Queer, talented, and on their own: a handful of unsigned out artists whose CDs are making waves with adventurous audiences.Michelle Shocked Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston, 24 February, 1962, in Dallas, Texas) is a U.S. singer-songwriter whose music and performances are influenced by her Texas roots, her political activism, and a self-assured style that her first major-label producer likened to predicted the future 13 years ago when she sang "If you want the best jam / You gotta make your own" before dumping her record label. Even as major labels have merged and cannibalized their competition, savvy music fans have noticed independent labels and artists proliferating. New and established acts are using digital delivery to connect directly with consumers, and homegrown home·grown adj. 1. Raised or grown at home. 2. Originating in or characteristic of a locality: "Rock is homegrown music in the United States, evolved from blues and country and Tin Pan Alley" resources like Danny Jenkins's OutVoice.net are helping fans help each other to find the best independent out artists. Here are six musicians whose worlds are worth seeking out: Automatic Fun, The Bobbleheads; Distance to Empty, John Ashfield: Lead Bobblehead and solo artist John Ashfield sings and plays like a man in love. And not just any love--he's grooving to the sweet joy of the perfect pop song from 1970. But don't confuse catchy with kitschy kitsch n. 1. Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: "When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch" ; his lyrics will blindside you with naked honesty. Ashfield's second solo CD (coming out in June) is darker, but in his world it's always a sunshiny day. www.BobCentry.com, Bob Gentry: Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Bob Gentry has an eat" for hooks and a voice that easily moves from velvet whisper to gravelly grav·el·ly adj. 1. Of, full of, or covered with rock fragments or pebbles: a gravelly beach. 2. Having a harsh rasping sound: a gravelly voice. shout. His songs follow a similar path. "Goldie Hawn," a bouncy sing-along about holding on to fading youth, draws you in, but the complex emotions of "But I Do" and "Somebody New" resonate with repeated listening. Girl Like Me ..., K.J. Denhert: The cover of K.J. Denhert's latest release comes with a warning label: "Urban Folk & Jazz Artist." If only every coffeehouse and small club had Denhert on tap. Her laid-back grooves and smooth vocal style invite you to sit back, close your eyes, tap your foot, and drink in the coolness. Ballad, D.C. Anderson: D.C. Anderson gives the fey and stuffy cabaret genre a good kick in the pants. Several of these 11 original songs sound like unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. classics from the Great American Songbook ("I Don't Know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. My Way Around a Dream"). Anderson can emote (chat) emote - (emotion) A command used on talk systems and MUDs to indicate the performance of an action, usually a facial expression of emotional state. with the best but does so sparingly, balancing the drama with Tom Lehrer--style humor. Coming Together, PEP: The debut release from female vocalist PEP offers guitar-driven tunes, tasty organ fills, and a deliver, punctuated by a raw, sexy growl. She stakes her claim to traditional rock topics as the women in her songs strut and preen, beg a partner for forgiveness, or try to remember who it is they're waking up next to. Black.out, Tori Fixx Tori Fixx is one of the first openly gay hip hop artists, and also produces music for other noted queer performers. He is based in Minneapolis. In the mid-90s, he DJed at parties for Prince at Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota. : Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Tori Fixx likes to think big, and he's got the goods to back up his ambition. Black.out is the first disc in a trilogy prepped for release. The 16 tracks here offer funky jams, steamy beats, sexy humor, and sly nods to styles ranging from Harlem jazz to do-it-yourself Prince. Davis is the editor of UCLAlumni magazine. |
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