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QMH July 2005 Script |
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That song was called "He's On My Team" and it was by New York City artist Ari Gold, with the help of his friend Kendra Ross. Ari was one of the winners in June at the Outmusic Awards. And that's what this show is all about. I'm JD Doyle. This segment is called Queer Music Heritage and I'm here on the 4th Monday of each month to bring you an hour devoted to our culture's music. But this month I'm going to forego the heritage part and bring you some of the best queer music to be released during 2004, because that music was honored at the Outmusic Awards. Okay, if you're a fan of GLBT music and don't know about the organization Outmusic, well, you should. It was founded in New York City about 14 years ago, intended to be a group of artists helping each other. In fact their slogan is "music within community and community within music." This is the fifth annual awards for Outmusic and in the past the events have been held in New York City, but this year Chicago was the host, on June 12th, organized quite ably by Gregg Shapiro and Rick Karlin. It was several days packed full of artist showcases and performances, leading up the main awards event. I was honored to have been asked again this year to be one of the judges for the awards, and the show itself was a wonderful showcase of queer music. If you want to hear a more news-oriented report on the awards, complete with clips from the acceptance speeches, that story was aired on This Way Out earlier this month, but can also be heard on-demand at my website. But for tonight I'm going to try to keep my talking down to a minimum so I can fit in as much music as possible. You're going to hear quite a variety of music, touching a lot of different genres. I'm playing songs by all the winners, and some extras. Now, as I told you a few moments ago, I started off the show with Ari Gold, a triple nominee for his album "Space Under Sun." The Outmusic Awards are nicknamed the OMAs, and he picked up his OMA for the category of Outstanding New Recording, Male. In the corresponding category, Outstanding New Recording, Female, the recipient was an artist based out of Los Angeles named Adrianne, for her album "10,000 Stones." Here's the title track.
That was Adrianne with "10,000 Stones." Next up are the winners in the two debut artist categories.
That was "Just Like You" by Dylan Rice. Dylan had the delight of picking up his award, Outstanding Debut Recording, Male, on his home territory, as he lives in Chicago, and his album is called "Wandering Eyes." And in the category of Outstanding Debut Recording, Female, we get an artist I included on my country show in April, Kitty Rose. With tongue in cheek she titled her debut album "Kitty Rose, Greatest Hits!" and from it here's "Travelin'."
Kitty was one of the artists I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time in Chicago, and as I'm a collector of early music of the Women's Music Movement, I was pleased to also meet Woody Simmons. Woody co-produced and played on Kitty's album, and prior to this I knew her best for her own albums, like one called "Oregon Mountains," from 1977. Now for a different genre altogether, and that was found in the category of Outstanding Producer. The artist winning this one is a female-to-male transsexual who goes by the name of Katastrophe. And that starts with a "K." From his winning album is the song "Your Girlfriend."
[I had to edit for radio that one just a little, and for the same reason I'm going to have to paraphrase the first part of the album's title. I'm calling it "Let's Have Sex, Then Talk About My Problems."] (text for radio version only) You're listening to the internet version of this show, which is not constrained by FCC regulations, and that fact came in handy for that last song. For the radio version I had to edit it just a little in several places, and I could not clearly explain the album's title. On the CD cover of Katastrophe's album it gives the title as "Let's F*ck, Then Talk About My Problems." At least I presume he means the word "fuck," as he spells it f-asterick-c-k. And there are two other songs on tonight's show that will benefit from my show also having an internet version, and since my internet show does not have a time constraint, I also will be able to air longer versions of several other songs, so, thank you internet. And, as long as we're jumping from genre to genre, up next is the category of Outstanding New Recording by a Chorus or Choir. And I thought it was pretty neat that it was won by the group that had the first ever recording by a gay chorus, in 1981. That's the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and they got their OMA for their album called "Closer Than Ever, the 25th Anniversary Concert," which contained selections first done during their concerts through the years. This particular rendition was first performed at their ExtrABBAganza concert in 1997. Here's their ABBA medley.
I'm going to slip in sort of a hit parade extra at this point. Of course not everyone who is nominated can win and I want to draw attention to a chorus album that particularly impressed me, especially for a debut album. The group is called SheWho and they are based out of Philadelphia. From their album "The Earth Will Turn Over" I just love the song "When a Woman."
Again, that was the group SheWho. One of my special treats of attending the Outmusic Awards this year was getting to meet Lea DeLaria and to see her sing. Her latest album is called "Double Standards" where she does jazz versions of some unexpected rock songs.
