Loon

Homeward Bound

LOCAL SINGER-SONGWRITER BACK IN TOWN WITH NEW ALBUM IN TOW
by Craig Silliphant

TESSA KAUTZMAN
Friday 4
Amigos

When she was young, Tessa Kautzman’s brother gave her a paisley Fender Strat that had belonged to her grandfather, telling her that if she learned how to play it, she could keep it. She did just that — and not only does she still have the guitar, she’s also begun fashioning her own musical legacy, playing in such classic local bands as Linus Hemmingway and Blood Music. Now, after some time spent away, she’s back in town with a new album, aptly called Always Going Home.

“I've been very transient for the past few years,” explains Kautzman, “so I end up writing a lot about long distance love and loss, and feeling the need to stay transient and not be tied down by a job or belongings or responsibilities.”

That emotional push-pull is certainly reflected in the album, which is full of melancholy dirges and meditations on home. These are lonely songs, made interesting with driving hooks, that inspire mental images like blasting down a dirty highway at night, only being able to see as far as the headlights will illuminate, smoking cigarette after cigarette while trying to stay awake. In these songs, whether you’re trying to get home or trying to get away from it, the destination always seems just a bit further up the road — so close, yet unattainable.

Kautzman’s voice fits the music well — sometimes marked by a strange and beautiful falsetto, cracking with purposeful and haunting sadness in other places.

“I always find it difficult to describe my sound,” says Kautzman. “I love catchy melodies, lots of bass, vocal harmonies, sad chord progressions and small glitches or mistakes, so I've tried to incorporate most of those things into this record.”

The CD release party for Always Going Home will happen December 4th at Amigos — and if all goes according to plan, the show and the album should sound like different animals, says Kautzman.

“I like my live shows to have some improvisation,” she says, “so each one is interesting. I don't like the songs to be too rehearsed, so that they still have some character. There's a nice full sound, lots of sweet vocal harmonies, and melodies that will be stuck in your head.”

- Planet S Magazine, Saskatoon, SK

Out of Context: Two Shows in One Night

Last night, I went to two shows. The first was at Cabin 12, a place which has yet to make up its mind as to what kind of venue it wants to be. It is part fifties diner, part coffee shop and part pub. I was told that it shares a kitchen with Monty’s, the very classy strip club next door. I’m pretty sure Cabin 12 serves breakfast all day and all of the night: the Philip’s brand beer they have on tap is, fittingly, called Phillip’s Breakfast Brew, or something like that. I had many breakfast beers last night.

The performances were as diverse as the patrons. The evening started out with a set by the host of the open mic. We were impressed by the acoustics there, and by the man’s finger picking style. We hoped the other performances would live up to the mediocre standard he set; for the most part, they did not.

It is on occasions such as last night, that I wonder how I could ever quit smoking. I went through an entire pack while trying to avoid the barrage of bongos, acoustic guitars and the assorted Jack Johnsonesque adolescents who played them. While the music was awful, it provided a fitting backdrop to the scene in front of me as I looked through the window. One patron, in particular, stood out from the rest of the crowd.

I would estimate he was about 36 or 37 years old. His white, collared shirt contrasted his tanning bed complexion and his hair was golden and feathered. He was sitting in the corner of the odd shaped room next to his mother, who looked chronically disgusted by everything around her as she gargled the house red wine from her lipstick stained glass. Every so often, upon seeing this or that friend pass by the window, the man would leap from his bench and out the door to congratulate said friend on their appearance: “ You look fuckin’ great, man!” he would scream as he embraced them violently.

He also blessed a couple of drug addicted women walking by with his one-way conversation. “How are you ladies doing tonight?” he asked them. When they took offense to his mere presence, he pretended to jerk himself off and said, “Betcha’d like a piece of this, wouldn’t ya?” They assured him they wouldn’t and he got even angrier. He went back inside and told his mom all about it.

The highlight of this show was a trio of young women, who played mostly originals. I was too lost in the music, to notice how they were received, but I did notice that the host took quite a liking to them. He kept adjusting their microphone levels, to try to encourage them to keep playing. Their set, unfortunately, was much too short.

Despite the overwhelming sadness of most of the songs, the girls seemed to have a hell of a time playing them. They frequently smiled at one another; it was obvious that they are long time friends. The singer wore a trucker’s cap, shielding her eyes from the crowd. Throughout the set I wondered if she hid tears behind the brim too: her lyrics, quite simply, were heartbreaking. The trio featured a violinist, as well, who complimented the sadness of the singer’s chord progression with a wailing cry. The bass player’s smile was the room’s biggest; she nodded her head to every word and gave the songs a bottom floor with her little fingers on big strings. Their set was tragically short: one scraggly man at the bar whooped loudly as they left the stage.

I found out later that the singer’s name is Tessa Kautzman. Her album, just released, was recorded in Saskatoon this past winter. Please go to her myspace page (myspace.com/tessakautzman) to hear demos from the album: they are almost as good as the finished product, and even more raw. She can often be found at the Hootenany at Logan’s on Sunday afternoons. Y’all should check her out! - Nick Lyons