slash aka Nashville Thebodiah Slasher aka James Jeffrey “Jeff” Plewman kept his   identity hidden behind his signature bandages, first used as a statement concerning the Three Mile Island Nuclear disaster.   His true identity was the source of fun speculation that included theories that he was actually fellow FM violinist Ben Mink and even fellow Canadian artist Anne Murray in disguise.
02. Roadside Attraction
NashTag: Nash was very much anti-guitar on his works, even rejecting an offer by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour to add his iconic performance to his latest album. Nash preferred to mimic guitar like textures with his signature mandolin and violin exclusively. His albums proclaimed “There are no guitars”
03. The Third Rail
Nashtag: He was the first musician in Canada to use a drum machine on an album, at a time when the musician’s union stated that drum machines were illegal as they took jobs away from real drummers. Nash changed his union card to performance artist rather than musician such that the violation was not an issue.
04. Grave Warnings
Nashtag: He referred to his palette of electronic gear as devices and was an early innovator delay based syncopated playing and early looping on top of his machine based rhythmic backing. Mandolin and violin through fuzz boxes was his “thing”.
05. Murder By Crows
Nashtag: His Signature mandolin was in the shape of a white skull that complimented his occult mystique on top of his white suit, top hat and “invisible man” facial bandages; the final touch being dark sunglasses to further obscure his identity. His mandolin and wardrobe are now on display at the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
06. Ouiji
Nashtag: He gained even more fame in Europe by joining with synth pop artist and innovator Gary Numan, this was in addition to his musical circus solo work and performance live accompaniment to silent films. He was also the founding member in the band FM, a progressive rock band that gained some notoriety in the 80’s.
07. Cadaver Corners
Nashtag: His album “Blind Windows” was played the wrong speed on radio (33rpm from a 45rpm EP) so it was stated the album could be played at any speed and still be musically relevant.   When his album decomposing was released on cd it included the tracks played a various speeds (turntables even had 78 rpm back than).
08. Occult Following
Nashtag: His vocal track “Dance after Curfew” became a club and radio hit in Poland when it was still behind the iron curtain in the 80’s.
09. Children of the Knight
Nashtag: In 1985 he sued Pepsi for using his likeness being usedin a commercial without his permission and won.
10. Traffic Jam
Nashtag: His stage shows made extensive use of Psychedelic -projector lighting, strobes, fog, silhouette lighting and pyrotechnics. It was a spectacle akin to a circus. He also used early echoplex based looping to pull off his solo performances.
11. Abnormal Consumption
Nashtag: The internet essentially killed his career, making it impossible to make a living from his craft, so Nash rolled up his bandages forever in 2012.
12. Creature Feature Week
Nashtag: Side Three Media is set to release a documentary “Nash the Slash Rises Again”. As of March 2025, it is now fully crowd funded and in post production.   I am truly looking forward to it.
13. The Thirteenth Song
Nashtag: Nash passed away in 2014 from a suspected heart attack but has left us a cult legacy in his 40 years of working on the fringe. He was 66. Also of note is that he announced he was gay at the 1998 Pride Festival in Toronto, at a time when it took more courage to come out.
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