The music business has the ability to build you up one minute only to have you second guessing yourself and the whole reason you decided to be a musician the next. We live in an ever-changing world where the key to survival is adaptation. Truckee musician Emily Tessmer is a true testament to the power of the soul and the following of one’s spirit.
Tessmer has been singing songs since she was two. She got her first real break in the music business while playing with a band called America Myth out of Southern California. ‘We got the attention of Noel Golden, who produced Matchbox 20’s first album and Mike Klink, who produced Guns N Roses’ ‘Appetite For Destruction’ album,’ said Tessmer. ‘The two were friends and worked in similar areas of the music business. I was commissioned to write a song for Klink’s foundation, A Song of My Own.’
The mission of the foundation was to connect singer-songwriters with terminally ill children. For example, the artist would meet with the sick child at a children’s hospital and then write a song based on the subject the child wanted the song to be about. The song Tessmer wrote was called ‘Annie’s Song’ and Annie, who had leukemia, went into remission shortly after. ‘I consider that song and my experience with Annie as being the true healing power of music, and that is why I am here,’ said Tessmer.
Around the same time, a woman at MCA records funded the project for Tessmer’s first record. The band went to Europe and was also cultivating a big following in Southern California. Just as MCA was about to record her album, a lawsuit involving people at MCA occurred and the project was terminated. ‘It was then I realized the downsides of the music business,’ said Tessmer.
Tessmer moved back to San Diego and began playing around town on the piano. She met her husband and the couple moved up to Tahoe. ‘Tahoe has been a refuge and holy place for me over the years,’ Tessmer said. ‘The Village at Squaw hired me my first summer about four or five years ago to play a number of gigs. My Tahoe career grew from there. I got my confidence back … the Tahoe community really helped me find some of the passion that I lost in the music business.’ Since then, Tessmer has played all over the Tahoe Basin from ski resorts to restaurants, festivals to yoga studios.
Tessmer finds her influences in music from Peter Gabriel, Seal, Joni Mitchell, and Habib Koite. When it comes to original music she says, ‘The inspiration comes through source energy and channeled information. It’s a feeling that comes in and overtakes me. It could be something in my life that makes it happen. For instance, if I am feeling restricted I may write a song about freedom. It all comes from real life experience and then the connection to divine and then the song. Sometimes if there is a song coming in [to me] it demands the attention to be written. I view it as outside of myself, like a muse.’
Her latest CD release, ‘The Seven Sisters,’ is her third solo CD and at seven songs is considered an EP (extended play). An EP is a term given to an album of three to seven songs and is not considered a full length album, or LP. The format is sometimes used to give people an idea as to what the artist is up to. Her music is self-dubbed as ‘spiritual pop’ and is for all ages, from little kids to older folks. Tessmer’s music tends to focus on the journey of life and the journey of self. There are three originals, a cover of the Alphaville tune ‘Forever Young,’ as well as two Sanskrit pieces. ‘The main difference between this album and my previous releases is the fusion of my original songs and influences with the ancient art form of Sanskrit chanting,’ said Tessmer. ‘I saw Kirtan singer Dave Stringer and realized that I loved the chanting. I attended a harmonium workshop and began gathering mantras that I felt resonated with me.’
When asked about the excitement of releasing a new album, Tessmer said, ‘Having a new CD is exciting, it feels very natural. Music is my greatest form of connection. I am not scared or nervous; it is part of me and who I am. It’s my gift for others. It’s not about the dollar and never has been. If someone can’t afford music they should still be able to receive it.’
Tessmer has a vision of where she would like her music to go in the future.
‘I would like to see it expand and touch more lives. I am open to whatever avenue it may be — the chanting or my original pieces,’ she said.
Tessmer has recently been in communication with Paradise Music, a New Age label based in the UK that just took ‘Best New Age label’ at the annual conference. ‘They want to help me distribute a sacred chanting project. I am in the middle of dealing with that now.’ Learn more about Tessmer, her music, and her views at emilytessmer.com.
