Ana Egge is a singer-songwriter and apprentice luthier from Brooklyn, NY. She has released 13 studio albums, playing her homemade guitar. Egge’s music has been praised by critics for its honesty, vulnerability, and beauty. She was born in Canada, and raised in North Dakota, and has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe. Egge is […]
Rainbow Rodeo Issue 4 is only $300 away from being funded! If 30 people donated or made a purchase of $10 or more, we’d be done! Help Rainbow Rodeo support artists like Rachael Sage today! Rachael Sage loved her album The Other Side so much, she’s taken another look at it with her forthcoming album […]
Howdy, cowpoke! We’re right in the middle of the fundraiser for issue 4 of the Rainbow Rodeo zine! If you want to keep supporting queer country artists like YAINT, pre-order your copy, cop a t-shirt, or make a donation here! YAINT sometimes go by the name of eryn brothers, hailing from the same Arkansas whirl […]
Howdy, cowpoke! We’re right in the middle of the fundraiser for issue 4 of the Rainbow Rodeo zine! If you want to keep supporting queer country artists like Holly Lerski, pre-order your copy, cop a t-shirt, or make a donation here! Holly Lerski had to take a long, long trip before her new album, Sweet […]
Zoe Boekbinder (they/them) is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist who has traveled across genre, staying rooted in American folk. Boekbinder’s new record, Wildflower, was made, performed, produced, and promoted by a team of women and non-binary people. Recording was funded by Canada Council for the Arts. When we last spoke with Boekbinder on the Rainbow […]
Jess Silber is an artist and a filmmaker committed to increase representation in music and the film industry. With her new song “it hurts to love a woman,” Silber combines her talents with a song of painful realization. For the video, Silber employed a distinctive filmmaking approach, shooting half of the music video on a high-end […]
There are plenty of peeks behind the scenes when it comes to music-making: demos, live recordings, songwriting sessions, recording sessions, soundchecks…you name it. But for many of us, the first time we experience a new song is through a music video. How the heck do those get made? Director Desdemona Dallas describes their process for […]
Nan Macmillan brings a dreamy quality to her music, much like the subconscious truths that seep into our sleeping minds. It’s up to us if we recognize them when we wake up. The Charlottesville, VA singer-songwriter has no problem cutting to the core of the matter in her work, like the recent “Mad Sometimes,” which […]
Spencer LaJoye does not shy away from saying what they really mean. That forthrightness is something we can expect from their album Shadow Puppets, out February 16. LaJoye is an East Coast singer-songwriter with Midwest roots, a classically trained violinist with a proclivity for Broadway vocals, and a student of Americana music with a theology […]
Austin’s queer folk collective Middle Sattre shatters queer shame in their powerful upcoming album, Tendencies, out tomorrow. Frontman Hunter Prueger grew up Mormon, filled with shame and embarrassment and rage. Tendencies illustrates Prueger’s journey, from shame to reconciliation with all the difficult emotions in between. Prueger’s experience has a noise artist leads him into wildly […]
After a long hiatus from recording, Marx Cassity (Osage/Kaw) has returned with their electrified and electrifying indigiqueer synth folk album 2Sacred. (Coincidentally, we covered Marx’s 2014 album Songs From the Well earlier this month.) Cassity’s work is driven by their own commitment to decolonization, and how binary white supremacist logic impacts others. A trauma counselor […]
Hen in the Foxhouse (Elena Krell, who previously performed as Elias Krell) is a Latinx artist and a former gender studies professor at Vassar College. They reached out after our interview with Al Olender, who sang the praises of the warm reception she’s received as a young queer artist in Kingston. The Hudson Valley is […]
Singer-songwriter Sarah Walk has traveled the world with her music, splitting her time between Minneapolis, New York, London, and now LA. Walk allows the songs to guide her, flitting between folk, art pop, electronic music, and all the spaces in between. Her upcoming album details her experience with gender dysphoria and top surgery. As a […]
Emmy Woods’ “million miles per hour” finds the sweet spot between Dolly Parton country vibes and the world weariness I tend to associate with Americana. Emmy has been writing songs for over 20 years, but her first collection of songs, tristia bella, as well as her albums The Manifold and Delirium were not released until […]
