storyteller at heart

At her core Jessie Veeder is a storyteller, and this infuses just about everything she does — her songwriting, photography, speaking and parenting.

Many will recognize Veeder’s name from her columns in The Forum in addition to her work as a musician. When people hear her name, they light up with recognition at the woman who shares a poignant, intimate and humorous look at her daily life and adventures with her family and her work.

As a teenager pursuing music, living in the middle of nowhere, Veeder never imagined that she would be able to live her dream life — capturing each of her passions.

“I'm sitting in my mid-30s and I've been able to make music, songwriting, writing and the ranch into a career that I'm proud of, that supports the family that I have always wanted to raise, in this place I love,” she says.

Veeder was strongly influenced by her dad, who she describes as a folk musician, rancher and community-minded individual. He encouraged her to sing, write and seek out opportunities to perform. He helped cultivate her love for folk/Americana music and song writing. As she listened to him play songs by Harry Chapin and Guy Clark she says, “I wanted to tell stories like that, in a three to four-minute melody. I don't think I would still be singing and performing if it wasn't for that opportunity and my drive to write.”

It was during her senior year in high school, while touring the Midwest for her second album, that Jessie Veeder first performed for the Celebration of Women and their music. She returns to the show this January 2020 with several years of performing, recording and touring under her belt.

She says she has drawn from the example of the celebration’s founder Deb Jenkins throughout her career as a singer/songwriter and storyteller, “really leaning into the idea that as artists, we can be better together.”

Veeder adds, “The celebration showed me what other female musicians were doing in the area at the time and what could happen when we empower one another, support one another and celebrate the music and stories that come out of us.”

Her passion and talents align with her work as an advocate and director of arts programming in her community in western North Dakota, with a mission to bring arts and arts-based opportunity to the rural community that she loves. Veeder says, “It is such fulfilling work to see my community support arts education and programming in our schools, in our nursing homes and in our everyday life.”

She is currently working on a nostalgic project, a new album full of music that she used to sing as a young girl, including the music of artists like Neil Young, Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith and Kathy Mattea. She heads to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Nevada with this music in the new year. Veeder says, “I love that my music can really help advocate and tell the story of agriculture and working rural America.”

And although it’s challenging at times balancing her family with the multiple ideas and projects she wants to pursue, she says, “I want to show my daughters that you can pursue a passion, do good work, and still love your family and your home fiercely.”

Above all she is looking forward to seeing how music impacts her daughter’s lives, as for her, “It’s truly been a gift that keeps on giving.”

Her advice to aspiring musicians is to “make music you truly love, do it your way, hone your skill, practice and let people in on the process.” She wishes that early on she would have let more people be part of her process and says she feels she missed out on collaborations and inspiration by being so private.

She describes her music as Americana, and rootsbased. “It tells a story. There's dobro and a harmonica wherever I can put one in,” she says.

Veeder says she feels incredibly lucky to perform for audiences. “I love to tell the stories and see them relate and connect and take those breaths with me.”

Jessie Veeder performs at The 23rd annual Celebration of Women and Their Music on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at the Stage at Island Park. Additional performers include: Hot Lunch (Emily Swedberg), Kris Kitko, Taylor Paige (2018 award winner) and the Viotti String Quartet (Alison Wallace, Alyssa Nystrom Miller, Anna Goodin-Hayes and Justin Hayes with guest artist Jennifer Peterson).

For more about the celebration, visit facebook.com/celebrationofwomenandtheirmusic, or debjenkins.com/celebrationofwomen.

For more information about Jessie, to purchase her book, “Coming Home,” or her music, visit jessieveedermusic.com or her blog at veederranch.com.