Almost Famous: Abby Brown
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Abby Brown
Boston, MA
Photo: Elisabeth Morant
Abby Brown is a singer-songwriter and recent Berklee College of Music grad who creates “catchy, confessional folk songs.” Originally from Iowa and now residing in Boston, MA, the word on Abby’s music is starting to get out. Her tracks have been featured on Wellesley College Radio (WZLY), Homoground and Women of Substance Radio and been taken to the stages of venues such as Harvard Square, Faneuil Hall and the prestigious Berklee Performance Center. Abby is also co-writer and session player. Most recently she wrote the theme song for the new webseries Two Girls One Theorem.
Tomorrow, July 25, two significant events are occurring: Abby is releasing her new EP, Go All In, and playing a release show at the Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA. After hearing the track below you’ll probably want to check one or both of those things out.
How do you describe your music?
I usually tell people I’m a folk singer-songwriter. I think I’ve got a little more angst than most singer-songwriter music, and far less wit than most authentic folk music, but it’s a good starting point.
Which track would you most like everyone to hear?
“Gamble” tends to be the song that people say they like most. I tried to be as honest as I could with this one, and that meant restraining myself from writing as one of the relationship clichés: victim or villain. Most times people aren’t really either one in a breakup, and that’s where this song is coming from.
What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
Work keeps me pretty busy (and sleepy!), but when I have free time I usually have my nose in a book. I live in Jamaica Plain, a serene suburb of Boston filled with queers and dogs and actual nature, so on my days off I’m usually enjoying what JP has to offer and riding my bike around town.
What’s your ‘guilty pleasure’ music?
I tell people I like going to clubs to socialize and meet girls, but really I just like having an excuse to sing loudly to top 40 music. (Also I’m secretly afraid of cute girls, so really that’s just a lie any way you look at it.)
If you could share a line-up with any two other artists?
One of my biggest dreams is to someday open for Brandi Carlile. To me, she raises the bar for what a performing singer-songwriter should aspire to be. And since I’m already dreaming, I’d also choose Ray LaMontagne. Because it’s Ray LaMontagne.
What was the last book you read?
I just finished Night by Elie Wiesel. At first I tried to read it on my morning commute, but I quickly realized I don’t like tearing up on the train in front of strangers.
Have you ever had to work a terrible job to pursue your music career?
I’m currently working as a pastry chef in a bakery. The job itself isn’t bad at all; sometimes it’s even a little fun. But the hours I have to keep are pretty rough for this night owl. I’m now waking up at 4am – the same time I used to fall asleep.
The last song you wrote – what was it about?
I’m working on one right now that was inspired by reading Stone Butch Blues for the umpteenth time. I was moved by the relationship between a butch identity and vulnerability, and especially what that means for a significant other in the picture. I don’t usually write about such tough topics, but this song started forming itself in my head while I was reading, so I’m going to see this one out.
Does your new record have a particular theme?
Go All In is the culmination of the past four years for me, which have been filled with major life events. I moved from Iowa to Boston, came out, survived college, got a music degree, and got my heart nice and broken a couple times. I started writing the songs that are on this CD about halfway through college, when I was 19 (cue Tegan and Sara) and each one is about a different event in my life that impacted me. Releasing this CD feels both like closure and a fresh start.
Do you have any pets?
Although she’s not mine, my roommates have the most lovable pit bull there ever was. Say hello to Bounce! She enjoys long walks through the park, cuddling, and surprise attacking you with ferocious kisses. She doesn’t like sharing the bed.
For details about where you can pick up the Go All In EP or catch Abby performing live, visit her website, like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
You Should Go: Xoe Wise ‘Breakfast’ EP Launch, Live In Chicago
Xoe Wise is a queer musician and Almost Famous superstar who we’ve already said lots of nice things about. She holds a special place in the independent singer-songwriter compartment of my heart and I’m gonna tell you why.
For one: Xoe Wise does a really beautiful cover of Mazzy Starr’s Fade Into You. Two: the album that it comes from, Archive of Illusions, is one of the most loved acoustic pop records in my collection. I’m not exaggerating, I have some really serious feelings about it. Three, and this relates to my last point: Xoe Wise just gets pop music. Damn can the girl write a catchy tune.
However, those are recordings of the past. The future is Xoe’s brand-new EP, Breakfast. It’s a little more electro-pop than acoustic-pop but still completely brill, as evidenced by the fact the way it cracked the Top 20 on the iTunes Songwriter Chart this week. You can check the Breakfast EP out on Spotify or download it on iTunes. It features a song called “Breakfast” AND a song called “Brunch”, and most of you probably enjoy at least one of those things.
Here’s Xoe playing the EP’s opening track, “Too Young.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWX-vYlj9rg
So if you enjoyed this and you live in or near Chicago, you can re-experience the magic of this track live this Thursday night, 25 July.
Xoe Wise Breakfast EP release w/ Tim Fite & Darrick Thompson
Thursday 25 July
Lincoln Hall
2424 N Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
8 pm | 18+ | $10 | Buy tickets here.
Out Team USA Quarterback Plays National Anthem On Her Ukulele
Every morning I wake up to a billion press releases that get deleted unread because they’re about the release of J-Bieb’s limited edition tour t-shirt and other things I already own. However, every now and then I’ll strike press release gold, it’ll be something that I just can’t wait to forward to our executive editor Laneia with multiple exclamation marks and then eventually share with the rest of the Internet. For example, the press release I received last week about an out all-star football player who racks up ceiling-smashing accomplishments and played the Star Spangled Banner on her ukulele moments before helping Team USA win a gold medal overseas.
Let me introduce you to Sami Grisafe, an athlete and musician who hails from Chicago and who recently played as Quarterback for Team USA in the International Federation of American Football 2013 Women’s World Championship for tackle football in Finland.
Watch Grisafe perform the Star Spangled Banner in the below trailer for Tackle Girls: One Team, One Mission, a feature length documentary that follows Team USA’s journey to the Championship. It’s scheduled for release for the 2014 Super Bowl.
I’m going to level with you, readers. As an Australian I’m only vaguely familiar with American football. The few details I know about the game have been learned via watching Friday Night Lights, and I’m quite confident that my undying attraction to Tami Taylor doesn’t automatically qualify me to write serious journalism about Grisafe’s athletic achievements. As such, I think it’s for the best if I cut-paste the most important-sounding facts from the press release and hope they’re gonna make sense to you football fans.
For the second consecutive year, Grisafe was named to the World All-Star Team as Quarterback for Team USA which played in the aforementioned IFAF Championship and won the Gold medal. She was one of 45 amazing athletes who represented the United States in women’s tackle football on a world stage and was awarded the World Championship MVP title.
