Today we’d like to introduce you to Teddy Tietze
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began playing music classically at a very young age. Throughout time I gravitated towards writing music and centered myself a bit more with guitar and singing. Over time I had accumulated some songs I had written and through kinda just sitting down and figuring out how to record and mix my first album was born. I think I was really lucky to have such supportive friends and being active in the music community really helped me with getting my music out there. I love writing music and playing live shows and it’s really the easiest way for me to express myself. Being a trans person it can be hard sometimes to really express the things you’re dealing with, and I think music really helps me express my feelings and experiences in life without really having to explicitly say it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but I also wouldn’t say it’s been the most tumultuous thing in the world. There are a lot of learning curves in the technical side of music and the music business in general. I’m still constantly figuring new things out and I’ve been playing music for 20 years now. I tend to approach the struggles with excitement so it makes it feel less like a negative thing but more like a way to get better and open new doors.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write indie rock/shoegaze music under the artist name Shmoo. I approach my writing without any plan necessarily but definitely draw a lot of inspiration from classical genres as well as indie bands. I write all the parts myself (rhythm guitar, vocals, lead, bass, drums… etc.) and teach the music to my friends who play with me live. We have opened for some bands I’ve looked up to for a while and have listened to since high school. We went on a south/west coast tour this past June and I’m super proud of how that turned out. I booked it all myself with my friend Jules Weinheimer (another local New Orleans artist who goes by Juleser) who plays lead guitar/mellotron in my band and we put in a lot of work to make it happen. I don’t know if anything necessarily sets me apart from anyone else. I wouldn’t say I’m any more special than any other artist out there expressing themselves. The only thing that really sets me apart from other people is just that I’m not them.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I think I really got interested in the guitar a lot when I saw my big brother Karl playing it. I’ve always looked up to him a lot and still do. He plays jazz drums now in Virginia and I can honestly say he’s one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever met in my life.
My friends Jules Weinheimer “Juleser” (lead guitar/mellotron), Deven Raval “7” (bass), and Gary Giofreda Jr. “Jeep Jr.” (drums) deserve a huge shoutout as well. They make up the live band and do an amazing job of capturing the emotion in the music the way I intend it to be. Great guys. Also all of their solo projects are super good.
I got into recording music when my friend Stephen Wood let me borrow his little iRig interface to record some guitar in my dorm room. I didn’t really know what I was doing and he had more experience so he helped me out and if I hadn’t met him I’m sure my life would probably be a whole lot different.
Wyatt Pinto and Natalie Tavares started Kiln Recordings together, the label I am on, and have done some amazing work to help highlight some projects in New Orleans and Seattle. They do great work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shmoo0o0o/profilecard/?igsh=MXNvM2prOW12Z3FzaA==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l9-MRZEG4jIAMWUnrkiIDgAu81DF6m-ak&si=I0_-QFsoaa_9wj6P
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YatetJXzVMkkQ73NDTssa?si=jaLhRCNXSV2A-El4fG-C4A
