If you had the chance, what would you ask Amy Ray? Perhaps you're a huge Indigo Girls fan and you've always wanted to know what the ladies include on their rider. Or, you love Amy's record label, Daemon Records, and are dying to know how she chooses her artists (she can afford to be picky.)

Luckily, the musician, the woman, and the lesbian legend, Amy Ray, is willing to tell you what you want to know, AfterEllen.com readers (within reason, of course.) We'll be talking to her next week and will be asking her the questions you have for her. Please send your inquiries by Monday, July 21 to trishbendix@gmail.com. We'll sort through them and ask her the most insightful, relevant, and possibly hilarious questions you have. … continue reading

These days, being compared to Amy Winehouse would be the equivalent to calling some a trashy, racist crack-head. Not so flattering, right? But, there was a time just a few short months ago that Ms. "Wino" Winehouse was on the top of the world with a platinum-selling album, Grammy awards, and a number one song. And it was then that a young, British soulful singer, Adele started making a name for herself was referred to as “the next Amy Winehouse.”

Don’t worry, Adele — we know it’s only a musical comparison, and I have to say that I don’t think it’s that far off, either. Both women have a very smoky component to their voices (of course, in conjunction with that accent, woo!) and both graduated from the prestigious Brit School (as did Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Katie Melua). In fact, last spring Adele suggested that the female alums form a “supergroup” of sorts, but I think Winehouse’s recent exploits have probably quashed that idea.

After winning the first ever Critics’ Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in December, Adele has seen her career skyrocket. Her freshman album, 19, debuted at #1 in the UK and was certified platinum in three weeks. The song “Chasing Pavement,” reached #2 in the UK and the top ten in several other European countries.

Recently, Adele’s popularity in the United States has been growing: she just completed her first North American tour, has signed with Columbia Records, performed last week on The Late Show with David Letterman, and “Hometown Glory,” was featured on the finale of a little show called Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe you’ve heard of it? … continue reading

It’s kind of unfortunate that most people think of Yoko Ono as the woman responsible for breaking up the Beatles. If you appreciate envelope-pushing ladies, you probably know there’s a little more to her than that.

In addition to her far-reaching humanitarian work, Ono has always been fearless about jumping on the cutting edge of art and music production. She’s already released a small handful of electronic dance remix albums, but her most recent release marks a notable music anniversary.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 39 years since Ono joined John Lennon in bed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the historic bed-in for peace. It was there that they teamed up with a bunch of friends and recorded — from their bed — the anthem, “Give Peace a Chance.”

Now, to commemorate the occasion, she’s teamed up with some new friends who know their way around electronic music (such as Tommie Sunshine and Johnny Vicious) to create Give Peace a Chance (The Remixes). Because remixing for peace isn’t enough, Ono’s record company is releasing the singles completely digitally to create less waste and lessen their footprint on the environment. … continue reading

Seattle-based record label Sub Pop Records is throwing a party for its 20th birthday. Unfortunately, some of its best acts from over the years will be missing. While Sub Pop has been female friendly in the past, it seems as if many of their great girl artists have left the business (at least for now.)

But since its an anniversary, now is a perfect time to look back and appreciate the wonderful music they have given us (you know, outside of the other great trailblazing stuff like Nirvana, Mudhoney, Flight of the Conchords and the Postal Service.)

Babes in Toyland

While never officially signed to the label, BIT released the single "House" on The Grunge Years album in 1991. Though Kat Bjelland, Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon are frequently thought of as part of the riot grrrl scene of the 1990s Pacific Northwest, they were more like their male counterparts in Minneapolis at the time, as they were ahead of ladies Kathleen Hanna and Corin Tucker who name frontwoman Kat as an influence.

Velocity Girl

In the early '90s, the east coast band released their debut album, Copacetic, on Sub Pop. At the time, it was something a little lighter than the label had been putting out, with Sarah Shannon's vocals and harmonies with bandmate Archie Moore providing more a little pop to the rock songs. … continue reading

Not everyone knows of synth-pop music pioneers Yaz, but if you are (a) British, (b) a gay of a certain age or (c) into electronica or (d) an aficionado of the new wave 1980s, you might be thrilled to hear the duo has reunited to perform a handful of concerts.

