Music week at SXSW 2019 has descended upon Austin, TX, and we are experiencing major bouts of missing out. It’s the first year in a hot second that we don’t get to come down and cover all of the insane music first-hand. But we are also insanely lucky. This year, as in years past, we have found a host of incredible musicians to give their point-of-view a shot on our Instagram page all week! Check @imperfectfifth for the lineup and updates all week long!
Between Instagram updates, I’d test out some of the up-and-comers on the playlist below. This happens to be a host of our favorite SXSW 2019 artists, all compiled in one place so you can stay up-to-date with the industry’s fresh faces. We will be updating the playlist all week, so stay plugged in to hear new things every day!
Folks always ask me ‘what do you listen to Jackie?’ and I can never answer their question. I don’t believe in genres, I believe in great music and I think confining oneself to playing or listening to only one genre is dooming oneself to a life of monotony. Here is my super random playlist of songs I love that I have listened to all throughout my life.
africa – toto
come around – marc broussard
maggot brain – funkadelic
multiply – jamie lidell
soul rebel – bob marley
shade of a shadow – teitur
addicted – amy winehouse
unthinkable – alicia keys
defying gravity – Wicked
young blood – the naked and famous
to zion – lauryn hill
retrograde – james blake
waltz between eva and che – Evita
Austin, TX rock/pop/r&b/guitar/soul artist Jackie Venson is coming off an an exciting national solo tour for her EP, Transcends, which was released in September of 2017. It was highlighted by shows with Gary Clark Jr. She has also dropped the music video for her song “Mysterious” off of Transcends.
With confidence and phenomenal guitar skills, Jackie brings a mix of genres to the table. After attending Berklee and playing piano for most of her life, Jackie took up guitar in 2011, and has been performing for over five years. She brings authentic, soulful feels to every song, at times with a playful twist. Her latest EP, Transcends, is teeming with talent-filled tracks. Be sure to check out Transcends .
Recently, Venson curated a playlist exclusively for Imperfect Fifth. Check it out – and the inspiration behind it – below!
Folks always ask me ‘what do you listen to Jackie?’ and I can never answer their question. I don’t believe in genres, I believe in great music and I think confining oneself to playing or listening to only one genre is dooming oneself to a life of monotony. Here is my super random playlist of songs I love that I have listened to all throughout my life.
africa – toto
come around – marc broussard
maggot brain – funkadelic
multiply – jamie lidell
soul rebel – bob marley
shade of a shadow – teitur
addicted – amy winehouse
unthinkable – alicia keys
defying gravity – Wicked
young blood – the naked and famous
to zion – lauryn hill
retrograde – james blake
waltz between eva and che – Evita
We wanted to speak with the voice behind this wonderful music, so we caught up with Jackie, who answered a few questions from us about her musical career, fears, and inspirations.
What’s your biggest fear? – Getting pregnant anytime within the next 5 years. It would impede on goals I have for sure which horrifies me because I have worked so hard.
How was your tour with Gary Clark Jr.? – it was really fun, exhilarating, and eye opening. It was cool to see how things work on that level.
Who would you call your favorite biggest musical inspiration? – hmm pretty impossible to narrow it down to 1. It’s a mixture of Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, and Disney.
How much does social media affect your musical journey? – tremendously. It is responsible for about 90% of the opportunities I get as well as the fact that folks even show up to my shows on tour.
Do you prefer to be put in a genre, or make your own type of genre? – I like hybrid genres, I consider myself rock/r&b/soul.
Favorite song on “Transcends”? – gotta be Flying. We were able to capture the groove so well, it feels like how we play it live.
Favorite instrument to play? – definitely the guitar by a long shot. It feels like it’s a part of my body.
At the end of September, Austin-based indie/blues artist Jackie Venson released her dazzling five track Transcends EP. Starting it out with the upbeat track “Flying”, lines like “from the ashes something new grows” bring you into a more positive head space, more than adequately preparing you for the rest of the release. From second track “Fast” – which borders on 80s/early 90s synth rock with a Fefe Dobson-esque attitude to it – to smooth listening track “Mysterious” with its wider display of Venson’s range and exceptional use of ensemble vocals. “Fight” draws some more rasp from Venson’s voice, keeping an 80s sound to the instrumentals while singing about vibrational energy and – once again – looking forward to a positive existence and “the good fight.” Transcends closes out with its most completely rock track of them all – beginning with waning, rough guitar – the title track, which brings with it an edge to Venson’s voice that enhances the fact that not only did she come to play, she came to win.
Transcends is available now. Keep up with Jackie Venson here.
