She is a singer who throws her head back to share her joy of music. We chatted with Venson at Winter NAMM about her decision to switch to guitar, and she told us, I played classical piano for the first decade or so of my musical career, and then I decided that I wanted to do something a little freer. Centennial Park Conservancy Announces Spring Lineup for Musicians [4] In April 2019, Venson released her critically acclaimed album Joy and celebrated that release with a sold out show at Austin's famed Paramount Theatre. In Summer 2021, Venson joined Melissa Etheridge for her musical cruise in the Caribbean, performing alongside musicians like Celisse Henderson and Britney Spencer. Jackie Venson is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Austin, Texas. Jackie Venson is an Austin-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who was the first African American woman to receive the Best Guitarist title at the Austin Music Awards. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. ", Interview:Country band Parmalee rides a wave of success into 2023. That has looked increasingly possible over the past couple of years, as the native Austinite has been on a steady career rise with acclaimed albums, sharpened artistic instincts and a growing live-show fan base. Jackie Venson Strips Off Her Blues Band and Becomes Her Own "DJ" Daniel is also a singer/songwriter, has worked in broadcast news, serves on the Creative Writing Program Advisory Committee at Full Sail University and speaks at pop culture conventions around the country. In the century that has passed since Sister Rosetta Tharpe's gospel-laced guitar licks birthed rock 'n' roll, the genre has been less than willing to significantly acknowledge generations of Black brilliance with the instrument. If it takes any longer, then I might have to reassess what I'm doing with my life.". That night, his client completed the first step toward her goal in the town where she learned to walk. Jackie Venson - Wikipedia AUSTIN, Texas -- Last year, Jackie Venson became the first African American woman to win the category of "Best Guitarist" at the Austin Music Awards, and the 30-year-old will make history once again at this year's ceremony as she becomes the first black female to co-host the event. The closing track Young Forever is a bittersweet cathartic release, perhaps answering Bob Dylans classic tune Forever Young with a question: Is this what it feels like to be forever young? Joining Singleton (guitars, bass) and Harrell (drums, programming) on the sessions were horn player Ben Senerfit and backing vocalists Storey Littleton, Casey Ramos and Cally Mansfield. "It will take that long, but I think I'll be able to do it. An accomplished guitarist, Venson unleashed several incendiary solos throughout the evening, but the focus was primarily on her songs, style and voice. Rock came back in a big way for Transcends, leading Venson to introduce her close-knit band. For starters, an estimated $10,000 in unplanned road expenses forced her to forgo a band and go solo last year. "image": "", This dreamer holds clear-cut goals well above the poverty line of mediocrity: She strives to reach a point where she can regularly sell out 1,200- to 5,000-capacity venues nationwide. The third record that Nathan Singleton and Jeremy Harrell have made at producer Kenny Siegals Old Soul studio in upstate New York builds upon the work they did on 2018s The View From Nowhere and 2015s Capital. This is lively blues-rock with a prominent Lou Reed sneer, chronicling a tumultuous couple of years that saw the dissolution of Singletons marriage. "Everybody who comes up goes back down, so you climb it for as long as you emotionally and physically can.". Jackie Venson is born. ", Moreover, as Joy Clark Venson's opener at the Analog highlighted in an April 2022 Tennessean conversation: "Black women are without the aid of the [music] industry in healing ourselves from the psychological trauma of being told that we can't [play guitar]. I want to get some exercises from him - also, I'd like to know more about jazz.. What was your first guitar and when did you get it? On the title track, when Singleton sings that I wore the mask so long it became my face, hes not talking about the pandemic the song was written before that but it nevertheless resonates with a timeliness for the era. Her talent was refined in her childhood in the middle of a musical family of which she is the youngest of nine siblings. Heres the title track, originally a 1957 Vee-Jay Records single for Billy The Kid Emerson: James McMurtry, Blasted From the Past EP. 10 New Musicians From Texas You Should Know - Culture Trip It's time to become the revolution. The three-month, 46-date odyssey ends with six consecutive August dates in Alaska and omits New York City, a hub where she's lost $30,000 and once had her car towed. Brooke Billick is based in Milwaukee. What does your creative process look like when youre songwriting? "Lights person or a bass player?" Jackie Venson joins a growing Black female guitar revolution MUSIC Jackie Venson's bluesy sound adds to a growing Black female guitar 'revolution' The Austin, Texas native is growing in. "You forgot 'Afrofuturism' and a bunch of other ones, but I know what you're getting at," she states. The set list drew significantly from Vintage Machine, a full-length studio album Venson will release on Oct. 30. Jackie Venson is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter known far and wide for her complexly beautiful music and blazing guitar skills. Her music defies easy characterization, combining R&B, soul, blues, pop, and a healthy dose of hard-edged guitar shredding. Im so unbelievably proud of this record and grateful for the folks that helped make it happen. Venson's second full-length studio disc, Joy, released this spring (revisit "Texas Platters," June 14), showcases a fast-evolving artist conversant in blues, soul, rock, reggae, and robot noises. she mutters. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe (opens in new tab). The Continental has been closed since March because of the pandemic; McMurtry offered up this EP via Bandcamp to benefit the club during this difficult stretch. Though 2020 was filled with turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Venson doubled down on her creative efforts after her touring year was cancelled by dedicating herself to going live on a consistent basis on several platforms and releasing five albums of music; two live albums (Live in Texas, Jackie Venson Live at Austin City Limits), two volumes of her DJ remix project jackie the robot, and one studio album (Vintage Machine). Will you reschedule your tour for next year, or will you wait to tour until you have new music? As seen inGuitar Girl Magazine Summer 2020 Issue. Those unfamiliar with Venson should prepare themselves for what. "This is how real it is and also how I will never get back the first time I sold out the Paramount Theatre. "This industry isn't just hard; it's a stressful walkabout through a desert of emotions where untrustworthy strangers [surround you].". Though the songs may be familiar to some long time fans, the presentation, growth, and 5-year development of Jackie and her band will leave you floating in the cosmos. Lorna Shore Guitarist Adam De Micco "Returns To Nothingness" with Shutter 16, Merle Fest Day 2 Brings Sunshine and Storms, Peace Out! A semi-retired professional musician with over 40 years of experience, her father, now 75, demonstrated the ability to gig, parent, and keep the lights on thanks to the capital's vibrant music scene. Her music over the years shows her growth as an artist and her willingness to experiment. Natural Talent. Austin-born, idiosyncratic singer-songwriter Jackie Venson has been named by Forbes as one of "15 Women-Fronted Musical Acts Getting Their Due At SXSW 2019" alongside Billie Eilish. December 2018 single littered with synths, explosive blues riffs, and drums. Jackie is one of the best-made products of the new Austin, as we told you in our article about its scene.She connects with the musical roots of the Texas capital through Soul and Blues but anticipates an electronic and urban tomorrow. John Bune hastily digs in his pocket, ready to disprove anyone who might suggest otherwise. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). Because I haven't found a distortion pedal I love more, and I've tried a whole bunch.. No. [8] Parade called Venson a soul/pop guitarist and vocalist. Austin native Jackie Venson began playing piano at the early age of eight and grew up on classical music ultimately attending the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. I Will Find a Way from Jackie Venson Live in Texas - YouTube Jackie Vensons upcoming tour dates are set forth below. 3802. [6] On September 30, 2017, Venson released her EP Transcends. Like Venson, Dallas electro-pop guitar goddess Annie Clark also attended Berklee. The expansive album turns catchy ad-libs into universal hooks ("Witchcraft") and does so as the author shreds over its 20 songs like Kelly Slater used to ride waves. 