Of course that was Blondie's classic "Call Me." Lea DeLaria and Jinx Titanic were the very capable co-hosts of the Outmusic Awards ceremony. While in Chicago I took lots and lots of photos of the artists I met, and at my site you can see photos of the winning albums and the artists, and find links to their sites. My site of course is at www.queermusicheritage.com. And this is a good time to remind you to listen to After Hours with Jimmy Carper, at its new timeslot on every Friday night, Saturday morning from 1 to 4am, on KPFT. It's Queer Radio…with attitude. I'm going to take a break from the competitive awards to let you know about the Special Recognition Awards given out this year by Outmusic. One of them went to Tim Cain. Tim moved to Chicago in the late 80s and founded Boys' Entrance, the first queer rock band in that city. Their songs confronted homphobia and championed those on the fringes of gender. Their first full-length album, from 1996, was called "In Through the Out Door," and they followed it in 1998 with "The Queer Punk Folder." On that one they celebrated one of our heroes in this track, called "Harry Hay."
That was "Harry Hay" by Tim Cain's group Boys' Entrance. And from punk we go to disco for the next honoree. Randy Jones will always be best known as the sexy cowboy from the Village People, and he helped make that group a part of Americana. I first met Randy when he and his partner Will Grega hosted the Outmusic Awards in 2002, and this year got to visit with him quite a bit. I'm pleased to say that in person he is charming and articulate and always has time to talk to people, a delight to know. You can hear a interview I did with him if you check out my Gay Disco Special on my January show. Now, instead of playing a Village People clip that everyone's heard a zillion times I'm sharing with you a brand new song just released by Randy. Here's a clip of "New York City Boy"
That was Randy Jones doing the Pet Shop Boys song "New York City Boy."
And I was very pleased to welcome Pam Smith to a special club, made up of folks who have been given the Outmusic Outstanding Support Award. Pam has been involved with Women's Music since the early 70s and produces and hosts Amazon Radio, in Bridgeport, Conneticut. She describes it as a music program for those who color outside the lines.
Finally, the last Special Recognition Award is always one close to my heart, as it's the Outmusic Heritage Award. What can you say in a few words to describe the career and contributions of June Millington? Well, in her acceptance speech she wasn't able to say it in a few words either, as she thanked Outmusic for about 12 minutes. I'll give a try at condensing. June Millington, along with her sister Jean spent the mid-60s touring the West Coast in an all-female band and in 1969 they formed a new band, Fanny. That year they signed with Reprise Records and became the first all-female group to record a full-length album for a major label. By the time the band broke up in 1974 they had released five albums, having four songs break into the charts. In 1975 Millington ventured into a new area of music, by playing guitar on what became a landmark album of the Women's Music Movement, Cris Williamson's "Changer and the Changed." Into the 80's she did production work for artists like Williamson, Holly Near, and Mary Watkins. And 1987 brought her to perhaps her life's work, the founding of IMA, the Institute for the Musical Arts, an internationally known teaching, performing and recording facility, supporting women in music. Millington hasn't stopped performing though, and her current group is called the Slammin' Babes. In the background we've been hearing "Charity Ball," the first hit by Fanny, from 1971. And here's an oddity I can't resist sharing. From 1974 here's a German radio ad for Fanny's album "Mother's Pride." Fanny - Reprise Radio Promo (1974) This is my annual tribute show to the winners of the Outmusic Awards, and I always like to set aside a little time to play some music by artists who were nominated but did not win. I'm going to use a producer's prerogative in playing them, because I think they are artists you should really get to hear. So I've picked four artists who were nominated in a variety of categories, and it was neat that I got to meet them all for the first time in Chicago. I just love their albums and want to share these songs from them, [so am squeezing in about a minute and a half of each one.] (text for radio version only) First up is a triple nominee Nadine Goellner, and from her album "Sing It To Me Anyway" is the song "Sarah."
Christopher Dallman's album "Race the Light" got him a nomination in the debut male category. And I was very pleased to see him do a house concert in Chicago. Here's a bit of his song "Motel Room."
The other two songs I picked are both gay marriage songs, with the first one by Green & Root. They were nominated in the Duo or Group and Producer categories for their CD "Down That Road," and I think the song "Marrying You" had a lot to do with that.
[And, another gay marriage song, in a different genre, was by Tori Fixx. His "Marry Me" album got him nominations for Male Recording and Outsong, but due to those pesky FCC regulations I can't play the title track as it appears on the album. Instead I'm using the radio edit version from his CD maxisingle. You can hear both versions on a page of my site called Gay Marriage Songs. Here's "Marry Me" by Tori Fixx.] (text for radio version only) And, another gay marriage song, in a different genre, was by Tori Fixx. His "Marry Me" album got him nominations for Male Recording and Outsong. And here's another time where you will benefit from listening to the internet version of this show, and you'll know why instantly. Here's "Marry Me" by Tori Fixx.
Okay, back to the awards for new music. We've got six categories to go and the winner of this next one is a little hard to do justice to on a show like this, but it again demonstrates the wide variety of genres represented by the recipients of the Outmusic Awards.
In the category of Outstanding Instrumental Recording Jennifer Higdon became the first composer of classical music to take home an OMA, for her work on the album "Concerto for Orchestra and City Scape," as performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, led by Robert Spano. That was part of the third movement from "City Scape," called "Peachtree Street." And for another completely different sound we go to the Outstanding New Recording by a Band. That OMA was won by San Francisco group The Bobbleheads, for their album "Automatic Fun." Care for a dash of indiepop?
