Miss Tess

Hello friends we're headed back south! Aaaaaand I'm excited to announce the release of a brand new album just released on Signature Sounds by Jerry Miller – one of my all time favorite guitarists. I sing on a few tracks, along with some other great friends. Check it out HERE and hope to see you soon!

Finally release is the music video of "People Come Here For Gold" of the new Sweet Talk album [Signature Sounds].
Check it out HERE!

Hey Folks,

We're super excited to be starting an epic tour driving out west and all the way to Alaska! Hope to see you soon...

3/1 - Friends of Bob Concert @ Lafayette Brewing Company: Lafayette, IN
3/2 - Meat: Louisville, KY
3/3 - The Gramaphone: St. Louis, MO
3/4 - Trouser Mouse: Blue Springs, MO
3/6 - Front Range BBQ: Colorado Springs, CO
3/8 - Oskar Blues: Lyons, CO
3/9 - Swallow Hill @ Tuft Theater: Denver, CO
3/13 - The Crepe Place: Santa Cruz, CA
3/14 - The Starry Plough: Berkley, CA
3/15 & 16 - Moody's: Truckee, CA
3/17 - Amnesia: San Francisco, CA
3/19 - Johnny B's: Medford, OR
3/22 - Ketchikan Arts Council: Ketchikan, AK
3/24 - Haines Arts Council: Haines, AK
3/25 - Skagway Arts Council: Skagway, AK
3/28 - Conor Bryne Pub: Seattle, WA
3/29 - Secret Society: Portland, OR
3/30 - The White Eagle: Portland, OR
4/6 - Tres Hombres: Carbondale, IL

Check out some of the new tunes from "Sweet Talk" at Freight Train Boogie via No Depression free podcast...also featuring Andrew Bird, Dangermuffin, Rayna Gellert, Brother Slade, and more! Listen Here

Well folks we've been nominated for another Boston Music Award in the Jazz Act of the Year "category". They decide winners by your vote - do it early and often and thanks for your support!

Vote here ---> http://www.bostonmusicawards25.com/

Sweet Somethings

I’ve said this before somewhere else on these Web pages, but Massachusetts-based indie record label Signature Sounds is one of the best all around record labels in America right now. With more than 50 recordings in its back catalogue, it’d be hard to hear everything, but I’d be darned if the label has ever released something that is less than good to fantastic. Well, the label’s recent singing of the enigmatic New York City-based rhythm guitarist/singer Miss Tess continues that tradition of issuing superlative rootsy/jazzy/Americana-y recordings, as Sweet Talk, Miss Tess’s debut album for the label, deftly traverses the borderlines between early Tom Waits-esque lounge ballads, old timey country, a dollop of folk rock and a sprinkle of catchy jazz.

There’s much to be taken by and enjoy with Sweet Talk, from the rolling drum solos of opening track “Don’t Tell Mama” to the soft balladry of Miss Tess’s cover of the Ink Spots’ seminal 1940’s R&B hit “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire”. In between, we get a rambunctious stand-up bass solo on “Introduction” which runs into the rumbling countrified-meets-bossa nova of “This Affair”. Miss Tess’s deep, booming voice is alternately seductive and sexy, and is a pure joy to listen to. There’s not a duff track to be found on Sweet Talk, though the album does feel like a showcase for Miss Tess’s backing band’s chops at times, taking the spotlight off individual songs and extending the album into more of a live performance piece. Still, Sweet Talk is a delightful, rollicking record—a must for anyone who likes rootsy music distilled through the veneer of light jazz. It simply solidifies what we know about Signature Sounds: the label continues to issue albums of truly relevant classic music styles of the 20th century updated for the sophistication of the 21st century.

Today is October 16 and it's the official release of our brand new album, Sweet Talk! We're so happy to be included in the Signature Sounds Recordings family. Also excited to say we put it on cd & VINYL! It's available on itunes and through the Signature Sounds website links listed below. Check the calender for continuing live shows.
love, Miss Tess

Vinyl can be purchased here [these also come with a digital download card for the album]:
http://www.signaturesounds.com/album/sweet-talk-vinyl-lp
and cds can be purchased here:
http://www.signaturesounds.com/album/sweet-talk

http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p08291.htm

Where to start the hyperventilating hyperbole for Sweet Talk I have no idea. So I'm going to kill time with an introductory paragraph or twelve about this NY based band of hybrid visionaries led by a honky-tonkin' chanteuse and her western swing jazzers that manages to not sound like New York at all, but somehow does, and then doesn't. I think that's a pretty neat trick, and I'd like to thank Flora and the nice folks at Signature Sounds for sending me Sweet Talk to review. It's a real cool surprise and believe me, amid this bitter and polarizing Great Recession, I sure as hell needed one. And let's be honest—you do too.

