It's MISSTER! Get it??

Check them out on Facebook

Theophilus London - Why Even Try ft. Sara Quin

This is old. But such a groovy little jam.

For Gay Christian Musicians, Work Balances Faith, Art, Love [NPR]

Jeniffer Knapp

Many Christian denominations denounce homosexuality as a sin. As a result, gay Christian singers, songwriters and musicians face a challenge in balancing their art, their sexuality and their faith. For those few who have decided to come out, it has meant giving up successful careers.

Singer-songwriter Jennifer Knapp has sold more than a million albums and earned Dove Awards on the strength of songs like her 1998 hit, "Undo Me." But in 2002, at the height of her career as a contemporary Christian artist, Knapp suddenly stopped making music.

"Knowing that I was going to have to publicly deal with my sexuality — it really made me consider how much I wanted to participate in music," Knapp says.

Seven years later, Knapp reemerged, no longer self-identified as a Christian artist — instead, she was a folk-rock musician, a person of faith and a lesbian. Knapp says that even after all that time, she still had doubts about coming forward.

"It made me very hesitant to get back up into the public level, knowing that there would be discussion about my sexuality on the whole," she says.

FULL ARTICLE

Angel Haze

Grind And Shine: Shabazz Palaces And THEESatisfaction [NPR]

ARTISTS: In Seattle, Ishmael Butler — aka Palaceer Lazaro — has fans monitoring his every move, treating his future-rap project Shabazz Palaces like a religion. Younger hip-hop artists imitate his style. He invariably sells out his infrequent, conceptual concerts. He also has skeptics who find his free-form music irritating. Butler's star rose and fell in the 1990s as part of jazz-rap group Digable Planets — the group was popular in Seattle, but the fact that he was from the city was never widely known. At present, he is Seattle's biggest rock star. To many local residents, he seems to have emerged from nowhere. His masterful new album Black Up is Sub Pop Records' first major rap release — a ghostly document that moves at roughly one billion styles per hour. 

The women of THEESatisfaction are a generation younger than Butler, and ride a similarly spaced-out wavelength. Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons sing and rap on Black Up. Word on the street is they have already signed a record label contract, with an announcement forthcoming.

FULL ARTICLE + music

Music Moment: What I'm Listening To

If you haven't heard of Local Natives, I sincerely apologize. Let's remedy this. Local Natives (formerly cavil at rest) is an indie rock band based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California. After the three founding members originally met in high school, a bassist and a drummer were found, and they all moved to a house in Silver Lake in 2008 to record their album. Their debut album as Local Natives, “Gorilla Manor”, was released in the UK on Nov 2nd, 2009, and saw a US release date of Feb. 16th, 2010. The band’s sound has been described as “afropop-influenced guitars with hyperactive drumming and hooky three-part harmonies”. They started to attract the attention of the music press after playing nine shows at the 2009 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

What I'm listening to:

I would put the music video up, but it's got that carefree white girl thing going on that makes me uncomfortable.

MondoHomo: Music Revue

Thelma & the Sleeze, lost bois and Heavy Flow rocked the HOUSE! What a night. If you missed tonight, it's not too late to get your lady-gay on. Sunday (5/29):

Mondo Day Camp

12-4pm, FREE, Cabbagetown Park

Let’s get those yummy balls a swingin’ in a gayday of fun in the sun. This dyketastic park day is an all-ages Queer Family event with playground sports, BBQ, aerial play, fagtastic games with the Atlanta Radical Fairies ( http://www.radfae.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_58136741057), big gay pillow fight, music and outdoor cruising! Everybody Wins at the GayDay Games! Bring your A game and pillows!

…Exciting performances from Dance Truck https://www.facebook.com/atldancetruck?sk=info

and the Atlanta Sedition Orchestra!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xn3ekg9M5g&feature=related

Also...

