Heralded as one of “Austin’s rising stars” by Rolling Stone and “an Austin legend in the making” by Forbes, Jackie Venson has established herself as one of the most commanding performers to come out of Texas. An Austin native, Venson has shared the stage with icons like Gary Clark Jr and Melissa Etheridge and even performed with Alanis Morissette and Lainey Wilson at the 2023 CMT Awards and in 2024 Venson was selected to perform as part of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase.. Venson’s breakthrough album Joy received critical acclaim upon its release in 2019, and while the pandemic stood in the way of touring plans for the next year, Venson nonetheless found new levels of fame with her livestreaming presence throughout 2020, which led to her landing the #9 position on Pollstar’s Top 50 Livestreamers list for the year and a booking on the legendary Austin City Limits Television Season 46. Acclaimed by greats as diverse as Vernon Reid and Michael McKean, Venson continues to evolve as an artist, whether it’s on Texas blues focused albums like Love Transcends, the eclectic electro-funk and rock of Ghost in The Machine or the mesmerizing soul and R&B of The Love Anthology. With her passionate commitment to exploring diverse sounds and styles, Venson’s artistry is only going to continue to grow.

James Tutson

Iowa City’s James Tutson and his 5 siblings were the entirety of the church choir growing up. He was raised singing southern gospel every Sunday in a tiny chapel in front of a 10 person congregation. This heritage of soul music permeates his vocal stylings and anchors his songwriting even as he crafts his current work telling stories of the modern world and his life journey. He is known for emotive/”raw” vocal performances, tight musical arrangements, and resonant songwriting, which has been described as a “gift for exploring the intersection between joy and sorrow”. James’ career has taken him to local backyards, dive bars, theater stages, music festivals, and NBC’s The Voice. James was named one of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Iowa Fellows and has had the privilege of performing with great artists like Lake Street Dive, The Dip, The War and Treaty, Marc Broussard, Joanna Connor, Five for Fighting and more. He has recorded seven studio albums including his most recent “Fool For You”.