So let's start there. Don't Tell Mama opens with a muscular R&B fervor; our heroine swinging on a crescent moon singing in the groove, off the beat "Don't tell mama we've been makin' love", sounding like one of them old 78's your grandpa used to play when grandma was at church. We then move seamlessly into the country swing of I Never Thought I'd Be Lonely. Next we have the improbable New Orleans second line sass of Adeline. Here I have to start throwing much deserved kudos to the rhythm section of bassist Danny Weller and drummer Matt Meyer—whose sustained wallop and turn-on-the-dime, turn-on-Tess's-whim timing is unstoppable throughout. Will Graefe's stinging, guitar is concise and colorful (every song proves my point, but listen to the rock on People Come Here For Gold) The rhythm guitar is Miss Tess herself, moving from a 1930's archtop to a 60's Harmony Stratotone.

Then there's the slinky, swampy This Affair, the waltzing, contemplative Save Me St. Peter with the killer line "Walking on water is a hell of a stand / With no solid ground and no helping hand." Did I mention Tess wrote ten of the eleven songs on Sweet Talk? Yup, including the all out Saturday night dance hall swingfest Everybody's Darling.

If there's a sad angle to all this, it's that this is Tess' fifth release. How the hell does someone this daring, talented, and obviously undaunted go mostly unheard? It's a damn shame. But listen now. Maybe we can all get together on Miss Tess if we can't agree on anything else.

First review in on our new album "Sweet Talk" from the Boston Globe. Read it here. Here we come Boston...we'll see you Oct 4 & 5 at The Lizard Lounge for our album release parties with Dietrich Strausse and Melvern Taylor!

Well folks we're haulin' ass around the country to bring you our new songs and a great live show. I'll be joined by Will Graefe on the electric guitars, Larry Cook on the upright bass, and Matt Meyer on the drums...come say hello and we'll see ya soon!

"SWEET TALK" Album Release shows!
9/13 - Meat: Louisville, KY
9/14 - Bauhaus: Farmington, MO
9/15 - Davey's Uptown: Kansas City, MO
9/16 - Trouser Mouse: Blue Springs, MO
9/18 - Roxy's: Columbia, MO
9/21 - Road 34 Bike Bar: Ft Collins, CO
9/22 - Oskar Blues: Longmont, CO
9/23 - Lola: Denver, CO
9/25 - The Walnut Room: Denver, CO
9/26 - Dolores River Brewery: Dolores, CO
9/27 - Wildwood House Concerts: Del Norte, CO
9/28 - Turn of the Century Saloon: Montrose, CO
9/29 - Rivers Edge: Salida, CO
10/4 & 5 - Lizard Lounge: Cambridge, MA
10/6 - The Back Room: Bristol, NH
10/7 - Berkshire Brewing Company: South Deerfield, MA
10/12 - Harlow's Pub: Peterborough, NH
10/13 - One Longfellow Square: Portland, ME
10/16 - Cafe NOLA: Frederick, MD
10/17 - Balliceaux: Richmond, VA
10/18 - The Double Door Inn: Charlotte, NC
10/19 - Jack of the Wood: Asheville, NC
10/20 - The Jig & Reed: Knoxville, TN
10/21 - Callaghan's Irish Social Club: Mobile, AL
10/22 - Three Muses: New Orleans, LA
10/25 - Blue Moon Saloon: Lafayette, LA *Blackpot Pre Party!
11/3 - Luna: San Antonio, TX
11/5 - House Concert: Tulsa, OK
11/7 - Chelsea's: Eureka Springs, AR
11/14 - The Living Room: New York, NY

Well friends, the summer is winding down and we've been working ever so hard to get this album released. We're so proud to finally announce we will be putting it out on Signature Sounds Records Oct 16, 2012. We bring to you "Sweet Talk". Thanks to the brilliant Chris DeLorenzo for the lovely album artwork. Keep your eyes peeled for this release on cd and VINYL (our first ever!!) as we tour around the country. We'll see you soon...

Thanks to all for coming out to our shows this past weekend. We had a killer time at Regatta Bar, Stone Mountain Arts Center, Harlow's Pub, and two barn parties! This was our debut weekend with our brand new band name. From here on out, we'll be Miss Tess & The Talkbacks! Why the change you ask? Because we wanted something to reflect the new creative territory we're entering. Fear not, same great band, same great music!

Here's a little clip to enjoy of Thursday night's encore at the Regatta Bar:

Thanks to all who voted. We won the New England Music Award for "Jazz Act of the Year"!

Miss Tess has just been nominated for a New England Music Award in the "Jazz Act of the Year" category! You may cast your vote for the winners here!

Hello everyone. Just wanted to say thanks for coming out to our shows this past weekend. We sold out the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, had a packed house in Portsmouth, and another sellout (200 tix!) at One Longfellow Square in Portland. The band is doing great and I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the new album, Live Across the Mason Dixon Line. Read here or below for a review of the live show from the Boston Phoenix. Also check here for videos of our TV performance in Portland on Local 207 news (this will be archived for six months).

