Music & Concerts
SPRING ARTS 2020: Adam, Sam, Rufus, Gaga and more
Uber-queer spring brings spate of highly anticipated new albums


The excitement for upcoming new music releases is palpable and much of the blame can be pinned on Lady Gaga. The surprise release of her single āStupid Loveā foregrounds her new album āChromatica,ā which will be released in April. But thatās not the only musical event worth our attention in the coming months, although itās certainly the biggest.
Today (March 13) Niall Horan releases his album āHeartbreak Weather.ā This is the second solo album by the former One Direction member, who has continued to put out successful hits, including āSlow Handsā and āThis Town,ā after the boy bandās split up.
Saturday, March 14 sees the release of the queercore band Middle-Aged Queersā debut album, āToo Fag For Love.ā
On Friday, March 20 Adam Lambert is set to release his fourth studio album, entitledāVelvet.ā The fantastically talented Lambert, who has toured with Queen+Adam Lambert (comprised of original members of Queen with Lambert serving as lead vocalist), remains something of a gay icon since appearing on āAmerican Idolā in 2009.
On the same day, āALICIA,ā Alicia Keysā latest album, will be released. So far three singles have been released from the new album, āShow Me Love,ā āTime Machineā and āUnderdog,ā which was released earlier this year along with a new music video.
The pop-punk boyband 5 Seconds of Summer (or 5SOS)will release its fourth studio album, āCalm,ā on March 27. Touring early on with One Direction, the group has continued to made their own way well after One Direction dissipated. So far they have released four singles, including the popular āEasier,ā which has nearly 200 million streams on Spotify.
Also on March 27, Sufjan Stevens will releaseāAporia,ā his first full album in five years. That isnāt to say that the Brooklyn-based singer has not been busy in the meantime. His music is everywhere lately. He has worked on the soundtrack for a number of recent film projects, including Luca Guadagninoās 2017 āCall Me By Your Name.ā And the song āChicagoā from his fantastic 2005 album āIllinoisā serves as the theme for Ryan Murphyās Netflix show āThe Politician,ā starring Ben Platt.
Vanessa Carlton is expected to release her sixth studio album,āLove Is An Art,ā on the same day. Itās unlikely thereās a single person who doesnāt know āA Thousand Miles,ā her monster hit. In fact, her debut album āBe Not Nobodyā (2002) is the only one of albums to enjoy major success. Carlton has nevertheless continued to produce music.
On April 3, Nina Simoneās album 1982 āFodder On My Wingsā will be re-released widely in digital and physical format. It offers a chance to become reacquainted with one of the iconic R&B singerās lesser-known albums.
Queer New York-based artist Stefan Alexander releases his sophomore EP āCry Againā on April 3.
The highlight of the spring album releases is without a doubt Lady Gagaās āChromaticaā on April 10. Nearly every project she has been involved in has been a success, including her starring role alongside Bradley Cooper in āA Star Is Bornā (2018). The song āShallow,ā sung by Gaga and Cooper, won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and Oscars. But if the new single āStupid Loveā is any indication, āChromaticaā will be something of a return to an earlier iteration of Gaga, something more akin to the musical style of āBorn This Wayā (2011) than to the more experimental āArt Popā (2013) and āJoanneā (2016). Her highly limited spring tour isnāt coming to Washington.
Peggy Leeās centennial year is being celebrated with various events. āUltimate Peggy Leeā drops April 17 and features a 57-year-old unreleased track.
On April 24, Rufus Wainwrightās new albumāUnfollow The Rulesā will be released. In anticipation of the new record, the gay singer-songwriter released singles āDamsel In Distressā and āTrouble In Paradiseā earlier this year.
Indigo Girls release their new album āLong Lookā on April 24, their first since 2015. Theyāve reunited with producer John Reynolds who produced their ā99 album āCome On Now Social.ā They play Rehoboth May 2.

Sam Smith, a gay artist who recently came out as non-binary, will releaseāTo Die Forā on May 1, a follow-up to the widely successful āThe Thrill Of It Allā (2017) and āIn The Lonely Hourā (2014). Four singles have been released thus far, including āDancing with a Strangerā and the eponymous āTo Die For,ā released earlier this year.
The ā80s rock band The Psychedelic Furs will put out a new album, entitled āMade Of Rain,ā also on May 1. The group, which continues to tour the world, has enjoyed renewed interest after their hit song āLove My Wayā from the 1982 album āForever Nowā was featured in āCall Me By Your Name.ā
Also May 1, the reconvened Dixie Chicks release their first new album in a whopping 14 years ā “Gaslighter.”
Additionally, ā90s rocker Alanis Morissette will release her ninth studio album,āSuch Pretty Forks in the Road,ā on that day. Itās her first album since āHavoc and Bright Lightsā in 2012.
Hayley Williams, lead singer of the pop rock group Paramore (the song āMisery Businessā was one of their most popular), will release her first album as a solo artist on May 8, entitled āPetals For Armor,ā following after the EP āPetals for Armor I,ā which was released in February.
MAXās new album āColour Visionā drops May 22. Heās straight but has headlined at Capital Pride as an ally.

In addition to the officially scheduled releases, there is still a number of possible releases. The French singer Christine and the Queens recently the EP āLa vita nuova.ā And we might also expect a forthcoming album from transmasculine artist Jakk Fynn, who released his debut EP, entitled āCancelledā back in February. Hope remains for new music from Rihanna, Adele and Cardi B. Janet Jackson has announced a summer U.S. tour and teased new music but nothing concrete yet album wise.
Thereās lot of cool stuff slated for release on vinyl, too. Among highlights:
⢠Whitney Houstonās eponymous debut album is out in a 35th anniversary edition on āpeaches-and-creamā-colored double vinyl with a deluxe booklet for $70.
⢠ABBA āLive at Wembley Arenaā is a triple-LP set out today.
⢠Perfume Geniusās fifth album āSet My Heart on Fire Immediatelyā is out on double āCoke-bottle greenā vinyl May 15.
And there are several cool releases planned for Record Store Day (April 18):
⢠Britneyās āOops! ⦠I Did it Again (Remixes and B-sides)ā
⢠Destinyās Childās āSay My Nameā on 12ā picture disc
⢠Two k.d. lang albums debut on vinyl ā āDragā and āAngel With a Lariatā
⢠Bob Mouldās āCircle of Friends,ā music from the concert film, debuts on vinyl for the first time
⢠Robynās eponymous debut makes it vinyl debut on double LP
⢠Sam Smithās cover of Donna Summerās āI Feel Loveā gets a 12ā picture disc release
⢠Tegan and Saraās āTonight in the Dark Weāre Seeing Colorsā on āviolet with black splatterā vinyl
Music & Concerts
New dance single pays tribute to Town Danceboutique
Local musicians pen āTownā in honor of shuttered club

The closing of the LGBTQ nightclub Town Danceboutique in the summer of 2017 was heartbreaking to local musician Bryce Bowyn. He and his Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter friend Lexie Martin decided to honor its legacy in their new single, āTown.ā
For Bowyn, who moved to the District about a decade ago to attend school at American University, the memories he has from Town Danceboutique are endless. And when it closed, it was a massive loss to Bowyn and many others.
āIt was such a cool space,ā Bowyn said. āIt was just disappointing to see a place that brought so many people together become part of the landscape again.ā The building Town Danceboutique used to be housed in is now home to upscale apartments and a CVS.
Town Danceboutique was a formative place for Bowyn and Martin, and it was Bowynās first experience in an open and accepting LGBTQ environment. His favorite memories at the club were always on Halloween, he said. Patrons, including Bowyn, would go all out with their costumes to look their very best.
Bowyn and Martin met while they were both in the musical theater program at American University. Despite their years-long friendship, āTownā is the first song they have written together. They sat down over FaceTime and got to work. It was Martinās idea to pay homage to Town Danceboutique, and the song follows the story of pre-gaming, going out, and hitting the dance floor.
But the single also serves as a hype song for going out in any city, at any place.
āIt was important to me for the song to remain relatable and accessible,ā Bowyn said. āSo the whole foundation of the chorus, āLet’s go to town,ā can either mean Town Danceboutique, or painting the town red and having the night of your life.ā
Bowyn started writing and producing his own music in 2018. He released an EP titled āA Rosy Retrospectā in 2022, and most recently released a single āA Bridge Burned Downā in June. His music is inspired by late 2000s pop and ā80s synthpop, influenced by stars like Madonna and Charli XCX. Lexie Martin released her self-titled EP in 2019 and most recently came out with her single āSUPERPOWERā in 2021.
Bowyn has been a lifelong pop music enthusiast. He distinctly remembers watching Britney Spears perform āOops!ā¦I Did It Againā at the MTV Video Music Awards when he was a kid and thinking āThat was what I wanted and what I was set to do in life.ā
āMy heart was always with pop music,ā Bowyn said.
āTownā is available now for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
Music & Concerts
From MonƔe to Madonna, fall will rock in D.C.
Local venues hosting array of queer artists in coming months

The D.C. area has many LGBTQ musical acts to look forward to this fall. Starting with pansexual and nonbinary actor and R&B singer Janelle MonƔe, performing at the Anthem on Sept. 24-25 with ticket prices ranging from $135 to $301 on StubHub.

Singer Hozierās āUnreal Unearth Tourā is coming to the Anthem on Sept. 26-27. Tickets are available on StubHub starting at $324.
On Sept. 28 the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore will see lesbian pop artist SZAās āSOS Tourā with tickets starting at $165 on Ticketmaster.
Queer indie pop singer Ashnikko is coming to the Anthem on Sept. 29 to perform their āWeedkiller Tour.ā Tickets available on StubHub range from $49 to $279.
Coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., is the All Things Go Festival. Performing are lesbian singers Tegan and Sara, alt-pop singer Lana Del Rey, pop singer Carly Rae Jepson, and more. The festival will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 1 with two day passes starting at $397 on SeatGeek.
Rock band Queen will perform āThe Rhapsody Tourā at the CFG Bank Arena along with Adam Lambert on Oct. 4-5. Tickets are starting at $181 on Ticketmaster.
Pop star and trans woman Kim Petrasā āFeed the Beast World Tourā will reach the Anthem on Oct 12. Tickets range from $72 to $817 on StubHub.Ā

Queer pop singer Kesha is coming to the Anthem on Oct. 29 to support her new album, āGag Order.ā Tickets go from $86 to $261 on Event Ticket Center.
Queer pop rapper Shygirl is co-headlining with bisexual singer Tinashe for the āNymphā tour at the Anthem on Nov. 5. Tickets range from $45 to $145 on Ticketmaster.
Indie band Men I Trust is performing at Echostage on Nov. 15. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster for $30.
Nonbinary rapper Lil Uzi Vertās āPINK TAPE TOURā will be at the Anthem on Nov. 21. Tickets start at $90 on StubHub.
Doja Catās āThe Scarlett Tourā will reach Capital One Arena on Nov. 27. Tickets start at $100 on Ticketmaster.
Madonna will bring her highly anticipated and delayed āThe Celebration Tourā to the Capital One Arena Dec. 18 and 19. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster starting at $110.
Music & Concerts
Tom Goss to perform at Rehoboth Beach Bear Weekend
Out singer entertains at the Sands Hotel

Out singer Tom Goss will perform at the Rehoboth Beach Bear Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Sands Hotel.
He will sing his memorable songs like āSon of a Preacher Man” and āBears,ā as well as tracks from his new album, āRemember What It Feels Like,ā where he sings about being a 42-year-old gay man still reeling from his husband’s infidelity who was recently conned by a lover with a secret life now serving time in prison.
Tickets to Rehoboth Beach Bear Weekend start at $20 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā
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