Crosby, Stills & Nash taking stage at The Pearl

Graham Nash looking back:

“I think it’s my English upbringing that enables me to weather all these storms,” says one-third of Crosby, Stills &Nash, who last year collected his memories in the autobiography “Wild Tales.”

“Don’t forget that my country was almost destroyed by the Germans. When you realize there’s a distinct possibility that tomorrow, or even today, your house wouldn’t be there or your friends would be dead, it gives you the ability to (realize) most things are unimportant in the big picture of life.”

If he does say so himself, “It’s been an amazing life so far. I’m a very lucky man and I’m very grateful to be alive.”

Graham Nash looking way, way back:

“I think we’re still being paid back for the Crusades,” he says of the current struggle against Islamic State militants. “Some people have a long, long memory.”

But Nash, 72, is still a present-tense songwriter. On a recent tour stop, Nash and CSN’s road guitarist, Shayne Fontaine, debuted a song they had written that very day. “Watch Out for the Wind” was a reaction to the upheaval surrounding the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

“As a writer, you have to face your life,” he says. “Sometimes it’s unpleasant and sometimes it’s delightful. And I’ll take both.”

“I didn’t have time to teach David (Crosby) and Stephen (Stills) the song,” he adds of his stage partners for Saturday’s show at the Palms. “There was not time to get a great three-part blend. But if the song is a good one, it will live.”

This summer also saw the release of “CSNY 1974,” a box set of remastered recordings from Crosby, Stills, Nash &Young’s 1974 tour. Nash co-produced the set because “I wanted our fans to realize we were very serious about our music, that we really wanted to make contact with people … make every single person feel as if they were the only one there.”

There may be more archival releases to come. “I’ve been recording this band for 40 years. There’s a lot of stuff in our archives that is well worth listening to.”

But he’s kind of tired of all this looking back. Nash has 26 new songs he wants to hone down into a new album. And CSN as a trio still wants to get back to an album of cover songs by their Woodstock-era contemporaries, which fell apart a couple of years ago.

“The idea of doing songs we wish we’d written is a really brilliant idea,” Nash maintains. “We will chase it down and eventually that album will get made.

“What David and Stephen and I are able to accomplish vocally is a unique sound. We have known that since the very beginning when we first sang together, how unique what it is we do. And I’m very grateful that we can still sing.”

Graham Nash looking forward:

“We do know that we do touch people’s hearts and minds when we make music, and as far as I’m concerned we will continue to do that until we’re in our graves.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.