Connect with us

Music & Concerts

Albums: Into the groove

Divas stingy with details, but spring album releases span gamut from Elton to indies

Published

on

Mykki Blanco, gay news, Washington Blade
Mykki Blanco, gay news, Washington Blade

Mykki Blanco, a trans hip-hop artist, has a new album out this month and will also be in D.C. for a performance March 27 at Comet Ping Pong. (Photo courtesy Christine Morales)

A caveat before we start ā€” since it dropped in late January, we canā€™t call it a spring album release, but the hottest queer disc out right now without a doubt is ā€œHeartthrobā€ from Canadian rock duo (and twin lesbians) Tegan and Sara. After years of working the indie circuit, they came storming out of the gate this year with a shockingly high U.S. debut (No. 3 on the Billboard 200), their highest chart position to date and a more mainstream pop sound thatā€™s earned them strong reviews. Look for them on tour this summer with Fun.

Fresh sounds dominate this spring season with new album releases from Mykki Blanco, Lucas Silveira, the Flaming Lips and more. But others are also reviving some old-yet-classic beats, as Elton John and David Bowie return to form this season and release albums that harken back to their glory days.

Mykki Blanco, a trans hip-hop artist whoā€™s performing at Comet Ping Pong on March 27, is dropping his EP ā€œBetty Rubble: The Initationā€ at the end of March. A follow up to last yearā€™s mix tape ā€œCosmic Angel,ā€ the track ā€œFeeling Specialā€ has already been leaked and Blanco has been described as being aggressive as ever. Alter ego for Michael David Quattlebaum Jr., Blanco is a New York-based poet and hip-hop musician who blends traditional rap genres while also making reference to several hip-hop female artists. For more information, visit mykkiblancoworld.com or visit his Facebook page to listen to the leaked track.

David Bowie, straight but perhaps the most androgynous mainstreamer in all of rock, returns with all new material for his 24th studio album ā€œThe Next Dayā€ which drops March 12. This will be his first album with new material since 2003. The album took two years and a sporadic recording schedule to finish. The subject matter of the album ranges from Bowieā€™s personal struggles to a song about a high school shooting, to a story related to a World War II soldier. For more information, visit davidbowie.com.

Grammy-winning alternative rock band the Flaming Lips releases its 13th studio album ā€œThe Terrorā€ on April 2. The album consists of nine original tracks that take on an incredibly introspective and darker tone than prior albums. For more information, visit flaminglips.com.

Lucas Silveira, transgender lead singer of Toronto-based band The Cliks, returns after a five-year hiatus to release the album ā€œBlack Tie Elevatorā€ on April 16. Silveira comes back with a new sound after discovering his true voice. He is successfully going through the female-to-male transition process, thus making his voice a little huskier but with soul. The Cliks were founded in 2004 and Silveira became the first out male transgender to be signed to a major record label. He also went on to be the first transgender man to be voted ā€œSexiest Canadian Manā€ by ChartAttack.com. After living as a man for five years but appearing to the public as a woman, he began the testosterone hormone therapy and found himself reborn in Brooklyn in 2010. The band is expected to be touring in the Washington area when they visit DC9 (1940 9th St., NW) in May. For more information, visit theclicks.com.

On April 23, straight-but-adorable crooner Michael Buble releases his new album ā€œTo Be Loved,ā€ his sixth studio album. The new album has Bubleā€™s smooth voice singing a variety of standards along with some of his original music. The single ā€œItā€™s A Beautiful Dayā€ was released Feb. 25. For more information, visit michaelbuble.com.

The same day, hip-hop recording artist Kid Cudi releases his third studio album ā€œIndicud.ā€ Cudi received attention as an artist after his debut mix tape ā€œA Kid Named Cudiā€ was released in 2008. For details, visit kidcudi.com.

Despite chronic evasiveness on gay issues, gospel music legend Amy Grant maintains a massive gay following. ā€œHow Mercy Looks From Here,ā€ her first studio collection of all-new material since 2003ā€™s mellow ā€œSimple Things,ā€ drops May 14. James Taylor provides backing vocals on first single ā€œDonā€™t Try So Hard.ā€

Look out for Elton Johnā€™s 30th solo album, ā€œVoyeur,ā€ in May, after the release date was pushed back twice. The album was written by John and Bernie Taupin in collaboration with John. For more information, visit eltonjohn.com or Bernie Taupinā€™s official website berniejtaupin.com.

Details are sparse but Cher is also rumored to be very close to releasing a new album, her first in more than a decade. According to her website cherworld.com, Warner Bros announced the release of her new album in March. This would be her first album in 12 years and she has described it as ā€œeclecticā€ with lots of dancing. Mariah Carey is also rumored to have a March release in the works.

Other releases of note include international dance pop diva Inna with ā€œParty Never Endsā€ (slated to drop today), Dido with ā€œGirl Who Got Awayā€ (Tuesday), former teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake with ā€œThe 20/20 Experienceā€ (March 15) which he teased at last monthā€™s Grammys, and Lady Gaga with ā€œARTPOPā€ (date TBD).

