Navigating the out road.

MUSICIANS WHO ARE OPENLY GAY OR LEASBIAN FROM THE START FACE PARTICULAR OBSTACLES--AND FIND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

It's only 11 A.M., and Mark Weigle is already mildly exasperated. He's banging the drum in support of his self-made debut album, The Truth Is, and it hasn't been an easy morning. Despite ample critical praise for his earnest combination of twangy country and introspective folk-pop, he often gets the brush-off from mainstream retailers. "It's a crowded field," he says with a sigh. "I've been having better luck with smaller stores and via other creative avenues--like selling discs after gigs, on the gay rodeo circuit, and at folk-music festivals."

Despite strides made by high-profile predecessors such as k.d. lang and Pet Shop Boys, the life of an out gay or lesbian musician is not easy. But that's not stopping a brigade of persistent performers from inching closer to success on their own terms, releasing CDs through their own start-ups or small indie labels. Unlike every out superstar, members of this young new generation have opted to be truthful about their sexuality from the outset. Perhaps as a result, most say they have endured prejudice from both radio and retailers. Shunned by chain stores, they reach listeners through grassroots retail outlets.

Daniel Keene, manager of Olsen's, a shop in Chicago, believes that the continued success of artists such as Elton John and Melissa Etheridge can draw consumer interest to gay and lesbian newcomers. "All it takes is a proactive retailer who is willing to give a record good rack placement or in-store play," he says. "We've actually drawn a little interest in Dave Hall's new disc [Places] just by sticking it next to similar-sounding acts like Dave Matthews in our 'rock favorites' release rack."

Hall issued Places, his second disc on his own Giuseppe Joe! label, in Januaw, and he's found that straight audiences have been piqued by some of the set's more overtly queer material--like "Biff 'N Tony's Wedding," which will be promoted as a radio single in late spring. "I've had a number of opportunities offered to me because prorooters, bookers, or editors have found the gay angle interesting," he says. "It's created a niche market within both the gay and straight community."

Not everyone in the hetero music community is amused or intrigued. "I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being somewhat conservative when it comes to stocking music by gay artists--at least when it comes to gay artists who aren't at the superstar level like Elton John or Melissa Etheridge," says Naomi Collier, manager of T.J.'s Music Hut, a retail outlet in Raleigh, N.C. "I know it's not fair, but when you're dealing with the extraordinarily high volume of releases that retailers do, it's hard to justify stepping out on a limb for a specialty group."

Of course, one of the keys to a healthy life in retail is acceptance by radio. And the one place programmers today are most likely to widen their playlists to include up-and-coming lesbian and gay artists is at the college level.

"I think it's the job of college radio to pave the way for commercial rock radio to follow a year down the line," says George DeCanto, music director at a college station in Utica, N.Y., "and we're finding that an artist like Barnes--whose songs are as commercially viable as they are sexually honest--is a big part of the future."

Barnes, whose self-made disc, Loud Boy Radio, is showing the strongest signs of mainstream breakthrough because of its accessible blend of electronica and guitar rock, felt it was crucial that his first album deal directly with gay issues--as well as factoring "the rest of the world" into his material.

"There's a fine line between activism and art," says the singer, a former member of the queer vocal group the Nylons. "I want to get my views out there in a way that's empowering, but I want to be entertaining too."

Most struggling out musicians find solace and strength in the support of gay and lesbian fans. "They've kept me alive in so many ways," says Melissa Ferrick, whose album Everything I Need was recently released by indie label What Are Records? "It's been a tough road, but it's been gratifying too."

Lesbian troubadour Jamie Anderson, now trekking through clubs across the country in support of her new Tsunami Recordings disc, Drive All Night, recalls a recent experience that vividly illustrates the struggle and the ultimate reward of being an out artist.

"I was performing at a small folk coffeehouse in the Bible Belt when I was asked by the organizers to leave the stage. They weren't prepared for an out lesbian, even though I'd sent them my latest CD to get booked there, and it contains out songs. I didn't stop my performance when they threatened me. Instead I sang another song and invited the folks there to sing with me. It was very empowering for me and for the audience--gay and straight--to sing, 'Let us be your family / Let us take you in / Let us be your family / A family of friends.' That gig exemplifies the worst and the best part of my job."

Anthony is a New York-based writer.

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