Friday, January 5, 2007

Venter gives voice to soul searching

Singer-songwriter to appear at Roosevelt in Ketchum


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Molly Venter

When Molly Venter came to Ketchum four years ago for a bit of skiing, her love of music was a given; her vocation was not. But the mountains and the freedom to experiment changed things for her.

Since that time, the New Haven, Conn., native has cut two records (the first in Ketchum with Empty Beach Records), moved to Austin, Texas, and now splits her time between there and Mexico. She just finished a three-month tour of the East Coast and on her way back to Guanajuato, Mexico, decided to stop in Ketchum.

"I was so supported and held up by this community when I was here. I gained a lot of confidence," she said.

Venter returns once a year to the Wood River Valley to visit the place where she became a bona fide performer. On Friday, Jan. 5, at 10 p.m., she'll perform at the Roosevelt Tavern & Grille, in downtown Ketchum. The cover charge is $5. Copies of her new CD, "Love Me Like You Mean It," will be for sale.

Her voice, slightly husky but full, is accompanied only by her spare guitar work. It's a bit reminiscent of early Beth Orton or some of the other Lillith Fair gals. Matched with her petite frame and clean, attractive looks, the package is powerful. For stage shows, Venter will throw in a cover or two, but her CDs are entirely original music.

"For a while I resisted structured songwriting, but it's evolving," she said. "My music is still deeply personal and introspective, but I'm opening up to more universal themes."

Living part-time in Mexico since June has also opened up new views for Venter.

"It's really quiet and it gives me time and space to write," she said. "It's a different perspective on life and culture."

The first cut on her new CD, "Great Ocean," gives insight into the journeys she has made since she last was in Ketchum and into the inevitable soul searching that takes place while on the road:

"There's so much to uncover I don't know where to begin.

So I try to get quiet. I try to drop back in.

Oh we build all these great big lies to keep the darkness out,

And we make so much noise that no one hears you shout.

"They tell me the mountains still crumble and fall

Even the desert gets cold when the night calls

I am running short on places to hide

Oh great ocean won't you stay this wide?

"Just when I think about turning back and cutting my losses.

Well, the telephone poles are stretching out like crosses.

Don't know much about being a Christian

But I know I am being led on.

A thousand searching artists can't all be wrong."




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