Miss Tess: Press

"Imagine the sultry jazz halls of the 1930s and 40s, people crowding torward the stage to get a closer listen to the mysterious voice spilling from the microphone. She [Miss Tess] sings about subjects that the modern generation can relate to, although there is an elegance to her voice that could only have been born in another era. It captures you like a thread of smoke, seeping into your skin, and staying long after you've gone. True to her grassroots style, Tess's connection to the audience is incredibly personal, making it a better show than many by popular musicians"

"I don't know how you found me... but.. I am HONORED.. You are the REAL DEAL!!! And you have a gift that compels one to listen from the head and the heart..I am SPEECHLESS now....I heard your work and I CRIED...Ohhhh My.. GOD....Awesome, Real, Soulful and so Moving. My ears are happy now..I have nothing else to say..." Jewell, Chicago

Locals on the Verge

"MISS TESS AND THE BON TON PARADE The Maryland transplant called one of her albums "Modern Vintage," and that neatly sums up her crisp approach to old-time jazz, folk, and blues. After a recent contest win, Tess will hit the high seas next month as part of a music cruise in the esteemed company of artists including Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, and Patty Griffin. No doubt they will be as charmed by her classic covers and clever originals as Boston audiences."

"If Billie Holiday and Chet Atkins had a musical baby, it would be Miss Tess. With a calmness that belies the intensity in her music, Miss Tess will cement a place in your music- loving heart with her first note."

"Boston songstress Miss Tess wraps new songs in old styles"

From time to time, the sounds of 20th-century America make a resurgence. (Think the rockabilly revival of the early '90s.) And while styles like ragtime and '30s-era swing aren't exactly "in" right now, for some musicians, the sounds of the past are the only ones that truly satisfy.

Miss Tess is a singer and songwriter from Cambridge, Mass. (by way of Baltimore) who could be described as stuck gloriously in the past. Her smooth, soulful vocals encompass a wide range of expression, everything from a plaintive introspection to a kind of ultra-cool sultriness; you can almost see her flapper hat when you hear her sing.

On Wednesday, Miss Tess and her four-person band, The Bon Ton Parade, will play a show at The Juggling Gypsy Cafe on Castle Street in Wilmington with a similarly-styled Nashville band, Christabel and the Jons. The show starts sometime after 9 p.m.

A classically trained pianist who traded in the keyboard for a guitar - which she strums with a distinctive, raindrop-like hipness typical of the jazz era - Miss Tess plays everything from jazz standards to her own compositions, many of which sound like they could've been written three-quarters of a century ago.

All kinds of genres show up in her music, from the ragtime, swing and jazz mentioned above to folk, blues and country, and she has recorded three independent albums: Modern Vintage (original songs), When Tomorrow Comes (standards) and Home, on which her parents provide backing instrumentation. (Her dad's big band used to rehearse in the garage below her bedroom when she was a child.)

I caught up with Miss Tess recently for an e-mail interview.

First off, how did you get into, as you call it, the 'modern vintage' style of music you play?

My first influences in older genres of swing, country and folk music definitely came from my parents. My mom plays upright bass and ukulele and my dad plays sax, clarinet, guitar, pedal steel and dabbles in a few other things. I grew up listening to my dad's big bands and various musicians at jam parties they would host at the house. Another part of my influence came from sort of a music camp called Augusta Heritage Swing and Blues Week. This is hosted at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. It's a week-long experience that includes daily lessons in these genres as well as all-night jam sessions with some of the top blues and swing musicians in the country.

What is it about this style that resonates with you?

The honesty of this music really resonates with me. I get the impression that a lot of these folks sang because they had to. Not for financial reasons, but for the sake of expression and personal therapy. I've felt for a long time that I have an old soul and there's some special connection to these musicians from past eras. I'm enticed by the atmospheres they once created and harbor a certain nostalgia for the ambience that must've been present. Also, the rhythms and grooves are often times fantastic. It just feels good to swing.

Is there a big scene for this type of music in the Boston area?

The folk/roots scene is definitely happening in Cambridge right now. Not a lot of people are doing swing per se, but there's a large appreciation for it. I can go out pretty much any night of the week and see someone great for free, and maybe even sit in with them.

You've mentioned Tom Waits and Bessie Smith as influences. What is it about each of them that appeals to or inspires you?

Tom Waits is probably my all-time musical hero for many reasons. First off, his lyrics are amazing. His choice for accompanying musicians is remarkable. His recording techniques are so well thought out and pleasantly raw. He has managed to maintain a career and not "sell out," and has been very smart in protecting himself as an artist. And, on top of all this, he has a family and actually seems happy!

Bessie Smith I admire because she's such a character. This falls into some of the same nostalgia I was talking about earlier. I just love imagining what one of her performances was like as a big blues mama. I heard that she hardly even used microphones - she could fill a room with the sound of her voice.

I was glad to see that you cover 'Dream a Little Dream.' (On a side note, an '80s teen movie called 'Dream a Little Dream' was filmed right here in Wilmington. It starred both Coreys - Haim and Feldman - and featured Jason Robards lip-sycning the title song on the stage of Thalian Hall.) What is it about that song that has such "legs" so to speak?

