On the cover is Austin native Jackie Venson, where she talks about her musical inspiration, songwriting, and her Gibson she named Rosetta. Other Austin residents we had the opportunity to learn more about are Sue Foley on her move to Austin, blues, and her current rig; Ruthie Foster talks songwriting and her newest album; Kathy Valentine talks about writing her memoir; Rosie Flores fills us in on her background in music and her newest album; and Patti Quatro and Lzzy Hale chat it up on life as women in the music industry. But that’s not all; we have several more!

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When I set our Editorial Calendar for 2020, I wanted to focus on specific cities, with the first being Southern California following Winter NAMM. Next in line is Austin, known as the Live Music Capital of the World, home to SXSW, Austin City Limits, and the University of Texas at Austin Guitar Program. As SXSW was canceled with the onset of COVID-19, we still had plenty to focus on in Austin. In this edition, we delve into the lives of quite a few musicians who call Austin home and take a look at the local music scene and the impact of COVID-19.

On the cover is Austin native Jackie Venson, where she talks about her musical inspiration, songwriting, and her Gibson she named Rosetta. Other Austin residents we had the opportunity to learn more about are Sue Foley on her move to Austin, blues, and her current rig; Ruthie Foster talks songwriting and her newest album; Kathy Valentine talks about writing her memoir; Rosie Flores fills us in on her background in music and her newest album; and Patti Quatro and Lzzy Hale chat it up on life as women in the music industry. But that’s not all; we have several more!

The Texas state motto is “Friendship,” and I found a common thread among a lot of the musicians we interviewed—most of them are connected somehow and are friends.

We take a look at Janis Joplin’s time at Threadgill’s, which unfortunately has permanently closed its doors. Texas is known for its blues, so we offer up lessons on twelve-bar blues and ways to approach Stevie Ray Vaughan’s style.

For reviews, we got our hands on some pretty cool gear, including the new Martin SC-13E that was introduced at Winter NAMM, as well as Luna’s new Safari Koa Supreme, Fender’s Jazzmaster ukulele, and Paul Reed Smith’s new parlor guitar.

I have personally had such a great experience learning more about Austin and their great music scene—and look forward to SXSW 2021!