Miss Tess Questions Status Quo in ‘The Moon Is An Ashtray’

From a historical perspective, one could say that rebellious music that doesn’t necessarily fit a certain genre or time period leaves a lasting effect on people. Think of David Bowie, who did outlandish things that could’ve costed him his career, or Johnny Cash, who sang about going to prison for murder. Both went against what the mainstream audiences wanted and lived on to be legends. For Miss Tess, she wants to become a legend in her own right but wants to use some of Bowie’s and Cash’s rebellious tools to do so. Her newest LP ‘The Moon Is An Ashtray’ features some of these traits.

This twelve-song collection began in a unique way that only she can explain: “The Moon is an Ashtray. I fell in love with this metaphor” says Miss Tess. “The album cover draws inspiration from an old picture I came across from what must have been a 1930s movie, where the women sitting on the moon looked well, kind of pissed off. I loved that attitude captured as a juxtaposition against the classic romanticized ‘woman on moon’ image, and wanted to recreate that sentiment for the title track. Things are not always what they seem, especially when you’re used to filtering them through an illusion of childlike romanticism. Objects such as the moon, and ideas of love often fall into this category, but are too often followed by disappointment. when you realize that this type of idealistic, cruel optimism is just an illusion. From far away the moon is a mystical glowing entity, yet in reality is cratered and dusty, sort of like … an ashtray.”

Just by listening to a couple of verses, the listener will instantly be able to tell that Miss Tess has a myriad of influences that she pulled from when creating this album. Songs like “Gamblin’ Man,” a song reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and “I Wanna Be A Cowboy,” an ode to her current home of Nashville, Tennessee and an experiment where she dabbled in a generational Country and Western tradition. “This song is a play and nod to 40s western swinger Patsy Montana’s “I Wanna be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”, as well as my first foray into yodeling!” says Miss Tess.

Celebrations often follow up a big release like ‘The Moon Is An Ashtray’ and that’s exactly what Miss Tess is doing as she goes out on the road to share her finished work with her fans, as she takes the stage in various states east of the Mississippi River. To see a complete list of dates, visit her on MissTessmusic.com or follow her on social media @MissTessMusic.

‘The Moon Is An Ashtray’ will be available on streaming sites everywhere beginning February 7th!