That song was one of the first tunes my parents forced me to sing as a teenager. (I didn't always like singing in front of people.) So it holds a special place in my heart. Also, I love the Mama Cass version of this tune.

Do you play just guitar or other instruments as well?

I took 10 years of classical piano from when I was 4, so I still dabble in that occasionally. I've been working slowly on developing some jazz chops on there. For the most part, it's just guitar, singing and the comical mouth trumpet.

You've got a great guitar sound, by the way.

My style derives largely from Freddy Green, who was Count Basie's rhythm guitarist for 30-some years. He specialized in three-string chords played very rhythmically that can easily be moved up and down the neck. Part of my sound also can be attributed to my guitar, Mary. She's a mid-'20s beautiful Weymann Archtop that has great tone.

There's something very romantic about your music. Do you consider yourself a romantic?

Yes. I am very much a dreamer when it comes to love. I appreciate romantic things and sometimes the reality of a situation escapes me. (I feel like I'm writing a personal now.)

How did you hook up with Nashville band Christabel and the Jons? Are they why your tour is largely concentrated in the Southeast?

Actually, our booking agents know each other and thought we would make a good fit for touring buddies. So we're basically tagging along to rooms where they've already played to keep building a following in the Southeast. This will be my fifth tour, and so far it's been that direction every time.

How did moving to Cambridge from Baltimore affect your music?

It made me better musician and broadened my horizons quite a bit. The level of the pool of musicians is so high here - there's actually nine music schools and 65 colleges in the area, so plenty of 'em floating around. I went to Berklee for three semesters, which helped encourage me to step up my game.

The Ditty Bops or the Squirrel Nut Zippers?

I like both. In high school, my dad got me a Squirrel Nut Zippers album right before they made it big on the airwaves. That was weird. "The radio likes music my dad likes? Maybe he's hipper than I think."

Who are your favorite artists who sound nothing like the music you play?

Hmmm … Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Lucinda Williams, The Pixies.

I like your song 'Pokey McMumbles.' What was the inspiration for that one?

One time I was sitting at the bar with a friend drinking Irish whiskey through a straw the bartender gave me. I turned to him and said, "I'm gonna write a song about this." The song isn't about drinking whiskey, but it did make it into the second line ("whiskey I drink through a straw"). The song kind of turned into a self-portrait tune about Tess the Mess, my alter ego. Pokey McMumbles is a nickname my sister gave to me a long time ago.

I see that you'll be playing on a cruise ship in February. Is that something you've done before?

Nope, never been on a cruise. I'm going on that because I recently won the Eddie's Attic Open Mic Shootout in Decatur, Ga. Aside from $1,000, a performing spot on Cayamo was the other part of the prize. I'll be performing as a duo with a phenomenal guitarist, Lyle Brewer.

If you could play a show with any musician, living or dead, who would it be?

I'd like to sing with Duke Ellington.

A year from now, what would you like to see happening with your music?

It would be really nice to have some label support and a publicist for sure. I expect to have a fairly busy touring schedule and I'd like to go to Europe and play sometime soon.

If you don't mind, what is your "real" name, and how old are you?

I prefer to stay known as "Miss Tess". Tess is my real name and I'm 26.

"If not for the hot licks and swingin' rhythms, it'd almost be too cute. Boston's very own Miss Tess and her band, The Bon Ton Parade, teamed up with Knoxville's Christabel & The Jons for a Southern tour this month. At an early showtime of 8pm they share the Map Room stage on Mon. Jan 14. Boston's Miss Tess & The Bon Ton Parade specialize in "modern vintage" jazz and blues, with songs from her own life, "infused with the flavors of early jazz."

"Shot out of a rag-folk canon, Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade meld the sweet lowdown of Billie Holiday and the modern-retro bounce of Jolie Holland."

"Miss Tess takes old music and makes it sound fresh. She also makes new
music with a sense of history and context to it. No matter what label
you want to put on it, it's damn good music. Period."

Big Band Dreams: As a child, singer/guitarist Miss Tess fell asleep to the sounds of her dad's big band rehearsing in the basement. Perhaps is was her big-band-infused dreams that gave her the voice of a different era."

"Miss Tess' 'Modern Vintage' is just that: a fresh - and refreshing - take on classic themes from a bygone era."

"Since moving to town from Baltimore, in the fall of 2005, Miss Tess has been bringing the old-school heat to local clubs, playing scrumptious old-time jazz and blues like some Tom Waits/Billie Holiday hybrid, both as a solo performer and with her four-piece backing band, the Bon Ton Parade."

"Miss Tess is all grown up. And so is her music. Timeless. Relevant. It leaves you more alive than when you arrived. For the unaquainted, her voice could be described as a combination of k.d. lang and Madeline Peyroux. Deeply inspired and well trained. After listening to her cd you'll let it play through again, and again. The Bon Ton Parade is gorgeous. Clarity and sophistication elevates the already strong voice of Miss Tess. The sensuality and vitality will leave you in anticipation of their live performance. Which will have you humming in contentment."