Grisafe first made made national news in 2000, when she became the first female quarterback in the history of California Interscholastic Federation Division 1 athletics to compete in a varsity game. Since then Grisafe has played seven seasons for the Chicago Force women’s tackle football team. In this year’s season she had a 62.5 completion percentage, 2,582 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and a sparkling 131.3 passer rating. Other note-worthy accomplishments include throwing the first touch down ever in a women’s international tackle football competition in 2010.
Right now you’re probably asking yourself how one girl could have so much talent, and it’s a fair question. Hold it, though, ’cause I haven’t even started telling you about her music career. In 2012 Grisafe released Atlantis, a full-length studio album featuring eleven upbeat pop tracks that do well to showcase that powerhouse voice. The record received six Grammy pre-nominations and has a few Grammy Award winning collaborators associated with it, such as blues artist Sugar Blue (Rolling Stones) and producer Ricciano Lumpkins (TLC, P.O.D., Mya). She also won the Chicago Music Award for Best Rock Entertainer 2012.
I’m going to wind this up with a super catchy track called “Hooky In Chicago”, which has a really cute music video.
Everything else you could possibly want to know about Sami Grisafe is probably on her website.
Playlist: Hangin’ On The Telephone
Phones are these really interesting devices that you tap on and put up next to your face and then they let you talk to anybody, anywhere in the world. You can call your grandma on her birthday! You can call the pizza shop and ask them to bring you pizza! If you want a cute person to call you, you can give them your secret number code and then spend the next few days glaring at your phone until it rings. You can stay up talking to someone awesome until it’s the next day and you didn’t even notice. Once I called my best friend who lived across town and I saw a plane cross the sky, and then thirty seconds later she saw it too. Technology is amazing.
These are situations full of dramatic potential, so it’s natural that so many great songs have been written about phones. Next time you’re waiting for a call, throw this on in the background. Perhaps it’ll give you the courage to call first, even.
I DRESSED FANCY FOR THIS PHONE CALL
Hangin’ On The Telephone
Stephanie Says – The Velvet Underground
Telephone – The Black Angels
Golden Phone – Micachu
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
Long Distance Operator – Bob Dylan & The Band
Angel, Won’t You Call Me – The Decemberists
My Number – Tegan & Sara
Girl On The Phone – The Jam
Telephone Wires – Mirah
Hanging On The Telephone – Blondie
Telephone – Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
Hello Operator – The White Stripes
I Wanna Be Your Telephone – Jamie Lidell
Bratty B – Best Coast
The Call – Backstreet Boys
Answering Machine – The Replacements
Call Your Girlfriend – Robyn
URAQT – M.I.A.
Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit Crystal up on Formspring and someone of the team might make it for you.
Almost Famous: Claire Courchene
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Claire Courchene
Los Angeles, CA
Claire Courchene is one accomplished lady. She’s a London-born, LA-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer who’s performed with all the artists you love, including Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Rhye, Quadron, Macy Gray, P. Diddy and Kanye West – to name just a few. Claire’s also toured around the world and performed on U.S. national television shows including American Idol and The Voice. She’s also recorded as the soloist on major film and album releases including Twilight: Breaking Dawn and Quadron’s latest album, Avalanche.
Right now Claire’s on tour in the US, playing cello and trombone in the band Rhye, which is the creative project of producer/writer duo Robin Hannibal and Mike Milosh. Check out the tour dates! She also has a solo album underway, you can read more on that below.
Tell us a little about your music.
My solo music is primarily instrumental electronic with jazz and RnB influences, on some songs featuring different vocalists, who I’ve had the pleasure of working with in and around Los Angeles. Most work I do on a daily basis though is for other artists. I write, record, and perform with some of the industry’s best, which recently includes Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Quadron, and Rhye, to name a few.
Which track would you most like everyone to hear?
“Sea Salt” by Quadron
I helped write and record the string parts for this song. I melt everytime I hear Coco‘s voice, it brings back some incredible memories we had while recording this track.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93542267″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
I love being active and outdoors – since most of my time working is spent sitting down inside, usually in a studio room with no windows. I enjoy running, I just did the LA marathon earlier this year. I’m obsessed with bikram yoga and I just started taking an aerial fitness class at Cirque School LA – learning the trapeze and silk. Getting over my fear of heights…
What is the best and worst thing about touring?
Touring can be amazing – getting paid to travel the world and wake up in a different country every day is definitely an eye opening experience. I love experiencing local food and culture wherever I go, so in that respect I always find it inspiring and refreshing.
Downside is it all becomes a blur after a while because you get so tired from the constant movement and lack of sleep, plus it’s really hard to eat well when you rely on eating out all the time. I miss home cooked meals and sleeping in my own bed when I’m on the road!
What’s your ‘guilty pleasure’ music?
There’s so much! If people could see what I listen to everyday, I’d be mortified. My top two guilty pleasures would have to be Kylie Minogue, because I’ve been a fan of hers since I was really little, I have great memories of her songs throughout my life and I think everything she does is just pure fun. And also the Spice Girls – they always put me in a good mood!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
“There’s no reward without risk.”
Probably the best advice I’ve ever been given, as it applies to everything, both in my career and in my personal life. Making the decision to move to LA, for instance, or having the courage to ask someone out – you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone to really get the most out of life. I always remind myself, what’s the worst that could happen?
What has the #1 highlight of your music career been, to date?
Probably the coolest moment I’ve had in my professional career was the first time I got to play on American Idol. I’d been watching that show since it’s first season back when I was in high school, and in 2009 I had just moved to LA and suddenly got to be a part of it. I not only got to perform and do what I love to do with some of my musical icons, but I got to work on the set and see how the whole show comes together. I got such a kick out of it and definitely made my Mum proud!
What was it like playing in Frank Ocean’s band?
I loved working with Frank Ocean. He’s one of the sweetest and most genuine people in the business, and it’s inspiring to be around somebody who has such a strong sense of self both personally and artistically. He took a chance on me and wasn’t afraid to take things out of the box. I played solo electric cello and auxiliary keyboards in his band, which was one of my dream gig scenarios. You definitely don’t see that very often. The fact that he allowed me to bring what I do best to his artistic vision, at his level, is huge! I’m so grateful to have worked with him, he’s such a talented guy. I wasn’t able to commit to his tour this summer, but I’m hoping to reunite with him again soon.
So tell us about your upcoming record? Does it have a particular theme?
