Ghost in The Machine, by Jackie Venson

Ghost in The Machine

by Jackie Venson

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Paul L I'm a bit late to the Jackie Venson party but better late than never! What a talent. So hard to pick a favourite track. Love her album Joy and just bought that as well. Favorite track: Lofi.

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Streaming + Download

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
A CD comprising of Ghost in The Machine, the latest Jackie Venson release. Art by Christina Venson

Includes unlimited streaming of Ghost in The Machine via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
This is the Ghost in The Machine official vinyl. Two discs, 4 sides of music. Artwork by Christina Venson

Includes unlimited streaming of Ghost in The Machine via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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T-Shirt/Shirt + Digital Album
A new T-shirt in celebration of the new Ghost in The Machine album. This is a subtle variation of the album cover featured on this Navy blue, super soft, 100% cotton shirt. Fits true to size, unisex, sizes XS - XXXL

Includes unlimited streaming of Ghost in The Machine via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 5 days

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1.	Home 02:58	lyrics	buy track
We go out driving Usually at night Everything so quiet No wait no line Down memory lane In our hometown Relive my youth With my best friend Roots run deep Open arms my soul to keep Where I fell and learned to love Home Open mic Strumming my strings for the first time Where the song never dies Home The world sees one thing My friends know what’s up My highs and lows my flaws Can’t scare real love And we grew up in Austin So we don’t care Free as the river The music blares Roots run deep Open arms my soul to keep Where I fell and learned to love Home Open mic Strumming my strings for the first time Where the song never dies Home No matter how far I go I will always come home No matter how far I go I will always come home Bored of the rat race Let’s blow this place I know just where to go They know my face And it’s endless music We play all night Sing songs of freedom Sings songs of life Roots so deep Open arms my soul to keep Where I fell I fell in love Home Open mic Strumming my guitar til the end of time yeah I will always go I will always go Home home home Home
2.	home (outro) 04:22		buy track
3.	Go My Way 03:04	lyrics	buy track
Carefree I need to keep my spirits high While I walk So I step back and look at everything My soul starts to sing Day by day Go my way Keep the faith Go my way All the crazy things All the crazy things we do for love Love All the crazy things All the crazy things we do for love Love I sit and wonder ‘bout the time it takes To make our dreams come true But I don’t sweat it I am down to ride Breathe enjoy the view Day by day Go my way Keep the faith Go my way Keep the faith Go my way All the crazy things all the crazy things we do for love Love All the crazy things all the crazy things we do for love Love Never sway This path I know it never ends Here to say It’s a waste to pretend Love is forgiving demanding Joy and pain never end Fast like a shooting star Don’t know where I am landing know All I know is believing This is bigger than me And I can’t control what I do for love Day by day Go my way Keep the faith Go my way Keep the faith Go my way
4.	go my way (outro) 05:30		buy track
5.	Make Me Feel 06:04	lyrics	buy track
And so now the story goes I fall in love Floating free in outer space I’m always falling Day by day I’m in the clouds My faith is blinding Even though I know it’s love It still feels new You make me feel so good Don’t know what I’d do without you You make me feel so good And I never wanna be without you in my life There’s a line that separates Good from crazy It’s very fine but I have learned How to navigate I fell in love and I fell hard So let it take me Life is here for me to live So I will live You make me feel so good Don’t know what I’d do without you You make me feel so good And I never wanna be without you in my life I don’t care what they say They will go theirs and I will go my way I don’t need to explain I will not try to quantify this is God’s language And I will sing I will spread love’s comfort and healing He has given his hand to me I will do the same Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him I will do my best by him I will not give up Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Even in our darkest hours I’ll stand by his side Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him
6.	make me feel (outro) 06:11		buy track
7.	Surrender 04:07	lyrics	buy track
Hey little girl why are you so worried Hey little girl just try to be happy Finding the truth can be so painful Beauty is found when light still shines through Anything anything for the Anything anything for the good vibrations yeah Surrender Give in to the highs give into the lows Surrender Whether I’m on top or climbing from below Surrender Take a deep breath tomorrow I will know Surrender I say surrender yeah Legs are tired but I keep running Heart is heavy I keep singing Cos I live oh I live for the Cos I live oh I live for the good vibrations yeah [CHORUS] Why must I feel this way When I know just who I am I just want to chill all day But anxiety demands I keep Runnin away Runnin away Runnin away Runnin away Runnin away Runnin away Runnin away I will see my dreams some day My flag is in the sand I will see my dreams one day They’re already who I am patience is the only way Now I understand Surrender Give in to the highs give into the lows Surrender Whether I’m on top or climbing from below Surrender Take a deep breath tomorrow I will know Surrender I say surrender yeah
8.	surrender (outro) 03:51		buy track
9.	Lofi 04:37	lyrics	buy track
