Based in Boston with roots in Waukesha, WI (home of the legendary Les Paul!), Tess is a Music Network Guru at Sonicbids and the Tess behind Tesszechuan. In her free time, you’ll find her drawing cartoons of birds and dreaming of heaven (aka, a never ending concert featuring Queen, Prince, Bowie and Michael Jackson). Tweet at her @sonicbidstess!

The Sound Scene:
Is there one piece of advice you would give aspiring musicians to propel their success?

Tess Cychosz:
Craft a simple and unpretentious elevator pitch. If you had 30 seconds with someone in an elevator and they asked about your band, what would you say? Choose your words carefully, because it might be your only chance to grab someone’s attention. The pitch should describe the music and arrogance/triteness/vagueness don’t work well. Avoid saying things like: “You’ve never heard anything like this before!” or “My music defies all genre and comparisons!” A better route is to draw similarities to well-known bands that your sound has been inspired from. Just be sure don’t say that your music is a blend of the greatest bands of all time (ie, you do NOT possess the production genius of Brian Wilson, the talent of Jimi Hendrix and the vocal range of Freddie Mercury). If you want to talk quality, highlighting a single great quote from a blogger or a recent award is a good tactic to get the point across.”