The Bobbleheads and "Crush," from their CD "Automatic Fun." Lead singer of that group, John Ashfield, also has some very fun albums on his own.
I've loved these next artists for years. I became an enthusiastic fan in 2000 when their "Private Wars" album won the GLAMA award in the Jazz category. Maria Walsh and Carole Nelson make up the duo Zrazy, and this year they got their first OMA, in the Duo or Group category for their album "Dream On." Every year one of the most competitive categories is the one for Outstanding Songwriter. Rachael Sage was nominated last year and this year took home the OMA, for her sixth album, "Ballads & Burlesque."
From the album "Ballads & Burlesque," that was "Sacrifice," which was also nominated for Outsong of the year. Scott Free - The Muffin Song (in the background) The remaining two categories are perhaps the most revered of the awards, because instead of being determined by panels of judges, they are voted on by the members of Outmusic. The categories are for Outmusician of the Year and Outsong of the year. The Outmusican of the Year honor is not only for an artist's music but also for their activism and community involvement, and the Outsong of the Year is the one, in the members' minds, that best addresses our lives. Reporting the winner this year is easy, as the same person garnered both awards. That person was Chicago-based queer rock singer/songwriter Scott Free. His latest album, "They Call Me Mr Free" is extraordinary, but so is his cultural activism, which includes producing Chicago's annual Queer Is Folk Festival and the weekly Homolatte queer performance series, and for leading effective protests against anti-gay performers at Chicago music venues. I also love the way he is not afraid to attack sensitive issues in his music. For example, one of the songs on the album criticizes gay groups for hiring straight artists to perform at pride festivals. Way to go, Scott. Before we hear the winning song, I want to thank you all for tuning in. So, if, like me, you think queer music is more than the music you hear at circuit parties, or that of divas, and showtunes, you should visit the Outmusic site. And, of course I've got to plug my own site again, at www.queermusicheritage.com, where you can see photos of the artists and recordings and also about 200 candid photos I took at the awards and related events. And, if you have a high speed connection, you can hear the actual Outmusic awards show and much more. If you have questions or comments about any of the music I've featured, please write to me. This is JD Doyle for Queer Voices on KPFT in Houston, and I'll be back on the 4th Monday of next month with another installment of Queer Music Heritage. In the background you've been hearing "The Muffin Song," one of my favorites from Scott's album "They Call Me Mr Free." Now, remember I said Scott was not only voted Outmusician of the Year, but one of his songs was chosen as Outsong of the Year. So I'm using that song to close out the show. From Scott Free, here's the Outmusic Outsong of the year, "Another Day of Cruelty."
and, the awards data in text format.... 2005 OUTMUSIC AWARD NOMINEES: OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING FEMALE Adrianne: 10,000 STONES OUTSTANDING DEBUT RECORDING FEMALE Chris Pureka: DRIVING NORTH OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING MALE Garrin Benfield: WHERE JOY KILLS SORROW OUTSTANDING DEBUT RECORDING MALE Christopher Dallman: RACE THE LIGHT OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING DUO or GROUP Gaye Adegbalola with Roddy Barnes:
NEO-CLASSIC BLUES OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING BAND The Bobbleheads: AUTOMATIC
FUN OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING - CHORUS OR CHOIR Boston Gay Men¹s Chorus: BEST
OF THE BGMC - LIVE OUTSTANDING NEW RECORDING - INSTRUMENTAL Kara Barnard: BROWN COUNTY WALTZ OUTSTANDING PRODUCER Gaye Adegbalola with Roddy Barnes:
NEO-CLASSIC BLUES OUTSTANDING SONGWRITER Garrin Benfield: WHERE JOY KILLS SORROW OUTMUSICAN OF THE YEAR Deep Dickollective OUTSONG OF THE YEAR ANOTHER DAY
OF CRUELTY: written & performed by Scott Free
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Ari
Gold - He's On My Team 
Adrianne
- 10,000 Stones 
Dylan
Rice - Just Like You 
Kitty
Rose - Travelin' 
Katastrophe
- Your Girlfriend 
SFGMC
- ABBA Medley 
SheWho
- When a Woman 
Lea
DeLaria - Call Me & QMH ID 
Boys'
Entrance - Harry Hay (1998) 
Randy
Jones - New York City Boy (2005)
Fanny
- Charity Ball (1971) 
Nadine
Goellner - Sarah 
Christopher
Dallman - Motel Room 
Green
& Root - Marrying You
Tori
Fixx - Marry Me 
Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra - Peachtree Street 
The
Bobbleheads - Crush 
Zrazy
- Angel Walking 
Rachael
Sage - Sacrifice 
Scott
Free - Another Day of Cruelty 