Chicago’s Kelsey Montanez has never followed the comfortable trail. She won a high school talent contest and signed her first record contract, leaving home at 17. Her star rose quickly — and it’s no wonder, with self-assured performances that feel just as comfortable in a rock arena as a honky tonk — leading to a […]
Sophia Eliana is a Denver-based singer-songwriter, dancer, and visual artist from Monterey, California. Eliana’s voice carries with self-assurance and a warm embrace of life’s uncertainties. Her songs are imbued with nature — as we see below, sense of place is vital to Eliana, and listening to her songs makes you imagine crumbling dirt between your […]
Molly O’Leary charts the highs and lows of their own formidable (and ongoing) journey towards healing, self-acceptance, and self-actualization. Marigold was recorded in Nashville with producer (and Grammy-nominated songwriter in his own right) Will Hoge. As O’Leary explains in their interview, the pair met while performing together and strike up a friendship. O’Leary, hailing from […]
Karen Pittelman, founder of Karen and the Sorrows and the Gay Ole Opry and Queer Country Monthly, is the reason you’re here today, reading this blog/zine. It’s not just that she’s an inspiration to me, personally, but she has done so much work to build and create the queer country community we know today. Many […]
The Kentucky Gentlemen have been working tirelessly to share their music in Nashville. They call it the ten-year town and, after ten years of writing hundreds of songs and shaking hands at hundreds of events, the Gentlemen’s ship has come in thanks to their work with the Black Opry. The twin brothers (Brandon and Derek […]
CJ Lawrence is a queer songwriter whose songs don’t pull any emotional punches. He’s currently recording his debut album Home, which draws on his experiences as a transsexual Kansan who was rejected by his family when he came out. He hopes, especially now, that his songs serve as an empowering reminder that trans people deserve […]
When we last checked in with ISMAY, they had come off fresh from their appearance on the Apple TV+ reality show My Kind of Country and the release of their album Songs of Sonoma Mountain. As ISMAY explained in their interview with Staci B, they are a bluegrass lifer who finds joy in traditionalism. Their […]
Lizzie No is — at last — ready to unleash her new album Halfsies in January — and it’ll be worth the wait. Her new song “The Heartbreak Store” hints at the storytelling to come, with No imagining a speakeasy for the weary and the lonely to soothe their hearts for a while. In the […]
Mylo Choy finds comfort in the spaces between things. As a mixed-race and nonbinary person, moving between worlds feels like home to them. Born and raised in Wisconsin, they also developed a strong connection to Hawaii, where their mother was born and raised. For over 10 years, they were employed in outdoor education, living and working […]
Lila Blue’s strangely dreamy writing makes a lot of sense when you learn that some of them are written in their sleep — literally. Raised on an artists’ commune in upstate New York, Blue has been writing songs and expressing themselves since they were a child. Their upcoming album, Sweet Pea (out 11/10), finds Blue […]
Pam Autouri, who writes and records as TOMI, grew up in the Catholic Church, attending every Sunday and going to Catholic School during the week. When she came out as a lesbian she carried a lot of shame and guilt. She was living in New York at the time and was feeling the chaos of […]
Sarah Rudy of Hello June has lived a lifetime of loss in the five years since the band’s previous album, Spruce. The band’s latest, Artifacts, is the post-COVID album for those of us who spent lockdown doing more than bake bread. These songs are world-weary and resolved, clear-eyed in the face of difficulty. In our […]
Haunted Mountain, the latest from Jolie Holland, (released 10/6) brims with poignant metaphors, alongside vivid, lyrical imagery meant to expand the collective imagination. Her words, delivered in her haunting, smokey lilt, stir the soul and shine a focused, unapologetic light on the tragedies of our time. She reckons with disaster capitalism, creeping fascism, colonialism, and […]
On the heels of a summer of breathless touring, the folk songwriter Al Olender is looking forward to winter. It’s when she’ll put on the second annual Alentine’s Day, a show “taking back” February 14th in honor of her personal Valentine: Kingston, New York. Olender moved to the small town about 100 miles north of […]
Garrison Starr has been through it. Raised in an Evangelical household and then catapulted into fame with her 1997 song “Superhero,” Starr has navigated queerness through many treacherous waters. As she explained in her Mountain Stage performance this week, it all became a bit much and she took a break from playing out. Teaming up […]