Hey I don’t even know what time it is All day I’ve been in my head all day You need to get some sun You need to get some sleep When the hell I ask you what you think? Hey don’t tell me how to live my life Realize Life in Lofi Could be no stress no stress Unplug detach I dream about it Then immediately I’m hypnotized Too much The whole world is in my hands I wanna buy new stuff I wanna watch my stories I want my supper delivered Stuck by choice in a velvet rut I realize Life in Lofi Could be no stress no stress Unplug detach I dream about it Freedom in a world with too much noise I want simple joy Slow down live more I need it lofi with no stress no stress I dream about it Remember who I am (Remember where you come from from from) Only so much time (Never lose that focus focus focus) Every decade I feel reborn (Remember where you come from from from) And these songs are my guiding force (Never lose that focus focus focus) To the past I tried to go but the waves of changed at flowed All the folks faded away Became memories and were replaced (Remember where you come from from from) Only so much time (Never lose that focus focus focus) Realize Life in Lofi Could be no stress no stress Unplug detach I dream about it Freedom in a world with too much noise I want simple joy Slow down live more I need it lofi with no stress no stress I dream about it
10.	Lofi (outro) 06:21		buy track
11.	Awake 04:07	lyrics	buy track
Papa don’t worry I will make it Papa I was born with your dreams All I remember are stars shining And how much I needed to shine too I remember day after day He hustlin’ and raising babies Dreams had to take a break Dreams he never would chase So begins me papa’s new dream 1 2 3 And just like that magic Life goes on Woah So he raised me and he taught me To keep runnin runnin runnin Like all is at stake here is the world I am awake And I know most of us won’t get there And I still wonder if I want to Born with a dream or is it an illusion Once I am there it’s not what I thought But no matter day after day We all have to earn our way So if I’m gonna spend my life I will spend it in pursuit I will push until I can’t I will work until I’m broken I will master my own world Be the ruler of my fate So begins me papa’s new dream 1 2 3 And just like that magic Life goes on Woah So he raised me and he taught me To keep runnin runnin runnin Like all is at stake here is the world I am awake I am awake I am awake I am awake
12.	awake (outro) 06:23		buy track
13.	Vintage Machine 04:13	lyrics	buy track
Feeling so high These beats hypnotize me It’s no surprise No drug can beat this music Don’t want to stop Want to get lost Vintage machine Rule over me Vintage machine I’m Lost in a dream Buttons and knobs I think I found my purpose Feeling so free Even though I’m the servant So hard to stop Want to stay lost In this vintage machine Rule over me Vintage machine I’m lost in a dream Vintage machine Rule over me Vintage machine I’m lost in this dream These machines they all rule over me Late at night I hear their melodies Truth is I can’t stop Im so obsessed Now I see that this defines success She flies through the sky High on a life That for now is laid out before her What she can’t see Is the trail of debris She’s left in pursuit of her dreams What will it take for her to wake From the trance of the chase and the chaos? Who will be there When the dark clouds appear And the path becomes steep and unclear Vintage machine Rule over me Vintage machine Lost in a dream Vintage machine Rule over me Vintage machine I’m lost in this dream
14.	vintage machine (outro) 05:40		buy track
15.	all the crazy things (unplugged) 03:21	info	buy track
16.	make me feel so good (unplugged) 04:45	lyrics	buy track
And so now the story goes I fall in love Floating free in outer space I’m always falling Day by day I’m in the clouds My faith is blinding Even though I know it’s love It still feels new You make me feel so good Don’t know what I’d do without you You make me feel so good And I never wanna be without you in my life There’s a line that separates Good from crazy It’s very fine but I have learned How to navigate I fell in love and I fell hard So let it take me Life is here for me to live So I will live You make me feel so good Don’t know what I’d do without you You make me feel so good And I never wanna be without you in my life I don’t care what they say They will go theirs and I will go my way I don’t need to explain I will not try to quantify this is God’s language And I will sing I will spread love’s comfort and healing He has given his hand to me I will do the same Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him I will do my best by him I will not give up Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Even in our darkest hours I’ll stand by his side Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him Walk with him, walk with him, walk with him, walk with him
17.	outro: the beginnings 07:45		buy track

about

Few musicians know the peaks and perils of modern music marketing as well as Jackie Venson. Prior to the pandemic, Venson had racked up opportunities that most musicians would kill for– appearances on network tv spots like The Late Show, high profile tours with artists like Gary Clark Jr, highly coveted gigs at festivals like ACL, and on and on. But it was the crash of the pandemic that arguably led to Venson’s biggest attention as the singer-guitarist’s constant live streaming efforts rocketed her to viral “fame” and top 10 placement on PollStar’s Top Livestreamers list, ahead of big names as diverse as Brad Paisley, Norah Jones, and Ben Gibbard of Deathcab for Cutie. And now her new album Ghost in the Machine is tackling the chaos and confusion of the music industry head on with one simple message: almost everything artists have been told they have to do to “make it” is no longer true and the industry as we know it is dead, but doesn’t realize it yet, and it’s up to us to release the ghost of creativity lingering inside the machine.

Longtime fans will recognize the material on Ghost in the Machine from various formats over the past few years, but Venson considers it a “do-over” of her 2020 LP Vintage Machine. “When everything went down in 2020, we didn’t really get an opportunity to put this album out the way I intended,” Venson explains, “I didn’t get a release party, I didn’t get to tour, I didn’t do any of the things you’re really supposed to do when you release an album.” But rather than accept the old industry trope that once you’ve put something out, you have to move on from it after a year or so, Venson decided to go back and recreate the album to suit the vision she now had for it, as something that was ever-shifting and evolving because the more she thought about it, the more she realized there was no reason to abide by traditional music industry tactics anymore.

“As modern artists dealing with audiences that are increasingly widespread and distracted, there’s no reason why anything we release has to stay frozen in amber while we move on to newer projects,” Venson says, “I mean, most of my current audience just discovered me in the past couple of years, and I realized so much of my older music is new to them, so why shouldn’t I redo it to make it sound more like who I am now?” That central question fits the theme of the album as well, as Venson explores the battle between staying true to tradition and embracing new ideas and techniques that so many musicians operating in genres, such as the blues, face every single day.

Lead single “Vintage Machine” explores this in depth, shifting between bubbly electro-funk and bluesy guitar rock as Venson interrogates the myth the modern industry has for musicians to be content making machines. The new video for “Vintage Machine,” directed by horror filmmaker Dakota Millett, cheekily reflects that as it shows Jackie and her band getting picked off one by one by cyborg monsters who want to turn them into musical automatons.

Fan favorite “Lofi” also shows off the electro-funk side of Jackie’s personality, with a New Wave beat and chirping synth leads, but its bright exterior is juxtaposed by the lyrics, which strike back at the expectation capitalism has for all of us to be endlessly producing. “‘Hey, you need to get some sun, you need to get some sleep’/’When the hell,’ I ask, ‘What you think?” goes one of Venson’s internal debates in the song, while elsewhere she confesses she struggles to even tell what time it is because the days and nights blur together when you’re never not working.

On TikTok-favorite “Make Me Feel,” Venson celebrates the rarity of finding someone who truly gets you and makes you feel so good all of those anxieties and struggles melt away, if only for a moment at a time.
It’s that message of personal connection that Jackie hopes comes through the most at the end of Ghost in the Machine, because the vision Jackie and her like minded peers have for the music industry is one where community and connection triumph over greed, convenience and algorithms.

From Jackie Venson’s standpoint, the music industry as we have known it is a corpse held together by evil machinery and it’s only by relearning how to directly connect with one another that we can free the ghost of art

credits

released October 30, 2023

Chris "Frenchie" Smith: Producer & mixed the Outro tracks, assisted by Brett Marcom
Eddy Hobizal: Mixed 6 main tracks
Tim Palmer: Mixed Vintage Machine
Mastering: Holger Lagerfeldt
Brandon Morgan piano & keys (Outro tracks)
Rodney Hyder drums
Marcus Clark bass
Eddy hobizal piano (main tracks)
Produced by Jackie Venson
Music, lyrics, guitar, vocals, synth: Jackie Venson
Christina venson artwork
Ismael Quintanilla III photos
Outros produced and recorded by Jackie Venson

Recorded by Chris "Frenchie" Smith assisted by Brett Marcom
Recorded in Austin, Texas at The Bubble Recording Studio

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about

Jackie Venson Austin, Texas

Manager: Louie Carr management@jackievenson.com

Booking:
Michael Morris
michael@minttalentgroup.com

Cassie Siegel cassie@minttalentgroup.com

Recommendations

shows

May 3

Saenger Theatre

New Orleans, LA
May 4

Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater

Austin, TX
May 6

Bayou Music Center

Houston, TX
May 10

Levitt Pavilion

Arlington, TX
May 15

Shank Hall

Milwaukee, WI
May 16

FitzGerald's

Berwyn, IL
May 17

The Acorn

Three Oaks, MI
May 19

Dakota

Minneapolis, MN
Jun 6

Color Burst Park

Columbia, MD
Jun 7

Cutting Room

New York (NYC), NY
Jun 8

Ross Farm

Basking Ridge, NJ
Jun 9

City Winery - Boston

Boston, MA
Jun 14

Creekbend Company

Hope, AK
Jun 15

Bear Creek Winery

Homer, AK
Jun 22

Art Park

Lewiston, NY
Jul 4

Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds

Quincy, CA
Jul 4

Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival

Portland, OR
Jul 12

Oregon County Fair

Veneta, OR
Jul 17

Mission Ballroom

Denver, CO
Jul 19

The Astro Amphitheater

La Vista, NE
Jul 21

The Mill - Terre Haute

Terre Haute, IN
Jul 22

PNC Pavilion at Riverbend

Cincinnati, OH
Aug 24

Roaring Camp Meadows

Felton, CA
Sep 14

Castoro Cellars Winery

Templeton, CA

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