The year was 1996. I was, well, much younger then and seeing the sites at a music festival and chanced upon one Tess Wiley. She'd been in Sixpence None the Richer (I had a few near-misses with her during her year with Sixpence) and had then moved on to her own solo career. As I stood in the hot and muggy tent that July day many moons ago I got to see one heckuva show (I vaguely remember lederhosen, but it's been 8 years, so I could just be going senile.).
Afterwards I headed to the merch tent and promptly bought her CD and chatted briefly with her then-producer who promised that big things were on the horizon. As time went on there was a cover album and then a full-length studio album (Rainy Day Assembly—available at Music Millennium ). Recently I checked up on Tess through her website and saw that there was a brand-spankin' new album. I decided it was time to catch up on America's best export to Gemany since Jesse Owens.
Tess graciously agreed to answer a few questions and talked about the new album, the difficulties of being superbad in Germany, kleptomania in church and rocking out while being quiet.
Joe Mammy : I feel the need to get this out of the way right away: you were a member of Sixpence None the Richer (back when they were big, but before they were huge...) Are you still identified as the girl from Sixpence who wore the Strawberry Shortcake outfit and is that an image or perception that you've felt constrained by over the years?
Tess Wiley : I am still booked now and then as "Tess Wiley (ex - Sixpence none the Richer)." I'm sure it confuses a lot of people since they don't know the band line-up with the girl guitar player or that when they find out that the singer's name is Leigh, they think that I'm lying. I don't mind being identified through Sixpence. It's a little strange for me sometimes, since that was 10 years ago, and I was only in the band for one year. But if it gets people to perk up and listen, then whatever.
No one's mentioned the retarded red ballet outfit that I wore at Cornerstone (to which you're referring), but in Nashville people still talk about the time I came on stage for a Sixpence show wrapped in aluminum foil with foil angel wings. Would you believe that I had stolen the wings from a props box at a church we played? How rude of me! I can only hope they were no longer needed! But they were too cool.
Joe : You've recently released a new album, "Not Quite Me." I've heard snippets of it and it's sounding good. How did this album come together?
Tess: I got offered a record deal with a small, new label in Hamburg called Tapete Records. They're really cool, but they have no money (welcome to the music industry of the new millennium). With my tiny budget we recorded the drums and bass in an actual studio and the rest at my house or in the practice room. I have a really great band here. I met Tim, my guitar player, a few years ago when playing a show with friends of his. Luckily, he hounded me about wanting to play with me. I kept putting him off because I've had several offers from people to play in my band, and they're rarely capable musicians. And I figured, if he is good, why is he living in Giessen?! We finally got together and it turns out that he's great! Then he brought in a drummer and bass player, since shortly after that my then-band members all had to move away for various reasons.
Recording "Not Quite Me" was such a great learning experience. I never would have made the effort to do everything myself (even though I've known for years that I could - and should) if I hadn't been forced to do so due to lack of funds. I recorded my last record "Rainy Day Assembly" in an outstandingly beautiful and well-equipped studio in NYC. It was an amazing experience, but more for learning purposes. Such as:
1. how to get a good performance out of someone,
2. singing techniques,
3. meeting and making friends with top-notch players who would later get me tickets to see them play with David Bowie, Aimee Mann, etc...! But it was a little too overwhelming, and my songs and my voice got a little smothered in the process. Don't get me wrong - everything ended up sounding great, just not so much like Tess Wiley. I think I'm better represented with this new record, in all its (my) scrappiness.
Joe : From my own work, music seems like one of those things that just kind of sums up the period I was working on it and that's as much from listening to it and hearing the influences of other artists throughout. What do you remember with this project and who do you hear bleeding through?
Tess: Honestly, I rarely hear the influence of my favorite artists in my music. I couldn't even tell you to whom I was listening at the time. I always mention the usual suspects: Crowded House, Jeff Buckley, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Iris Dement. Although there is one song that, in my opinion, is an obvious attempt to sound like Bjork. When I first demo'd the song "Let It Come," I did so with a friend of mine who is good with beats and electronic sounds (Arne Diedrichson). I was absolutely in love with Vespertine-era Bjork (actually, I love every-era Bjork) and wanted desperately to try to make some recordings like that. It's not quite that sophisticated, and the record version is different than the demo, but still one of my favorite songs on the record.
Joe : How do you think your music has changed (for better or worse) from the Sixpence/Splendora days to present? Who or what are the main inspirations/culprits?
Tess: I hope it's changed for the better! It's also mellower. I realized somewhere along the line that I don't have the voice to sing over loud, distorted guitars. It's like when I pierced my nasal septum - it didn't work because I looked like a delicate girl trying to be tough. So I've learned to respect quiet music, although not everything on this record is quiet. At this point it's more of an approach thing, but I'd say my music is getting quieter and quieter over the years. Then I listen to the Foo Fighters or the Refused and wish so very much that I could kick that much ass. But I'm trying to understand that things turn out better when one works within one's God-given boundaries and doesn't try to force something different. That's not to say that I don't push myself, it just depends in which direction and to what end.
Artists that encourage me to be quiet are: Alison Krauss, Stardust-era Willie Nelson, Eliot Smith. Also Norah Jones (although to be honest, with the lyrics being as silly as hers sometimes are, it's better to sing quietly.) It's just so much harder to make quiet music because one has to play really well. It's amazing how easily one can distract from a flawed performance (not to mention punches and less-than-ideal recording conditions) with sheer volume. A distorted guitar comes in handy in that department.