My solo record will be released later this year and its theme centers around the fact that I’m involved in such diverse musical influences in my career as a freelance musician. Each track has it’s own unique vibe, stylistically mixing together everything from Chet Baker to Amy Winehouse to James Blake. I see lots of my fellow musicians releasing typical and safe albums in a variety of genres that have little relevance to anyone outside of their immediate audience. I’m hoping my music pushes the envelope a bit, and as a reflection of my life, is relevant to a wide array of people, especially listeners in my own generation.
Do you have any pets?
I have a Mini Dachshund named Pip. He’s 15lbs of pure love, there’s never a dull moment when he’s around!
For more on Claire, visit her website and follow her on Instagram (@CelloTBone) and Twitter (@CelloTBone).
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
Playlist: Alice Pieszecki
Welcome to the ongoing but slow-moving playlist series in which we create a list of songs inspired by your favourite characters from the hit Showtime television series, The L Word.
It’s time for Alice Pieszecki.
When we created a playlist for Shane McCutcheon, we chose songs that reminded us of Shane or had been written about people who shared similar traits. Much like Shane, it wasn’t complicated. Songs about broody troubled heartbreakers are the bread and butter of rock ‘n roll. Songs about characters like Alice Pieszecki, though? Not so easy. As far as I know, there are no songs about funny, sassy, sarcastic, opinionated bisexual journalists who have an admirable ability to cut down Jenny Schecter like a total champ. There’s no genre for that.
So! With the exception of a few tracks that were used in the show, this playlist is not so much a musical interpretation of Alice Pieszecki, but rather just a bunch of songs that we think would probably be her jam. Many were suggested by Riese, who knows The L Word characters better than anyone else knows any other fictional character on this planet, probably.
Alice Pieszecki
Deceptacon – Le Tigre
Talk to Me – Peaches
Love Is A Battlefield – Pat Benetar
Genius – Murmurs
Fuck Was I – Jenny Owen Youngs
(Where Do I Begin) Love Story – Shirley Bassey
Crying – k.d. lang
Both Hands – Ani DiFranco
California – Joni Mitchell
Stay – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Portions for Foxes – Rilo Kiley
Electric Band – Wild Flag
Cannonball – The Breeders
Rebel Girl – Bikini Kill
Sweet ’69 – Babes in Toyland
Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes
Supernova – Liz Phair
Closer To Fine – Indigo Girls
What songs and artists do you think Alice Pieszecki listens to? Which The L Word character do you think we should make a playlist for next? It’s Jenny Schecter, isn’t it. That’s okay, I want it to be Jenny too.
Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit me up on Formspring and someone of the team might make it for you.
Almost Famous: Karin Agatonne
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Karin Agatonne
Stockholm, Sweden
Photo: Johan Knudsen
Karin Agatonne is a Swedish solo artist who, after spending years playing the guitar, basson, Indian sitar and dabbling in various genres of music, decided that guitar-based, folk-inspired songwriting would be her main jam.
Karin’s been active on the Stockholm music scene these past few years, first as the guitarist for the indie folk rock band The Goner, which released two singles in early 2012. She then took her solo songs to the stage, playing a string of live shows with singer-songwriter Astor Wolfe including the opening ceremony of the Norrköping Pride Festival. Just recently, Karin released a solo EP called All the Girls. You can hear and download the title track via the player below.
How do you describe your music?
I like to think of myself pretty much as a classic folk singer/singer-songwriter with a guitar and some sort of story to tell.
Which track would you most like everyone to hear?
The title track of my new EP, “All the Girls.” It’s also free to download.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/92532307″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
On of my favorite things to do is to watch roller derby. Here in Stockholm we have Stockholm Roller Derby which is one of the top teams in Europe, so it’s always a pleasure to see them play. I really like the culture that comes with the sport as well.
What were the first and last records you bought?
I remember me and my brother getting the 7″ vinyl single with Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, back in 1984. I loved it! The last record I bought was Mary Gauthier’s Live at Blue Rock. I picked it up when she played in Stockholm in April 2013 so it’s a lovely signed copy.
What is the best and worst thing about touring?
I really love meeting a lot of new people and to play for different audiences in different environments. To me it’s all pretty new and exciting so far and I don’t really have anything negative to say about it yet. I have only been playing live for about half a year so I guess I’m still in the honeymoon phase.
What’s your ‘guilty pleasure’ music?
You know, I decided a long time ago that I wouldn’t have anything like that. Music is very important to me so I don’t want to put any boundaries on it. If I feel like listening to the world’s most corny pop song – then I’ll do it. To me music is about feeling, so any music that you feel like listening to is the right music for that time, I guess.
If you could share a line-up with any two other artists?
Piece of cake: Mary Gauthier as well as Karen Mould (Bitch), who has a new project called BEACH.
Where do you write your songs?
I usually write my songs in the comfort of my own home. I think the best time to write is around midnight, but, I never pick up my guitar with the intention to write a song. That creative moment is something that just happens for me, it can’t be planned or forced.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Well, it’s not so much a piece of advice as a change in attitude. I learned, from my musician friends, to go out and do my thing without being completely terrified of how the audience might react. A little bit like “well, if they don’t like it that’s not my problem. I sing because I want to and they can listen if they want to.”
Keep an eye out for Karin at various Swedish Pride festivals over spring and summer. You can keep up to date with her latest news via her website, Facebook and Twitter, and listen to more tracks via Soundcloud.
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
Playlist: It’s Sad, So Sad
Gloomy greetings from Sydney, where it’s winter and it’s been raining relentlessly and I’ve got a cold and everything is total misery. I’m just so SAD, you guys. While the Australian thing to do would be to harden the fuck up, instead I’ve chosen deal with my winter blues by hiding away in my emo cave, wallowing to the saddest songs ever until my heart drops out of my chest again and again. Some of those songs are below. Others have been contributed by Laneia and Katie.
It’s Sad, So Sad
Sorrow – The National
Street Spirit (Fade Out) – Radiohead
Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow) (John Prine cover) – Bon Iver
Blackbird – The Beatles
Candy Says – The Velvet Underground
The Darkest Side – The Middle East
I Love You, But I Don’t Trust You Anymore (Prince cover) – Holly Miranda
Killing Me Softly – The Fugees
Between the Bars – Elliott Smith
Transatlanticism – Death Cab For Cutie
The Child Is Gone – Fiona Apple
Other Towns and Cities – Camera Obscura
A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise – Phosphorescent
Flightless Bird, American Mouth – Iron & Wine
Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover) – Sinead O’Connor
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Elton John
Isn’t It A Pity (George Harrison cover) – Nina Simone
I Can’t Take It – Tegan and Sara
What If You – Joshua Radin
A Case Of You – Joni Mitchell
Almost Lover – A Fine Frenzy
The Blower’s Daughter – Damien Rice
Sleeper 1972 – Manchester Orchestra
Behind The Wall – Tracy Chapman
What are your favourite sad songs? Hit us with them in the comments below.
