TESS & THE DETAILS – AN INTERVIEW WITH TESS STEVENS

Tess & The Details are the Bay area’s newest sensation. Led by bombastic front woman Tess Stevens, this punk rock quartet has taken the world by storm with the release of their debut album, Runaway via Double Helix Records. Their sound is an organic mixture of old school punk with modern day sensibilities. Besides Stevens, the band is comprised of Gideon Berger (Drums), Lawrence Hood (Bass) and Dustin Galecki (Guitar). Runaway was produced by Jacob Light at ModernTone Studios in Lafayette, CA.

Runaway is full of brazen tracks that are fun yet intensely dynamic. Songs like “Canary” demonstrates the band’s strong songwriting and heartfelt lyrics. Other tunes are totally captivating. “Take A Number” is a fireball distributing molten ferverocity. Galecki’s guitars wail, Berger’s drums slam with authority, Hood’s bass is gnarly while Stevens’ vocals hit you like a storm. “A Perfect World” is both light in feel and adventurous with a galvanic cadence. Each song can stand on its own merit but as a whole combine to make a bold statement. Tess & The Details are a bright light in the punk universe.

Tess Stevens was kind enough to sit with AMP for this enjoyable yet informative interview.

AMP: Can you give us a brief history of the band?

TESS: This is an interesting story. I started out as a solo artist. I was working with a producer named Jacob Light. He introduced me to our drummer Gideon Berger. What went from me bringing some solo stuff into the studio turned into Gideon and I writing a bunch of songs together which was the start of Runaway. When we went back to the studio, we began to realize we were in an actual band. We figured this could work and be fun. Also, it had potential. Now we are a full four piece unit with Dustin Galecki on guitar and Lawrence Hood on bass. Now we are playing all over the place.

AMP: How would you describe your sound to a novice listener?

I would say our sound is classic. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We just want to roll it super well. We know what we like. Melodic punk rock in addition to taking some elements from other genres such as skate punk and stadium rock. Basically, describing it in layman’s terms, it’s like a female fronted Alkaline Trio meeting Foo Fighters meeting Lady Gaga. It’s an alluring amalgamation of all the things we enjoy.

AMP: What’s the band’s creative process like?

TESS: Gideon and I have figured out a fascinating process. When we write songs, we write super fast. He’ll send me a melody hummed over a chord progression. It could be a verse, chorus or whatever. 20 or 30 minutes later I’ll send him back a song which he may start to restructure. We go back and forth until we turned that idea into a complete composition. We’ve become quite efficient in our creative procedures. At the end of the session, we have songs. Whether they work or not, it’s really cool to work with someone who is completely in tune with you.

Once we have a song we are pleased with or a structure we feel works, we bring it into the room where the rest of the band will add their parts. They might think of something interesting to put into the bridge or a crushing guitar solo or some solid harmonies. It’s truly collaborative but it all starts with the songwriting battery of me and Gideon.

AMP: How stoked are you about your debut album?

TESS: Very! It’s the first thing we’ve done as a band and the response has been awesome. We’re not one of those bands that wakes up and says “we are going to take over the world.” We know we have to work hard to reach our goals. Every opportunity we have unlocked along the way is due to a dogged persistence effort to get our music out there. We love what we made and when people hear it, they parrot that back to us.

A lot of our fans are old school punks from the 80s and 90s who watched Green Day make it. On the flipside, we see 12-15 year old girls who want to pick up a guitar in the audience. We are getting positive vibes from both groups and everyone in between. Our fans have told us that we are putting out music that is good, classic and not boring. The response to Runaway has been astounding and we are happy to be able to play the songs live. I really feel we have done our job.

AMP: Is there a song on Runaway you feel will turn heads and why?

TESS: I feel there’s a lot of them but the one getting the most attention is our first single “Canary”. It’s like the baby between my style of writing and Gideon’s. It’s got literary and dark lyrics which is kind of my signature. It also has this Bad Religion like bouncy melody with tight drum fills. In addition, the guitars are really sharp. It totally encapsulates what we do. It’s melodic yet powerful.