Joe : You've been living in Germany for few years with your husband, Christian Roth. How good is your German? Please translate the following James Brown lyrics:
I've got something that makes me want to shout. I've got something that tells me what it's all about. I've got soul. And I'm superbad.
Tess: Ich hab was, dass mich zum kreischen bringt. Ich hab was, dass mir sagt, wie es ist. Ich habe Seele, und ich bin saugeil.
Lyrics are so hard to translate properly, especially with slang. And if you want it to rhyme, well, forget it! I mean, it's possible, just difficult. And I don't know if it's because it's German, but this translation is so stiff! Funky doesn't work well in German. I think it might actually only work in English.
I've done pretty well with learning the language. It's much easier when all the movies and TV shows are dubbed. I had no choice but to learn German if I wanted to watch the Simpsons! I also read a lot of teenie magazines, which were helpful what with the limited, teen-friendly vocabulary and banal topics. I used to get one of them, "Bravo," every week, but now that I know German, even the temporary tattoos and lip gloss can't tempt me into buying that crap.
Joe : Along those lines (living in Germany—not being Superbad, although you may comment on that if you wish...) how would you compare and contrast the experience of being an artist/musician in America with Germany?
Tess: It's a little bit harder to get love as an artist here in Germany. Germans are big on security and planning for the future and having a healthy savings account (it's no surprise that the biggest insurance companies in the world are German). So when they find out that I'm living on fumes to try and realize a dream, they seem to either think I'm crazy or feel sorry for me. I think there's also less of a grass roots music scene here. But cover bands do really well here!
I don't mean to make Germany seem completely artistically lame. One also has to keep in mind that I live in a small town, so people's understanding of music is pretty much confined to the casting shows on TV. But there are some great bands here: my labelmates Hidalgo, friends of ours Montana Chromeboy, and one of my all-time favorite bands, Blumfeld.
Joe : Aside from music, what other avenues do you use to express yourself? (Links or samples are always appreciated...)
Tess: I usually like to try and play the creative housewife when I'm not making music. I like to cook and garden and such. I'm not sure how I could link or sample to this. Shall I FedEx you my tasty sage risotto? I also do what I can to help Christian when possible—either on photo shoots or with his skateboard company Hessenmob .
Joe : I know in my own work I definitely am able to pick out certain topics/themes that seem to recur frequently. What would you consider to be topics of interest that you explore often and what light can you shed on them?
Tess: I'd say social interaction and relationships are key themes in my songs. Not necessarily love relationships, though. I guess it's that thing that a lot of songwriters refer to as "therapy," as in working out one's personal stuff in a song, at the risk of sounding Alanis Morissette-ish. Spirituality also plays a role. Not so much the typical, blatant "worship" song but more how I view life as a Christian. T-Bone Burnett said something like, "Some people write songs about the Light, other people write songs about the things they see through that Light. I belong to the latter." That's a good way of putting it.
Joe : Here's a freebie: rant/expound on a topic of your choosing.
Tess: Britney Spears should take a year or two off. She's on her way to becoming the female Michael Jackson. I feel so sorry for people who have extreme success and don't know how to deal with it. It's strange that these people can't see that they are able and allowed to take some time off. They seem so scared to never be able to get attention again. But at some point, they're just beating a dead horse.
That's the good thing about not having any success—I can take all the time off I want, and nobody will pressure me!
Joe : Sci-fi question: you have a time machine and can go back ten years. What do you tell Tess of 1994?
Tess: Oh, thank goodness no such thing exists! I'd probably tell me, "Tess, don't bother. Ten years of blood, sweat, tears, and more tears, only get you about 20 more fans, and you're still broke." But the journey is the goal, right? Maybe in a few months everything will change. I've been telling myself that for years now, but "in a few months" never expires, as long as one doesn't put any specific dates to it.
Or, if it turned out that time travel put me in a good mood, I might tell myself to move to New York City in 1995 like I had thought about at the time. Or to actually take the plunge and go to Berklee School of Music in 1994. I ended up not doing that because I joined Sixpence. But honestly, I can't complain or regret anything. I met my husband while playing with Sixpence in Holland. I may still be broke and unknown, but I have a great life—and a wonderful husband.
Joe : So, what's next for you? I see that there's a tour in the works. Are there any plans for the next project yet?
Tess: Yes, I've been touring quite a bit and am planning to continue. Right now I've only plans for Germany and Norway, hopefully Great Britain in the fall. I really want to go back home and tour the US, but I'm going to wait until we get distribution for "Not Quite Me." There are a few options we're pursuing, so I hope it won't be too far in the future.
I'm starting to record songs for the new record. It's cool to have a little set-up here at home so I can do it piece-by-piece. Christian and I want to record some songs together, too. He's got a nice voice, but above all he's really good with words. I'm so slow when it comes to writing lyrics.
Joe : Any parting words of wisdom?
Tess: This is where, ten years ago, I would have said something silly like "Beware of the fat man who sweats a lot" (from "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"), but at the moment nothing sensible pops into mind. I guess I'll go with what all the big-time chick singers say, "Be true to yourself."
*****
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