Make Your Inbox Your Newsfeed
Our weekly recap features a Aubory Bugg's songwriting approach, Orville Peck's new album, and our editor's picks of the week -- as well as artist resources, and queer country events around the world!
Just gonna use this platform to self-promote...if you like my writing, you'll like my fiction! Check out the Kickstarter for Artema #4! Just $50 to go!
Last night I checked out the short The Last Vaginoplasty in the United States of America by Drew Burnett Gregory as one of the selections at the Newfest film festival. It's a 10-minute short that ultimately skewers the queer media landscape and the ways we all find ourselves doing distasteful things because we hope it will allow us to contribute to our sense of mission. There was one throwaway line that had me hotting and hollering, though:
"Well, they say analog is the future but I can't raise a baby with zines."
Thing is, I think we need to try.
It's no secret that at this point, Meta has created a virtual monopoly on Internet communication. Everyone uses at least one of these: Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Facebook (still, somehow.) With the release of Muse, Meta's AI assistant, the company is once again forcing a new product down our throats. This week was the double whammy of Meta using AI to "enhance" ad purchases – without the permission of the user, as Bookshop.org learned the hard way. Also, on October 30th, Meta's new terms of service will force all business accounts to consent to train AI via bot crawlers – including to external links in the account's profile. (Probably a bad time for Bluesky to finally allow outbound links on profiles there...) If you are someone who uses a social media scheduler, then you know that you need to have your business account to do that. (And, urgently, you should know that if you still use Facebook, Meta now wants to charge you $50 a month to post more than two links a month!)
The tizzy this all caused on Threads lead me to dust off my old A Mastodon Guide for Indie Musicians (and the Journalists Who Love Them.)
(I know you still won't read it but I had to try.)
"Well," you might say, "the ship has sailed. I don't care if Meta scrapes my stuff." Sure, but also this week, we've seen Meta "accidentally" suspend the No Kings protest account – a funny coincidence given that Meta did the same thing ahead of elections in Brazil. Meanwhile, Meta has at least been fined for the Cambridge Analytica case, which gave us Brexit and Trump 1. All of this comes after the gross mistreatment of content monitors, slippery definitions of hate speech, aggressive business tactics, destruction of news media, and capitulation to authoritarian rulers across the globe.
If Elon Musk was enough to get you off of Twitter and, after reading the last paragraph, you still have the urge to scroll Insta then...we, collectively, have a problem. (And they know how addicting their software is.)
On a more micro level, I'm seeing more people try to imagine what it would look like to simply move off social media entirely. After fighting for my life to get any traction at all for my Kickstarter, it's abundantly clear that Meta throttles any outgoing traffic and, therefore, negates the entire purpose of someone sharing their work on any of their platforms. (And in spite of all the posting, the vast majority of backers are people I know personally, whom I reached via texts, Facebook, and Discord – not Instagram or Threads, whose algorithms are supposed to boost posts beyond one's immediate circle!)
So, if you've read this far, you've now been rewarded with some news: I will write more extensively about it next week, but the whole thing has me so frustrated that I intend to take the first few months of 2027 off from Rainbow Rodeo.
With that being said, this is my plea to communicate online without the mediation of any one corporation – Bluesky will only follow in Meta's footsteps if it ever gets big enough. Writer Dan Sinker pondered this in his newsletter, and Brittany Ann Tranbaugh is simply decamping from Instagram.
"But Rachel," you say, "I would get ten zillion e-mails a day! I can't simply subscribe to a newsletter for every artist I like!"
a) welcome to the last fifteen years of my life as a music journalist. I hate my inbox lol
b) are you really paying attention to the 1300 people you follow on Instagram/Bluesky/etc? Probably not. In fact, maybe it's better if we channel the firehose of information on our feeds through a sluice gate. We might feel better generally. Just a thought!
So, while you're in that filtering process, I hope you'll stick with us. :)
Rainbow Rodeo Vol. 7
Buy it here!
And Now...A Word From Our Sponsor
It's me again! Get a cool pin, your face in a comic, signed copies, and more over at the Kickstarter! You can keep Rainbow Rodeo going when you advertise with us!
This Week on Rainbow Rodeo
Rachel Cholst
Bee Delores
Rachel Cholst
Rachel Cholst
Rachel Cholst
Rainbow Roundup
- Spinster and Americana Music Productions honor the label Rosetta Records with a three-disc compilation of archival recordings of women singing the blues. I don't think I need to explain why this fucking rocks. The label focused on early blues and jazz recordings by women.