Chicago cowboy crooner Andrew Sa changed lanes from folk to country after opening for Lavender Country in 2017. When meeting the late Patrick Haggerty, who released the first known gay-themed album in country music history in 1973, Sa sought to write a new collection of songs from the new perspective of his queer country crooner […]
Jess Nolan is an old soul and a skilled creator who continuously channels a palate of creative endeavors. A member of Jenny Lewis’ all-female touring band, she is an in-demand collaborator, lending her writing, vocal, and instrumentalist talents to projects by artists like Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Lydia Luce, and more. The seeds of her […]
Austin Lucas is a veteran of the punk and hardcore scenes that have birthed many Americana favorites now: Tim Barry, Laura Jane Grace, Cory Branan, Jason Isbell, John Moreland. The last time Austin and I spoke for the Adobe & Teardrops podcast, they were stuck in Germany on what was decidedly the right side of […]
Ava Earl, the 20-year-old Alaskan indie folk/pop artist, has been killing it: she opened for Maggie Rogers while still in high school, released 4 albums by the time she was 18 and The Roses (2021), produced by GRAMMY-nominated JT Nero, had several songs were featured on Spotify editorial playlists, with “Mountain Song” amassing more than […]
Pine & Fire belong on bigger stages. The duo, comprised of Jobi Adams and Brandi Foster, plays exquisite folk music with a radical bent. Their music is mellow and is fit for a campfire, but the lyrics light a bonfire in your soul. The pair would be perfectly at home in a lineup with Adeem […]
Portland’s Roselit Bone is hitting the ground running on Ofrenda, their fourth album. That’s mainly because of lead singer Charlotte McCaslin’s transition. On the title track (below), McCaslin’s sinewy voice finally feels like her own, and it’s easy to hear the eight-piece band lean into her self assurance. Ofrenda is a heady mix of rockabilly […]
The Nashville Scene’s 2022 “Best New Music Festival” returns for its third year celebrating queer artists in Music City this weekend. Founded by artist and entrepreneur Sara Gougeon in 2021, Queerfest has continued growing and transforming each year thanks to Gougeon’s dedication, passion, and effort to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ artists and fans […]
After immersing himself in the American folk scene and mastering the fiddle in his youth, Reid Jenkins embraced his own voice and formed the indie rock outfit Morningsiders with band co-founders Magnus Ferguson and Robert Frech while attending Columbia University. As the band has continued to follow their arrow, however, Jenkins increasingly felt a passion […]
San Francisco’s Rachel Garlin can find inspiration from the unlikeliest places. Her recent The Ballad of Madelyne & Therese is a 13-song cycle about two lovers in New York in the 1940s. The project is rooted from an off-the-cuff “shitty first draft” of a song and is now both an album and a one-woman show. […]
With the release of their monumental The Wrack Line, Your Heart Breaks (a.k.a. Clyde Petersen) demonstrates their careful observation of a life well-lived. The song is a collection of collaborations, chronicling Petersen’s misadventures in the freak fold world. Petersen is also an accomplished filmmaker, and in our interview they share how these interests — combined […]
Keturah Allgood may have grown up in North Carolina, but her music gives off plenty of West Coast vibes. Allgood, as she explains in her interview, is heavily influenced by the Grateful Dead and this gives her music — especially her latest single, “Radio” — an expansive feeling. Whether it’s an upbeat ditty or the […]
Staci B‘s interview of Rachael Sage was made possible thanks to contributions from readers like you. Subscribe to our Patreon today for $2 a year to help Rainbow Rodeo feature journalists who write by and for the LGBTQ+ community! On her new album, artist Rachael Sage (she/her) continues the evolution of her music by sharing […]
Nashville’s Ira Wolf is finding herself coming into her own. Her upcoming album, Rock Bottom, finds her reeling — and moving on — from the end of a five-year relationship and calling off her wedding. Raised in the wilds of Montana, Wolf’s music reflects the country’s rarified air with a spare interpretation of pop country. […]
Eli Conley is a veteran singer-songwriter and an invaluable asset to the trans music community. He is readying the release of his upcoming album Searching For What’s True (July 14) but that’s not enough for him — he’ll also be leading a weekly class for singers taking testosterone from July 25 to August 16 on […]
Olive Klug tackles America’s contradictions and indignities with a sweet voice and hopefulness on “Song About America.” Hailing from Portland, they’ve taken social media by storm. Since joining TikTok in the summer of 2020, Olive Klug’s TikTok fanbase has grown to over 168.5K followers with over 2.8M likes across their video content. Following the success […]
