University Chronicle
St. Cloud State University, MN
January 27, 2000

Songstress To Swoon At Downtown Club
By Penny Mio

Urban folk singer-songwriter Katy Tessman is returning to Java Joint Saturday night for an acoustic storytelling performance.

Jennifer Nelson, manager of Java Joint, said Tessman has been a featured artist at Java Joint a few times in the past year. "I lover her," Nelson said. "She's very sweet." Nelson also said Java joint doesn't feature acoustic artist very often, so the crowd response to Tessman varies depending if they are in the mood for her musical style.

Tessman said she is attracted to insightful lyrics accompanied by acoustic guitar. "Lately I've been listening to country like the Dixie Chicks because of their vocal harmonies and their fiddles and banjos," Tessman said. She said her music doesn't sound like country, but she draws inspiration from country and other styles such as jazz. Other artists that have influenced her include Shawn Colvin and The Indigo Girls.

Tessman started her musical career in 1993 with a band named Joe's Elevator. She said she was always a performer at heart, getting involved in musicals and other creative outlets during school. By 1997 she was performing solo and with the band, until the band broke up. She first played at Java Joint during the winter of 1998. "I like Java Joint," Tessman said. "It's a fun-size stage."

Tessman's songs cover a broad range of topics. "They are about people or experiences that have affected my life," she said. "Some subjects are tough, but some are happy things." One of her songs covers the depression of one of her friends. He was severely depressed and went off his medication and into a psych ward where he eventually leveled out.

In contrast, she has a song tilted "Make You Stare" about a girls' night out. "My friends are very different, but we go out and have so much fun we make people stare," Tessman said. She also wrote songs about her family's lake home, nature and love.

Once Tessman is on stage, she varies the order of her songs. "I feel the audience out and play it by ear," Tessman said. Once she had a mother in the audience who was trying to get her baby to fall asleep. Tessman played a few quieter and slower songs to help out.

The leeway to play whatever songs fit the situation is a freedom Tessman likes. Lately, she has been working on her first solo album that includes a full band sound. Her husband is the drummer for the band and a friend is helping with producing the album. It will feature 11 songs, including the title track "Fall."

If Tessman had the band at all her performance, there would have to be too much structure with sets for her to change the order according to audience reaction. "I enjoy the band buy I enjoy solo too because I can react with the audience," Tessman said.

Tessman will perform 9 p.m. Saturday at the Java Joint in downtown St. Cloud. Also in the evening's line-up are Mike Rennee and Lil' Angie.

Photography by Jon Duder.