News and reviews of queer women in music.
At the end of the year, fewer new albums tend to be released, and instead there are more holiday albums or tours. Luckily, the beginning of a new year signifies the beginning of a slew of new releases to look forward to. While there aren’t a ton of queer artists recording their versions of “Feliz Navidad” this holiday season, there are plenty who are ending their year on the road, and a few choice albums to take a listen to as well.
There are times when music feels like a solitary experience, as if it’s just you, your iPod and your “Winter Romance” play list. Other times, you realize you’re part of a community – whether online or at a concert – that shares the same common love. In either experience, music means something, and certain queer bands and artists may mean even more.
Thanks to those of you who emailed me after the first Sound Check column to let me know who is worth a listen. I trust your judgment and will do my best to highlight them in future columns (if not in this month’s).
Live Onstage
Sarah Bettens has been solo since 2003, but she can’t seem to shake her past as the front woman of alt-rock band K’s Choice. Bettens came to Martyr’s in Chicago as part of her tour in support of her new album, Shine. She played to a supportive crowd that appeared to be dedicated fans, whispering words along with her and enthusiastically applauding each song from the new album and from her previous album, Go, which included the be-who-you-are anthem, “Come Over Here.”
Bettens’ vocals are a perfect blend of femininity and sexy raspiness. Her instrumentals for songs like her newest single, “Daddy’s Gun,” are full of catchy, rhythmic bass lines and great guitar skills. Unfortunately, the lyrics and song matter can come off a little cheesy.
She’s well-meaning with the single about gun control, as well as the gay pride song “Pave the Way,” but she fares better on Shine‘s first track, “I Can’t Get Out.” Second to her performance of the K’s Choice hit “I’m Not an Addict,” it was the crowd’s favorite track, and Bettens seemed much more passionate about playing the new tune as opposed to rehashing the ’90s single.Later that week, it was a hip-hop themed evening at a bar famous for its mechanical bull called Hogs and Honeys. The straight bar plays host to lesbians on Sunday nights, and performing in November was Filf Dos, a male/female duo that recently moved to the Midwest from New York.
Out MC Filfy is a Dykes in the City model who has some tight MC skills. She flowed about her graffiti tagging skills in “Graphic Masterpieces” and her exes in “Forget Me Now.” They don’t have an album available yet, but they do have tracks posted on their MySpace for a taste.
Filf Dos opened for God-Des and She, who did their best with a small stage and some mic issues. Being so close to the crowd, God-Des interacted by getting as close as possible to the front row, and She crooned her choruses in a low-cut dress. They performed new tracks from the recently released album Stand Up, which included a song a lot of girls enjoyed screaming along to. The chorus was simple: “I hate your ex-girlfriend!” They also performed their single “Love You Better,” which God-Des mentioned had gotten a lot of play on Logo.
Certainly the duo has a following from their performance on The L Word and the 2006 homo-hop documentary, Pick Up the Mic. God-Des is one of the most well-known lesbian MCs, and it seems to be because of her self-promotion as much as her performance skills. With as many gimmicky songs as there seem to be good ones, God-Des and She are an act to keep an eye on for future improvement, and hopefully less for songs like the sexually explicit “Lick It.”
Just in time for Christmas, Melissa Etheridge released a live DVD performance of her album, The Awakening. The footage is from her Sept. 25th performance at the Hard Rock Café in New York, where she played the entire album in order, from beginning to end.
“Sometimes you got to look back … and start forgiving yourself,” Etheridge said in between songs. “Look back and find the wisdom, find the truth, and learn the lessons.” Unfortunately, her preaching from the stage was ultimately a distraction. With multiple mentions of God, fame and how love is the only thing that matters, the music was interrupted frequently. The music itself was only as good as the album, which is lackluster compared to her past work.
With two female backup singers and a crew of male instrumentalists, Etheridge played joyfully, but still came across as quite bland. Perhaps if she’d played a couple of her older hits, it might have made things a little more exciting. However, the song “Threesome” made for a few entertaining minutes as she blushed while singing lyrics such as, “I don’t need an affair with a friend/I don’t want to have a threesome ever again.”
The Awakening: Live is a two-disc set that includes the album, the live concert video, a making-of video and Q&A.
Releases Reviewed
Boston singer-songwriter Charo Sofia‘s Montreal is an acoustic album that is all about the voice. It isn’t to say her guitar playing isn’t fair, but Sofia’s deep tone is the attention grabber from the beginning of the first track, “Perfect.” It’s especially appreciated when considering the fact that she’s only 20 years old. With only six songs, Montreal comes up a little short, and those who find Sofia’s folk acoustic music as good as the usual suspects like Catie Curtis and Chris Pureka will probably like the idea but feel shortchanged by the short disc. If you’re not interested in songs lacking drums, bass or lyrical content besides love-gone-wrong, look elsewhere.
San Francisco quartet Excuses for Skipping isn’t afraid to use feminine pronouns. Unlike other musicians who shy away from the use of “she,” “her” or songs that are explicit about same-sex loving, these queer ladies are quite open about their preferences.
Their first full-length release, Out of Work Early, is a dreamy, Cure-esque pop and rock blend. In the same vein as Boyskout, Tegan and Sara, and Sleater-Kinney, Excuses for Skipping creates songs that encourage handclaps and sing-alongs. Definitely check out “Gravity” and “Rule One,” if not the whole album.
K Records has established itself as a home for gay indie rock stars like Mirah and The Blow, and the release of solo gal Tender Forever‘s new album, Wider, continues in that vein.
Tender Forever is Melanie Valera, an Olympia, Wash., resident who moved to the States from Bordeaux, France, and her French electro pop is a fresh new sound. While her ukelele-laden cover of Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” isn’t on the album, sex-and-relationship gems like “Doves vs. Pigeons” and “Heartbroken Forever” can be universally understood and appreciated.
News and Notes
Whether you call her Bitch or Capital B, you know who she is. The eccentric folk performer has taken some time to contribute words to Alix Olson’s new book, Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution. Her girlfriend, Daniela Sea – who was once part of punk bands Cipher in the Snow and the Gr’ups – was solo, however, when she performed some songs at a recent ENDA protest on the campus of University of California at Santa Barbara.
Kaki King has announced the release date of her new album, Dreaming of Revenge. The follow-up to her 2006 album, …Until We Felt Red, will be released on March 4 by Velour Music Group.
Out Scottish vocalist Horse has scored a digital distribution deal in the United States for her album Red-Haired Girl. The album was previously only available in the U.K. as an import. It will be released through Kosmic Music U.S. Inc.
Uh Huh Her was recently featured on SpinDaily’s style segment. It was filmed at a Los Angeles show at the Knitting Factory where attendees included Leisha Hailey‘s L Word cast mates Katherine Moennig, Rose Rollins and Rachel Shelley, as well as the show’s executive producer, Ilene Chaiken.
Gossip front woman Beth Ditto is the cover girl for the December issue of Bust magazine. Inside, she poses for an outdoor fashion spread and dishes on rumors and her home life.
Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara can be heard on a song by Canadian band The Reason. The track, “We’re so Beyond This,” also has an accompanying video that features Sara. She sings about being in a straight relationship with the lead singer, but it’s just not working out.
Queer British band Electrelane has announced they are going on indefinite hiatus. Front woman Verity Susman is recording on her own as Vera November, and she recently released a 7″ on record label Too Pure.
On Tour This Month: Catie Curtis, Dresden Dolls, The Cliks, Girl in a Coma, Nicky Click, The Shondes and Chris Pureka.
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