Music Buzzz Podcast - Music Interviews, Commentary & History · Music Buzzz Podcast

Ep. 116: Ally Venable

·1 hr 10 min·5 clips

Music Buzz Podcast opens by introducing Ali Venable as a Texas blues-rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and notes that she has recorded with blues and rock heavyweights including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy, and Joe Bonamassa. The hosts then move to the new album and center the conversation on "Money and Power." They hear it as the heaviest tune on the record. One host hears a Kinks-like punch in the way the track kicks off, the kind of opening that makes you want the rest of the song right away. The wah tone gets attention too, especially the brighter, more in-your-face sound on this cut. Venable says that was on purpose. She wanted a song that put her forward as a player and made the rock-blues side of her identity hard to miss. She says she wrote it on the plane home from a writing session with Tom. The title itself becomes part of the discussion. For Venable, "Money and Power" lines up with where she is in life. She talks about coming into her own, building a name for herself, and pushing through the struggles that come with being a woman and a guitar player in music. She also addresses how women artists are often reduced to appearance before their playing is heard, and the conversation stays relaxed rather than stiff. Later, the talk shifts toward touring. The Hendrix run comes up, along with the tour that follows. The closing stretch circles back to old records and the memories attached to them, landing with the easy, appreciative energy of people who know music by ear, by room, and by miles.

As heard by us

A guitar-focused conversation that uses "Money and Power" to explore Ali Venable's rock-blues sound and the pressure of being taken seriously.

Music Buzz spends this stop on Ali Venable and her title track, "Money and Power," and the choice fits. The song gives the hosts room to talk about the heavier rock-blues side of her sound, the punch of the track, the brighter wah tone, and the Kinks comparison the discussion…

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Why you'd press play

If you want the story behind a heavy guitar track, start here.

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