Veruschka Pestano – Sunday Acoustic Sessions: The Roxbury Hotel, January 18

Veruschka Pestano – Sunday Acoustic Sessions: The Roxbury Hotel, January 18

Review by Mawunyo Gbogbo

There is not much you can get for five dollars these days. You could probably shout your best friend a cappuccino, buy yourself a latte and entertain each other over an hour-long conversation. Surely, an evening of quality entertainment would be unheard of. After all, two Kanye West tickets could set you back almost three hundred dollars. What if I told you that for five dollars I was swept away by the piercing vocals and insightful lyricism of an artist with guaranteed international appeal? Veruschka Pestano has a voice that is simply breathtaking. But that is only part of the story. There is something about her music that touches your soul.

Each Sunday, Sydney’s Roxbury Hotel puts on a showcase of soloists and bands. This time around, Singer/Songwriter Veruschka Pestano was one of the acts to grace the stage. Sitting on a stool in the centre of the podium flanked by a guitarist on one side and a keyboardist on the other, the entertainer’s voice soared through the room as she belted out the lyrics to ‘Easier,’ a song that stays with you long after you have first heard it. Like many of her songs, it inspires.

Born in Australia to a Jamaican mother and a German father, this talented neo-soulstress has much more to offer than a catchy hook. She writes, sings and raps, not unlike a modern day Lauryn Hill.

In front of an attentive audience, the performer sang just one cover – an Alicia Keys ballad. The rest of the show was designated to original and mostly new material. The recording artist addressed the audience prior to each song to explain the origins of her work. She admits that inspiration can sometimes come from the strangest of places. One of her songs ‘Save a Soul’ was inspired by a homeless man she saw searching a garbage can for food. ‘I am always trying to stretch myself as a songwriter and write things that are of substance and that have depth.’

Veruschka Pestano has a Contemporary Arts degree with a major in Dance and a minor in Drama. And she holds an online Songwriting Workshop Certificate from Berkley University in the United States. As many artists do, she wants her music to be heard on a global scale. It is interesting to note, however, that this natural performer never thought she would end up a singer. ‘I always loved performing, but I was very very dance focused and thought that that was all I would pretty much do.’ But you could say divine intervention set her on a new path. When a couple from her church approached her with money for singing lessons, she was so broke she spent it all on groceries. She was later offered free singing lessons by a voice coach who had never heard her sing. The committed Christian believes it was all part of God’s plan. But she has faced some challenges along the way.

The singer plans to release her first EP independently. She says local music industry executives do not seem to believe in or understand urban music enough to invest in it. ‘It is frustrating because I know that the general consensus for most people, I think, in the music industry is that music that falls under the urban category such as hip hop, R and B, soul, neo-soul does not really sell that well, so I think a lot of record labels are less likely to really invest money into those kinds of artists. But then Alicia Keys can come here and pack out Acer Arena, Beyonce can come here and pack out Acer Arena and so many artists from overseas in that music family have the chance to come here and do really well so there is obviously a market for it here.’

The crowd responded favourably to Veruschka Pestano’s performance of ‘Go,’ as she wrapped up the show by flicking her hair over her shoulders and gesturing to the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. I left the Roxy wishing I could pop her music on in my car and listen to it on the way home. Although I may get the chance to do this soon enough, it is possible that by the time the Australian music industry starts paying attention, we may have lost one of our own to an international market more willing to take chances.

I was there on that night & totally agree, $5 entry to hear some of Sydney’s finest acoustic artists is a bargin any way you look at it. And on the night Verucshka stole the show with her beautiful music.

What a great night to enjoy, I’ll be returning regularly to Sundays at The Roxbury Hotel.

The above article is well written & clearly shows the writer’s belief in the words written. The only thing missing from the review is Veruschka’s website address.