Happy Pride, Teardrops!
This week, I want to take us on a musical tour of my latest project, the Rainbow Rodeo zine! This idea had been kicking around in my head for quite a few years. I started reaching out to people in January of 2020 about it and, well…you know the rest. We launched a Kickstarter last summer and began printing and shipping everything a couple of months ago. The website is ready and rarin’ to go, and I can’t wait for you all to read essays from Sarah Shook, Karen and the Sorrows, and catherine the great.
I’m only going to feature a few of the many, many artists who contributed to issue 1, so I wanted to give some space to artists whose music I haven’t played in a while. For those we missed, go back a few episodes or stay tuned: catherine the great wrote a fantastic essay about the Oak Ridge Boys and white supremacy, and I played her song “Sins of the Father” a few weeks back on the Anti-Racist Mixtape episode. I also interviewed Amythyst Kiah in the zine, but Terry Blade and I are going to spin a song from her upcoming album in next week’s episode — so hit that subscribe button!
To get us started, we’ll listen to Karen and the Sorrows. In the zine, Karen wrote an unbelievably powerful essay: “A Queer Country Manifesto.” This is something we talk more about in an upcoming episode of Country Queer Spotlight, but in this essay, Karen zeroes in on the tension of making sure that queer country stays queer as it goes mainstream. Here’s what she wrote:
“I’m not interested in being queer or being country unless it means we’re willing to go to Fist City for what we believe in. I want us to be the menace, the outlaws, the perverts they have always been afraid we are. Since when was country music ever about fitting in? I want us to be queer as in fuck you—middle finger up, Johnny Cash style.”
I thought that “You’re My Country Music” from Guaranteed Broken Heart could be a good complement to this idea, it’s also one of the few love songs Karen’s recorded.
- Karen and the Sorrows — “You’re My Country Music” (Guaranteed Broken Heart) (3:03)
- Justin Hiltner — “Silver Dagger” (Single) (7:17)
You just heard Justin Hiltner’s cover of the Dolly Parton song “Silver Dagger.” The song was featured in the blockbuster podcast Dolly Parton’s America, but Justin got to make a fancier version and released it about a month ago. In the zine, Justin generously contributed his essay from The Bluegrass Situation about his experience with cancer and the songs that pulled him through.
Mya Byrne is a queer country veteran of the New York and Bay Area scenes. She’s a proud trans woman and I’m grateful to call her my colleague at Country Queer. She and Paisley Fields are cooking up something together on Paisley’s new album, but what I didn’t realize is she co-wrote “Stay Away From My Man” on her last album Electric Park Ballroom. So with the two of them, I just know lightning is gonna strike twice. Paisley wrote an essay about the influence of fashion on her performances.
Then we’ll listen to the title track from Maya de Vitry’s How to Break a Fall. eryn brothers, who’s one of my favorite music writers, reviewed the album in the zine and wrote “There’s something so tangible about How To Break A Fall. From the tactile grittiness of the lead guitar, the buttery vocals of De Vitry, the palpitations of drums, the observant descriptions of emotion and circumstance, the songs fold on each other in seamless effortless glamor, even when they go from tender to raucous. There is a creation of emotional space here that is so very canny, as if the listener has found the voice of the secret room of one’s own heart.”
- Mya Byrne and Paisley Fields — “Stay Away From My Man” (Electric Park Ballroom) (12:25)
- Maya de Vitry — “Better and Better” (How to Break a Fall) (14:28)
This is the last set — unless you’re a Patreon subscriber! Before we get into the music, you can buy a copy of Rainbow Rodeo at www.rainbowrodeozine.com or at Adobe & Teardrops merch store! Speaking of money, you can subscribe on Patreon or send a few dollars my way on Ko-fi! Tell all your friends about the podcast and the zine! Next week, Terry Blade joines me to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride!
Next up is Bug Martin, whose music I played on episode 138. Bug is a nonbinary musician out of Philly, who should be coming out with a new album any second now. They did the layouts for the zine while they were recording and it looks beautiful! We’ll listen to “Just For the Hell Of It” from All That Is And What Ain’t.
Then, we’ll listen to Sarah Shook’s “Fuck Up” from Sidelong. Sarah wrote a gorgeous essay called “23,” about growing up, and what that really means to them.
Remember, this is only seven of the artists covered in Rainbow Rodeo! You’re going to have to get a copy to learn more about the amazing queer country music out there — and this is only scratching the surface. You can get a PDF for $1, a paper copy for $5, or even wholesale options if you’re a band or have a store. The best thing you can do, though, is sign up for a membership where you’ll be charged twice a year and get cool bonuses — the more members we have, the less fundraising we need to do!
Thanks for listening! In music we trust, in music we believe!
- Bug Martin — “Just For the Hell of It” (All That Is And What Ain’t) (19:22)
- Sarah Shook — “Fuck Up” (Sidelong) (22:16)
Next week’s topic: Juneteenth Pride With Terry Blade
Read the episode transcript at AdobeandTeardrops.com
Podcast intro by Alma Contra, music from Two Cow Garage’s “Stars & Gutters”
Send me music via SubmitHub!
Get A&T gear and Rainbow Rodeo at the merch page!
Send me money via Ko-fi or Patreon. Find Rachel and her comic via https://linktr.ee/rachel.cholst