You can’t overstate the influence Yaz had on both electronic and gay music. To put Yaz into context, let’s trace its impeccable synth-pop lineage: Keyboardist Vince Clarke is in the original line-up of Depeche Mode. In fact, Clarke writes nearly all of Depeche Mode’s debut album Speak & Spell including the dance pop mega hit “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Clarke then quits Depeche Mode to form Yaz (or Yazoo, as the band is still known in England).

Yaz combines Clarke’s signature pulsating keyboards with singer Alison Moyet’s soulful vocals — vocals that really stand out in the age of the robotic, monotone delivery. Yaz releases two massively influential albums and Moyet ‘s emotive style opens doors for a wave of soulful synth pop singers like Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beat, perhaps the gayest group of all time, not just for the gay anthems “Why?” and “Small Town Boy,” but also for covering Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love" and putting a gigantic pink triangle on the cover of their album The Age of Consent. Somerville, in turn, goes on to be the voice behind the Communards, scoring with disco covers “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Meanwhile, Yaz breaks up and Clarke retools with a new soulful singer, the flamboyant, costume-prone Andy Bell, in a little group called Erasure. Moyet goes on to become a successful solo artist in the United Kingdom, scoring a mega hit with her 1984 solo debut, Alf. … continue reading

When the Swedish quartet ABBA was performing pop songs like "Dancing Queen," I wonder if they visualized the phenomenon it would become. From their dance hits came a Broadway musical, Mamma Mia!, and now a film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.

The film had its world premiere in Berlin on Wednesday night, and the cast (which also includes Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnon among others) was in attendance for the showing and the after party. If you have yet to see the trailer, it will give you a good idea what we can expect when it opens here on July 18:

Yes, that is Meryl Streep singing, and she seems to have some pipes. But we are all aware how frighteningly amazing Ms. Meryl is; it's Amanda Seyfried that is the breakthrough star of Mamma Mia. Up until now, she has served as part of ensemble casts on Big Love and in films such as Mean Girls and Alpha Dogs. As 18-year-old Sophie Sheridan, Seyfried seems like a shoo-in for good reviews, no matter what the outcome is for the film in its entirety. … continue reading

Neo-soul artist India.Arie is the latest in a long line of talented R&B singers bit by the acting bug. Arie, 32, is set to star in a Broadway revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. The play, based on the book of poems by Ntozake Shange, was nominated for a Tony award in 1977. The book, a women’s studies classic, presents several women of color discussing their experiences at a certain time in the United States.

It’s a bold step for Arie, but she’s in good company. In fact, I’m having a tough time thinking of an R&B artist who hasn’t tried her hand at acting on stage or screen. Some of them gave such good performances, they got in the running for Hollywood’s biggest honor, the Academy Award.

One of them actually won it. Of course, I'm talking about American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson, who brought home the Best Supporting Actress award for Dreamgirls. Hudson is the biggest success story on our list, although her castmate Beyonce, (Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Austin Powers: Goldmember) isn’t exactly hurting for parts. Alicia Keys (The Nanny Diaries, Smokin’ Aces) seems to record an album and film a new movie every other year. Keys just finished shooting another: The Secret Life of Bees.

Let’s not forget those ladies we don’t hear on the radio every day: Erykah Badu appeared in The Cider House Rules way back in 1999 and later, House of D; Macy Gray guest starred on Spin City and Gilmore Girls; Angie Stone appeared on an episode of Roswell. … continue reading

If I ever doubted for a minute that Pixies bassist Kim Deal is the coolest woman alive, the proof is in Fool The World: The Oral History of A Band Called Pixies by Josh Frank, Caryn Ganz and Chas Bank. The book, published earlier this year, chronicles what seems like every waking moment of the indie rock quartet that formed in Boston in 1985 and went on to redefine rock.

Everyone from Bowie to Bono has rhapsodized about the Pixies’ appeal with Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain famously saying his band cribbed everything they did from the Pixies.

I could do without the book’s exhausting recollections by producers and gadflies in the studio, but I relished what everyone, including band members, record execs and other indie rock stars such as Tanya Donnelly and Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses) had to say about Deal, who was so charismatic, it caused turmoil between her and the band’s leader Black Francis (née Charles Thompson). … continue reading

This week on All Access Pass, Andrea Meyerson takes you backstage with the Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) for a rare on-camera interview before they perform for thousands of fans at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. The ladies discuss the longevity of their musical duo, their favorite songs and being out queer performers, among other things.

