Nash the Slash

Nash the Slash
Nash the Slash at the 2008 Friendship Festival
Background information
Birth name	James Jeffrey Plewman
Born	(1948-03-26)March 26, 1948 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 10, 2014 (aged 66) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Progressive rock, electronic
Instruments	Electric mandolin, electric violin, keyboards, synthesizer, glockenspiel
Years active	1975–2012
Labels	Cut-throat, Dindisc, Virgin, Quality, PVC, Ralph
Associated acts	Gary Numan, FM
Website	www.nashtheslash.com

James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman (March 26, 1948 – May 10, 2014), better known by his stage name Nash the Slash, was a Canadian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the harmonica, keyboards, glockenspiel, and other instruments (sometimes described as "devices" on album notes).

Nash worked as a solo artist beginning in 1975; founding the progressive rock band FM in 1976. Soon after releasing the band's first album, Black Noise, in 1977, he left the band; he resumed his solo career in 1978 (it was not until after Nash's departure that the album was widely promoted, eventually charting and receiving a gold record award). He rejoined FM from 1983 to 1996, concurrent with his solo work.

Nash's music covers an eclectic range, varying from instrumental—mood-setting music, to rock and pop music with vocals. In addition to giving concert performances, he has composed and performed soundtrack music for silent films, presenting these works live in movie theatres to accompany screenings of the films. Another venue for his music is in performances to accompany the viewing of paintings by surrealist painter Robert Vanderhorst, an audiovisual collaboration, which took place in 1978 and again in 2004.

Nash was born in Toronto, Ontario. He performed with surgical bandages covering his face starting in 1979. "During a gig at The Edge in the late 1970s to raise awareness of the threat from the Three Mile Island disaster, he walked on stage wearing bandages dipped in phosphorus paint and exclaimed: 'Look, this is what happens to you.' The bandages became his trademark." Prior to 1979, Nash performed three times on TV Ontario's Nightmusic Concert, first as a solo artist (a live broadcast which was never re-aired), then with FM (Nash and Cameron Hawkins), and again as a solo artist. In all of these appearances Nash wore his typical black tuxedo, top hat, and dark sunglasses, but not his signature bandages. He was also photographed in this attire for a profile in the Toronto Star, published April 28, 1978.