Saturday Night Tunes: Some Rock, Some Blues, and Beep Beep Boop Boop

Oh, yeah, bayyyyyybe! We are still on. It was this edition of Saturday Night Tunes that truly motivated me to start this up again. Let’s hit it, shall we?

St. Vincent

Sure, at this point in time, you’ve probably heard of St. Vincent, especially after her incredible performance on Saturday Night Live earlier this year. Here’s the thing about St. Vincent, a/k/a Annie Erin Clark, you probably don’t know: she’s kind of a local product, as she was raised in Dallas!

Oh, I know, this blog is firmly anti-Dallas at all times, and most of us don’t even consider Dallas to be part of Texas. Still, it’s like three hours away, and that’s kinda local! Perhaps, one day, we can convince her to denounce her Dallas citizenship and claim a better part of Texas home.

What I most love about St. Vincent, though, is that voice. For my money, she’s up there with the Aretha Franklins and Sharon Joneses of the world. There’s just something about it.

Jackie Venson

Love at first sound.

Especially during my teen and early 20s years, I listened to mostly blues or rhythm and blues: BB King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tab Benoit, John Lee Hooker, and on and on and on. As I’ve gotten older, though I have diversified my music tastes.

When I heard Venson for the first time, I was like, DAMN.

Close your eyes for the first 30 seconds on the video I am posting for her. It’s Stevie Ray reincarnated! But, if you keep listening, it’s Stevie Ray with all new depths and playfulness to the music. She is absolutely one of the best guitar players in the game today.

Then there’s that voice.

Y’all? Let’s listen to some Jackie Venson, shall we?

jackie the robot

True story: when I was studying for my MBA, I listened almost entirely to drums and bass and electronica and such.

During the pandemic, Jackie Venson launched her alter ego, jackie the robot, which shows off her electronic side.

I watched the video I’m attaching live, and to see her making music with such joy and ecstasy is incredible to behold.

It takes a heckuva musician to do the things Venson is doing, and she’s quickly become one of my faves.

Consider this an open thread with the usual rules.

Bonus video:

Ummmm, David Byrne, St. Vincent, and some horns? Oh yeah, we’re listening to this.