Tesheva, a local jam band polishing their unique sound originating from bluesy-rock grassroots and growing towards a bright, remarkably experimental funk-fusion sound, has recently spent countless hours in the studio recording their first full-length album.
The band is composed of front-man Caleb Hudson, guitarist Mike McCoy, bassist Matt Dunaway, and drummer Vaughan Brenner.
Hudson said fans will recognize many of the tracks on the new album, a few of which are carried over from their previous EP, but a good chunk of the record will feature new material the band is working on as they continue to develop as both individual musicians and as a group.
While good music is definitely a major component of a successful album, and something Tesheva has no problem manifesting, the other half of the music production equation is cold-hard cash. As a group of 20-somethings, the thousands of dollars of production costs are not as easy to conjure as complex drum fills and slick guitar solos.
So, since this is 2017, McCoy started a Gofundme.com profile that can be found on the band’s Facebook page with the target amount set at five grand, a humble sum in today’s age of mass-internet crowd funding. In case goodwill towards supporting local musicians is not enough to get them to their goal, the group has sweetened the deal by offering free merchandise to donors.
According to the Gofundme page, $10 gets donors their new CD and stickers. $25 lands them the new record pressed into vinyl. Start dropping in a few thousand at a time? The band will basically sell you their souls.
Hudson said they currently have over half the money they need to cover production costs and with that amount they have enough to move forward with the recording process with ‘no holds.’
To record the album, Tesheva is working with the Starkville-based producer Keatzi Gunmoney, who has worked extensively with the band in the past.
As far as what can be expected on their first full-length album, Hudson said they usually play a set of ‘weird, experimental, prog-esque’ songs and then a set of funky grooves. He said the two sides of the vinyl will mirror that duality.
“We’re going for this sound called ‘Southern-delic’,” Dunaway said.
“Shred-tastic Southern-delic, you mean,” Brenner said in correction.
If that is not enough to go on, give a listen to their EP on Spotify, check their Facebook for show times, or keep an eye on billboards around town for a chance to experience the sound that is as down-home and diverse as Starkville itself.
