In case you didn’t notice, I have a lot to say about queer people and I have a lot to say about country music. Sometimes those two interests even combine! Several of the
most prominent bands and artists in queer country will be performing at
The Bowery Electric in New York City on Sunday November 18th. It’s my dream lineup and James Wilson of the Paisley Fields told me a little more about the show.
most prominent bands and artists in queer country will be performing at
The Bowery Electric in New York City on Sunday November 18th. It’s my dream lineup and James Wilson of the Paisley Fields told me a little more about the show.
The show
will be headlined by Paisley Fields and feature performances by; Mercy Bell, Karen & The Sorrows and Wiley Gaby of Goldenchild.
will be headlined by Paisley Fields and feature performances by; Mercy Bell, Karen & The Sorrows and Wiley Gaby of Goldenchild.
Doors open
at 5:30 and tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. The Bowery
Electric is located at 327 Bowery, New York, NY.
at 5:30 and tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. The Bowery
Electric is located at 327 Bowery, New York, NY.
You (as well as Kevin Thornton from Strange Fire) have described queer country as a new “genre” of country music. What does that term mean to
you? Can you describe what the genre sounds like?
you? Can you describe what the genre sounds like?
To me queer country is about taking back our culture. I
grew up in rural Iowa and, as a queer person, was pushed out of the
culture I grew up in. Queer country is about reclaiming country music as
our own and sharing our truth. Country music is just about telling your
truth anyway.
grew up in rural Iowa and, as a queer person, was pushed out of the
culture I grew up in. Queer country is about reclaiming country music as
our own and sharing our truth. Country music is just about telling your
truth anyway.
Why does it feel important to you to organize a show like this?
It’s important to me that we come together as a community. We are stronger together.
Could you tell us more about the artists you’re sharing the bill/invited
to shared the bill with you?
to shared the bill with you?
I’m
lucky to call all the artists on this bill friends. I met Wiley Gaby
years ago and he introduced me to Karen, who runs the queer country
quarterly. Karen has been a big inspiration in putting together shows
like this. I met Mercy recently, also through Wiley. She’s incredible,
as a human and as an artist. We are so excited to have Mercy and Wiley
come up from Nashville to play this show. I am thrilled with any
opportunity I have to share a bill with Karen.
lucky to call all the artists on this bill friends. I met Wiley Gaby
years ago and he introduced me to Karen, who runs the queer country
quarterly. Karen has been a big inspiration in putting together shows
like this. I met Mercy recently, also through Wiley. She’s incredible,
as a human and as an artist. We are so excited to have Mercy and Wiley
come up from Nashville to play this show. I am thrilled with any
opportunity I have to share a bill with Karen.
Here’s a little more information about each artist:
Paisley Fields, 9pm
Paisley
Fields are an alt-country band, unapologetic about pushing boundaries
and seeking inspiration in the unexpected. Noisey writes, “Glitter &
Sawdust is gorgeous Nashville pop with a honky tonk heart, from the
hillbilly jam ‘Winchester’s Gun’ to a phenomenal cover of Little Big
Town’s pot-stirrer “Girl Crush”. Wide Open Country writes “I love them
and they give me a thrill – that kind of heart-to-heart connection that
we all search for in our music. It’s a powerful, engaging album. Glitter
& Sawdust proves that queer themes can and should belong in the
classic country canon.”
Fields are an alt-country band, unapologetic about pushing boundaries
and seeking inspiration in the unexpected. Noisey writes, “Glitter &
Sawdust is gorgeous Nashville pop with a honky tonk heart, from the
hillbilly jam ‘Winchester’s Gun’ to a phenomenal cover of Little Big
Town’s pot-stirrer “Girl Crush”. Wide Open Country writes “I love them
and they give me a thrill – that kind of heart-to-heart connection that
we all search for in our music. It’s a powerful, engaging album. Glitter
& Sawdust proves that queer themes can and should belong in the
classic country canon.”
Mercy Bell, 8pm
Mercy
Bell is a “distinct voice with a potent, progressive take on emotive,
modern folk” according to Rolling Stone. She comes from Nashville by way
for Brooklyn, Massachusetts, California & Arkansas.
Bell is a “distinct voice with a potent, progressive take on emotive,
modern folk” according to Rolling Stone. She comes from Nashville by way
for Brooklyn, Massachusetts, California & Arkansas.
Karen & The Sorrows, 7pm
Queer
country trailblazers Karen & the Sorrows have been featured
in Billboard, WNYC’s The Takeaway, and Rolling Stone, who described them
as “Dolly Parton fronting Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.” Noisey called
their most recent album, The Narrow Place, “exactly what country music
needs right now.” They are also at the heart of Brooklyn’s queer country
scene, running the Gay Ole Opry Festival and the Queer Country
Quarterly, and creating community for people who love country music even
if country music doesn’t always love them back.
country trailblazers Karen & the Sorrows have been featured
in Billboard, WNYC’s The Takeaway, and Rolling Stone, who described them
as “Dolly Parton fronting Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.” Noisey called
their most recent album, The Narrow Place, “exactly what country music
needs right now.” They are also at the heart of Brooklyn’s queer country
scene, running the Gay Ole Opry Festival and the Queer Country
Quarterly, and creating community for people who love country music even
if country music doesn’t always love them back.
Wiley Gaby (Goldenchild), 6pm
Fronted
by songwriter Wiley Gaby and featuring a revolving cast of musicians,
collaborators, and friends, NYC band Goldenchild makes gorgeous, cosmic
country that Next Magazine calls “damn beautiful.”