I would say “Canary” but there is another song we love called “St. Of Purgatory”. It’s way out in left field for me but it’s comfortable for Gideon. The song tells a story. Sort of The Misfits by the way of Bruce Springsteen. We like to tell stories and give people something to chew on while they are listening. I think every track on the album has something like that for somebody. That’s how we connect with our fans.

AMP: In the same vein, what is the best song to play live off the album?

TESS: All of them but my favorite is “Take A Number”. We pair it with “Emergency”. The tempo shift between the two songs is intriguing. “Take A Number” is a hard core song and the lyrics are really really pointed and angry but the melody is really delicate and light. So, it’s cool to have the power of the band behind you when you are singing like that. It’s also ultra fast. It challenges me as a guitar player. People really get off on that song. It’s definitely time for moshing.

AMP: Who are some of the band’s inspirations?

TESS: We all kind of come from a different spot. I really love pop music and punk rock. So, many bands that cross between those two genres have inspired me. I mentioned Alkaline Trio and Bad Religion. Being from the Bay area we can’t escape Green Day. I also like R&B like The Weekend and Michael Jackson. People who can really use their voices as an instrument.

As a band, we all sit in the middle of the road. A good old school band that we all can identify with is the Buzzcocks. They had amazing melodies with something to say. We try to listen to bands that write well crafted songs and can pull them off live. Midtown is another band we like. They’re from New jersey and they have something intangible. They looked cool, sounded great and jelled on stage. That’s the magic we are looking for. Our objective is when people see us, they leave with a different perspective.

AMP: What do you want your fans to take away from your music?

TESS: Whatever feeling that is true to them. The worst thing a songwriter can do is leave the listener feeling nothing. First of all, I want them to enjoy the music and listen to the songs over and over. Hopefully, they can see themselves in our lyrics. There are a lot of songs concerning mental health issues and dealing with one’s demons. I want our fans to realize they are not alone. We are all in this together. But the main thing is to have a good time. We try to have our listeners forget their worries. Even for a short time.

AMP: Do you feel females are respected in the current punk scene?

TESS: I think there has been a lot of progress being made but I’m kind of an anomaly in that group. I don’t lead with my gender identity most of the time. In reality, I come from the school of Joan Jett. I want to be the best in the room, no matter if it’s a man, woman or nonbinary. Not the best girl but plainly the best. I always enjoy seeing more woman on stages. There needs to more girls in punk rock but they have to be doing it purely as a musician.

When little girls come up to me asking advice on how to start a band, I say practice. Work on your craft. Become a great songwriter and musician so no one can harbor an excuse for your success. You need to kick the shit out of everybody. As a whole, punk rock is still predominately male dominated. There is rarely a show where I’m the only woman on stage but I always lead with “my music is good, I’m well prepared and I’m doing my job.” Being a woman doesn’t matter. That’s a poignant question. I think about it often.

AMP: Is there an artist, past or present, that you would love to support?

TESS: I would have loved to do anything with Elvis. Just being in the same room with him would have been a thrill. As to current bands, we really enjoy The Interrupters. They’re a great band and we have a similar vibe. I think our two bands would be killer together. Aimee Interrupter is a female front person that is just the best. Of course, another band would have to be Green Day. We share a good grouping of fans. It would be great since we have this Bay area connection. Getting back to Elvis, it would be exciting playing with him during his early years sharing a bill at one of those country fairs.

AMP: Where do you see the band in the next few years?

TESS: I just hope we are playing to people who enjoy what we are doing. I don’t have any lofty goals or crazy ambitions. We are going to work hard, hustle and whatever happens happens. My mission is to play a room with people singing the lyrics back to us. If that happens in the next few year, be it a small club or a huge stadium, I’ll be a happy clam.

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