Austin has a reputation. For anyone following roots rock, Americana, or the blues, names like Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Johnson, and Charlie Sexton will know the Texas state capital’s undeniable propensity for producing musicians, and guitarists, in particular, who can blow your socks off on any given night.
Safe to say, we can add another to that distinguished list: Jackie Venson.
Jackie stopped into the Blue Room on July 19 as part of a summer tour that will see dates across the USA and Canada. Accompanied by only her guitar, a “musical click track” (as she called it), and blind drummer extraordinaire Rodney Hyndes, Venson took the packed house on a journey through the blues, R&B, soul, reggae, and even a touch of psychobilly, as she confidently and joyfully played her Epiphone Les Paul to within an inch of its life (she mentioned she’s gone through 17 guitars!).
Major publications have called her one of “Austin’s rising stars” (Rolling Stone) and “an Austin legend in the making” (Forbes). Venson has shared the stage with the likes of Gary Clark Jr. (another Austin icon) and Melissa Etheridge. And she is the daughter of Andrew Venson, one of Austin’s most beloved and acclaimed musicians, who performed with local R&B act Blue Mist for several years. In fact, blind drummer Rodney Hyder, a former bandmember with Andrew, accompanied Jackie to the Blue Room this past Saturday. Venson has played to audiences of thousands so her performance in a packed but small room was a delicious opportunity to savor one of Austin’s spicy musical offerings.
Resplendent in all-black with matching gold tie and sneakers, Jackie took the stage shortly after 8:00 PM for what would turn out to be a nearly two-hour show. In a reference to her five studio albums, early in the set she joked that we’d be there for 4+ hours if she was to play her entire catalogue, to which a voice in the back shouted out, “All those in favor…!” The capacity house didn’t get an all night concert but we were treated to a wide ranging and brilliant set of extraordinary musicianship from Jackie and Rodney.
Watch Jackie perform “Go My Way” live at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, on YouTube:
Opening with “Go My Way” Venson quickly established her guitar bona fides and why she deserves mention alongside Austin’s finest. Using a Pioneer DJ sampler (the aforementioned musical click track) to provide backing bass and keyboards freed Rodney to offer his superb drumming while Jackie’s expressive vocals and guitarwork (not to mention her perpetual smile) took center stage. A naturally gifted scat singer, her vocals mimic her lead guitar work (and vice versa). Speaking of vocals, Jackie’s range from a sweet, soft soprano to a bluesy growl, all the while complimented by her expressive but economical fretwork.
Alan Paul, former writer for Guitar World (and a devotee of Austin’s music scene, the Allman Brothers Band, and the blues in general) interviewed blues legend Albert King shortly before his passing in 1992, asking him, “What is the single most common mistake young players make with the blues?” King answered, “Overplaying. They play too loud, scream too high, and run too fast. See, when you overplay, you get too loud and people are gonna mistake what you’re doing for a hole in the air. [Laughs.]” I thought about this as Venson played, her phrasing and fills mirroring her vocals. But when stretching out for the longer solos, she kept them urgent, clear, and focused. No noodling or overplaying for Jackie.
Watch Jackie Venson’s solo performance of “Back to Earth” on YouTube.
Setlist:
Go My Way
Til This Pain Goes Away
Connection
Young
Fear
Alone
Destruct
Keep On
Next Life
Make Me Feel
Surrender
Witchcraft
Back to Earth
Flying
Always Free
Don’t Lie to Me
One Step Forward
Rollin’ on
Joy
When it’s right
Watch Jackie Venson perform “Rollin’ On” live in Austin via YouTube:
The evening’s performance included songs from throughout her career. Examples from her first album, 2019’s Joy, included “Keep On,” “Witchcraft,” “When it’s Right,” and the title track, “Joy.” Love Transcends from 2021 gave us “Rollin’ On,” “Always Free,” and “Till This Pain Goes Away.” Selections from her 2023 album, Evolution of Joy (a reimagining of her debut album), included “Flying,” Back to Earth,” and “Keep On.” Ghost in the Machine, also released in 2023, was represented by “Make Me Feel” and “Surrender.” “Fear,” “Young,” and “Destruction” were taken from 2025’s The Love Anthology.
Stream The Love Anthology by Jackie Venson on Spotify.
Austin’s reputation as a music capital is amply deserved yet Jackie is quick to point out how her music draws on influences from throughout the country, the Midwest in particular. “Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis—those places are the epicenter of it all. Austin can’t hold a candle to what those cities have brought the world,” she says, naming Motown soul, Windy City blues, and Twin Cities funk as major examples impacting the country’s music scene, as well as her own approach. From the jazzy rhythm and blues of “Go My Way” to the nasty guitar work (reminiscent of the Reverand Horton Heat) of the straight blues piece, “Rollin’ On,” Venson gave us a short, but smokin’ tour of the country’s musical riches.
Purchase official releases, watch video, and check upcoming live gigs at Jackie’s website.
Here are some more photos of Jackie Venson at Bellingham’s The Blue Room on July 19, 2025. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo.