Born in West Texas, Julie Nolen has forged her own path without forgetting where she’s from. An Americana-roots rock-country troubadour, she is known for her energetic and passionate performances. She is also the founder and producer of the OUTlaw Pride Fest, the first queer country festival in Texas. The inaugural fest raised over $4,000 for […]
Is there a better time to come out than Pride Month? On her new song “I Like Girls” Laila declares her intent with catchy pop swagger. Laila is an actress and singer/songwriter of Jordanian-Canadian descent. With pop duo Your Paris, Laila’s music has been featured on CTV’s “Your Morning” and Spotify’s “New Music Friday.” Laila’s […]
Howdy, cowpoke! Rainbow Rodeo is raising funds to print issue 3 of our zine! As of this writing, we are only $275 away from our goal! Please donate to support queer writers like Staci B, who conducted this interview with ISMAY. Avery Hellman, known to the world of blue grass and country as ISMAY, is […]
Howdy, cowpokes! We’re in the midst of raising funds for issue 3 of Rainbow Rodeo! Subscribe to our Patreon to read the full interview! This excerpt was published in the Rainbow Rodeo newsletter in December 2022. Melissa Carper released her latest album, Ramblin’ Soul. right before the holiday. Carper has made an art of sassy, […]
TOMI’s style is characterized by ferocious guitar and resounding vocals—an unfettered, urgent, and emotionally supercharged sound that was forged from a ruthless determination to sing, play, and do things her own way, even in the face of life’s obstacles. For Autuori, music has been a sanctuary since coming out at age 12 in suburban Connecticut. […]
Growing up in one of the top 10 poorest counties in America, in the backwoods of Kentucky, Zach Day would regularly skip school to teach himself how to play guitar and sing by examining the subtle nuances of legendary vocalists and songwriters. Zach would devour songs of all genres and adopted his own style of […]
Desert Mambas (Bailey Moses) counters transphobia with a tender song of affirmation and self-love. Referencing Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, Desert Mambas pushes back against the public’s assumption that they are a “failed man.” But Desert Mambas knows they are something even greater than any one gender identity: they are fully themselves, and they will […]
Eli Conley is an indie folk singer-songwriter, teaching artist, and activist based in Sacramento, California. He makes music for queer and trans folks, justice seekers, and anyone who doesn’t fit easily in a box. Eli’s voice is tender and heartfelt, with melodies and that can leave you feeling teary-eyed yet hopeful. As a queer transgender […]
Nashville’s Jobi Riccio spoke with us to detail her influences, the importance of performing as her true queer self, and what to expect from her upcoming album Whiplash, out September 8 on Yep Roc Records. The 24-year-old songwriter grapples directly with a variety of topics on the record, including coming to terms with being queer […]
Indigenous (Anishinaabe/Cree), Queer, activist and multi-hyphenate talent Jayli Wolf will release her powerful new single “Holding On” on April 21. Embodying the juxtaposition of deep love and a dark sadness, the song captures moments in life where we can lose touch with ourselves. In the song’s striking self-directed and produced official video, Jayli is depicted exploring a surreal […]
A lay down girl, as Nora Kelly Band defines it, is someone who conforms to the will of others. That’s not what Nora Kelly, who previously fronted the Canadian punk trio DIPSHIT, wants for herself or anyone else. “The lyrics to this song were direct advice that I was giving to myself, to stop being […]
Jessye DeSilva is prepping another album and is fundraising, community-style. Much like Adeem the Artist’s queer country barnraising (as they described it on a previous Rainbow Rodeo episode), Jessye is fundraising via Venmo, Ca$hApp, PayPal, and album preorders. After reading our interview, you’re gonna want to see that album made? Emo/punk/queer Americana? What are you […]
Voted best songwriter of 2021 by Miami New Times, Rachel Angel’s music straddles the elusive line between alternative country, folk, and rock— taking the listener on a wild journey through the muck of pain & disillusionment, the winding path of the hero’s journey, and ultimately to a place of self enlightenment. A Miami native, Rachel […]
This interview with Semler originally appeared in Rainbow Rodeo issue 2. Subscribe today and never miss out on a Rainbow Rodeo zine! In March 2021, Semler (aka Grace Baldridge) thoroughly rocked the Chrstian Contemporary Music (CCM) world. She released the EP Preacher’s Kid, detailing her experiences growing up queer in an evangelical tradition. Semler, perhaps […]