Jennifer Tefft
Gig Seeker Pro

Jennifer Tefft

| INDIE

| INDIE
Band Rock Alternative

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Metroland Arts Weekly"

Alternarocker, Jennifer Tefft, a Bostonian who regularly gigs in Troy, offers her sharpest recorded collection to date with Shift, a slickly produced effort that mixes her potent bar-band grooves with winning stylistic touches that hark back to ë80's college rock. The songs on the disc are unmistakably modern, especially given that several of them use the soft-hard-soft structure crystallized by countless grunge acts, but their retro flavorings appealingly echo semi-recent musical history. The opening track "Painless," sets the mood by pairing a grinding but focused guitar attack with Tefft's clear, attitudinal vocals; while the number has an aggressive base, Tefft and her bandmates keep their angst in check so that their statement isn't muddied. The reserved approach lets the musicians straddle the worlds of amped-up noise and delicate production flourishes, so the style is nuanced yet still powerful.

Although Tefft is sometimes a little too serious for her own good, she never lets her downbeat subject matter get in the way of a good rock groove. With its blend of sliding acoustic guitar figures, alternately airy and crunchy electric guitar parts and chirping sci-fi keyboard notes, "My Own" has the album's most effective compromise between loudness and meticulous details; during the song's charging chorus, Tefft sings over several layered harmony vocals, creating an intoxicating whirl of voices, guitars and effects. "Control Freak," The Only" and "Wrecking Ball" all burst with full-throttle energy, showing off the way that singer-guitarist Tefft, guitarist John Parrillo, bassist Jeff St. Pierre and drummer Phil Antoniades are able to recapture nightclub adrenaline in the studio. The singer displays the gentler side of her persona in the bluesy "Fly Away," the Pink Floyd-flavored "Apology" and the album's lush closer, "Beyond This," but even these tracks have the balls-out fervor that has earned Tefft her club circuit cred - Peter Hanson


"Boston Globe"

Jennifer Tefft is one of the great undiscovered secrets around Boston. She has a belter's voice, a theatrical flair, a knack for melody, and a hard-driving spirit that infuses her original material as well as such offbeat covers as Soft Cell' "Tainted Love." She knocked the crowd out with tracks such as "Control Freak" (which she joked was her autobiography) and "Wrecking Ball." The Medfield-based Tefft has a perfectly fitted band in John Parrillo, Jim Hollister and Dave Cardin. Highly recommended. - Steve Morse


Discography

CDs: Shift; B Sides to Nothing; Dig This Thing; First week out"Shift" was #3 Top Add on CMJ AAA stations and #17 Top Add on CMJ Top 200 on January 25th. Shift spent 8 weeks in CMJ top 200. Cuts from all 3 discs are regularly heard on national TV programs.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Named one of Boston's Best Unsigned Bands by Ken Capobianco of the TAB / Community Newspapers and called "One of Boston's Great Undiscovered Secrets" by Steve Morse of the Boston Globe, Jennifer Tefft is steadily making a name for herself in Boston and beyond. After releasing two independent CDs in as many years and maintaining a relentless tour schedule, Tefft returns with a stellar new CD "Shift" (gypsy spin music) that depicts an artist who has come of age as a songwriter, vocalist and guitarist. The Boston Globe calls SHIFT "One of the strongest, most commercial releases in recent history." It rocks, it's raw and it's brutally honest. In the early winter of 2000, Jennifer, after writing and touring with the same group of musicians for the past three years, decided to clean house, take a good look at herself and start fresh. With the help of producer/engineer Fran Flannery (Creed, Fuel, Joydrop, et al.) she succeeds in banishing any misconceptions...this chick rocks!

Released to College Radio in February, "SHIFT" spent 7 weeks on the CMJ to 200 chart peaking at #115! All eleven songs were licensed by MTV for use on their show "Undressed and songs from all three of Tefft's cds have been heard on National TV shows. The song "Control Freak" has been included on the Ladyfest Compilation released by 28 Days Records. To support this airplay and exposure, JTB spent most of the spring on the road, playing with such acts as Quiet Riot, Warrant, Ours, Grant Hart and yes, even the Monkees!

Tefft's debut CD "Dig This Thing" was released in October of ‘97 to enthusiastic response and critical acclaim, including a BOSTON MUSIC AWARD nomination, a showcase with AEROSMITH and a spot in the finals of both the Lilith Fair Showcase and the Discmakers Independent Music World Series.

The follow up to this debut was a collaborative effort between members of the band entitled "B-Sides To Nothing." The result is an eclectic collection of moody, groove-oriented-trip-rock tunes. The album was well received at college radio, spinning on over 200 stations nationwide, charting top 30 on many of them. "B-Sides" also racked up some great reviews in newspapers and magazines across the Northeast including The Noise in Boston..."This is an album that pleases, fulfills and perfects the alternative genre it finds itself in, yet goes on to completely transcend and take the whole idea to a new level." The song "Crooked" was released on the Good Citizen Radio Hour Volume 2 compilation and has been licensed by both MTV and ABC-TV.

Now, following a SOLD OUT CD RELEASE PARTY in Boston, Tefft continues to tour with her band; long-time guitarist and songwriting partner, John Parrillo, bassist Jeff St. Pierre and drummer Phil Antoniades to continue earning her fans city by city. At every performance, Tefft becomes part of the musical expression, constantly in trance-like motion. The intensity and the energy of the live show often takes people by surprise and when people leave a JTB show, they are already making plans to come back!