Another great KLBJ party from SXSW has come and gone. This year we brought our rocking lineup to Cooper’s BBQ, right in the heart of downtown Austin. Three days of free live music featured acts like Austin’s Best Guitarist Jackie Venson, Japan’s DYGL, and closed with Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires literally playing in the middle of the crowd.
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Here’s more about the bad-asses that played our party at Cooper’s BBQ:
THURSDAY
03.14.19
Marfa Crush
Jackie Venson
“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 recognition of her dedication to her craft, Bestfan.comsaid “Venson is no dilettante, wannabe performer, however a real staple of what a musician can achieve when they put in their 10,000 hours for both musical schooling, and late night pub sessions for practical honing.”
Her live performances revisits what makes music so powerful: emotion and passion. She thrives without the flash, instead favoring a clean sound, genuine soul, and meaningful connection with her audience. Music is not only what Venson does – but also defines who she is and reminds her where she wants to be: performing.
Having finished her second tour of Europe and the recent declaration of “Jackie Venson Day” (May 21st) in the “Live Music Capital of the World” Austin, TX, there’s no doubt she has every reason to lead the way with the trademark smile that accompanies her magnificent musicianship.”
Eric Tessmer
“Eric James Tessmer, actually named after guitar giants Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, is an extraordinary guitarist, musician, singer and songwriter hailing from Austin, TX. He is widely considered one of the most vibrant guitarists to follow in the footsteps of blues-rock legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and his namesake predecessors. His live shows have captured audiences’ attention across the United States as power-packed sessions of wickedly fast and precise licks that can light the house on fire without the need for lighter fluid.
Born and raised outside of the small town of Richland Center, Wisconsin, Tessmer began playing at a young age, inspired by his father and grandmother. In 2000, he moved to Austin at the age of 19 to play gigs with numerous musicians and bands, earning local credibility as he honed his craft of riffing with speed, power and control. He later formed his own power trio, the Eric Tessmer Band, in 2003. Through a battered ’59 Fender Stratocaster producing vintage-correct tones, Eric kickstarts the engine left idling by guitar players of the past.
Known as one of the hardest working musicians in the area, Tessmer continues to travel the U.S., Canada and Europe. Creating his own brand of ‘blues-rock soul-chedelic’ sound, he has electrified festivals such as Montreal Jazz Fest, Summerfest, and MusikFest with dialed-in precision and delivered polished performances at clubs, pubs and venues across the land. Sharing the stage with notable musicians such as Dick Dale, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, Monte Montgomery, Gary Clark Jr. and Chris Duarte; Tessmer has created a buzz among the blues-rock community that is quickly swarming with devoted disciples.”
-G. Lemen
FRIDAY
03.15.19
Born Again Virgin
“Born Again Virgin is an act from Austin, Texas consisting of solo artist Anna Roenigk. Her first self-titled EP, produced by Brian Beattie (Daniel Johnston, Bill Callahan, Okkervil River), was released independently in 2017. The EP explores both dissonant and melodic sensibilities—some tracks echoing 90’s lo-fi grunge (“Limited Hands”) while others, such as the last track “No Albi,” plays on chamber pop theatrics. The group formed in 2014 and has played in the United Kingdom and Norway.
Born Again Virgin will be releasing singles throughout the year of our lord, two-thousand and nineteen.”
DYGL
NO WIN
“Danny Nogueiras had one simple motivation for the 10 songs that make up downey, the debut album by his band NO WIN – honesty. This candor is evident from the very first notes, but with each subsequent listen the songs dig deeper and deeper, attaching themselves to the listeners own emotions and experiences until its songs become shared memories.
downey takes its name from the Southern California city Nogueiras grew up in. “It’s a good representation of where I come from, and it’s nostalgic for certain elements of the past while still being sad about them,” he says. downey is a compendium of glory days and melancholy memories, of hopes for a future already passed, and for dreams that may still be one day be realized.
The first album made by Nogueiras at Balboa Recording Studio in LA – which he built himself – it was recorded with bassist David Jerkovich (Kind Of Like Spitting, Novi Split), drummer Jeff Enzor (ex-Joyce Manor) and lead guitarist Juan Liñan and mixed by acclaimed producer/engineer John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, The Posies, Sleater-Kinney), it bursts and blooms with a vibrancy that’s a far cry from what NO WIN sounded like when, having left party punks FIDLAR, Nogueiras started it as a solo project some four years ago.
Using the album as a way to explore his new studio space, Nogueiras – who has also produced records by Together Pangea, No Parents, and Mean Jeans and toured in Waterloo Teeth alongside members of SWMRS – took his time to make sure that everything on downey was exactly as he wanted and had envisioned it to be.
That, combined with the powerful emotional punch of its songs is what makes downey a truly special record. It retreads the past with the eyes and wisdom of the present to create a collection of moments – of places, of experiences, of emotions, of people – that all combine to make us who we are now. Even if you’ve never been to Downey, it’s an album that anyone and everyone can relate to, even if their life experience is totally different, because it’s an album that captures the true essence of human existence and experience, no matter who you are, where you are or where you’re from.”
SATURDAY
03.16.19
Kalu and The Electric Joint
There is a connection between the roots and the future. An air. Filled with music. A beautiful collision between time.
PAWS
