Tecla in just a few months has grown as a performer. From somewhat awkward vocalist with keyboard and Mac book to a woman in control of her craft and audience, able to make us dance and laugh and sing and forget the heat of a tiny cramped basement

Friday night felt like I was crashing a bit of a family reunion, as everyone seemingly knew everyone else. Around me people were becoming reacquainted as joyful cries of recognition rang out as Studio A at Ella as it crowded past the point of comfortable capacity. People were standing on couches, tables and toes as everyone pressed forward to try to get closer to the small stage and closer to Tecla.

Though in a room full of strangers, it wasn’t at all uncomfortable. Everyone was there to give love to Tecla, whose album Strangers in Masks with its blend of cultural commentary, electro tinges of nostalgia and soul-baring introspection give the scene a unique package. It’s a great release signaling Tecla as a young musician to watch.

At seventeen tracks and nearly an hour in length, Strangers in Masks blends the familiar with the unique; recalling music you’ve heard before but forgoing the vapidity inherent in much of pop music. Less “Stop in the Name of Love” and more “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” but don’t mistake this for a lecture as there’s enough swing and whomp in this album to shake the most jaded ass free of its Puritain mooring.

The Ella venue is yet another L.E.S. hole in the wall bar, but with a small venue downstairs about the size of an apartment, but with comfortable couches and decent sound. When we showed up, there was trouble with a speaker not kicking out any lows which necessitated a swap, simple enough to do as they’re just basic PA JBLs with an added sub cabinet to add oomph; perfectly fine for the size of the room. After the initial adjustments, the sound was clean and clear, but with the fix, there still weren’t enough drums in mix.

The last time I saw Tecla, there was a bit of a concern that she was taking a bit too much on for herself, trying to manipulate the sequenced tracks, sing lead AND backup vocals and play major synth lines. It was technically problematic, but her charisma carried the performance through.

For this Tecla had called in on Sonia Manalili to play bass which gave addition weight and humanization to the performance. Sonia appeared to be playing from notes, so we didn’t get her full integration into the music and sound. The bass was clean and nothing really stood out as blatantly problematic. I feel that continued performances with Tecla will only further mold them into a more cohesive unit.

With Tecla taking main vocals and back-up vocoded vocals and playing major synth parts, it was still Tecla’s show, but I think that if she offloaded a few more pieces of her music it would allow her to focus on the parts where she really excels live. She is a great lead vocalist and showman, something she doesn’t often get to display with Gordon Voidwell.

Tecla’s warmth and amiability shines through, with a genuine enthusiasm and love in her live shows. Her synthwork is wonderful as she is able to draw out minor elements in the tracks and bring them to the forefront, differing the melody on whim able to change the tone of a piece by altering chords and illicit new responses to familiar material.

Where Tecla could use help would be in the rhythm section, specifically with live drums. When I last saw her, she conscripted Guillermo E Brown, free jazz drummer and excellent musician in his own right, to perform on stage with her bringing a percussive complexity that was not quite there in the original songs. If Tecla brought a drummer to all of her performances, I think this would reinforce the already strong dance current of her music while freeing her to perform.

And perform she does. Tecla is never sedentary. Dancing jumping and singing, letting her lyrics collapse into cries of joy. Constantly in contact with her audience, talking to them, adoring them, basking in the returned adoration,

The setlist touched on all the major parts of Strangers in Masks. Opening with “Vintage Circus” and then going on to “Skinny, Skinny” “Good Hair” “When I was a Sinner” “Your Boyfriend, Your Girlfriend” before she closed with “Life of Luxury’” and the cheers vanished as the DJ dropped Drake’s “Over” and the entire venue joined in a rousing rendition which seemed to capture the night’s tone perfectly.

Tecla is an artist to watch. Make no mistake. She doesn’t easily fit in with the perception how young female artists of color are “supposed” to be or what kind of music they are supposed to make. She is smart, she is creative and she is getting better each time I see her.

You can get Strangers In Masks from ITunes and Amazon. If you want to hear the full album first check out her Bandcamp page. Her next scheduled performance is at the end of June. Cross your fingers and try to hold out.

Category : Show Review