It is legend that a blistering Jackie Venson guitar solo knocked Pluto straight out of planetary existence.
Venson’s “…astonishing mix of raw soul, superb musicianship and laid back grace…” (Austin American Statesman, June 2014) has been compared to the likes of Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and fellow Austin native Gary Clark, Jr. Originally a classical pianist, Jackie picked up the guitar, shortly after graduating from Berklee College of Music, and made the giant leap from the tradition of classical music to the raw and gritty blues.
Enthralled with music since the age of 8, this young singer/songwriter/musician instantly captures your attention with a vibrant musical soul and passionate control of her instruments, that reach far beyond her tender age. As she mindfully blends Blues, Rock, R&B, Soul and more, with her introspective lyrics, the message is clear. When you’re listening to Jackie you hear the “Truth in Music”.
In this interview, we speak with Jackie about influences, her newest project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and video streams below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
What attracted me is simply years and years of exposure to this type of music by my father. He is also a professional musician who plays bass and sings. From a young age, I would always hear him rehearsing in the back room with his band.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I have been sharing my music with the public for nearly 10 years now. It wasn’t until 5 years ago however that I began really trying to reach wider audiences with my music and the Internet has given me incredible tools to do that which weren’t available 10 years ago.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Various artists from Stevie Wonder to Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar to Buddy Guy. I also am motivated by a simple passion for music that I’ve had for as long as I can remember.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Yes, I was wanting to capture the chemistry of this 3 piece band that I work with. We have developed this sound into something very unique and I felt it needed to be recorded.
What was the last song you listened to?
At this point the last song I listened to was Witchcraft, a song of mine because we played a gig last night and I went to bed right after. However the last song I listened to by someone besides me was Adventures in The Land of The Good Groove by Nile Rogers.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
It’s all music to me. However I am listening to music doesn’t matter, as long as I am listening to music!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify is cool because it’s so vast and so easy however Bandcamp treats the artist better. I don’t use Apple Music.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
Being heard above the billions of other people creating and releasing music. It’s hard being heard above the noise.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
I gig and tour all of the time. As a matter of fact I am on tour as we speak! I’ll be playing in Phoenix, Tucson, LA and San Diego. Last night I played in Sedona, it was magical. As for hearing me live just check out my schedule at jackievenson.com and head over to YouTube and check out the singles I released from my upcoming album Jackie Venson Live. I haven’t tried my hand at live streaming yet, just too much on my plate at this time however I am open to it in the future!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
My website jackievenson.com or my SoundCloud if you want to stream some stuff. YouTube is a great place to see some live videos as well as live studio recordings. Honestly if you just google my name I promise you’ll be entertained for hours.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Shout out to my family and all of the wonderful people I work with in my band, producing my albums, promotion and booking. Shout out to Phil Short at fender, Christopher Dale in San Diego, and Marsha Milam for helping me put this tour on. As for words of wisdom, as my friend Joe Kucera over in Berlin says, “keep swingin!”
