(woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by The Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota and by the members of Prairie Public.

[acoustic & electric guitar intro] ♪ ♪ ♪ I am nobody ♪ ♪ ♪ Sitting under ♪ ♪ An apple tree ♪ ♪ what a dreary thing to be ♪ ♪ To be somebody ♪ ♪ I find joy watching the bumble bees ♪ ♪ Then you you walked in the room ♪ ♪ And I I started to swoon ♪ ♪ I said no nobody ♪ ♪ Nobody ♪ ♪ Nobody knows me ♪ ♪ I am alone ♪ ♪ ♪ This is what I chose ♪ ♪ ♪ Forever I'm living ♪ ♪ In the now ♪ ♪ No one really knows ♪ ♪ Then you you walked in the room ♪ ♪ And I I started to swoon ♪ ♪ I said no nobody ♪ ♪ Nobody nobody knows ♪ ♪ Me ♪ ♪ Nobody nobody ♪ ♪ Knows me ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ Hope ♪ ♪ Is a feathered thing ♪ ♪ It perches in the soul ♪ ♪ And sings ♪ ♪ Who are you ♪ ♪ ♪ Are you nobody too ♪ ♪ Then we make quite the pair ♪ ♪ We can travel to nowhere ♪ ♪ Let's go in June ♪ ♪ ♪ Oh you you walked in the room ♪ ♪ And I I started to swoon ♪ ♪ I said no nobody ♪ ♪ Nobody nobody knows me ♪ ♪ Nobody nobody ♪ ♪ Knows me ♪ ♪ Nobody nobody ♪ ♪ Knows me ♪ ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Katy Tessman, and I'm performing with my son, Sweet Lou.

We're playing songs that I've written over the past 4 years.

We live in Hopkins, Minnesota, but we travel all over the state.

I went to Moorhead State University, I was a Theater and Communications major.

It was after college when I picked up the guitar and started writing songs.

I performed in the Twin Cities and throughout the state of Minnesota for about a decade, and then I became a mom.

Louis was born, and then my youngest son Max was born, and I took a 20-year break from performing.

During that time I fought a victorious battle with breast cancer.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39.

Louis was 6, and Maxwell was 3, and I was really proud of the way that I found the words to let them know what was going to happen to mama.

And ending the battle with 2 boys that stayed optimistic was really inspiring.

Now I am writing music acknowledging that life is not easy, and we don't get through life unscathed.

I want to spread that joy and that optimism to my listeners, to people that need a little glimmer of hope.

Hopefully they'll hear it in my music.

My song "Vines" is all about love.

Because like a vine, you can't control love.

You can't tell it where to grow or how to contain it.

[finger-picking in bright rhythm] ♪ [slide guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ I can knock it down ♪ ♪ Cut it back ♪ ♪ I can try ♪ ♪ ♪ But it will always ♪ ♪ Reach for the sky ♪ ♪ ♪ Searching and longing ♪ ♪ Demanding to fly ♪ ♪ ♪ But most times ♪ ♪ It leads to goodbye ♪ ♪ ♪ Mumblin' and fumblin' ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ ♪ Mumblin' and fumblin' ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ ♪ It falls hard ♪ ♪ When it hits the ground ♪ ♪ ♪ Breaking free ♪ ♪ From where it was bound ♪ ♪ ♪ Does love choose ♪ ♪ Or is it simply found ♪ ♪ ♪ Because it keeps ♪ ♪ Comin' around ♪ ♪ ♪ Mumbling and fumbling ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ ♪ Mumbling and fumbling ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Relentless ♪ ♪ Determined ♪ ♪ Twisted and tough ♪ ♪ ♪ Connected ♪ ♪ Persistent ♪ ♪ Oh love ♪ ♪ Mumblin' and fumblin' ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ ♪ Mumblin' and fumblin' ♪ ♪ Mangled and tangled ♪ ♪ ♪ I can knock it down ♪ ♪ Cut it back ♪ ♪ I can try ♪ [playing in moderate country/folk rhythm] ♪ Suddenly the dark arrives ♪ ♪ Again I can feel it rise ♪ ♪ In my mind where it spins ♪ ♪ A web ♪ ♪ Of all my sins ♪ ♪ ♪ It hits me ♪ ♪ Like an avalanche ♪ ♪ Take me ♪ ♪ To Ghost Ranch ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ Vibrant daring and bold ♪ ♪ I give my heart and soul ♪ ♪ To these notes and lines ♪ ♪ But somehow I've lost ♪ ♪ My mind ♪ ♪ It hits me ♪ ♪ Like an avalanche ♪ ♪ Take me ♪ ♪ To Ghost Ranch ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I need to go ♪ ♪ ♪ Where the desert meets the sky ♪ ♪ ♪ I don't know ♪ ♪ ♪ Is this existence ♪ ♪ Just a lie ♪ ♪ I'm a vessel ♪ ♪ Destroyed ♪ ♪ ♪ Answering the call ♪ ♪ Of the void ♪ ♪ This dreaming out loud ♪ ♪ Drowns out the crowd ♪ ♪ I'm a crevasse that's empty ♪ ♪ Do you ♪ ♪ Understand me ♪ ♪ It hits me ♪ ♪ Like an avalanche ♪ ♪ Take me ♪ ♪ To Ghost Ranch ♪ ♪ It hits me ♪ ♪ Like an avalanche ♪ ♪ Please take me ♪ ♪ To Ghost Ranch ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I was raised on really great music-- singer/songwriters like Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Carol King-- and then when I started writing music in the late '90s and early 2000s, I was inspired by Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplanski, Shawn Colvin.

