Rainbow Ruckus 10/1: Bryan Ruby, Abigail Austin, Secret Emchy Society, and More!
This week's Rainbow Ruckus features road dogs, psychedelic highways, mood rings, returned engagement rings, and a riot grrl album to help you fight The Man.
Every week, Rainbow Rodeo brings you the best new queer country music! Listen to this playlist on Spotify and Tidal! Thanks to Elliott for making a parallel list on Apple Music! Listen to the parallel list on Tidal. Missed a week? TA Inskeep is generously keeping an archive of all music featured on this Spotify playlist.
Support Rainbow Rodeo when you purchase our zine, a t-shirt, or make a donation!
- Secret Emchy Society take us on a honky-tonk road trip with "Catalyst." The song's dreamy waltz calls to mind the kinship and fortuitous luck of the road – no matter how far away you are, nothing will ever bring you closer than music. PS – if you're in New York, you can catch lead singer Cindy Emch at Penny Jo's in Washington Heights with Rainbow Rodeo Live!
- I learned about Sockpuppet through Mastodon, where there is a small but might contingent of queer and trans roots artists! Sockpuppet's music runs the gamut of genres, but album closer "Valley Highway" is an extended dream folk exploration of the past, future, and gratitude.
- Abigail Austin continues with a fascinating juxtaposition of her voice and '80s synth. "Ultimate Frisbee on AstroTERF" pulses with forbidding synths and twinkling fills even as Austin's voice is a gentle offering to the heavens. The song details the breakup of a marriage – the pain and well-wishes, but also the anger. It serves as a sort of successor to "Go West, Emily" – but this time, we hear Abigail assert her agency and safety.
- Meanwhile, Bryan Ruby gets his groove back on "Mood Ring." Ruby's release 'til now feature his solidifying relationship – and difficult breakup when it suddenly went south. Here, we see Ruby feeling himself and getting a little sexy with it – the gay '90s country song about a hookup you always knew you needed.
- Legendary Nashville producer Zdan is putting her foot down with her upcoming album SO WHAT, out November 7th. "hell no!" picks up the mantle from riot grrl acts like Sleater-Kinney and the Gossip before they fell in love with electropunk. Zdan's joy in creating music supercedes the toxic forces that seek to push us down – and this is an anthem we could all use right now.