Want to suggest a playlist theme? Leave it via Formspring and someone from the team might just make it for you.
Important Prairie Homo News: Rae Spoon Announces “My Prairie Home” Tour Dates
Canadian indie-pop musician Rae Spoon’s upcoming LP is a shout-out to prairie homos and everyone who likes good music and storytelling. Spoon explains that their LP, titled “My Prairie Home,” will explore themes of “death, coming out as queer during high school, and surviving abuse.” The 19 track personal song cycle, which comes out August 19th through Saved By Radio, will be the soundtrack to Spoon’s “My Prairie Home,” a soon-to-be released documentary directed by Chelsea McMullan about growing up queer in Alberta (shout-out to my province!)
via raespoon.com
We’re big fans of Spoon here at Autostraddle. We crushed pretty hard on “First Spring Grass Fire,” downright fell in love when Spoon donned a grandpa sweater and sang “Insensitive” with Vivek Shraya in a most perfect Canadian prairie homo moment, and couldn’t believe the marriage of awesomeness that occurred when Rae Spoon paired up with Ivan E. Coyote for the Gender Failure show (which you can watch online! Wow! Does life get any better?)
So of course we feel obligated to make sure you know that Rae Spoon recently announced “My Prairie Home” tour dates! Get out your day planners, your iPhones, your Google calendars! Spoon is coming to a Canadian city near you! Or, if it’s not near you, well, then that’s a good excuse to come to Canada.
Tour dates:
9/18 Toronto, ON – The Gladstone
9/19 Ottawa, ON – Black Sheep Inn
9/20 Peterborough, ON – The Spill
9/21 Sudbury, ON – TBA
9/22 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
9/27 Fredericton, NB – Gallery Connexion
9/28 Halifax, NS – The Company House
10/10 Calgary, AB – Festival Hall
10/11 Lethbridge, AB – The Acoustic Owl
10/12-13 Edmonton, AB – Up+Downtown Festival
10/19 Victoria, BC – The Copper Owl
10/23 Vancouver, BC – TBA
11/23 Winnipeg, MB – The Windsor
For more information, or if you just want to hang out on an amazing website, check out Rae Spoon dot com.
Almost Famous: Leanne Harte
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Leanne Harte
Dublin, Ireland
Photo: Debbie Hickey
Leanne Harte is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and self-confessed computer nerd who hails from Dublin, Ireland. Having commenced her music career in her mid-teens, Leanne’s racked up an impressive list of musical feats over the years including award nominations, airplay, TV appearances, nationwide tours and an electric guitar endorsement at age 16. She also released several records under her own indie label.
Leanne’s new EP, Restless Sleepers, was released today! It’s a new direction for the artist, featuring five tracks of “folk-with-an-edge”. Check it out via the iTunes and Amazon links at the bottom of this page.
How do you describe your sound?
My music is a mix of folk, alternative and rock – all of my influences combined together to create my own unique sound. I sometimes find it difficult enough to describe, because it’s constantly changing. You kinda have to just hear it for yourself!
Which track from your new EP would you most like for everyone to hear?
The title track, “Restless Sleepers” would be great to share with the readers.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95852347%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Ca8Vw” params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
What instrument/s do you play?
My main instruments are guitar and voice. I’ve been playing guitar since I was about nine, and singing since I was about two.
What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
I’m also a bit of a computer geek and I love designing websites. Outside of work things, I love going to gigs and festivals, travelling, and I also play a bit of hockey. I’m actually heading away to Belgium in August to play hockey at the World Out Games – really excited about that!
What were the first and last records you bought?
I think the first record I bought was Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill on a cassette tape! The last one was Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.
What inspires you to write?
Depressingly enough, the times I find myself most inspired are the times in my life that I’m at my lowest. I find writing to be very therapeutic, and it always helps me through bad times. I find it quite difficult to write when I’m happy, which is tricky at the moment because I’m quite content! It’s something I really need to work on.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life?
I could think of quite a few I’d be happy with, but I’d be pretty fine with listening to Tegan & Sara’s If It Was You for the rest of my life, I never get tired of it. “Living Room” is one of my favourite songs ever. I love most of what they do, but I particularly love their earlier, more raw material, it’s great.
Have you ever had to work a terrible job to support your music career?
I worked in IKEA for three years. It wasn’t the worst job ever, but it just wasn’t for me. I am a pro at building IKEA furniture now though.
If you could share a line-up with any two other artists?
Probably Patti Smith and Joni Mitchell, because I would LOVE to chat to them after the gig. They seem like really interesting people, and completely inspired me growing up.
Who is your idol?
My little brother, Ross. He’s a pro kite-surfer, and has just spent his entire life doing exactly what he’s wanted to do, no matter what has stood in his way. He now lives on an island off the Caribbean, where he spends his days surfing in the sun, and that’s his job. Amazing. He’s totally inspiring.
Do you have any pets?
I have a lovely dog named Kaiser, who is a cross between a husky and a labrador. He is the cutest, friendliest dog in the world.
You can get your hands on Leanne’s new EP, Restless Sleepers, from Amazon, iTunes UK, iTunes US, iTunes Aus and probably the rest of the iTunes stores, too. If you happen to live in Dublin or Germany, soon Leanne may just be playing a show near you. Check out her gig page.
For more on Leanne Harte, visit:
Leanne Harte’s website
Leanne Harte on Facebook
Leanne Harte on Twitter (@leanne_harte)
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
Playlist: Classic Rock Radio Is The Best Radio
This weekend we went upstate for my girlfriend’s 30th birthday and while driving home along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway we stumbled upon a fantastic radio station straight out of Mendocino County called “The Coast.” We decided it was the best radio station ever for driving down the coast but also the best radio station ever for our parents because it played almost exclusively music that our parents first introduced us to. (I was born in 1981, my parents were 50s-born hippies.) We then agreed resolutely that the music our parents raised us on is still The Best Music Ever. Also everybody knows that Classic Rock Radio Is Always The Best Radio.
This is the playlist I wish was always playing.