Details are vague but other artists rumored to have 2013 releases up their sleeves include Beyonce, Britney Spears, possibly Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera (a Spanish album), Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue and Nicki Minaj. And if you ever got into the boy band thing, both New Kids and Backstreet Boys are said to be working on new material

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Music & Concerts

Hereā€™s everything queer that just happened at the 67th Grammy Awards

LGBTQ megastars among winners, performers

Published

on

Screen grabs from Entertainment Weekly/Youtube

The 67th Grammy Awards featured debut performances by LGBTQ megastars Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Doechii ā€” all of whom also won awards at Sundayā€™s awards ceremony, making the gay sons and thot daughters of the queer and trans world rejoice. 

Though Roan was the only queer artist to take home one of the “Big Four” awards ā€” Best New Artist, Doechii, Carpenter, Charlie XCX, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga were also all nominated for one or more of the “Big Four.”

Carpenter, Roan, and Doechii also shocked audiences with their debut performances, showing us what it really means to be out and loud. 


Doechii

The self-proclaimed swamp princess from Florida took home a well-deserved win for Best Rap Album (ā€œAlligator Bites Never Healā€). 

She stunned audiences with her performance and her speech, dedicating her win to Black women everywhere. Only two other women have won the award ā€” Lauryn Hill and Cardi B since the category was introduced in 1989. 

ā€œI know there are so many Black women out there that are watching me right now and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible,ā€ said Doechii during her acceptance speech.  

Chappell Roan

Roan won the Best New Artist award, prompting her to whip out her notebook and deliver a speech about her struggles with the healthcare industry after getting dropped by her first record label radicalized her. 

On the carpet, she served looks on the red carpet while delivering Jean Paul Gaultier vintage realness and thanking the trans girlies who made her who she is today. 

ā€œTrans people have always existed and they will forever exist. They will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away and [they] have to be protected more than anything because I would not be here without trans girls,ā€ said Roan on the red carpet. 

She also served during her debut Grammys performance, turning Crypto.com Arena into the Pink Pony Club while dedicating the performance to Los Angeles ā€” the city that embraced her when she wanted to break into the industry. She used her acceptance speech as her opportunity to shine a light on her journey toward becoming the icon she is today ā€” and to no oneā€™s surprise, it didnā€™t come easy to her. 

Roan opened up about her struggles with healthcare and being dropped as an artist in L.A., leaving her without health coverage and scrambling for solutions. Seems like the healthcare system has radicalized yet another one. 

St. Vincent 

St. Vincent revealed that she has a wife and daughter during her acceptance speeches, thanking them after winning three Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album (ā€œAll Born Screamingā€), Best Alternative Music Performance (ā€œFleaā€), and Best Rock Song (ā€œBroken Manā€).Ā 

During her red carpet interview, reporters asked Clark about the shocking news about her mentioning her wife and daughter, she responded ā€œMost people were [unaware]. Itā€™s young, so weā€™ve kept it under wraps.ā€ The reporter then continued his line of questioning, meanwhile intrusive thoughts quickly got ahold of Clark, prompting her to interrupt the reporter to clarify that she meant the child is young, not the person in the relationship sheā€™s in. 

Girl, youā€™re good.

Sabrina Carpenter 

Though Carpenter didnā€™t win any of the “Big Four” categories, she did win Best Pop Vocal Album for (ā€œShort nā€™ Sweetā€) and Best Pop Solo Performance for (ā€œEspressoā€).

According to E!, Carpenterā€™s acceptance speech was apparently censored, cutting her off after she said: ā€œThank you, holy sh*t, bye!ā€

The pop star was nominated for Record of the Year (ā€œEspressoā€), Song of the Year (ā€œPlease, Please, Pleaseā€), Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (ā€œShort nā€™ Sweetā€), Album of the Year (ā€œShort nā€™ Sweetā€), Best Remixed Recording (ā€œEspresso – Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remixā€), Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (ā€œShort nā€™ Sweetā€) ā€” all within her first year as a record-releasing musician. 

Charli XCX

Charlie XCX truly brought the brat energy to the Grammys with her performance of (ā€œVan Dutchā€), also taking home the wins for Best Dance/Pop Recording for (ā€œVan Dutchā€) and Best Dance/Electronic Album for (ā€œBratā€). 

Lady Gaga 

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Gaga used her acceptance speech to advocate for trans people stating that we all need love and to be uplifted.

ā€œTrans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you,ā€ said Gaga.

No, thank you mother. 

Last, but not least

It is also worth noting that our tried and true ally, Alicia Keys used her moment on the Grammys stage to advocate for the restoration of DEI initiatives. 

