Toni Teschner
They say a mother’s voice is the first one we hear, and in many cases, her taste in music is our very first impression of rhythm and song. For Toni Teschner, her mother’s record collection acted as an early guide to music, offering direction for where it would bring her down the road.
“I grew up listening to my mother’s favorite band, The Beatles,” says Toni, adding other influences like The Rolling Stones, Motown, Janice Joplin, The Mamas & the Papas, and Black Sabbath. “My uncle Ricky mainly influenced me with the blues and classic rock.”
Our caregivers shape us during our earliest years through the thoughts, stories, and music they share, which Toni identifies as fundamental to her musical development. As we grow, new generations of music emerge, and we find our own groove. Toni expressed that her era of music was the 1990s-2000s, rooted in R&B, rap, pop, and grunge. “I spent many car rides and showers singing Mariah Carey, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Brandy, TLC, Celine Dion, No Doubt, Sublime, Nirvana, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy and The Family,” says Toni.
After finding a trumpet in her grandmother’s attic, Toni decided to take up the instrument for the school band, where she excelled, holding leadership roles like first trumpet and soloist.
At Mill Road and Northfield Community School, David Laird and later high school teachers Keith Hodgson and Jack Griffin were influential in her musical journey. During high school, Toni took on playing guitar for honors credits. She particularly enjoyed Mr. Griffin’s class, which introduced her to playing and singing, sparking her interest in performing. Post-graduation, she shifted focus from playing music to attending concerts and following bands like Dead & Company, RatDog, and Tedeschi Trucks Band.
After receiving an acoustic guitar from her husband, Toni began playing at campfire jams and eventually took the leap to perform at an open mic, where she sang “Me and Bobby McGee,” accompanying herself on a friend’s guitar. Although she missed a few chord changes, her friends were impressed, and she realized she could pursue music more seriously. She regularly attended open mics where she recalls “experimenting with my new-found ability, or maybe a re-discovered ability.” She attended local open mics like The Mad Batter hosted by MQ Murphy and was invited to rehearsals and shows by friends in the band Quasimodo’s Bride.
An encounter in 2017 further connected Toni to the Cape May music scene upon meeting Stan Sperlak, who Toni regards as a local steward of the arts. When Sperlak invited her to a Fleetwood Mac tribute rehearsal at his barn, she met other musicians who would become integral figures to her future pursuits with performance.
Toni began playing in the successful tribute shows produced by Marnie Bevan Lengle, which she recognizes as a defining moment. She says that Marnie played a key role in boosting her confidence, “Marnie Bevan Lengle, the producer of these shows, with her loving and positive support, helped me through many moments of self-doubt. ‘You’re gonna be great’ resounds in my head and got me through my green moments of stage fright.”
One of the standout experiences for Toni was performing in the Rolling Stones tribute show, where she hit soprano notes singing the vocal intro to “Gimme Shelter,” marking a moment when she recalls “the inner rockstar that was hiding inside finally came out of her shell!”
Another milestone was being invited to perform a solo set at the Chalfonte Hotel, previously known as Tuesdays with Toni. “Tuesdays with Toni was my introduction to solo acoustic vertical life and becoming a part of the Chalfonte family. I remember thinking ‘ME?’ Like how did I get this amazing opportunity?” says Toni. The solo gigs soon evolved into jam sessions with friends, and eventually, her regular Friday performances. Her involvement with the Chalfonte also led to her joining the iconic Thursday night Howard Street Ramble from time to time, which she describes as an honor.
Toni shared insight into her creative process when composing her original works. While she primarily performs covers, broadly ranging from Lady Gaga to Ann Peebles, her original music is born from moments of reflection and soul-searching. She often finds inspiration while working on a horse farm, cleaning paddocks, riding, or driving. These quiet, repetitive tasks lead to bursts of creativity, where she captures song ideas, lyrics, or riffs through voice memos and quick notes on her phone. Her songwriting process is described as organic and spontaneous, rather than a structured routine, which aligns with her self-described tendency for “aptitude without discipline.”
Toni’s performance style is flexible and responsive to the crowd, shifting between genres based on her mood and what she believes the audience will enjoy. It is clear that music is in Toni’s DNA, so whatever she is playing when performing, her heart is in it.
Reflecting on her musical journey, she emphasizes that the overwhelming support and opportunities she’s received from the community has been instrumental in her music career. “Cape May is truly a haven for talented, giving artists. I really found a sweet spot here and am so proud to call it the true birthplace of my musical journey. I feel that music has a power like none other to unite people of all creeds, Color, background, and ideology. It’s a massively unifying force. Music invites people to come together and have a shared human experience, and if I can facilitate that, I did my job.”