Wild World – Cat Stevens
Lyin’ Eyes – The Eagles
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
Baba O’ Riley – The Who
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
Ramble On – Led Zeppelin
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys
I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Moondance – Van Morrison
Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
The Dangling Conversation – Simon & Garfunkel
Graceland – Paul Simon
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones
For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
Break On Through (to the other side) – The Doors
Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
Carolina on My Mind – James Taylor
Casey Jones – The Grateful Dead
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
A Day in the Life – The Beatles
Teach Your Children – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Going to California – Led Zeppelin
American Pie – Don McLean
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
Son of A Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Imagine – John Lennon
Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
The City of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie
I’ve Got My Mind Set On You – George Harrison
Carey – Joni Mitchell
You’ve Got A Friend – James Taylor
Ever Since I Put Your Picture In A Frame – Tom Waits
Let’s Get Together – The Youngbloods
Mr. Bojangles – The Nitty Gritty Dity Band
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Boys of Summer – Don Henley
Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
Cheap Sunglasses – ZZ Top
You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty
The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
Fly Like An Eagle – Steve Miller Band
The Weight – The Band
Shine On You Crazy Diamond – Pink Floyd
What songs do you wanna hear on your Classic Rock Radio station when you’re on the road?
Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit Crystal up on Formspring and someone from the team will make it for you, if you’re lucky.
Idol Worship: My Favorite Cher Songs
Welcome to Idol Worship, a biweekly devotional to whoever the fuck I’m into. This is a no-holds-barred lovefest for my favorite celebrities, rebels and biker chicks; women qualify for this column simply by changing my life and/or moving me deeply. This week I’m basking in all things Cher because she reminds me of New Jersey, DC, and myself – no matter when I was.
Header by Rory Midhani
One of the first CD’s I ever purchased with my own money was Cher’s Living Proof in 2001. I was 11 years old. I had no inkling then that Cher would continue to be a part of my life, but I’m damn happy I got an early start on appreciating her.
Cher made headlines this weekend by performing at New York City’s star-studded Pride weekend, all of which occurred while I was getting kicked out of a bar in Brooklyn. She rolled up at 2 AM and performed her newest song, “Woman’s World.” No performance at such an event would have been complete, however, without an homage to the LGBT humans who make her status a pop icon possible:
Cher, standing below a giant neon LED signature of her name, told the crowd. “My first gay friend was when I was 9 years old — and I said this on Twitter — but I thought gay was a code word for fun.”
She went on to thank her gay fans, saying, “I have had ups and downs in my career, and you guys have never left me. I was out, I was uncool, I was a has-been, whatever the [bleep].”
She added, “You guys have always been there . . . You’ve kept me in sequins.”
Cher’s come a long way as a gay advocate and activist, as well as a gay icon. Her biggest learning experience when it comes to navigating LGBT issues has obviously been her relationship with Chaz, her trans* son. When Chaz initially came out as a lesbian, Cher admitted to struggling with the news – but come hell or high water, she was determined to work through her fucked-up internal script and be a supporting and loving parent. Now, her son is out and proud and she is outspoken and loud about the inequalities he has been facing for years as an LGBT person on this planet we call Earth.
Before the personal became political, however, Cher had already been cemented a gay icon. Gay men have always loved her, and let’s face it – she’s fucking fabulous. Costume changes, hair changes, theatrics and dramatics, an acting career on the side, longevity and songs about perseverance made it hard for any queers to stray from her side. Cher has a Wikipedia page dedicated only to her role as a gay icon. I’m not even fucking around.
Now, Cher’s status as best friend to all things queer is indisputable: she’s keynoted by PFLAG, received honors from GLAAD and the Advocate, and carries the title of “the number one greatest thing about being gay.” Word.
Personally, Cher played a major part in my own coming out – but not in the same way as, say, Madonna or the way Madonna looks rubbing sand on her body. None of Cher’s songs ever made me “realize I was gay,” but they did make me feel normal; Cher’s lyrics about love have always been inherently assigned to the LGBT community out of mere association and her songs have long been meant to appeal to troves of gay human beings, and whenever I needed a vocabulary they were there to help with finding words. When I was straight and couldn’t relate to songs about wanting to be with men, and didn’t know why, I found solace in her songs about being independent and strong and a woman, and that being enough. When I hear her on the radio I remember my mother, my friends, pride parades, summer camp, shitty 80’s movies I watched reruns of on TV. Cher’s always been a part of my life. She’s always liked me no matter who the fuck I was in the morning.
Cher’s role as Mother To All Queers is good enough reason for every single human being reading this article to sit down, shut the fuck up, and listen to some goddamn pop music. So let’s do that.
“Believe”
I loved Cher as a kid because “Believe” was all over the radio and that song was my mom’s fucking jam. Chalk it up to her single mom status, but “Believe” was right up there with “You Oughta Know” and “Torn” as one of the songs my mom would raise the volume for and sing along to on our road trips to restaurants and shopping centers in Nowherseville, New Jersey. I remember being really struck by Cher’s voice because it was deep. I always liked women who had deep voices because I could really sound like them when I belted out their words in my mom’s Volkswagon Jetta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p0chD8U8fA
“Song for the Lonely”
Amanda and I once listened to this song together by accident and it was the first time someone else I knew really, genuinely, liked Cher. I didn’t feel weird anymore. I recommend that everyone find someone else who likes Cher. Keep them in your life.
“If I Could Turn Back Time”
I was once watching a documentary or something on E!, probably, about Cher, and this song stayed in my head for years until I learned how to actually obtain music on the Internet. It’s very strangely wise and the music is killer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em9poFodnWg
“Strong Enough”
When I was a teenage feminist, “Strong Enough” was my anthem. Plus, my mom really likes disco and therefore I do, too, and this particular song is just very disco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlDBUMX2DiY
“The Shoop Shoop Song”
Every single time I listen to this I’m just as interested in finding out how you know if he loves you so.
“I Got You Babe”
I think this is the sweetest love song of all time.
Team Pick: The 90s Button Is Timetraveling Intergalactic Joy
Crystal’s Team Pick:
Hello, I thought you might like to know that The Internet has outdone itself.
The 90s Button is the greatest music website ever created, probably. A click on Hasselhoff’s face will transport you back to the 1990s where you can jam out to an endless collection of the finest songs and music videos ever made. Like just now I heard Beastie Boys’ “Intergalactic” followed by Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” and then Bomfunk MC’s “Freestyler” and then La Bouche’s “Be My Lover” and then, and THEN! Just when I thought my morning had reached its fullest potential, up popped Green Day’s “When I Come Around” and my head and heart exploded.
I just want y’all to have a a day that’s been as joyous as mine.
The 90s Button is the genius of Sune Frantsen and David Adalberth Andersen.
