FOR MORE INFO: AllyVenableBand.com
WHO IS ALLY VENABLE?
Indeed, at first glance, it’s hard to fathom how a 25-year-old can sing and play with such battle-scarred authority, let alone have five albums in her rear-view mirror. But there’s a simple explanation: Ally raced from childhood church choirs to revved-up first guitars, channeling the teenage influence of local heroes Stevie Ray Vaughan and Miranda Lambert, and booking out bar gigs before she could order a beer. She’s never looked back.
In a time before TikTok, Ally made waves in the old-fashioned way, getting out there on the boards and banging the doors of local radio stations (her persistence paid off with a hardcore local fanbase, regular spins on the airwaves, and a rack of East Texas Music Awards). She sharpened her craft on breakout albums No Glass Shoes (2016) and Puppet Show (2018), before swerving into the fast lane with 2019’s #2 Billboard Blues-charting Texas Honey, showcased on Ruf’s legendary three-headed Blues Caravan tour.
Even when Covid bit, this hard-gigging band leader was one of the first back out of the blocks, deservedly winning the Road Warrior trophy at the Independent Blues Music Awards as she fueled her setlists with material from 2021’s Heart Of Fire.
In February 2024, with the dust still settling from Real Gone, Money & Power sessions saw Ally and producer/drummer Tom Hambridge push through the doors of Nashville’s famous Soundstage Studios. Led by the guitarist’s burnt-honey vocal and soulful fretwork, the studio band was a wish list of first-call musicians, including Isaac Pulido (drums), EJ Bedford (bass/keys), Kenny Greenberg (guitars), Rob Coreton (bass), Luke Mosely (keys), Tim Lauer (keys), Jorion Dawson (saxophone) and Jason Grant (trumpet), all topped off by the backing vocals of Rachel & Sarah Hambridge.
“My favorite part of making this album,” reflects Ally, “was having the opportunity to work with all the talented musicians that played on it.”
The personnel is strictly A-list, but as always, Ally’s new songs are the real stars. “Making this album felt very therapeutic, as well as a milestone in my musical journey,” she says of the 11 originals (plus a hard-driving cover of Janet Jackson’s Black Cat). “I hope these songs allow people to see into my life in a vulnerable way and hold a strong perspective that empowers women and breaks the glass ceiling.”
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO