Tess Parks is a musician and photographer born and raised in Toronto. The granddaughter and daughter of musicians and an art school dropout, she moved to London at seventeen years of age to pursue music and to study photography. She has played as a solo act for the past four years between the UK and Canada. After overstaying her visit in London, she reluctantly moved back to Toronto on the advice from one of her heroes. Once home, she put together her amazing psychedelic backing band of “sexy and talented musicians”, The Good People, in late 2012, compromising gifted guitarist Andrew McGill, bassist Thomas Huhtala and her record’s producer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Paxton-Beesley.
01 How did you first get started in music?
It was all my dad. I was listening to Zeppelin in the womb. I played violin and piano when I was younger and begged for a guitar after my first Oasis concert when I was eleven.
02 Who were your major influences and inspirations?
Oasis always. Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3, Velvet Underground, so many. I’m also very visual. I’m inspired by photographers and painters. A lot of authors too.
03 What shapes your song craft and sound?
Bad life experiences I suppose… The past, the future… Also listening to songs that inspire me make me want to get off my ass and make something.
04 What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
Love, life, death… the past, the future…
05 How has your music evolved since you first began playing?
I played solo for a long time and now I have a great band, which has filled out the sound and given me so much confidence and made me feel like people actually like my music enough to play it. Which is important to me. It was always a very solitary, lonely experience making and playing my music. So I guess now it’s more of a happier venture than it ever was before.
06 What has been your biggest challenge so far? Were you able to overcome this? If so, how?
I guess dealing with past heartbreak and past painful days, months, years… I don’t know if I’ve overcome it fully, I still have bad days, but I try to think positive and I can see that there is so much to look forward to.
07 Do you ever play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?
I used to cover “D’You Know What I Mean?” by Oasis, I love doing that one. Haven’t brought it to the band yet. That song just really speaks to me. I fucking love it.
08 How did you get connected with Alan McGee (ex Creation Records) and with the new record label project 359 Music?
I met him by chance in London on a film set and gave him my demos. I didn’t think I’d hear from him again, but we kept in touch and then earlier this year he started the label and asked me if I was in. I was shaking and crying! I was like, “Wow, is this really Alan McGee on the phone? Is this real life?”
09 Alan has a reputation as someone who makes things happen in a very vital way, did this draw you in to the bigger plan?
Alan McGee is the best man to ever grace the music industry. I’ve known that from a really young age.
10 Will there be a Tour or live dates to help promote your album and single releases?
Absolutely! I can’t wait!
11 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows?
A lot of psychedelic good times. Lots of body swaying.
12 Who would you most like to record with?
I want to make a record with Anton Newcombe someday. I want to sing with Noel and Liam Gallagher at least once before I die.
13 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
Oh man, I don’t even know that.
14 Can you tell us a half-decent joke please?
This goes straight into the ‘jokes my Dad is gonna love’ category. Good one.
Web Links:
facebook.com/tessparksmusic
twitter.com/tessnormaparks
soundcloud.com/tessparks
359music.co.uk/tessparks
Blood Hot: Tess Parks (359 Music, cat #359CD6) – Released 18th November 2013
Canadian Tess Parks unleashes her first solo effort ‘Blood Hot’ on the 18th November, and she moved to London for 4 years, in order to develop her music and photography career before moving back to her home town in Toronto. Tess Parks first came across Alan McGee on the set of SVENGALI, at the 12 Bar in London’s Denmark Street. It just so happened that she was employed at the 12 Bar and was friends with talent booker Andy Lowe who told her to come down, as Alan McGee was in attendance and might be interested in hearing her music. This chance meeting allowed her to hand Alan McGee a few demos, and as a result she landed a record deal. With refreshing honesty Tess Parks admitted in a recent interview that she did not have confidence in her music until Alan McGee told her that he liked what she was doing, to such an extent that he offered her a record deal, once he started his Record Label 359 Music.
Tess Parks was already familiar with Creation Records and Alan McGee as she is a big fan of bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Oasis. It was Oasis that first inspired her to take up music, however, her solo effort certainly owes nothing to the Gallaghers whose own brand of hedonistic rock n roll and optimistic songs about living forever in the ‘Sunsssshhhiinnnne’ contrast sharply with her more sombre and dare I say it ‘Shoegazing’ sound. The lyrics are quite dark and introspective, and in ‘Stick Around’ Tess Parks sings in a whispery drawl of her desire to ‘try to keep myself to myself before I get let down’. It is not surprising that Tess Parks is also a fan of the deceased and sadly missed Elliott Smith whose introverted influence can be felt in the presence of this album. The droning Psych feel to this album is owed to the ‘The Good People’ a band she put together in late 2012 in her native Toronto. These musicians plough their furrow well and the sound on this album will certainly remind some of the Brian Jonestown Massacre in their darkly late 90s pomp, however, the songs on ‘Blood Hot’ reveal a certain vulnerability and the feeling of isolation, but as Tess Parks has said herself these songs also contain ‘nice messages’, which she hopes will resonate with people. BUY HERE!