"After doing the Berklee thing, plugging all the local hot spots from the Plough & Stars to the Regattabar, writing a sheaf of dandy original material and covering plenty of other good stuff, MISS TESS took off for Brooklyn two years ago with the rotating cast of her BON TON PARADE. Last night she was back at a familiar haunt, the Lizard Lounge, celebrating the release of a two-disc set, Live Across the Mason Dixon Line — one half recorded at the R-bar, the other at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia. Both the album and the first set at the Lizard show Tess at the fullest realization yet of her particular slice of Americana — a mix of Texas swing, rockabilly, jazzy standards, country, and singer-songwriterly folk-pop.

One of the things that makes the current Tess iteration so satisfying is her current band. Drummer Matt Meyer and bassist Dan Weller provide the requisite swing, but with detail (check Meyer’s little parade-beat rolls on Tess’s New Orleans tribute). Will Graefe is a brilliant guitar picker, capable of all manner of fills and concise, pointed solo statements — ringing one moment, then whining, then roaring. And he seems to have upped the ante on Tess’s playing of her vintage Weymann electric, which was always deliberate, jazz-informed, and apt, but now steps out with new confidence. Especially tasty was the twin lead she played with Graefe on the Texas-swing number about life on the road, “Everybody’s Darling, but Nobody’s Sweetheart.”

That one in particular tune got me thinking that Tess should have someone plugging her songs in Nashville and elsewhere. She now has a book of material that could stand on its own, ripe for interpretation by another performer (even if they’d miss out on some of the Bon Ton Parade’s dandy arrangement for three-part vocal harmonies from the boys and the limber allure of her own singing). And maybe some extra pocket change so Tess could keep this terrific little band on the road and happy. They’re getting ready to record a studio disc, she said, due in the spring. Can’t wait." – Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix

Miss Tess has just released “Live Across the Mason Dixon Line”, a double album featuring two live shows – one from the Regatta Bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts and one from Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia. This release proves to be a valiant effort by the band, Miss Tess & The Bon Ton Parade, to blur the lines that once clearly dictated style, genre, and location. Stemming from the truest meaning of the word “Americana”, the band pushes their influences into the current music scene with something totally fresh and soulfully timeless. The skilled musicianship of the quartet combined with Tess’s heartfelt songwriting and powerful stage presence creates a live experience that is more interesting and engaging then most by popular musicians today. Check out cd release parties in 2012 up and down the east coast!

Miss Tess has been yet again nominated for a Boston Music Award in the "Best Jazz Act" category. Vote early and often! (Voting ends November 9)

Vote here

We're very excited for this upcoming weekend. First we'll be playing at The Central Pennsylvania of the Arts on Thurdsay. This is a free outdoor event on the Penn State campus in State College, PA.

Then we get to go to The Green River Music Festival in Greenfield, Mass. This is a weekend long music and hot air baloon festival! We will be splitting a set between The Bon Ton Parade and my other band, The Sweet & Low Down (featuring Rachael Price from Lake Street Dive). We're very excited to also see performances by Toots & The Maytals, Emmylou Harris, Wanda Jackson, The Old 97s, Eilen Jewell, and The Two Man Gentelman Band!

We're also working on releasing a new live album soon, and stay tuned for another full length album we'll be recording this September!

I am very excited to be putting out my sixth release, The Waltz Set. This is a concept EP, comprised of six waltzes – five original waltzes and one cover version of "End of the World", a country song written by Sylvia Dee and Aurther Kent, made a hit by Skeeter Davis in 1962. The instrumentation includes Alec Spiegelman on sax and clarinet, Christopher McDonald on vibes and piano, Danny Weller on upright bass, and Matt Meyer on the drums.

The album is now available for sale on CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com/misstess5) and we'll be selling them at our upcoming shows. We have several release parties this weekend in NYC, Boston, and Portland. Hope to see you there!

We will be saying goodbye to our favorite horn player, Alec Spiegelman, after this weekend's shows. I thank him for playing my music for the last four years, coming on countless road trips, and recording on four albums since 2007. He has decided to spend more time on his own projects: Cuddle Magic and The Alec Spiegelman Trio . We will be welcoming to the band lap steel virtuoso Raphael McGregor beginning October 8 and he will be coming with us on our November tour down to Florida and back.

Hello folks. Well it sure is sweaty in my Brooklyn third floor apartment!

Anyway, we're gearing up for more touring tomorrow...Chicago, upstate NY, and New England. Also, we'll bee soon finishing our upcoming ep release "The Waltz Set". Keep you're eyes pealed. We'll be doing a big EP Release show in NYC at Rockwood Music Hall (the big room!) Sept 30 and in Boston at the Lizard Lounge Oct 1. On the bill for nyc is Hey Mama (Boston) and Lake Street Dive (Brooklyn). Sharing the bill in Boston is Annie Lynch & The Beekeepers (Brooklyn). So it should be two great shows!! See the calendar for more details...

Tired of all those old cd cases lying around and taking up space? Well...we wanted to let you know you can now buy "Darling, oh Darling" digitally via CD Baby for only $10! I totally love this album and all of the musicians on it. And the good thing about buying through cd baby, is they give the artist way more money than itunes...

Visit here to vote ---> http://thephoenix.com/bmp/Boston/Vote/Roots/