So the folk-pop genre has been what I've always been leaning toward in my songwriting.

And when Louis joined me, he added a lot of tasty blues, and so my music is sort of a mix of the singer/songwriter bluesy style, and I like to call it "Mama Americana."

I am really proud that I have restarted my music career and super excited that my son wants to be my sideman.

He has collaborated on 2 albums with me.

I 2023 I released my album "Fly" then in 2025 my album "Turnbuckle," and I keep writing more music.

So it's really exciting and energizing, and it feels great!

I wrote "Speed of a Dream" in anticipation of my youngest son turning 18.

You know, life is long, but time goes by really fast, and that's what this song is about.

[playing in bright folk/country rhythm] [electric guitar intro] ♪ ♪ ♪ It's slipping through my fingers ♪ ♪ ♪ Those years ♪ ♪ Are now ♪ ♪ Souvenirs ♪ ♪ Reflections that often linger ♪ ♪ ♪ I'd never trade that time ♪ ♪ For a million years ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ At the speed ♪ ♪ Of a dream ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I'd do it all again ♪ ♪ With you ♪ ♪ And now I reach my hand out ♪ ♪ To hold ♪ ♪ I know my arms you outgrew ♪ ♪ ♪ But some things ♪ ♪ You're never too old ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ At the speed ♪ ♪ Of a dream ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ Time flies when you hold on tight ♪ ♪ To the blessing in your life ♪ ♪ ♪ Embrace the joy let it unfold ♪ ♪ With colors so bold ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ When you're livin' ♪ ♪ At the speed ♪ ♪ Of a dream ♪ ♪ ♪ At the speed of a dream ♪ ♪ ♪ My name is Louis Stanoch.

Onstage I'm known as Sweet Lou.

I've had music be a part of my life my whole life.

Both my parents are musicians.

I'm lucky enough to have been exposed to some of the greatest music of all time.

I just recently started playing live.

During the pandemic I started playing guitar, and since then I've started to become more of a professional musician myself.

Playing with my mom is one of the most fun experiences in music I've had so far.

It's so easy to pack up and get ready to go.

There's no hiccups at all; it's so smooth.

We do a really good job of buffering each other and making sure we're not nervous, we're not stressed out.

We rely on each other for a lot of different reasons both on stage and off stage.

So it just lends to the ease of the experience, and it just makes it so much fun.

"Find my Soul" is a song my mom wrote about an experience that both her and I share and we hold very deeply.

It is a song written about the experience of walking in the woods, going on a hike in nature, experiencing the wilderness.

If I could think of one experience of my life that has been more impactful than any other, it is experiencing nature and immersing myself in the wilderness.

That is what this song is about.

And it encapsulates those feelings.

[finger-picking in bright rhythm] [slide guitar intro] ♪ ♪ ♪ Heavy heart ♪ ♪ ♪ Heavy mind ♪ ♪ The weight of the world ♪ ♪ ♪ Pours cement ♪ ♪ In my shoes ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Breathing shallow ♪ ♪ Feeling shallow ♪ ♪ Dread spreading through ♪ ♪ My heart ♪ ♪ Like a bruise ♪ ♪ ♪ Into the woods ♪ ♪ I must go ♪ ♪ To lose my mind ♪ ♪ And find ♪ ♪ My soul ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Recall grace ♪ ♪ Recall kindness ♪ ♪ Marvel at the chaos ♪ ♪ ♪ And the simple things ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Finding hope ♪ ♪ ♪ Feelin' hope ♪ ♪ Listen to the sweetest noise ♪ ♪ Feel the peace it brings ♪ ♪ ♪ Into the woods ♪ ♪ I must go ♪ ♪ To lose my mind ♪ ♪ And find ♪ ♪ My soul ♪ ♪ My soul ♪ ♪ Um mm-mm ♪ [slide guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ My song "Treasure Trove" came to me when I started thinking about the very wealthy, how I don't have a lot of personal possessions, but I do have a lot of love in my life.

It was around mother's day and I was thinking a lot about my mom and the overwhelming amount of love she had for me and my siblings.

I was thinking about my 2 sons and all the love I have for them and all the love they have for me and how we've built this treasure trove of a life.

[electric slide guitar intro] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I've been longing ♪ ♪ For more ♪ ♪ Intention ♪ ♪ ♪ All this excess ♪ ♪ Is causing contention ♪ ♪ ♪ I feel ♪ ♪ An urgency ♪ ♪ To slow it down ♪ ♪ And drink in ♪ ♪ Your affection ♪ ♪ ♪ In this world of ♪ ♪ Come and go ♪ ♪ We have found our ♪ ♪ Own ♪ ♪ Treasure trove ♪ ♪ ♪ In this world ♪ ♪ Of come and go ♪ ♪ ♪ Dreams ♪ ♪ Can be broken ♪ ♪ ♪ Reminders ♪ ♪ Unspoken ♪ ♪ ♪ Sincerely ♪ ♪ I feel blessed ♪ ♪ To be drenched ♪ ♪ In your ♪ ♪ Devotion ♪ ♪ In this world ♪ ♪ Of come and go ♪ ♪ We have found ♪ ♪ Our own ♪ ♪ Treasure trove ♪ ♪ ♪ In this world ♪ ♪ Of come and go ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Oh you are all I ♪ ♪ Are all I ♪ ♪ Need ♪ ♪ ♪ In this world ♪ ♪ ♪ Of come and go ♪ ♪ ♪ We have found ♪ ♪ Our own ♪ ♪ Treasure trove ♪ ♪ ♪ In this world ♪ ♪ Of come and go ♪ ♪ (woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota and by the members of Prairie Public.