When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry—unless you’re talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more on her new release, "The Moon Is an Ashtray." Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she has employed all of her influences and talents while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas, like the definition of a love song, to task. After over a decade on the road, now making her home in Nashville, Miss Tess has found a creative community that encourages and embraces wide artistic exploration and expression as much as she does. She has "a sound that’s both contemporary and timeless. More than merely emulating her obvious influences, she effectively situates herself on a pedestal right beside them, resulting in a set of songs that swings, sways, rocks and evokes her own personal perspective," says No Depression.