Almost Famous: Max Campbell
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Max Campbell
Bozeman, Montana
Credit: Jesse Moore
Max Campbell is an indie-folk musician hailing from Montana who’s been making music since elementary school when her and her sister formed an undoubtedly rad band in their family basement. Max cites her influences as being some of the acts you love, such as Tegan and Sara, Now Now and Sick of Sarah. Last week she released a brand-new EP, Wings, which has been shaped by feelings associated with growing up and moving on, the love and the people who affected her along the way.
What instruments do you play?
I sing and I play guitar. I have been playing for about eight years. I can play the bass and the ukulele but I generally stick to guitar.
Which track would you most like our readers to hear?
“Because Of You.” It’s the single for my new EP. I wrote it for my best friend to whom I dedicated the entire album.
What inspires you to write?
Originally I wrote because it was the only thing that made me feel alive. You could call me a music addict and at one point, simply listening wasn’t quite enough. Music has given me a reason to live through some of the toughest points of my life. Now that many things are easier I write about anything that I don’t quite understand. I write as a means to vent and as a means to understand how I feel. So in my life, that is basically any emotional crisis.
What was the last song you wrote about?
The last song I wrote is called “Temporary Solution.” It is about being with someone and knowing that there is an expiration date. It is also sort of about my desire to move to a city because I have never lived outside of Montana. Retrospectively, it doesn’t make me look like that great of a person, but it is honest and I doubt that I am the only one who starts temporary relationships, so I think the song will stick around. I am also working on a song about pugs, because I love them and no one I know agrees.
Have you ever had to work a terrible job to pursue your music career?
At the moment I am working the night shift at a hotel. My shift runs from 11PM to 7AM and my coworkers generally end up taking naps. It is pretty exhausting and kills my social life but I need the money, also, the type of people that come into hotels late tend to be pretty interesting.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
I don’t have a pre-show ritual, but I have a post show ritual. Every time I get done playing I call my mom. I had a hard time my first couple years in college and I think it really scared her. She likes to hear how happy I am. Unfortunately I usually get done very late and so I don’t get to talk to her. I just leave a message. She has saved all of them.
If you could share a line-up with any two other artists?
I would die of joy to share a stage with Tegan and Sara but at the moment I think it would be better to play with Allison Weiss and Mal Blum. They are slightly closer to me in the industry and I think I could learn a lot from both of them, also they seem like intriguing people to spend time with. Honestly, who doesn’t want to go on a road trip with Allison Weiss?
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Find what makes you feel alive and do it. The environment I grew up in did not focus on nurturing passion, it focused entirely on success. Most of the activities I was encouraged to pursue looked good on a resume or an application. I did everything I was supposed to do and I decided that it would be a good idea to become a doctor. I didn’t make this decision because it was what I wanted to do, I did it because it was expected. I got good grades, I was on the debate team, I behaved myself, and I was generally unhappy.
I got to college and had a pre-life crisis. I switched majors from pre-med to Spanish and History (which I enjoy but am not at the right school for). But I am taking time off to pursue music. I figure this is the best time in my life to make impulsive decisions and generally be broke. There are not a lot of things that are worth being miserable.
You mentioned that being a gay person in Montana gives you an interesting perspective…
I am trying to think of the right way to explain it. The best I can come up with is that living in Montana is like living in any small town anywhere in the country, except that it is an entire state of small towns (and not a small state at that). To get anywhere that is better it is necessary to go two states over.
I know a decent amount of LGBT people here and of these, not a single person wants to stay in the state indefinitely. We are in one of the two most open and accepting cities and there is still a great deal of harassment that happens on a regular basis. I generally expect that people will not really be “o.k.” with the fact that I am gay. I’ve gotten used to it. I have also, sadly, gotten used to being outed. Being gay is no longer a fact that I have the luxury of deciding when to share, someone else usually does it for me, regardless of the situation.
I always say that Montana is a great place to visit, and it really is gorgeous and people are very courteous. It will always have a place in my heart, but I am really sick of living here.
When you’re super famous, what will the title of your autobiography be?
I Tried Being Funny, But I Ended Up Here.
Do you have any pets?
I have a dog called Panini. Technically she lives with my parents but I took care of her for the first few months.
Get to know more about Max via Facebook, Twitter and her website. The new EP, Wings, can be purchased here.
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
Captain’s Log: New Music from M.I.A., The Julie Ruin and Haerts
Hello songbirds! Welcome back to the Captain’s Log, a column that harkens back to the footloose and fancy-free early Autostraddle days when I used to head down to SXSW and painstakingly document all the new bands I could absorb in one whiskey-soaked weekend. Nowadays, while glorious paid vacations are a bit more difficult to come by, new artists are fortunately still popping up all the time. Here are some new songs I think you might enjoy.
M.I.A. – Bring the Noize
Last we heard from M.I.A., critics were getting a little bit tired of her politics, and a particular incident with a truffle fry didn’t do her any favors. Although “Bad Girls” was a great song and an even better video, the resulting album “MAYA” was a commercial flop. It’s reassuring, then, that “Bring the Noize” is a return to form – mesmerizing layers of drum machines and synth chirps that remind me more of “Arular” than anything she’s done lately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCkIYkaLBGs
The Coathangers – Derek’s Song
The Coathangers are basically everything I could ever want in a rock band – badass women who write catchy, garagey music I can drink to. They released “Derek’s Song” (an ode to a friend of the band who passed away last year) this past February on a limited edition split record with labelmates Nü Sensae. This brand new video sees the Coathangers raging in a hotel room with typical rock’n’roll aplomb – until a series of mysterious murders threaten to derail the party.
Haerts – All The Days
Brooklyn-based Haerts first caught my attention with their gorgeously catchy first single “Wings” – a melancholy, perfectly satisfying synth pop track that seems tailor made for moping in air conditioning all summer long. For their second single “All the Days,” Haerts shot a video in a Hollywood salsa club and filled it with local dancers. The track is about as far from salsa as you can get – reverb-soaked and moody, more suited for swaying in the dark than tossing a partner around – but somehow the dancers and the relationships between them make it totally work. The video premiered on Aritzia’s website last week and will hit Vevo in a couple of days. Haerts are on tour now with Atlas Genius, and I’m excited to see what they come out with next.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93422915″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Shannon and the Clams – Rip Van Winkle
I’ve been hearing about Shannon and the Clams for a couple of months, but it wasn’t until I heard them play with Mikhail Cronin in New York last week that I finally realized what all the hype is about. The Oakland-based trio write clever, charming songs that sound straight out of the 1960s, topped off with a little bit of rockabilly snarl.
The Julie Ruin – Oh Come On
Has Kathleen Hanna ever done anything wrong, or even anything mediocre? It seems highly improbable. Originally conceived as a lo-fi solo project sometime between Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, the Julie Ruin are a currently a five-piece band led by the riot grrrl pioneer. “Oh Come On” is our first taste of what they’ve been cooking up in their secret underground headquarters, and it’s everything you could ever want in a Kathleen Hanna project – eminently danceable, with anthemic, sing-song vocals and raucous guitars. This lyric video will be very helpful for all the times you’ll undoubtedly want to jump around your bedroom shouting this song into a hairbrush. The Julie Ruin just announced that they’re playing this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, and they’re heading out on tour this fall in support of their record “Run Fast,” out September 3.
Crystal’s Track Stop Is The New Girl Style
Welcome to Crystal’s Track Stop, where every week (or so) I bring you a selection of the raddest tracks from my record collection and also from the internet.
Header by Rory Midhani
“Sex Tourettes” – Abbe May
So I haven’t listened to the new Kanye or the new Austra or any new albums whatsoever because I’m yet to drag my ears away from Kiss My Apocalypse, the most recent record from Australian electro slash ‘doom pop’ artist Abbe May. Abbe May fascinates me; she’s strong and strange and everything she does has this smack of seduction and empowerment. Her latest single, “Sex Tourettes,” is kinda dark and weird and so naturally I’m right into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TPutu0CcGg
“The Only One” – Holly Miranda
At a show in New York earlier this month, Holly Miranda performed a bunch of new tracks from her forthcoming album and NYCTaper.com recorded them and put them on the internet (with permission!). As a Holly Miranda tragic, this is hands down the most exciting musical thing to happen to me so far this year. I may or may not have teared up during “Mark My Words”. Okay I did. Her music is just so fucking beautiful.
Check out “The Only One” below and head on over to NYCTaper.com where you can download the entire set.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95809907″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
“Heaven In Stereo” – Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
At A-Camp Somer broadened my musical horizons by playing a track from Shilpa Ray, whose music I’d never heard before and fell in love with. I don’t believe it was this particular track but this is the one I feel like playing today. It’s from the 2011 album Teenage and Torture.
“Other I” – Saint Le Roq
Last week Carly tipped me off to this rad new track and vid by Saint Le Roq, a queer LA-based DJ duo comprising musician-producers Anon (Anna Sitko) and Kim Anh. Check it.
“The Sailor” – Jess McAvoy
So, this song is a) a few years old, and b) something that I’ve already linked on this website, back in March when we interviewed Jess McAvoy for Almost Famous. I’m posting it again because real talk, not many of you read Almost Famous. Jess has a dream to record and release a new acoustic album, titled The Women, and needs to raise some funds, and I feel like once you hear her dynamite voice and witness the gender-bending awesomeness in this music video you might be inclined to throw a few dollars her way, if you can.
There are only a couple days left on the fundraising campaign, you can read all about her plans and donate here.
“Do It Again” – Camera Obscura
Last month Hansen told me that she’s been listening to Camera Obscura’s new single over and over again, so I’ve been doing a bit of that too. It’s impossible to feel sad around this song, it’s a piece of pure joy from their new record, Desire Lines.
Want to tell me about a great track you’ve heard? Shoot me the link via @trackstop or crystal at autostraddle dot com (please write “track stop” in the subject line).
The 24 Gayest Things in the New Miley Cyrus Video, “We Can’t Stop”
If you follow Miley Cyrus on Twitter or have been on the internet today, you know that her video for “We Can’t Stop” is out. Everyone wants to talk about the song’s drug references and her need to twerk and her plethora of black friends (that’s probs just me) but I just want to talk about how gay this video is. Yes, it might be weirder than it is gay but there’s actually nothing gayer than being weird. Sure, a guy eats a hundred dollar bill sandwich. Yes, there is a skull made of fries. But most importantly, Miley Cyrus is one frame away from fingerbanging a chick for the majority of this video and it’s hilarious. Does she know we can see her? I feel like she doesn’t know we can.
The 24 Gayest Moments from “We Can’t Stop”
1. Miley made out with someone that looks like her
2. She wrestled with someone out of sheer sexual frustration
3. Miley made vuvla fingers
4. Other women slapped her ass
5. She slapped other women’s asses
6. There was a vegan dish
7. Miley showed off some serious tongue dexterity
8. This haircut forever and ever Amen
9. Miley grabbed someone’s boob while they enjoyed a beautiful ass sunset
10. Miley rode on this girl’s back while wet
11. This look
12. Being “about that life” in general is very gay
13. Something shot out of a woman’s crotch
14. Miley wore a sports bra
15. Miley did a sporty thing
16. Miley was way too into her pets
17. A girl literally came out of a bush
18. Things were flaming/on fire, much like Miley herself
19. Girls grinded (ground?) with each other
20. This very large pair of scissors
21. This cat shirt
22. Pasties
23. Miley really wanted you to know how impressive her tongue is
24. No, for real. Look at her goddamn tongue.
Almost Famous: Tica Douglas
Welcome to Almost Famous, a weekly segment where we ask up-and-coming queer musicians some not so hard-hitting questions about music and life and maybe even convince them to share photos of their pets. Get to know intimate details about your new favorite artist or band before they hit the Big Time and become too famous for us to interview for real.
Header by Rory Midhani
Tica Douglas
Brooklyn, NY
Tica Douglas is an indie folk artist with a distinct voice and songwriting style influenced by the male artists of her parents generation, namely the Beatles, Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan. Especially Dylan. These uncategorisable voices “furnished her musical imagination and gave her hope” as Tica grew up and developed as a songwriter.
Just last month Tica released a stellar full-length album, Summer Valentine. It features nine songs which explore two landscapes: Tica’s hometown on the coast of Maine, and an old barn house upstate in Patterson, NY. You can listen to and download the album via BandCamp.
How would you describe your music?
It’s always hard to answer this. Recently someone said ‘Indie Folk’ and that sounds about right. But there’s always been a distinctive pop element in my songwriting, so maybe ‘Indie Folk-Pop’ is more on point.
What instrument/s do you play?
I play guitar, and I’ve been playing it since I learned power chords in high school for an all-girl punk band called The Glare. I was the youngest member though, and shy, so I didn’t start really writing and singing my own stuff until I was about 17. Since then, I haven’t stopped writing or singing.
Which song would you most like everyone to hear?
