Tess Dunn at Vans Warped Tour Show, 2011. Photo Credit: White Menace, Live 105 FM

Genre(s)
Pop, Indie, Acoustic, ElectroPop
Instrument(s) Played
Vocals, Piano, Keys, Keytar, Ukelele
Website

http://www.tessdunn.com

http://www.youtube.com/tessdunn
Tess Dunn on Twitter

Tess Dunn on Facebook

Contact Info
[email protected]

Tess Dunn (Photo by Anastasiya Sanchez) 

 

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Description

Tess Dunn’s voice has been described as “gorgeously raspy,” and “passionate and real.” This twenty-one-year-old alt-pop singer-songwriter from Santa Cruz, California writes songs that “…delve into deeper and darker spaces than the pop stars of her time.” Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), an incurable life-threatening disease which causes progressive lung damage, as well as epilepsy and diabetes, Tess faces issues of mortality that infuse her music and lyrics with richness and depth. Dubbed in the media as “the young and the fearless,” Tess says living with CF is “…like having a clock ticking over your head, but it has a way of putting things in perspective.”

Tess headlines regularly throughout Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area, has performed from Seattle to San Diego, and performed at West Coast Vans Warped Tour shows in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. 2014, and 2015. She is a regular on local radio stations, has contributed songs to two anthology albums and participated in a national CF film and music production, “The Breathe Project.” Vans Off The Wall TV featured Tess in the "Pass The Bucket" series, which highlights inspirational artists, athletes and performers ( http://offthewall.tv/video/tess_dunn ). Tess was named one of the Top 11 SF Bay Area Artists of 2011 by NOW Music 99.7 FM. The music video to her original song, "Shame To See," won a S.F. Bay Area "Best Local Music Video" contest (http://www.youtube.com/tessdunn).

Tess is an Endorsed Artist with Lanikai Ukeleles, and an Endorsed Artist with On-Stage Stands.

Tess’ first CD, “Darling Just Walk,” was released in 2009. Her second album, Honesty Box, was released in early 2012. In a review, Eric Berg of KUSP wrote, "Honesty Box has a great caffeinated garage sound not too dissimilar to the punk bands of  30 years ago." Tess' third EP, "Daydreamers," was recorded at Jackpot! Studio in Portland, OR, and released at Warped in 2014.

In October 2016, Tess released her fourth EP, Polarity,  under the name T3TRA. This album represents a genre shift for Tess toward electropop with dark undercurrents. To visit the T3TRA website, go to: http://iamt3tra.com

In addition to being a skilled singer and songwriter, Tess Dunn is also the daughter of local historian and writer Geoffrey Dunn.

 

Live Shows

Upcoming Shows

Wednesday, December 28th, 2016, Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz, CA, Doors open at 6:30. A benefit for Cystic Fibrosis Research Inc.

Past Shows

Saturday, June 21, 2014, Vans Warped Tour, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

Saturday, June 28, 2014, Vans Warped Tour, Seattle, WA

Sunday, June 29, 2014, Vans Warped Tour, Portland, OR

Monday, July 1, 2014, Cozmic, Eugene, OR* Saturday, June 14, 2014, Streetlight Records, San Jose

* Friday, June 6, 2014, Streetlight Records Santa Cruz

* Sunday, December 8, 2013, Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz, CFRI/Donate Life Benefit.

* Sunday, September 29, 2013, Jacob's Heart benefit, "Kidrageous." Watsonville Plaza.

* Friday, July 26, 2013, Opening for Dresses, Backspace, Portland OR

* Thursday, July 25, Music Millennium, Portland, OR

* Saturday, July 20, Santa Cruz Music Festival, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

* Saturday, June 22, Vans Warped Tour, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

* Saturday, June 15, Streetlight Records, San Jose

* Wednesday, May 15, 2013, Catalyst Atrium

* Friday, April 15, Comcast Spring Break, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

* Thursday, March 21, Opening for James Durbin, Catalyst

* Saturday, March 10, A Benefit for Grind Out Hunger, Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz

* Saturday, March 2, Opening for Wooster, Crepe Place, Santa Cruz

* Saturday, January 12, Opening for Nina Storey, Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz

* Saturday, May 19, Cabrillo College "Bravo" Benefit to support Job Training Programs for Youth

* Saturday, June 23, 2012, Vans Warped Tour "Acoustic Basement" Performance, San Francisco, CA.

* February 24th, 2012 7:30 PM at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. New album "Honesty Box" Release Show! A Snazzy Production.

* December 18, 2011 Moe's Alley * November 19, 2011 at The Alternative Cafe

* October 8, 2011 — Acoustic Concert at The Backstage Lounge

 

Releases

  • Darling Just Walk (2009) Available at CD Baby and iTunes
  • Honesty Box (2012) Available at CD Baby and iTunes
  • Daydreamers (2014) Available at CD Baby and iTunes
  • Polarity (2016) Released under the name T3TRA; available on iTunes and CD Babay

 

Related Links

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