Last week, Austin songwriter Jess Williamson released her new LP Native State and celebrated the occasion with a show at Hotel Vegas on Thursday night. The album, which you can read about here, is released on Williamson’s own imprint, Brutal Honest. Williamson’s own understanding of her music simply in nomenclature is startlingly accurate and encompassing of its aesthetic. Both the name of her album and label evoke the same devotion to rawness as the songs she creates. Calling attention to these titles may seem obvious or trivial, but they bear significance as indicators of her holistic artistic vision.
At her Hotel Vegas show, Williamson showcased all of that raw bravery with haunting songs wavering beautifully like the shimmer of a sudden daydreamed memory. Backed by drummer Andrew Stevens and members of RF Shannon, who will act as Williamson’s backing band on her current tour, the songs sounded more fully achieved than ever before but retained a sense of fragile sparseness. After a few songs, Williamson says, “It means a lot for me to be able to play this show,” before beginning another song. The words are plain, direct, and sincere. Perhaps it’s that sincerity that makes me feel a bit emotionally dismantled watching Williamson play. Whatever it is, I can say I share in her thankfulness, as I feel a great deal of gratitude to have her as a part of our Austin music community.
Before performing as Williamson’s backing band, RF Shannon performed a set of rootsy Americana. Shane Renfro’s songs flow by soulfully, easily, with a wonderful balance between noisy atmospherics and acoustic guitars. The band’s pedal steel helps to distinguish their sound from other like-minded bands. RF Shannon seem to have cropped up out of nowhere and are rapidly rising within the Austin music community. We can’t wait for their first official release. Both artists are on tour together and you can see if they’ll be visiting your city right here.
Peruse photos from the event below. All images © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
