I am so excited that our fundraiser for Rainbow Rodeo #2 is going apace! We need to raise $550 in the next 5 weeks. Will you subscribe or pre-order your copy? The first 40 subscribes will get a free art print of Danny Valero’s gorgeous cover illustration!
The goal, ultimately, is to raise enough funds so I can pay contributors for the Rainbow Rodeo newsletter! (Subscribe for free here — and click the button twice!)
There are soooo many perks to subscribing! You’ll get the zine mailed to you twice a year! Ranch Hands get these rad terrarium necklaces from Brandi Cooley, who wrote about mullets in queer culture.
At the Silver Spurs level, you’ll get an embroidery hoop from CJ Surbaugh, who interviewed queer Christian folk icon Semler – and 5 subscribers will be randomly selected to win zines by Adeem the Artist!
Pony up to the Golden Corral for a heaping helping of Tex Miller’s drag king performance, a limited edition CD by Adeem the Artist (5 lucky winners selected), and one of these nifty unicorn pins. Tex wrote a beautiful essay about outlaw country and gender! Also, Ellen Angelico, who wrote a review of Adeem’s album, will play guitar on your track! For free! Priceless!
And at the Platinum Pony level, Soda Canter will give you a free social media consult (whew!) and you can hop on a Zoom call with all of us contributors!
And, of course, everyone who wants to will have their name in the thank-you pages!
So what are you waiting for??? Subscribe!!!
In the mean time, here are some of my favorite queer country songs this week!
- Jett Holden — “Taxidermy” (Necromancer EP) — I honestly do believe that Jett is a generational talent and I’m so thrilled to see him getting the love and recognition he deserves. You can check Jett and other amazing Black artists on the Black Opry Revue tour.
- Chris Housman — “Blueneck” (Single) — This is the kind of song where you listen to it and give up on ever being as good at writing lyrics. In a catchy pop country tune, Houseman sweetly plants his flag in radical leftist politics while professing his love for his Southern roots. You can read more about the song in Felipe Oliveira’s brilliant essay about respectability politics in queer country music “Whats So Great About Picket Fences?” when you subscribe to or pre-order Rainbow Rodeo.
- Erin Rae — “Modern Woman” (Lighten Up) — Erin Rae’s new album is very much a piece of the type of Americana we are going to get throughout 2022: Laurel Canyon as channeled through East Nashville. If you hate that, then you’re going to be in for a rough year. And why shouldn’t it all sound similar? Everyone was literally in one place, with nothing to do, popping over to record in their friends’ brand new home studios! For Rae, Lighten Up is even more meditative and psychedelic than her previous albums. This is a gentle record for sure, probing the depths of self-reflection and forgiveness. But Rae also has a gift for writing sweetly withering feminist anthems, so “Modern Woman” resonated the most for me.
- Charles Mercy — “Give Me Something” (Single) — I can’t get enough of these weeping steel guitars! Charles paints something beautiful and ethereal here. I can’t wait for more.
- Maggie Gently — “Worried” (Single) — I’m cheating with these next few songs but I love the ’90s inspired bass drive on Gently’s songs. So what if it isn’t traditional country music?
- Pillow Queens — “By Your Side” (Single) — Dublin-based punk band Pillow Queens are shifting into more of an indie rock phase, but that doesn’t take the edge off the empowerment and yearning replete in their songs.
- Sixteen Jackies — “Just Kids” (Hostile Architecture) — Queer punk band Sixteen Jackies loves playing with all kinds of rock textures, from country music to 60s pop. “Just Kids” shows the band’s softer side, but don’t think for a moment that the intensity of emotion here isn’t just as punk. You can read our interview here.
- Austin Carr — “i don’t wanna be your friend” (Single) — I interviewed Austin about this sweetly cheeky song when it came out. It strikes a tender spot between anger at a breakup and reconciling oneself to the realization that it was never going to work out anyway.
- Semler — “Prodigal Girl” (Late Bloomer) — Semler does not pull her punches. CJ Surbaugh interviewed Semler in Rainbow Rodeo #2 about her experiences in the Contemporary Christian Music world in such depth that I know have a deeper appreciation for the genre, and religious music in general. Did you know you can subscribe or pre-order the issue here?
- Spencer LaJoye — “Breathing” (Breathing) — It’s a happy coincidence that Spencer LaJoye just put out a new single! Their music is gently nurturing, interwoven with strings, loops, and LaJoye’s own purity of emotion and intent.
There is obviously a big debate about Spotify right now. However, Spotify offers search-able playlists and, for now, I believe that is the best way to promote the music of artists who are otherwise minoritized in the music industry.
For other playlists and personal exploration, I use Tidal. While it may pay artists more than Spotify, it’s still part of Big Tech and artists are still underpaid for their music! Please buy music and/or merch directly from the artists because Spotify is a horrible and exploitative platform!
You can support Adobe & Teardrops by buying merch or hitting the ol’ Patreon or Ko-fi links!
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