While majoring in music and English at Holy Cross, Jennifer Tefft '93 bought her first guitar from Union Music in Worcester. After graduating, she started her career busking in Cambridge, Massachusetts, playing guitar and singing in Red Line subway stations and Harvard Square.
Today, Tefft is an award-winning musician who has shared the stage with artists such as Aerosmith and Sarah McLachlan. The Boston Globe has called her “one of the great undiscovered secrets around Boston.” In May, the Massachusetts-based musician released her sixth album, “Strange Beginnings,” with her new band, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange.
Here's what's in her bag:
1./2. Ultimate Ears custom molded earpieces & Sennheiser belt pack. This monitoring system lets me isolate what I’m hearing on stage. I describe my music as gritty, lush, alternative rock. I’m super proud of our new album and playing with this particular group of people: John Parrillo (guitar), Stephen ‘Sharky’ Beccia (bass) and Chris Georgenes (drums). We have a ton of fun on stage.
3. Guitar picks. These are all over my house! If I sneeze, they fall out of my pockets. My favorites are Dunlop brand, medium or firm rigidity.
4. Pedalboard. This wooden board has everything I need velcroed, screwed or duct-taped on … there’s a lot of duct tape!
5. TC Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX Effect Processor. I use this multipurpose pedal when I play solo acoustic, which I do fairly often at restaurants, bars and clubs.
6. Fulltone Full-Drive2 Mosfet. I call this my ‘fun pedal!’ As the rhythm guitar player in the band, I don’t get many solos. So it’s always fun when I get to step on the boost button and be loud.
7. BOSS Chromatic Tuner TU-2. This pedal cuts the signal, so I can tune my guitar on stage; it lights up to let me know if I’m flat or sharp.
8. Nail clipper. These are essential. If my nails get too long, I can’t hit the frets. I can also use these to cut a string if I don’t have my pliers.
9. Half-moon tambourine. I love to bring this tambourine on stage, but my bandmates always take it away because I never stay on beat! For my day job, though, I have a business teaching family music classes for young children and their parents, so I get to bring lots of tambourines (and other instruments) for us to play. I love being a touchstone for these families, especially my new moms. It takes a village.
10. Nuun Hydration Energy Electrolyte Tablets in Berry Blast. I don’t drink coffee, so I’m always looking for healthy caffeine sources. Working with small children in the morning and playing gigs at night, I have long days; these tablets are my go-to for caffeine.
11. Ibuprofen. I’ve had a bad back since I was 17, plus I like to take off my shoes on stage — it makes me feel grounded and centered. Recently, I performed outside, bouncing barefoot on concrete all night. I was a wreck after! I keep that ibuprofen handy.
12. Traditional Medicinals Organic Throat Coat tea. This tea saves my life. It makes my throat feel good, and I’ll even bring a cup of it on stage.
13. EXTRA Polar Ice gum. My mouth gets very dry, no matter how much water I drink, so I chew gum all day.
14. D’Addario EJ16 acoustic strings. It’s always good to have extra guitar strings because they break often — especially at the most inopportune moments on stage.
15. Kirlin woven guitar cable. This cable connects the tuner to the guitar. I play a Martin guitar when I’m solo and a Fender Telecaster with the band. I like a lot of different sounds — it’s about capturing the vibe or mood of the song with whatever tools best amplify that.