7pm – MSR, East Atlanta Village – $7 – Mondo Cinema – queer film shorts
10pm – MSR, East Atlanta Village – FREE! – Mondo Finale – dance party

Black Sun

MondoHomo

As a lezzer blogger who lives under a rock, I have just found out some exciting news from a friend! An annual Queer Arts and Music Festival in Atlanta called MondoHomo is going down May 26th-30th. It is the South's queer art, spoken word, dance party, hip-hop-electro clash, politics, film, BBQ, circus arts, theater, music, burlesque, social action diversity-lovin' festival of fun queer space. That sounds fantabulously gay, amiright? And it gets better... most of the events are FREE!!! I'm particularly excited to see D.C.'s lost bois (I blogged about b.steady of lost bois some time ago) and have a gander at some New Orleans (represent) artists. 

Their manifesto:

Whereas we believe that the New South is rising with a battlecry of justice, glorious diversity, power to the people, and a groundswell of creativity; 

We seek to bring together queers and allies from the South and across the nation to celebrate the culture, music and arts of independent queer artists and performers! 

We seek to expand the boundaries of queer identity and indie culture, and to forge broad alliances among queers, indie artists, and activists; 

We seek to spread the anti-consumerist DIY/punk ethic of no experts, I’ll do it myself, thanks; 

We seek to make political change through art and music, and to make art and music that is fundamentally politically; 

We seek to share skills, ideas, strategies, resources, and most of all, the music and arts we love; 

We seek to support and embolden all those who oppose corporate takeovers of our cities and cultures, and our country’s pervasive and systemic racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and denial of equality to all those considered ‘different’. 

Most of all we seek a revolution we can dance to! 

Check out their schedule of events!

Brownie Points: Janelle Monae

In The New Gay interview with Janelle Monae:

Zack Rosen: How do you identify in terms of sexual orientation?

Janelle Monae: I'm actually attracted to androids.

It's an old interview. But to read it in its entirety, go here.

Brownie Points: Jessie J

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude by UniversalMusicGroup

Uh Huh Her in Atlanta

 Uh Huh Her will be playing at The Loft in Atlanta on May 17th.

Krystle Warren

Soooo good! Just... don't compare her to Tracy Chapman. Don't do it. Resist.

Krystle Warren on herself:

I'm from Kansas City, Missouri. I'm an American musician on a French label, (Because Music). I like being one of the few artists on this thing that you can actually contact, reach. However, I do not like cheese, or vinegar, or loads of other things. J'adore steak frittes, j'adore magret de canard. Miam, miam, miam. When I get a moment to myself - an' am in close proximity to a decent internet cafe, I like to read the notes you send an' respond accordingly. I also like to change my headline, (I think about good quotes I could use all day long actually) an' switch up my "Sounds Like" video from time to time, usually placing something there that has no fucking relation, (or it posseses a similar/dead on perspective/point of view - I'm tricky this way) to what it is that I do an' that I just simply find worthy of viewing for hilarious/moving purpose. Oh, I'm also around to figure out a thing or two.

Krystle Warren - Year End Issue - Abridged Edit from Chris Cannucciari on Vimeo.

To All My Gays #8

Because tablas take your heart and throws it up in the air with some leaves in slow-mo.

Music Moment: Yuna

Yuna is huge in Malaysia. I can only hope she succeeds internationally... for selfish reasons. I need her music accessible. Thankfully, she's recently been featured on NPR (meaning free song downloads). And her EP (Decorate) released last month. Get it on iTunes.

Check her out on NPR.

mnemonic sounds

I like music to have groove: chill, upbeat, uplifting or hypnotizing. Music that tugs at you, ya know? Portland-based mnemonic sounds does just that. Word.

So Jealous/Intro mashup from Megan Ouchida on Vimeo.

John Legend covers Adele’s Rolling in the Deep

HERE. Not for the faint of heart.

What I'm Listening To

I'm listening to a lot of tunes right now but I thought I'd share Toro Y Moi with you. I'm (very slowly) discovering him. He reminds me of The Drums but more mellow. [I also like The Drums.] But yeah... enjoy, I guess.

TORO Y MOI "YOU HID" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

I'm Feelin This Groove

Carlitta Durand - iCarli from Visual High Life on Vimeo.

via Little Miss Knobody

Heads Up, Tracy Chapman Fans!

Lizz Wright likes to infuse blues, soul, folk and jazz, too.