This show wasn’t originally on my agenda, until the $25 LiveNation special came about - and I had family coming into town to visit. It was a perfect opportunity to take my Sister and Niece to see a fun show at a great downtown music venue. We even scored floor access wristbands!
This was the best show of the trip! I’m now a huge fan of serpentwithfeet - and Apollo Mighty!
Orville Peck continues to dominate the gay country singer market, granted it is a pretty small field. However, his non-stop touring has really garnered a strong fan base, as evidenced by recently selling out Mahalls a few months ago - and this time the Grog Shop. I had missed out on tickets on this show, until a friend came through with some extras. I already had plans, but still swung through to see what all the buzz was about.
I get it. He’s got that country crooner vibe down, his mask hiding his identity is intriguing, and he’s definitely not your typical country singer. It’s country camp almost - but I’m here for it. More about him below.
"The enigmatic country singer known as Orville Peck is riding high these days. He is on the cover of British GQ Style, wearing star-spangled boots and a black mask that obscures his face.
The New Yorker, in a review of his debut album, ‘Pony,’ called him the ‘masked man our yee-haw moment deserves’ and described his voice as having ‘the sexy, menacing melodrama of Roy Orbison.’
The Los Angeles Times declared that he is ‘as venerated as any pop diva’ by the ‘hipsters in West Hollywood,’ which seems to be a thinly veiled reference to his large gay fan base."
(Via Orville Peck, a Masked Gay Country Star, Rides Into Brooklyn - The New York Times.)
Holychild has been putting out a series of great singles lately, and just dropped this newest video for Over You. I just discovered this video by Yanni Burton through this appropriately titled Towlroad article, and I stayed for the catchy song. Speaking of new finds, I stumbled on this new video from 15yo Lewis Blissett, with a surprisingly catchy pop-trance Killing Butterflies.
Bonus: I thought I would a couple other (ambitious) videos from Yanni Burton.
Tycho has finally announced his new album (out July 12th) with the release of this video for Pink & Blue. Rhumba has a new video out where he “'wanted to take on heteronormativity in a brutal way,’ 'Normativity' is an anthemic pop track that gets people dancing and singing in unison” (via Best Fit). I just discovered this new video for I Was Wrong by Cozmic Cat - a band I’ll have to dig into a little more!
Bonus: Sound of Ceres’ new video’s production threw me off, until I realized it was recorded live on Adult Swim's William Street Swap Shop Show - bizarre, and a great song.
I’ll be heading to the University of Pittsburgh this weekend for a conference on Personal Digital Archiving (exciting!), but that also means I’m missing this Orville Peck show at Mahall’s. Color me predictable, but i’m really intrigued by this masked gay “country” crooner with blue eyes - who’s on Sub Pop records nonetheless. Definitely has this Chris Isaak vibe if you ask me.
So i’m bummed, but hoping some of you all go and post some videos for me. Catch his face if you can. ;-) Here’s an excerpt from an interview he did with OMG.BLOG. Check out a couple of videos below.
"I mean I like all kinds of country music. I like classic country, and I like new country. I even like stupid pop country, but the kind of country that really appeals to me as an influence on the music I make is outlaw country or like sixties, and seventies kind of country. I think especially that kind of country stayed within a pretty particular framework.
The subject matter tended to be this monolithic, archetypical type subject matter. For me, I can reference all of those potentially tired or pedestrian references or subjects, you know, like, cowboy heartbreak and all that stuff which seems to have been done a million times, but put through the filter of my personal history where I like to think it pushes it somewhere new, or even just successfully exists within that traditional framework!
The thing that really appeals to me about country music from that era is that all those stories are really relatable. Even though the details might be interchangeable or personal to the singer, I think people seem to really connect to the storytelling element in country music. That relatability Is something that I really like."
"This is a mobilization characterized by a desire to help queer artists and friends gain ground in a place that has never been kind to them. There is no de-facto leader, and it’s more of a community than a formal organization or collective, but having a tacit agreement to be there for one another goes further than any label or doctrine. Ghost Noises and ADAB of Heaven Is In You, Fana فناء of Disco Paradiso, and Father of Two, Mx. Silkman, and Kiernan Laveaux of In Training have all committed to something that’s bigger than them. Electronic music in Cleveland was dormant for a long time, but because of these artists, and others like them, the reinvigoration of the scene has been brilliant in its blossoming of something new and exciting here.