- Adeem the Artist will be releasing their next record, Christians for Goliath, on December 4th. For Hypebot, they wrote about their experience with Americanafest and why they are no longer knocking on industry doors
- On his Substack, Country Cutler does an excellent job explaining why pop country sucks (my words)
- Jenni Rose is launching a new pop punk project, The Tomgirls
- Last week, Paisley Fields recounted a homophobic incident at one of her shows
- Speaking of Brazil, an examination of cowboy aesthetics and right-wing politics down there by Sam Cowie for The Baffler
Fundraisers
- Robert Bock is finally recording that damn album of his and I'm so excited to have it in my hands so help me out by contributing (you'll need to hover over the images – I got a little confused at first)
- So many of the artists we feature here rely on shows like Mountain Stage and Tiny Desk to get the word out. If, like me, you live in a major city with a large donor base, your station is probably fine. So maybe adopt a station that's had more than 70% of its budget slashed? I'm choosing Allegheny Mountain Radio just because it fits the theme.
- Kamara Thomas, who is a co-organizer of Southern Soul Songbook, needs support as she recovers from Stage 3 breast cancer
- Color Me Country is seeking to raise $202,000 to support BIPOC artists with travel grants and more. Donate here.
Need a Protest Song Mixed?
Artist and Rainbow Rodeo contributor Arend Lee Jessurun has this offer for artists:
I'm looking to get back into the production/mixing/mastering game since a bit of a hiatus for health. I'm starting to better manage my energy with fibromyalgia, and I'm a bit antsy to do more of the work I love. And I'd especially love to work with other queers!
Also, if you've got protest music for these times, I'd love to produce, mix, and/or master it for cheap, even for free if I can swing it. If you're unfamiliar with my work and studio, check it out here.
Events
I make this list by scrolling through Instagram and Threads (and occasionally Bluesky when you all post there.) Feel free to send me events by replying to this e-mail!
- 9/20 - 11/8 (Pennsylvania and Connecticut) – Brittany Ann Tranbaugh takes the show on the road – but mostly sticks close to home – this fall
- 10/8 - 11/12 (Great Britain) – Queer Cxntry hits the road across the jolly old England
- 10/23 (Killkenny, Ireland) – Lizzie No plays Billy Byrne's
- 10/23 (Chicago, IL) – Andrew Sa's Cosmic Country showcase returns to The Empty Bottle
- 10/24 (Troy, NY) – The Belle Curves play the fourth annual Ooky Spooky Fest
- 10/31 (Durham, NC) – Amelia Riggs and her new band play Sleepyfest
- 11/5 (Cambridge, MA) – Jessye DeSilva has a single release show at the Lizard Lounge
- 11/7 (Clarksdale, MS) – Launch of the Rosetta Records Project, celebrating jazz and blues by women from the 1920s - 1950s
- 11/6 - 11/8 (Richmond, VA) – The lineup for Queer As Folk Fest includes some real heavy hitters. I can take Amtrak there, right?
- 11/21 (New York, NY) – Brian Falduto has a Residency Encore and EP Release Show @ The Green Room 42 (Tickets here!)
- 12/5 (Sacramento, CA) – Autumn Sky Hall, Eli Conley Quartet, and Chaps – all Rainbow Rodeo faves – play Two Rivers Cider
Artist Resources
- Deadline 10/31: Attention Australian artists who are not cis men! Apply for a ToneShift microgrant for studio equipment and space here!
- Opening 11/1: Apply to play Toronto Pride
- List your queer New York City-based events in Groove
- UK artist Pearl Does Country wants to feature your music on his new internet radio show!
- Lovequeers wants to feature trans/gnc/nonbinary artists! More info here
- The Songbird Radio Show wants your music
- Someone from Threads is soliciting Queer music of all genres for her podcast
- The Wild Honey Pie is looking for YOUR folk music! (Think Western AF, but more twee.) Submit here
- The IndieBubble podcast network is soliciting country music submissions
- Radiofolk is soliciting folk/acoustic music
- Charted is soliciting music from female artists!
- Send in your music to this new alt-country radio station!
- What's a premiere and how do you pitch it?
- Got a release coming up? Add it to Country Everywhere’s newsletter! Country Everywhere is a directory of artists and news for queer, BIPOC, and disabled artists.
- With Bandcamp changing hands and union busting, here are some alternative resources for selling your music online
- Are you on BlueSky? Queer country artist 2 AM Wake Up Call created this feed of musicians. You can ask them to be added to the feed!
- I also made a Y’allternative Feed on Bluesky. Let me know if you’d like your posts to appear on the feed!
- 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!
- If you’re thinking of joining Mastodon, make an account on musician.social and read my tips for making Mastodon work for you!
- Once you do that, reach out to Moonshine Brigade to get added to their Americana and country music starter pack.
- Nice Hearing About Music highlights artists on the Fediverse - check them out and make sure they know about 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
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