Jack Barksdale. Photo: Michael Lewis
October is Local Music Month, KXT’s celebration of the sounds reverberating throughout North Texas! Each day, we will highlight different local artists you can hear on KXT. Check back here, find us on our social media or tune in to 91.7 FM to see the day’s featured artist.
Jack Barksdale started out in North Texas’ local music scene at 9 years old when he was invited to play at Luckenbach Texas’ Pickers Circle in Fredericksburg. Now at 15, he’s performing all over Texas and beyond.
The Ft. Worth artist writes his own music, and he plays multiple instruments- guitar, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica, piano and resonator. Barksdale’s music is broadly categorized as Americana, but he isn’t afraid to stray away from folk, blues and rock influences.
“I don’t have a particular style that I religiously stick to,” Barksdale told KXT. “I just like to make music that I think sounds good and write what I enjoy writing.”
Although Barksdale wears many hats, he considers himself a songwriter above all. In an interview with KXT contributor Preston Jones, he cites Leonard Cohen, along with Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt, as an inspiration.
“[Leonard Cohen] wrote how and what he wanted, whether people accepted it or not,” Barksdale said. “He was persistent and eventually, more and more people accepted him.”
Barksdale’s has taken his wise beyond his years songwriting to Dallas’ Kessler Theater and SXSW 2023. Most recently, Barksdale performed at Americanafest in Nashville, Tennessee (and gave KXT a look into his time there).
His debut 2017 single, “My Mother,” is followed by a growing catalogue including a live album, recorded at the famed Niles City Sound in Ft. Worth. His first full-length LP, Death of a Hummingbird, was released in March 2022.
You can find Jack Barksdale performing live at KXT’s Get Loud at Klyde Warren Park on Friday, October 20 in celebration of Local Music Month! Connect with him on Instagram for updates on new releases and show announcements.
You can hear even more local music at noon Mon-Fri on Local Bites and on the KXT Local Show on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. If you’re an artist from North Texas, you can submit your music to KXT for consideration here.