There's also a sneak peak of the IG performing their opening song that night.

To check out the Indigo Girls' tour schedule and new CD, go to www.indigogirls.com.

For more information on Andrea Meyerson, check out www.alloutfilms.com and www.womenonaroll.com.

The mile of the Long Island Expressway that Bette Midler is responsible for cleaning has always kind of amused me. I perk up driving into Manhattan from Long Island, just for that one stretch of road where an outside chance exists of spotting the Divine Miss M (in high heels, I imagine, with her capri pants rolled up past her knees) standing in dirty grass, one of those trash spears in her hand. As most of the Bette Midler-themed scenarios in my imagination do, this one has Bette singing to herself, backed by a slew of lovely chorus girls with feathers on their heads ... and, yes, trash spears in their hands. This scenario remains in my imagination, though, as I've never actually spotted Ms. Midler on the LIE.

Her Vegas show, The Showgirl Must Go On, has been running since February — the one where she's backed by 18 sets of well-sculpted chorus girl legs, sans trash spears. But meanwhile, back in the City, Midler's backing one million well-sculpted tree trunks. Her effort to green NYC started back in 1995, when she founded the New York Restoration Project. Now, she's teamed up with Mayor Bloomberg to plant one million trees by 2017. … continue reading

The 2008 Black Entertainment Television Awards were last night and, as expected, it was quite a spectacle. In what BET promised to be the “hottest ticket on television,” musicians, actors, athletes and others gathered to celebrate the achievements of the most accomplished black celebrities of the past year.

They arrived in droves, and they arrived in style. (Well, all except for Lil Mama, but I won’t even get into that.) Behold, some of the most fashionable ladies to attend the awards:

Gabrielle Union, Keri Hilson, Rihanna

Once inside, the festivities began, though not quite as smoothly as some would have liked. If you happened to tune in late (or not at all) don’t worry about missing Usher’s opening performance; it appears as though he slipped and fell during his dance sequence. Oh well, karma’s a bi-yatch, isn’t she?

Other than the homophobe du jour, there were performers who actually deserved some recognition. Alicia Keys brought the women of SWV, En Vogue, and TLC on stage with her, and they managed to completely bring down the house with TLC’s hit “Waterfalls,” and I was simultaneously reminded of why I miss '90s music so much. (Seriously, you want to watch that video. It was totally badass.)

T-Pain led all nominees with five, but females were actually fairly well represented; several were nominated for at least two awards and all gender-neutral categories contained at least one female nominee. That is more than can be said for the Grammy Awards, the CMT Awards, or the ACM Awards. But, out of the eight categories shared by men and women, only one woman prevailed: Erykah Badu (with Mr. Roboto) for Best Video Director.

A full list of nominees and winners can be found here, but I’ll (happily) round out the list of victorious women for you. … continue reading

It’s been a good week to be gay. It’s been a particularly good week to be gay and in California. Looking through all the pictures of happy couples getting their gay marriage on this week has been an absolute joy. No, I’m not crying. That’s something in my eye. Really, I’m not crying. Fine, who has some tissue?

All these nuptials naturally got me thinking about wedding traditions and, more specifically, the first dance. As luck would have it, Yahoo Music just posted a list of the “Top First-Dance Songs” according to a new survey. The results can only appropriately be called schmaltztastic. I mean it, “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men, “I Swear” by All-4-One and Aladdin’s theme?

Really, straight people? Really?

Of course I agree with some of them. You can’t go wrong with the classics: Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong. Uh-uh-uh, not so fast Celine Dion. But I think we can still do better – much, much better. How about we make our own list? Some of the picks I share with our chapel-bound straight friends. But the rest, well, they’re just another reason it’s good to be gay.

The Top 10 Totally Gay First-Dance Songs (click each to play):

1) “At Last,” Etta James

At last, indeed. Wrap your heart up in clover, lovebirds.

2) “All You Need is Love,” The Beatles

It’s all you need, it’s all that matters.

3) “I’m Coming Out,” Diana Ross

Hey, who says a first dance can’t be disco? … continue reading