
LGBTunes: Brady Earnhart, Peaches, Antigone Rising, Tommy Keene, and More
By Gregg Shapiro
Gay singer/songwriter (and educator and writer) Brady Earnhart doesnât disappoint on his long-awaited fourth album Last Time I Promise (City Salvage). There are few out musicians who are as consistently strong and inspiring as Earnhart. This is particularly true since Earnhart was recording Last Time I Promise while recovering from a debilitating health issue. Back to good health and better than ever, Earnhart gives us some of his most accessible work here, including the electric âDo You Believeâ (complete with âdog-bark ringtoneâ) and the country comfort of âHandsome and Kind.â Intimate moments, including âDelray,â âYou Made Light,â âSong for Bob,â and âDoctorâs Son,â are also standouts. Instrumentals such as the piano-only centerpiece âCrim Dellâ and âValley Road,â as well as the clever lyric play of âBaby Bearâs Porridge,â are welcome additions to Earnhartâs astonishing canon.
Never one to mince words, queer electro goddess Peaches (who performs at Numbers on November 4) is at her most sexually explicit on Rub (I U She Me). Bracketed by collaborations with Sonic Youthâs Kim Gordon on âClose Upâ and fellow Canadian diva Feist on âI Mean Something,â the nine songs in between unflinchingly cover a range of suggestive subjects: âRubâ features âcircle-jerk girls who spray,â and âDick in the Airâ has Peaches advocating âswitching positions/no inhibitions.â âPicklesâ will give you the âurge/to move like surgeâ and Peaches âkeeps it nastyâ on âVaginoplasty,â while âLight in Placesâ is sure to be club bound.
As described by lead vocalist Kneepad Nikki (aka Mike Hymson), the self-titled debut disc by Totally F–king Gay on Third Input Records is intended to be âan old-school John Waters movie in sonic form.â The 10 âhomoerotic hymnsâ on the disc are delivered in Nikkiâs spoken/sung style, which is slightly reminiscent of Fred Schneider of the B52s. It gets a little monotonous, but standouts such as âHusband and Husband,â âLetâs Buy a Man Purse at the Mall,â and âMarathon Gay Sex for Manly Men,â make it worthwhile.
Queer all-female quartet Antigone Rising rises again with the five-song EP Whiskey & Wine: Vol. II (antigonerising.com). Continuing the Dixie diva style of more recent albums and EPs, the heavenly harmonies of âI See You,â the banjo (and Allman Brothers reference) on âWeed and Wine,â and the country pop of âLast Timeâ are proof that Antigone Rising has earned a place in the modern Nashville scene.
On his 10th solo album to date, the aptly named Solo (Palmetto), gay pianist and composer Fred Hersch performs two original numbers and covers five classic tunes from the contemporary songbook. Hersch begins with a Brazilian flair by performing a medley of Antonio Jobimâs âOlha Maria/O Grande Amor.â Also notable are his interpretations of Joni Mitchellâs âBoth Sides Nowâ and Juan Tizolâs âCaravan.â Herschâs own âWhirl,â for ballerina Suzanne Farrell (which he previously recorded with his trio on an album of the same name) is also outstanding.
Self-taught out musician Gemayel presents her brand of âLebanese gypsy rockâ on her scorching new eponymous disc. A majority of the songs rock hard and loud, including âLust for Painâ (what else would you expect from a song with that title?). You can hear some Ani DiFranco influence in the spoken/sung conveyance of âSometimes.â âSpeak Upâ and âSalvationâ are two of the more approachable songs on the album, while Gemayelâs reading of Mazzy Starâs âFade into Youâ is truly inspired.
Emerging from the same early-â80s college rock scene as out musician Bob Mouldâs HĂźsker DĂź, gay singer/songwriter Tommy Keene continues to make infectious and edgy jangle pop on Laugh in the Dark (Second Motion). The 10 brand-new songs have all the familiar characteristics of Keeneâs best work, including rocking guitars and solid song-craft. Opener âOut of My Mindâ rocks with a contemporary vengeance while psychedelic closer âAll Gone Awayâ recalls another time. In between, Keene illuminates his pop side on âAll the Lights Are Aliveâ and âI Want It to Be Over Now,â but takes a gentler approach on âGo Back Home.â
Greg Holden isnât gayânot by any stretch of the imagination. However, that didnât prevent the hot and tatted UK singer/songwriter from writing one of the best gay songs of the year. âBoys in the Street,â a first-person tune about a gay sonâs complex relationship with his homophobic father, is a top-notch tearjerker and an all-too-familiar tale for many young gay men. But there is redemption to be found in the song, and Holden delivers it like a pro. The remainder of Chase the Sun (WB), Holdenâs third full-length album, includes the rousing Mumford & Sons-style sing-alongs âGive It Awayâ and âFree Again,â the cloudy piano/vocal âGo Chase the Sun,â the acoustic beauty of âI Wonât Forget,â and the country duet âThe Next Life,â featuring lesbian singer/songwriter Garrison Starr. When all is said and done, âBoys in the Streetâ qualifies Holden as one of our greatest new allies. Plus he has gay hair!
Gregg Shapiro is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
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