Tesheva, one of Starkville’s local funk and blues bands, have just released their first EP and will play at Dave’s Darkhorse Tavent this Saturday.
    Tesheva is a local Starkville band that consists of former and current Mississippi State University students Mike McCoy, Vaughan Brenner, Matt Dunaway and Caleb Hutson who play their funky rock and blues infused music whenever they get the opportunity.
   “We’ve played shows for a case of beer sometimes. We’ve done that in the past two months,” Hutson said as the rest of the band members quickly agreed with a chuckle.
  Each member agrees that although the music industry is heavily saturated, they continue to play their music just for the sake of performing with one another and for others, regardless of the outcome.
  The Tesheva EP was recently produced after thoughtful writing and a quick yet intensive recording process. Each member contemplated and conveyed their personal perspective toward the EP leading up to the recording, whether it was over cigarettes, beer, or South Park episodes.         
  They arranged to meet with Keatzi Gunmoney, owner of Wormwood Manor in Starkville, to initially record their contributing track for the collaborative Del Rendon tribute album he is working on in remembrance of a late, influential Starkville musician. However, Hutson and Gunmoney arranged a track listing prior to their recording date in order to also record their EP on the day of, even though they had a show later that evening. Tesheva managed to contribute to the tribute album, track eight songs toward their EP and still perform at their pajama-themed show that night at Dave’s in less than 24 hours.
     The band hopes with their new content being released, they can move forward by attracting an agent and spreading their music even further. Tesheva had help from Gunmoney during the recording process, but has received help from various people throughout their funky Tesheva trip. Their newly designed website was crafted by Chase Shaw, member of Deacon Blues, while the numerous posters they’ve utilized for their shows within the past year were created by Becca Rumbarger, recent MSU archaeology major.
It’s safe to say every band experiences their own hurdles while seeking success. Tesheva has experienced the pressure of remaining distinguishable and retaining creative control while staying afloat within the business.
“The hardest part is trying to conceptualize our art not just as the art, but as a business too,” McCoy said as he took a swig of Champagne while other guests danced to their EP in the other room.
The pressure may feel overwhelming at times, but Caleb Hutson mentioned how they utilize the tension that is created within both the band and their friendship when they experience both the artistic and business pressures to fuel their Tesheva flame.
 “But, from that tension, comes moments when we all come together,” Hutson said as he glanced at each of the band members.
The band anticipates keeping the flame alive for Tesheva and spreading the ‘Teshevafeva’ through their EP release and upcoming shows. They play twice on April 16 at the Cotton District Arts Festival and at Dave’s Tavern with Deacon Blues for Keatzi Gunmoney’s tribute album to Del Rendon. In celebration of Earth Day, they will also be playing at Rick’s Café on April 22. For additional information on their upcoming events, other social media accounts and contact information, visit Teshevaband.com.