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95558129″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
“G”. It’s a love song. I recorded Summer Valentine upstate in an old barnhouse this past winter, and the rest of the songs are played with a band. But “G” is just me – recorded live, in one take. I think this gives it a special quality, like you can really hear every creak in the barn, and every creak in my voice.
Plus, it’s because of G (which stands for Gracie, my girlfriend) that I’m lucky enough to be on this segment, as she submitted my music.
What were the first and last records you bought?
The first record I bought was Help! by the Beatles when I was six, and the love affair began. The last record I bought was Kurt Vile’s Wakin on a Pretty Daze and whoa, amazing.
What inspires you to write?
The ocean. Religious iconography. My heart. I get overwhelmed easily, and I write to try to translate this confusing, overwhelmingly beautiful and difficult life; probably the same reason anyone does.
What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
I tutor and teach high school, mostly 11th and 12th graders in the Bronx, and I love it. It’s a perfect complement to music because the schedule is flexible so I’m able to devote a lot of time to music; and because when I’m not doing music, I get to devote myself to tangibly helping these awesome kids. Without that balance, I think I’d lose it.
If you could share a line-up with any two artists?
Sharon Van Etten and Jeff Mangum. Super heroes.
Describe the environment that you write your songs in.
It changes, but I think the more physical space I have, the more creative space I fill. For this last record, I returned home to Maine last summer after a two year writing block in NYC. I told myself I was going to write a new record, end of story. I sat down every day with that intention – I immersed myself in old favorites (Bob Dylan, Beatles, Buddy Holly, Neutral Milk Hotel) and new favorites (Beach House, Dirty Projectors, Destroyer, Sharon Van Etten); I played around on the piano and guitar, learning every Beach Boys song I could think of (their chord progressions are wild!); I stared at the Atlantic Ocean for two months. And it worked! That’s where the songs from Summer Valentine came from.
What is your favorite thing about living in Brooklyn?
My musical family. I live in pretty much the same neighborhood as all the guys who came up to the barn house and recorded Summer Valentine with me. It’s nice to be so close to your friends and creative collaborators, it makes creating easier and more natural.
When you’re super famous what you name your autobiography?
Haha, G & I were just talking about this actually. We said it’d probably be “I Look Like An Idiot in These Shorts: The Autobiography of Tica Douglas.” I’m from Maine and I get a little carried away, wearing shorts when it’s not exactly warm out yet. And they’re usually American Flag shorts, or something equally silly.
Everything else you’d like to know about Tica can be found via her website and Facebook. Her new record, Summer Valentine, can be downloaded here.
If you are, or know of, a queer artist or band that should be featured in Almost Famous, drop me the details via crystal [at] autostraddle [dot] com. Please write ‘Almost Famous’ in the subject line!
Playlist: Fake Girls To Crush On
When I was a kid I had kind of a big crush on Jane from “Jane Says”. I also had a thing for the hypothetical weird vixen in “Short Skirt/Long Jacket.” Both songs played on the alt-rock station my dad liked, and I’d be in the backseat making genuine plans to bring Jane my leftover lunch money, or grinning like a tiny gay maniac imagining what “eyes that burn like cigarettes” could possibly look like. As I grew up I started comandeering the CD player, but I still had a thing for songs built around crushworthy character sketches — something about the combined specificity and anonymity. Gloria might lean on parking meters near my office. Valerie could be hashing out her legal problems at the police station down the street. And if anyone knows where Darling Nikki is, why aren’t you there too? Call a cab or something. Enjoy, crushmonsters.
*Note: if guys originally wrote the songs I tried to find girls covering them, for very obvious reasons.
Fake Girls To Crush On
Gloria: In Excelsis Deo
Mystery Girl
Sukie In The Graveyard
Short Skirt/Long Jacket
Karen By Night (LP Version)
She Belongs to Me – Ólöf Arnalds (Bob Dylan cover)
Queen Bitch (1999 Digital Remaster)
Chloe In The Afternoon
Rebel Girl
Charmaine Champagne
Suzanne
Suddenly I See
Valerie
Darling Nikki – Chairlift (Prince cover)
Jane Says
When I Knew
Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit Crystal up on Formspring and someone from the team will make it for you, if you’re lucky.
VIDEO: Brittani Nichols Releases Video for “Tandem Ride,” Furthers Excitement for Upcoming Rap Career and World Domination
feature image c/o Geneva Armstrong.
The rap world experienced two amazing and historical births Saturday. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Kimye welcomed their baby girl into the world. And in Los Angeles, rapper, comedian, writer, and otherwise perfect human Brittani Nichols was texting me to let me know she’d dropped her first-ever music video.
B, who is both hilarious and insanely talented, has released a video for her second single, “Tandem Ride,” featuring Ali Kol. The song is part of her upcoming and much-awaited mixtape, “Spirit Finger Gazebo,” which until recently often felt like a distant dream left in the very bottom of my heart to keep me warm on cold winter nights. It’s about, um, girls on bikes. JK it’s totally about lesbianism! And bikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfrlFQcFBE4
The single has already received heady praise, including a statement this weekend from Lil Carmen – Pretty Money Records founder, Klub Deer co-founder and private dancer, and one-time personal rapper to Kate Nash – that “this shit is amazing.” You all know how I feel about Brittani when I’m not drunk and channelling my rapper “alter ego,” so I’ll skip the gratuitous worship and save it, hopefully, for a column in which it would be more well-suited.
"does she ever make mistakes" "i don't know and i don't think so" – geneva and i discussing @bishilarious
— carmen f*cking rios 🚬👑🦄 (@carmenriosss) June 14, 2013
And in case my own opinion as two completely different people isn’t enough for you, the other reactions on the Internet remained positive, by the way.
@BisHilarious LOVEEEEE ITTTT! Hahaha I'm cracking up the whole time. It's so accurate.
— L I L Y (@Lilamander) June 15, 2013
All of that being said, I’m going to continue willing Brittani into the rap world until she’s cemented as a piece of its history. Just ’cause I sorta can. I mean, sure, at a certain point Drake’s gonna have to take over because I just lack the solid connections I wished to have in place by now three years ago when I recorded “Fuckin’ Nasty Bitch” in my living room. But I digress. I know it will all work out. Girl’s got a gift.
You should follow Brittani’s activity on BandCamp and follow her on Twitter to stay updated on her up-and-coming spot as the world’s next Greatest Rapper Alive. Oh, and if you haven’t already followed Words With Girls on YouTube, you’re kind of behind on some stuff and we should talk. But it’s never too late to volunteer as tribute to what I like to call #Brittani Nichols Appreciation Lyfe.