“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” said Keys. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hard-working people from different backgrounds, with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift ā€” and the more voices, the more powerful the sound.ā€

Continue Reading

Music & Concerts

Gay Menā€™s Chorus starting the year with a cabaret

‘Postcards’ to be performed at CAMP Rehoboth

Published

on

The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington performs 'Postcards' in Rehoboth Beach, Del. on Jan. 18. (Photos courtesy of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington)

The Gay Menā€™s Chorus of Washington will perform ā€œPostcards,ā€ a cabaret, on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5:00p.m. and 8:00p.m. at CAMP Rehoboth Elkins-Archibald Atrium.Ā 

In this performance, the choir will share hilarious and heart-warming stories and songs about the travel adventures theyā€™ve had and hope to have. Songs include ā€œMidnight Train to Georgia,ā€ ā€œStreets of Dublin,ā€ ā€œMagic To Do,ā€ ā€œHome,ā€ and ā€œI Left My Heart in San Francisco.ā€ Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased on Camp Rehobothā€™s website.

Continue Reading

Music & Concerts

WMCā€™s ā€˜Comfort and Joyā€™ fuses drama, well-being, light

Soloist describes production as ā€˜reverent and beautifulā€™

Published

on

Opal Clyburn-Miller (Photo courtesy Clyburn-Miller)

ā€˜Comfort and Joyā€™
Washington Master Chorale
Sunday, Dec. 22, 5 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G St., N.W.
washingtonmasterchorale.org

With its warmth and unfettered imagination, itā€™s no surprise that the Washington Master Choraleā€™s enduringly popular winter program remains a holiday favorite.Ā 

This December the Washington Master Chorale (WMC), helmed by out artistic director Thomas Colohan presents ā€œComfort and Joyā€ a selection of British and American works like ā€œLute-Book Lullaby,ā€ ā€œI Saw Three Ships,ā€ ā€œPuer Natusā€ by Samuel Scheidt and ā€œHosanna to the Son of Davidā€ by Orlando Gibbons. 

In addition to these Christmas classics, WMC will perform 2022 Florence Price Commission Winner Mason Bynesā€™s ā€œEphiphanytideā€ and Ēriks EÅ”envaldsā€™ ā€œNorthern Lights,ā€ the firsthand accounts of arctic explorers Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen and their experiences surrounding the fabled aurora borealis.

Described as ā€œreverent and beautifulā€ by ā€œNorthern Lightsā€ tenor soloist Opal Clyburn-Miller, ā€œComfort and Joyā€ fuses drama and well-being, and the import of light. 

And as an artist who uses they/them pronouns, Clyburn-Miller says where classical music is concerned, ā€œit seems people are put in their boxes and thatā€™s where they stay.ā€ They add, ā€œthereā€™s been some progress. Itā€™s pretty much a traditional art form.ā€ 

With regard to their career, Clyburn-Miller, the Baltimore based Peabody Conservatory student, says the work usually comes through word of mouth: ā€œYou show up, youā€™re a good colleague and people want to work with you again.ā€

The solo piece, according to Colohan, is perfect for Clyburn-Miller. The soloist says in response: ā€œMaybe I have the imagination to think of what Northern Lights might look like in Eastern Europe. Iā€™ve never been that far north but I can put myself in that sense of wonder and astonishment.ā€

But the gig hasnā€™t been entirely without its tests. The lyrics are in Latvian, a new language for the meticulous singer.

ā€œItā€™s been a bit tricky getting the Latvian down,ā€ they say. ā€œUsually in my singing experience, itā€™s been German, Italian and French, and Iā€™m familiar with Spanish and some Hungarian and Russian, but this is entirely new.ā€

A perfect chorale venue requires easy parking; good acoustics; a concert level Steinway, and an excellent organ; a sanctuary wide enough to accommodate a 50-person chorale; and audience friendly loos, says Colohan. 

The Church of Epiphany meets most if not all of these requirements.  

Raised Catholic in Richmond, Colohan came out at Ohioā€™s progressive Oberlin Conservatory. Around this time, he remembers visiting Washington for a music educatorā€™s conference and partying at JR.ā€™s, Badlands, and other bars. He says, ā€œI saw that D.C. had a huge population of clean-cut gay boys. That journey which started with me being gay, prompted me to ask questions.ā€ 

As WMC artistic director since 2009, Colohan, who lives with his partner in Silver Spring, became increasingly interested in secular poetry and literature, especially the ways in which it intersects with chorale music. For him, that became the heart of the art form. 

ā€œMy secular approach is wider than some. Iā€™m like the curator of the museum going down to the basement to bring some stuff up. You cannot hear the music if we donā€™t sing it.ā€

Heā€™s remained conservative as an aesthetic but not an ethos. ā€œI can wear a blazer and not be crazy right wing. Spiritually speaking, Iā€™m Zen Buddhist now.ā€

A lot of the concert is about darkness and light. Colohan says, ā€œIn ancient times when the world became darker, the days leading to the solstice were scary and then on the 22nd they saw that days were getting longer and it was lighter.ā€

ā€œComfort and Joyā€ closes with a candle lit chorale memorably singing ā€œSilent Night.ā€  

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular