Happy Cinco de Mayo to all who observe! (Just a fun reminder that this is purely an American holiday used to sell tacos and tequila. Mexican Independence Day is September 16.)
Another thing you can celebrate with tacos and tequila is the first full week of Rainbow Rodeo! I’ve literally been overwhelmed with getting posts up on the site because there’s just so many beautiful queer country things happening! And thank you all for posting and sharing and your enthusiasm for this new stage of Rainbow Rodeo!
It’s also Bandcamp Friday, so be sure to purchase something to support your favorite queer country artists. Bandcamp is withholding their share of the cut.
Before this week, I’d send out a newsletter that included events and news items. Now, we get to post those things on the world wide web. But be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you can stay caught up on Rainbow Rodeo doin’s!
Rainbow Roundup
- Bee Dolores wrote a beautiful profile of Mya Byrne on Wide Open Country. Bee contributed to issue 1 of Rainbow Rodeo!
- Everything’s coming up Mya! Jewly Hight of NPR also interviewed her about her historic album.
- Autostraddle’s Danijanae interviews Caroline Rose about their new album
- Chris Housman hits the big-time on Good Morning America and explains why drag queens are important to country music
- Into queer Irish punk? Rainbow Rodeo Discord member Mal made a whole radio show about it!
- Autumn Sky Hall checks in with the Bluegrass Situation about their new EP and making space for marginalized people. (We’ll review their EP next week!)
- What do you mean you don’t want this $2 comic about butch cowgirls and gender rolemodels???
- If you’re here, you like music zines. Longtime Wide Open Country contributor Addie Moore is taking pre-orders for their indie punk zine No Spectators
- You can get almost 50% off the book Queer Country using this code: F21UIP
- This thread gives advice on self-managed transition in Alabama and other states that restrict our bodily autonomy
Crowdfunding Campaigns
- Speaking of Autumn, she’s crowdfunding for their new album!
- Brittany Ann Tranbaugh is crowdfunding for her vinyl release!
- Chicago country singer Andrew Sa is crowdfunding his first album!
Album Releases
Here are all of the queer country album releases this month! Let me know if I should add something to the list!
- 5/10 — Jude Brothers
- 5/12 — Michelle Malone
- 5/19 — Brandy Clark
Events
- 5/7 – 6/4 — Eli Conley is doing a short West Coast tour
- 6/7 — Ty Herndon’s annual Concert For Love and Acceptance is at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon
- 6/23 – 25: Melissa Carper, Alisa Amador, Maya deVitry, The Faux Paws, and Amy Martin are playing the Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mount Solon, Virginia
- 7/8 — Margate, UK — The Queer Cuntry Summer Fair will feature a whole slew of queer country performers!
Artist Resources
- DEADLINE 5/20: Braver Angels Music is launching a songwriting contest to “inspire citizens to appreciate their differences and to look above social divides”
- Todd Farrell Jr., lead singer of the Benchmarks and sideman for Sammy Kay Jr and Two Cow Garage, is fielding songs for a comp album to fight voter suppression in Tennessee. Apply here!
- Apply to play a street stage at IBMA, the premiere bluegrass festival! (Stacy Chandler says that all roots music artists are encouraged to apply)
- DEADLINE 5/19: The Amador Arts Council has put out a call for artists of all media to submit works with the theme WAY OUT WEST, celebrating LGBTQAI2S+ history throughout the western frontiers
- We Are Moving the Needle is looking for women and non-binary audio engineers and music producers
- Eli Conley is teaching Unlock the Song Inside: Beginning Songwriting Class for Queer & Trans Folks & Allies, and he also offers an online LGBTQ+ songwriter circle!
- Are you on Mastodon or another part of the Fediverse? Get your music on RadioFreeFedi! https://radiofreefedi.net/
- PS — If you’re thinking of joining Mastodon, make an account on musician.social and read my tips for making Mastodon work for you!
- Submit your music and events to The Q LGBTQ Creative Network
- This Twitter thread has a whole list of places to find jobs in the music industry
- And here’s a list of resources for “women” entering the music industry — presumably they also encourage nonbinary participants
- Submit your profile to the Country Everywhere which seeks to unite BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled artists and professionals
- Sign up to the Black Opry Revue’s interest form!
- Check out the weekly Queerfolk Fest show in Nashville