10 questions for Jackie Venson: "The greatest guitar - MusicRadar ), As such, her upcoming tour will feature just Hyder. It took Venson about three more years to be able to focus on playing for "three or four hours straight like a working musician". Venson has released four studio albums, The Light In Me (2014), Joy (2019), Vintage Machine (2020) and Love Transcends (2021). What I am trying to get people to understand is that genres dont matter; it is the voice of the artist that matters. Jackie Venson plays with fierceness and inner fire that catches you in the heart! While she might not have frequented Sixth Street often, there occurred many a show right in her home. Fight "Maybe she has a sampler, but you'd have to look into how she performs and that'd be the basis for any type of similarity. "We documented the starting line," she says passionately. Jackie Venson got a priceless piece of career advice when she was 13 years old: "My dad told me that I had to start singing if I wanted to make any money in this business.". She has been described as having an astonishing mix of raw soul, superb musicianship, and laid-back grace. Comments lit up on the livestream with one viewer raving, Never heard Jackie before, tuned in because I follow Austin City Limits, this is fantastic. The perpetually grinning Venson turned to the subject of lamour for Keep On, a reggae tune that still left plenty of room for her frisky axe work. I think next year I will be back to touringwe just have to take this all one day at a time. Don't worry so much, just enjoy the ride and keep practising, keep performing live and be sure to love every minute.. What advice would you give your younger self about playing the guitar? CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Dont try to put Jackie Venson into a genre box. The Studios, particularly with coil tap pickups, are really awesome, added Venson. I miss all of that (playing to a crowd) but I feel like this crazy year when I landed this amazing opportunity, where I dont have an audience, it was so serendipitous that I spent four months streaming for cameras without an audience. [1] Venson's mother, Dr. Diane Brinkman, encouraged her to begin playing piano at age eight. ships out within 5 days Buy Compact Disc $20 USD or more Send as Gift about A lot of people like music and they think they have an affinity for it but if nobody else in the family does, then they sometimes dont see it as a possibility. However, she undoubtedly brings her own style and passion to the table as an equally talented guitarist and captivating vocalist. Probably Derek Trucks. I bought it in 2011 - it was a Fender Mexican Strat with Sunburst finish, rosewood neck and gold hardware.. Asked about the more significant potential of the moment Black female guitarists are having, she offers telling thoughts. Don't Lie To Me, Austin-born guitarist Jackie Venson's latest single, lures listeners in with breezy reggae grooves, but a searing overdriven solo confirms the singer-songwriter's fierce musical intent courtesy of some searing Strat licks . Prince thought so, Doug McKechnie is the 81-year-old synth pioneer you've never heard of: "The history of electronic music needs a rewrite", IK Multimedia at Gear Expo 2023: Your gateway to a new world of guitar tone, What is spectral processing? Whats the worst thing thats ever happened to you onstage? But she decided on a different path when she picked up a guitar. I'm looking at different types of looper pedals - haven't settled on one yet but I'm looking. Plus, she's been co-signed by the likes of Melissa Etheridge (she's played the rock superstar's cruise to Cancun for the past two years) and featured on "Austin City Limits.". Venson is laughing because she's been presented with a laundry list of organizations and genre names that industry insiders and journalists have come up with in an attempt to describe her imaginative, guitar-driven music. I want to provide that experience for them.". Except this "DJ" can do all of that and go toe-to-toe with a world-class guitar god like West African bluesman Vieux Farka Tour, who she opened for at South Lamar's 04 Center at the end of May. Disc 1 is the studio album, disc 2 is the live album recorded with Jackie Venson and the original performers from the studio album. When reminded that her father, the distinguished bass guitarist Andrew Venson, told her that pursuing a career in the music industry would, in fact, be"hard," she smiles then offers a rapid-fire reply. "I'm only climbing the ladder to get there. and added that her playing "leaves that addictive bugaboo 'speed' off the table upfront, without dismissing it a priori.". Includes unlimited streaming of Love Transcends Live in Austin via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2011. Low Group Inc. dba Guitar Girl Magazine 2020. [1] Venson considers her musician father a major influence: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Well my dad is a professional musician and he was my example.