INTERVIEW: Shannon Tehya Navigates the Space in Between
Album release show at Caffè Lena on 07/30
Photo by Stephanie Bartik
“We wanted to put those six pieces of the puzzle into one EP that you could just listen to straight through and sort of hear this story of hope and joy and believing in yourself and not stressing out about not finding success within a certain time frame.”
Shannon Tehya is on a quest for joy. Yes, it may be buried amongst an onslaught of bad news and increasingly challenging times, but it exists somewhere — the space in between, if you will. On July 30, the album that inspired that sorry excuse for a half-pun, half-metaphor — The Space In Between — is slated for release, and she is eager to share the inspiration behind it.
“The theme is so consistently joyful,” she tells me enthusiastically. “We wanted to put those six pieces of the puzzle into one EP that you could just listen to straight through and hear this story of hope and joy and believing in yourself and not stressing out about not finding success within a certain time frame.”
For Tehya, this collection of songs almost seems like a foregone conclusion. Growing up on the side of a hill in rural Cambridge, NY, she was inspired to pick up an instrument by her father, who played guitar in bands around the northeast. With such an upbringing, not only did she pinpoint exactly what she wanted to achieve, but she’s stuck with it ever since.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I would come home from school thinking, ‘I want to be a musician,’ she recalls. “I think adults do try to beat that dream out of you as you get older, and there's this sense that you need a backup plan because music is probably not going to work out — which isn't entirely untrue, but I was very stubborn about it. I ended up leaving the public school that I was enrolled in to go to a liberal arts school and really hone in on learning about music and creativity.”
That school was Buxton School, a self-described progressive boarding school in Williamstown, MA. Her experiences there would ultimately inform the musical journey she’s currently on, as well as lead her unexpectedly to the Capital Region. After a tragedy struck the school her senior year, she ended up couch-surfing around Albany to process the trauma.
“I quit music for an entire year. It wasn't so much that I put it down in favor of something else; I just put everything down. I was like, ‘I'm going to become a menace to society for an entire year.’”
The way she describes this period of her life is not unlike the way she describes her music. According to her Instagram, her group’s mission statement is “spreading whimsical chaos and healing our inner child.” I like to think of that as just another way of unearthing hidden joys in uncertain times.
Speaking of her Instagram, her dedication to maintaining a consistent stream of content is impressive, to say the least. If you’re unacquainted — which would be surprising if you’re at all affiliated with our local music scene — Tehya is constantly posting reels that range from soulbearing, to adorable, to whimsical (if I may borrow one of her favorite words). It all comes across so naturally and effortlessly, so you might be surprised to hear that’s not exactly true.
“It's not something that I wake up every day and say, ‘Oh, I can't wait to do the public humiliation ritual of posting myself talking online.’ I really have to give myself a little pep talk,” she admits. “I say to myself, ‘What are you willing to do to get the things that you want? Are you willing to do this?’ And when it comes to posting online, the answer is yes. I'm willing to build a routine, and I'm willing to stick to that routine. And then eventually, I will get more of the things that I want. I just try to stay in that logic so that I can stay motivated, because if I don't, I will not. I hate it. It's hard for me.”
It’s a subject that’s top of mind for a lot of musicians these days: grappling with the sad truth that we have to invest a bulk of our time and energy into making content in hopes that more people will see said content and then convert them into listeners of the content (music) we are pouring our heart and soul into already. If that sentence exhausted you, that’s kind of the point. But for Tehya — and so many others — it’s as if there’s no other viable option.
“My two things that I generate income from are music and stripping. So if I don't focus on my music and if I don't exhaust every opportunity to monetize it and build my platform, build the community, and reach more and more people… I don't have a retirement plan. I don't have a 401(k). I have exactly as long as it takes my skin to start getting wrinkly, and then I stop making money.”
Not only is she building a community, she’s also creating one seemingly from scratch via a side project called Indie Whims. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s as if a DIY concert promotion company joined forces with a book club in the hopes of creating a safe, comfortable space for patrons of all walks of life to enjoy a performance on their own terms. Tehya, along with a team of female and queer artists, have been hosting monthly events at September’s Too in Albany to great fanfare.
Photo by Debi Gustafson
“We're really trying to gather a diverse group of local indie artists every month,” she tells me. “We really want to make it a safe space. Before and after we set up for IndieWims, the venue is completely different. It goes from a normal sports bar, and there's a lot of middle-aged men who are just there to have a 5:00 beer before going home. And then the pride flag goes up, the whimsical flowers and pink curtains hit the walls, and the hand-painted IndieWims sign gets hung up on the stage. We just wanted to create a place where people can be the most comfortable version of themselves.”
This is a theme that shows up frequently in Tehya’s music, the best example of which is in the pre-release single, “Human”. “We get to be human/ We get to be flawed / We get to be stripped down / We get to be raw / We get to be human / We get to be wrong / We get to love ourselves / We get to be strong” goes the chorus, a lovely summation of all Tehya stands for.
This, along with the rest of The Space In Between, can be heard live at a celebratory performance at Caffè Lena in Saratoga on release day. It’s the culmination of a process that saw Tehya self-produce a release for the first time, with the mix and most of the engineering being done at home. For Tehya and her band, the importance of debuting it on stage at this particular venue is not lost on her.
“I've been manifesting and trying to wiggle my way in [to Caffè Lena] any way I can for a very long time. Kneeling at their doorstep for seven months, baking cupcakes, writing love letters,” Tehya laughs. “They just have such history. And I’m not exactly the genre of musician that they typically book. So we'll be tailoring our release set just a little bit to honor the tradition and the folk history of that venue, which will be exciting.”
In the meantime, the grind continues. Tehya has been making waves in the region, with an impressive slate of performances that just keeps growing both in number and in variety. Whether it’s a solo performance, one with her band (affectionately known as ‘The Troupe’) or somewhere in between, she steps on stage with her entire heart, forcing joy on the room before her.
Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, she also apparently makes mermaid tails. Yes, you read that correctly. Fully-functional mermaid tails. Tehya tells me you can swim quite fast in them, which she has proven many times up in Lake George. It’s a “weird little obsession” that further supports her aforementioned mission statement.
“I’ve always been really into whimsy,” she reiterates. “I never really grew up, I think. I like childlike fantasy things that can give you a bit of a break from reality because reality is sometimes very stressful.”
If you too are looking for a break from reality, get yourself over to Caffè Lena on the 30th for the musical equivalent of a mermaid sighting. It’s bound to be a good one.
Keep an eye on Shannon Tehya’s Bandcamp for the new album, and get your tickets to the release show here.
