[L Sound] Year in Queer 2006: Music

看板the_L_word (拉子/女女/泛同志影音)作者Architect (a rocker named Zemfira)時間19年前 (2006/12/20 17:33)推噓5(5推 0噓 6→)

留言11則, 2人參與討論串1/1

http://www.afterellen.com/Music/2006/12/yearinqueermusic.html After Ellen 對 2006 年女同志樂手/音樂做的總結, 是一篇閒暇時間讀起來還蠻有趣的文章. 想要對女同志樂手/音樂多了解的朋友可以看看: YEAR IN QUEER 2006: MUSIC by Shauna Swartz, December 19, 2006 The music scene continues to be the one area of entertainment in which being lesbian or bisexual is not seen as a handicap. In fact, as Nelly Furtado's overeager coming-out (followed by an embarrassed retraction) last summer shows , being a bisexual pop star has almost become cliche. Openly lesbian musicians were found in nearly all genres of music this past year, including hip-hop, which has historically been known more for its homo- -phobia than gay-friendly practices. This past year also marked a turning point in the music industry's perception of LGBT listeners, with Sony's launch of Music With a Twist, the first major label division for openly queer artists. * Coming Out, Sort Of Known to take to the stage with a "Dykes Rule" sticker on her guitar, labrys- -tattooed Joan Jett has never been completely closeted. But in the past, she has only made vague references to her sexual orientation, cloaking her res- -ponses in comments about not wanting to label people. In 2006, however, press releases for her Dinah Shore Weekend appearance billed her as an "out lesbian rocker", so it may be safe to assume that she agreed to be described that way. Plus, at least one track on her June 2006 release, Sinner, seem to reference lesbian love. Women's rights activist Joan Osborne goes one step further; she sings direct- -ly about a relationship with a woman in "After Jane", a song on her November release, Pretty Little Stranger. Though Osborne, best known for her 1995 hit "One of Us", has rarely spoken openly about her sexual orientation,"After Jane" speaks more eloquently than any coming-out interview in People. * The Mainstream Stars Long-established openly lesbian artists the Indigo Girls released a new album in September 2006. Despite Our Differences was the duo's first studio recording since leaving Sony and signing with Hollywood Records. The album also marks their first time working with producer Mitchell Froom, as well as the 20th anniversary of their first recording. Another lesbian music icon, K.D. Lang, revisited her alt-country roots last year by releasing Reintarnation, a collection of remastered songs from the first 10 years of her musical career. The Canadian singer made an appearance on the big screen by playing a butch lounge singer in the Brian de Palma film "The Black Dahlia". She also continued her career as a Tony Bennett-style crooner, appearing on Bennett's latest album, Tony Bennett Duets: An American Classic, with the song "Because of You". Although the biggest name in lesbian music, Melissa Etheridge, did not re- lease a new album in 2006, she made headlines when she rocked the Grammy Awards last February shortly after undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Etheridge and Joss Stone performed Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart", delivering the evening's most talked-about performance. This month, Etheridge and partner Tammy Lynn Michaels were again in the press when they released photos of their newborn twins to US Weekly. Their decision to publish these photos in a de- -cidedly mainstream magazine indicated that out lesbian musicians have, in- -credibly, been embraced by Middle America. * Queer Bands Reach the Mainstream Last year also saw a number of releases and successes from newer and up-and- -coming bands with queer members who have always been open about their sexual orientation, and who have never had to issue a coming-out statement. The Sounds, fronted by openly bisexual lead singer Maja Ivarsson, released "Dying to Say This to You" in March. Musical as well as life partners The Ditty Bops released "Moon Over the Freeway" in May and carried out a cross-country concert tour by bicycle. Sisters Tegan and Sara celebrated their successful So Jealous tour by releasing a concert DVD, "It's Not Fun, Don't Do It: Tegan and Sara on Tour". Although not as well-known, Coach Said Not To - who released Mini Series in May - are a Twin Cities outfit that should win a prize for the best lesbian band name of the year. Portland-based punk/rock band The Gossip did not release new music this year, but their lead singer, openly lesbian Beth Ditto, made a splash by taking the No. 1 spot on British music mag NME's 2006 Cool List. And last but not least, Canadian neo-folk outfit The Duhks, including openly lesbian fiddler Tania Elizabeth, released their album Migrations in September. The group was recently nominated for a Grammy for their song "Heaven's My Home" * Going Solo From Folk to Hip-Hop Among the many lesbian solo artists who released new material in 2006 are Erin McKeown, whose Sing You Sinners covers classic American hits, Doria Roberts, who released Woman Dangerous, and The Tonight Show's Vicki Randle. Several veterans of the lesbian music scene, Melissa Ferrick, Michelle Malone and Catie Curtis, all released new albums last year. Acoustic guitarist Kaki King broke new ground with her third release, "Until We Felt Red", which features her singing and playing electric guitar as well as lap steel. Garrison Starr - originally from Mississippi - left L.A. for Nash- -ville, then came out with her fifth album, the acoustic/folk "The Sound of You and Me". Bisexual singer-songwriter Jen Foster, also in Nashville, released her second album, The Underdogs, in February. Openly lesbian artists made headway last year in hip-hop, a genre that has historically been characterized as both homophobic and sexist. Salvadoran- -Filipino, San Francisco native JenRO was featured in the queer rap/hip-hop documentary "Pick Up the Mic". The 21-year-old, who came out to her mom at 13, released her second album, "Hate It or Love It", in July 2006. Native Canadian artist Kinnie Starr, who gained a lesbian following when she appeared on The L Word during its second season, released her fourth album, "Anything", last August. A blend of hip-hop, pop, rock and feminist anthem while infused with Starr's Mohawk roots, Anything is as complicated and unique as this openly bisexual singer-songwriter. And multitalented artist Hanifah Walidah's video for Make a Move, exhibiting her signature blend of blues, soul, house and hip-hop, debuted this month on Logo, AfterEllen.com's parent company. Her new album, "Once Upon It Is", will be released in February 2007. * Major Label Support Perhaps the biggest milestone for queer music this past year was the creation of the first major-label division devoted to queer artists. Music With a Twist, a joint venture between Sony BMG and Wilderness Media, announced that the first two artists to be signed to the label would be The Gossip and London-bred, classically trained singer and musician Kirsten Price. Both have new releases slated for the first part of 2007. If Music With a Twist's establishment was a high point for the year, the low point came in the form of a sad farewell to Sleater-Kinney. After 11 years as a band, they announced in June 2006 that they would no longer be touring or recording, referring to it as an "indefinite hiatus" and offering no expla- -nation. In August they played a final show in their hometown of Portland. Their departure from the scene has been painful for their loyal fan base, which reaches well beyond the queer community. Although queer artists seem to be relatively welcome in the music industry, it remains to be seen whether another artist can break through to the level of Melissa Etheridge or K.D. Lang. Nonetheless, it is clear that the time when it was necessary for lesbian and bisexual musicians to remain closeted in order to sell records is definitively over. -- 只要有音樂就不會有世界末日 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.166.29.187 ※ 編輯: Architect 來自: 218.166.29.187 (12/20 17:39)