...
These functions were started to get away from the traditional ground of music Cleveland had cultivated from their history of punk and DIY communities. While there was some queer music, and at the same time, EDM audiences in the city, the disinterest in the former and the heteromasculinity of the latter dissuaded each of these individuals from trying to breach scenes that didn’t want them. Bohan and Ercolea had been at the same shows before, utilizing elder influences like Voices From the Lake, Jose Luna, and Interdimensional Transmissions to form an ethos by which Cleveland techno could thrive. From talking to all of the showrunners, it’s clear their passions and enthusiasm led them to do something new, even if they didn’t have the money or prior experience to immediately pull it off."
(Via Cleveland’s Unlikely Queer Electronic Music Renaissance.)
In the spirit of the RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars being in season, I thought I’d share this little nugget.
"As a result of this expanding platform, it has become increasingly clear that the song choices are made with less concern for queer authenticity. They have begun to serve the larger goal of appealing to new demographics, capitalizing on the show’s popularity with, for example, young straight women. In the past three seasons, we’ve seen lip sync battles set to hits by Trainor, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, and Nicki Minaj—none of whom are inherently unwelcome on the show, of course. But oftentimes the songs have nothing to do with the queer community, or the songs (like Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” or Lovato’s “Cool for the Summer”) actively trivialize them. One could easily imagine Rita Ora’s recent controversial song “Girls” appearing next season, presented uncritically and heralded as an easy, breezy, queer-friendly hit to lip sync to. There is simply something strange about this concerted effort to include evermore current chart-toppers while simultaneously drawing down the number of club classics or diva house ballads that not only define the earlier seasons of the show, but also the musical lives of many queer people."
(Via “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Has Lost Its Free Queer Spirit in Its Lip Sync Songs | Pitchfork.)
I’ve been a big fan of Nomi Ruiz since her early Jessica 6 album, even seeing her open for Holy Ghost! at the Grog Shop back in 2011! Well, Jessica 6 has a new album out today, The Eliot Sessions, which I’m really looking forward to checking out. In addition to her music, I also appreciate her speaking out on behalf of the appropriation of queer artists. Check it (and her) out.
"Mainstream artists profiting off culling inspiration from the underground is 'a tale as old as time,' Nomi Ruiz says. But that doesn't make it acceptable, and when the artists being squeezed like creative sponges — often without their consent — are of marginalized communities, those mainstream artists are complicit or even contributing to that systemic oppression. Today, the New York songwriter calls out one of the most famous of these perpetrators — Madonna — with the premiere of her new single, 'Ridiculous.'
The track is part of a forthcoming EP, The ELIOT Sessions, where she expands on the electronic dance-pop of her last two Jessica 6 full-lengths by circling back to her roots in R&B, hip-hop, and soul. That's where she'd started — solo, back in 2005 — before appearing on multiple tracks on Hercules and Love Affair's first album, before Jessica 6."
(Via Nomi Ruiz Calls Out Queer Appropriation on New Single.)
"Listen to the V Magazine & Gitano NYC present Nomi Ruiz/Jessica 6's Playlist below:"
(Via Jessica 6 is Here to Make You Fucking Groove | V Magazine.)
This is my third Honcho Campout, and probably one of the best. They’re finding their groove in this new location, and you can tell by the number of people making their way out to this remote Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary. A fabulous mix of people and music, and beautiful natural surroundings to envelop them. Also, I know the video is pretty dark, but that’s probably for the best. ;-)
Check it out!
"Bob Dylan appears on a new compilation EP that features ‘reimagined’ versions of wedding songs for gay couples. He has recorded a new version of the 1929 song ‘She’s Funny That Way’ but switched the pronoun to ‘He’s Funny That Way.’ Universal Love also features St. Vincent, who takes on the Crystals’ ‘And Then He Kissed Me’ (as ‘And Then She Kissed Me’). Kesha sings a switched-pronoun version of Janis Joplin’s ‘I Need a Man to Love.’ Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard covers the Beatles with ‘And I Love Him,’ and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke covers the Temptations on ‘My Guy.’ Listen to the full EP below.
