Miss Tess & KC Jones

When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry—unless you’re talking about Miss Tess. Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she has employed all of her influences and talents on a tour-de-force, while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas, like the definition of a love song, to task. After over a decade on the road, now making her home in Nashville — by way of Baltimore, Boston, and Brooklyn — Miss Tess has found a creative community that encourages and embraces wide artistic exploration and expression as much as she does.

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YouTube - “Gamblin Man”

YouTube - “The Moon is an Ashtray"

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“Miss Tess swings and swaggers, rooted in a retro groove that’s equal parts blues, mid-century rock & roll and Booker T-worthy R&B.” – Rolling Stone

“Old-time warmth, 21st-century sass. It’s a potent recipe for that few artists successfully pull off — and Miss Tess is one of them.” – No Depression

“A distinct old-timey flair.” – Billboard

Music has been a central part of K.C. Jones’ life since birth (her father, highly respected roots musician and songwriter Carl Jones, fondly remembers spotting tiny K.C. asleep in the soft lining of a guitar case while he performed onstage), and she’s a busy lady too!  In addition to being an active member of Louisiana-based Cajun outfits T’Monde and the Grammy-nominated , she’s just completed her debut solo album, Queen Of The In Between – and it’s quite something!

“The album is a triumph. Don’t let KC’s background lure you into expecting a set of Cajun tunes (nice though that prospect undoubtedly is…) but there’s a whole lot of everything else to enjoy! Classic country, singer-songwriter folk, West Coast psychedelia, Motown-flavoured soul and 60s pop all get their turn in the spotlight, often in the same song, and the overall impression is of a collection of songs that are highly unique.” —John Barlass, At The Barrier, live music reviews

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