The last time Ian Green played guitar for Nané was one of the worst experiences of his life. The rising pop-rock outfit, fresh off an Austin City Limits Festival performance, had just enjoyed a city-designated day on April 7, 2022, when, three days later, singer Daniel Sahad suddenly passed away. Soon after, his bandmates hopped onstage to perform a few songs at an Empire Garage memorial concert, led on vocals by Sahad’s close friend and collaborator, Quentin Arispe of the Past Lives.
“We felt like we really had to [perform] and that the night wouldn’t have been complete if we hadn’t,” Green tells the Chronicle, looking back. “But that was probably the worst experience I’ve ever had onstage. I don’t ever really want to break down and just sob in front of that many people and be that vulnerable in front of that many people ever again.” (Citing Sahad’s family’s request for privacy, Green declines to share Sahad’s cause of death.)
“It was really traumatic,” Arispe agrees. “I’ve seen Daniel perform so many times, but I never was watching thinking, ‘One day, I’m gonna have to do that.’”
Two years later, the band returns to Empire on April 7, ready to celebrate Nané Day properly. Arispe once again fronts Green, bassist Scott McIntyre, drummer Jordan Espinoza, percussionist Gustavo Hernandez, and keyboardist Marcell Coleman for a full set of Nané songs – plus some surprises, the guitarist teases. Preparations for the show began late last year, when Green – who co-founded Nané with Sahad in 2016 as students at UT-Austin – realized it was getting easier to listen to the band again.
“I noticed [I could] hear Daniel’s voice in these songs again and not completely retreat into myself,” he recalls.
Comparing the process to taking on a role in a biopic, Arispe says, “We went through all of the songs. [Green] told me what Daniel’s process was and why Daniel wrote it, what they were about. He really helped me understand them.”
“I noticed [I could] hear Daniel’s voice in these songs again and not completely retreat into myself.” – Ian Green
Jefferson Clay, another longtime member of Nané’s “musical community,” opens the show. The Texas Ex recalls meeting Sahad in his very first university class, then later playing Kings of Leon and Foster the People covers with Sahad, Green, and Chris Collier before the duo began writing Nané’s soulful funk-rock originals.
“I cried like a baby when Ian asked me to [open Nané Day],” Clay messages the Chronicle. “Dan touched everyone he came into contact with, and TRULY made their lives better. Everyone says that about loved ones they’ve lost, but Dan was different. He was a supernova. I can’t wait to celebrate him.”
In between Clay and Nané’s sets, Sahad’s family will lead a celebration of the artist’s life. Proceeds from the event, presented by KUTX, benefit the SIMS Foundation.
Though Arispe concedes “I’ll never be Daniel,” they hope their performance offers restorative celebration. “Ian and all of us keep saying this one is for us. This is for the band. This is for our healing process,” the vocalist says. “And getting to revive all of these songs?” They trail off, listing Nané titles. “It is really, honestly, some of the best Austin music that I’ve ever heard.”
This article appears in April 5 • 2024.