Universal Love was funded by MGM Resorts International and its songs are ‘intended to function as wedding anthems for same-sex couples,’ The New York Times reports."
(Via Bob Dylan Sings About Gay Love on New Compilation: Listen | Pitchfork.)
First up is MØ’s visually stunning video for When I Was Young. Next, I’m embarrassed to say that A Tribe Called Red caught my attention because of the obvious reference, but I still ended up really enjoying their video for The Light II ft. Lido Pimienta. SSION is finally back with a video for Comeback that only SSION could make, with a new album coming next year!
BONUS: SOPHIE just dropped a banger of a new video.
It was a gorgeous day for Akron’s inaugural Pride event! Dare I say a better experience than Cleveland’s! A nice big open park in the middle of a residential & commercial area of Akron, with two stages, and the availability to have your drink and watch the live music (how novel)! And then there’s Martha Wash.
The new SZA album is AWESOME, just as is her new video for Drew Barrymore (coming to Cleveland on 12/13!)! BAIO is back with his sophomore album coming soon, from which this new video for PHILOSOPHY! is showing some promise for it. An epic new sci-fi video from ODESZA for Line Of Sight (feat. WYNNE & Mansionair).
BONUS: While I love RuPaul’s Drag Race, I’ll admit most of the music coming from the Queens is lackluster. This video however is the cheeky fun that I’d hope for from these three as The AAA Girls
Normally I wouldn’t be posting drag performances on this blog, but Alaska Thunderfuck actually qualifies with several of her own albums out. She’s definitely one of the top queens coming from Ru Paul’s Drag Race!
If you haven’t checked out the best dance party in Cleveland yet - you’re missing out. Another installment of In Training at Now That’s Class!
This is one of two amazing shows happening at Mahalls 20 Lanes on this night. PWR BTTM performed in the basement with Bellows opening. I’ll let the Bellows bio describe their sound, as "sensory and delicate, subtle and quiet but erupting with frantic wobbling drums, large orchestral sections and bursts of noise that defy the limitations of pop and folk.” So there…
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been crushing on PWR BTTM for some time now. Their brand of queer punk folk glam is fun and refreshing. It was also nice to not have to drive out to Oberlin to see them this time.
I am so thrilled that I finally found this party here in Cleveland. I’ve been enjoying the Hot Mass / Honcho parties in Pittsburgh, and this party is a sort of sister event to those… This was my first time going, and I can’t wait to go back.
I also love how the pictures represent the clarity of most of the people in attendance.
Here’s some more detail on the monthly party.
"In two years, In Training has become one of the most innovative dance parties in Cleveland, both for its spotlight on underground electronic artists and its founders’ mission—to host an alternative LGBT event for those who feel like outsiders at the city’s popular gay bars. Brian Bohan, Aerin Ercolea and Shane Christian hosted the first In Training in a 15-foot by 15-foot basement to an audience of 25 friends. Today, their monthly shows attract almost 200 people a night. "
(Via Monthly Local DJ Event Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)
This had to be the weekend I was looking forward to the most this Summer. Honcho is the dance party out of Pittsburgh that I’ve been raving about - and this year I was able to go to their Campout party they host at the Roseland campground in WV. Camping, music and dancing… I was sold. Such a great experience. There’s a clip from a DJ Times article reviewing the weekend below.
"The brainchild of Pittsburgh, PA-based promoter and queer party series Honcho, the multi-day celebration of all things gay, techno, and outdoors has grown into an entity all its own for its sophomore installment. Taking its cues from other alt-queer party series like London’s Horse Meat Disco, San Francisco’s Honey Soundsystem, and New York City’s wreckedNYC, the Honcho boys offer the diverse crowd of the city’s Hot Mass bar a queer, inhibition-releasing playground with DJs soundtracking the proceedings with selections outside the Top 40 spectrum."
Pillar Point gets me with another “dancing in the streets of a foreign city” video. Love those… POLIÇA gets political with Wedding. Computer Magic is a new find with a fresh take on the 80’s synth.
Bonus: This beautiful video for PWR BTTM’s West Text (one of my recent favorite albums!)
