Eclectic in ATX: An Interview with Jackie Venson
The “Live Music Capitol of the World” has more than 100
venues sharing live performances on a near nightly basis. Every genre, every
instrument, every voice can be found in Austin. One of those voices is Jackie
Venson.
Her childhood involved a variety of Motown, funk and old
school soul. With her father and brother as professional musicians, music was
constantly in the air. Her mother enrolled her in piano lessons at age eight
and she played for 13 years before switching to the guitar.
Although the Austin music scene wasn’t explored much in her
younger years, it was the moment she picked up that guitar that she started to
delve into the scene. “What really inspires me about the scene is that there's
so much support for music and musicians whether it's the people who come out to
shows or the countless non-profit organizations that take care of musicians,” Venson
said.
The support of music is highly recognized in the Austin
community not just by musicians but by City Hall and the Austin Music and Entertainment
Division. Together they choose a musician one day a week every week who stands
out in the community. On May 21, that day belonged to Venson.
Her latest EP, Transcends,
drops at the end of September and combines that soul and funk sound that she
grew up with as well as blues and rock. The single off the album, “Flying”, grasps
onto this concept of universal love. “I believe that love always wins because
it's evident all around us,” she said. “No matter how much evil and darkness is
around us, we are still here. Where there is life there is love. This
observation inspired the song and to me it means that we have to keep going and
never give up, never stop looking forward.”
In support of the EP, Venson has been touring with fellow
Austin-native Gary Clark Jr. After sharing the stage with the Rolling Stone,
Eric Clapton, B.B. King and more, his fusion of different musical genres is
quite similar to what Venson does with her music. When he asked her to come out
on tour with him, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Venson’s mentality of constantly looking forward has already
given her some spectacular chances at life as a musician. From days dedicated
to her to touring with well-respected members of the music community, the
release of Transcends should only
bring more luck for Jackie Venson.
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