Eric Tessmer

Eric Tessmer
Eric Tessmer July 2019
Born	Eric James Tessmer (1981-08-19) August 19, 1981 (age 43) Richland Center, Wisconsin
Musical career
Genres	Blues soul R&B blues rock
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar vocals drums
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Grooveyard Records Mascot Label Group Bear Family Records Favored Nations
Website	erictessmer.com
Signature

Eric Tessmer (born August 19, 1981) is an American blues guitarist. The Austin Chronicle named Tessmer the best guitarist in the city for 2017–2018, based on their annual poll.

Early life

Tessmer was born on August 19, 1981.[1] His father, a guitar player, named him Eric James Tessmer in honor of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.[2] Tessmer grew up in Wisconsin, and moved to Austin at age 19 to pursue a career in guitar.[1][3] He was too young to get into nightclubs and unable to afford an apartment, so he sang in gospel choirs and lived in his rehearsal space.[4][5]

Career

In 2005, the Eric Tessmer Band released its first EP, Last Night at Joe’s..., but in 2008 the Eric Tessmer band broke up and, despite frequent touring and the release of the album Roots Rock Rhythm in 2010, Tessmer did not achieve wider recognition.[1][6] In 2015, Tessmer quit drinking and began releasing EPs, some of which contain songs with themes centered on sobriety.[1][4] In 2018, Tessmer was the top choice in the annual Austin Chronicle poll for the Austin Music Awards, and was named the best guitarist in Austin.[7] In 2019, Tessmer began working with Nancy Wilson from the band Heart.[8]

Musical style

Tessmer's songwriting has been described as being inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, to whom he was compared in his early years in Austin.[9][1] He still receives comparisons to Vaughan because he plays the guitar with a similar "power and finesse". The Fender (company) recently presented him with a surf green copy of the 1959 Fender Stratocaster that he uses as his main guitar.[10] He has also cited David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Gary Clark Jr. as inspirations. HuffPost contributor Ashley Jude Collie has described Tessmer's "soul-chedelic" style as "Tessmer’s own cocktail of R&B, soul and blues rock".[11]

Recognition

• 2017: Black Fret Major grant $18,000[12]
• 2018: Austin Chronicle Austin Music Awards, Best Guitarist[13]

Musical equipment

Eric Tessmer's rig 3 guitars and amplifiers

Guitars

• Vintage 1959 Fender Stratocaster[14]
• 1960's Danelectro Silvertone 1 pickup black and white
• Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster '59 RI Dale Wilson Masterbuilt
  • Surf Green with Matching Headstock[15]

Amplifiers

• Fender Vibro-King
• 61' Fender 1x15 cab
• Leslie[14]

Personal life

He lives in Austin, Texas.

Discography

• Blues Bullets (2002)[16]
• Last Night at Joe’s... Eric Tessmer Band (2005)
• Green Diamond (2010)[6]
• Eric Tessmer EP1 (2016)[17]
• Eric Tessmer EP2 (2019)[18]

See also

• Austin music

References

1. Rolli, Bryan. "A working-class guitar hero". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
2. Brungardt, Leah. "An Interview With The Austin-Based Blues/Rock Musician, ERIC TESSMER!". Music All Access. All Access Music Group, Inc. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
3. "An Interview With The Austin-Based Blues/Rock Musician, ERIC TESSMER!". All Access. All Access Music Group, Inc. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
4. Ben-Asher, Julia. "Eric Tessmer plays sold-out show at The Press". Steamboat Pilot & Today. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
5. Handley, Joel. "Show Us Your Space: Eric Tessmer's Rehearsal Space Apartment". Reverb. Reverb.com, LLC. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
6. Moser, Margaret (19 November 2010). "Eric Tessmer Roots Rock Rhythm". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
7. "2017-2018 › BEST AUSTIN MUSICIANS". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
8. Hart, Tracy Anne. "Eric Tessmer: Four Questions with Austin's Best-Kept Six-String Secret". Guitar World. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
9. Brochetti, Pierce. "Eric Tessmer at the Hotel Café in Hollywood, CA". Music Connection. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
10. Hart, Tracy Anne (2020). Seeing Stevie Ray (First ed.). College Station: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1623498139. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
11. Collie, Ashley Jude. "Exhilarating 'Soul-chedelic' Guitarist Eric Tessmer Tours California and Texas Before Release of EP 2". HuffPost. Verizon Media. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
12. Skanse, Richard. "At the Black Fret Ball, Everybody Wins". Lone Star Music Magazine. Lone Star Music. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
13. "36TH ANNUAL AUSTIN MUSIC AWARDS". Austin Music Awards. Society for the Preservation of Texas Music, Austin Music Awards, Louis Black Productions. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
14. Hart, Tracy Ann (July 2019). "Eric Tessmer". Guitar World.
15. Lemen, Greg. "Eric Tessmer On SXSW, Magnets & Being Born in the Wrong Decade". texaslifestylemag. Texas Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
16. Hernandez, Raoul (11 August 2006). "Eric Tessmer Band Record review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
17. "Eric Tessmer". discogs. Discogs®. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
18. Freeman, Doug (16 August 2019). "Eric Tessmer EP 2". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 18 August 2019.

External links

• Eric Tessmer performs 'Little Wing', live at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX on 11.3.17