Author: tina

Meet Gaetana Brown of Little War Twins

Posted on by tina

Gaetana Brown is a member of the Boston- based band Little War Twins. She answered some questions for us about queerness, music and Boston: our favorite things.

Q&A:

Did you grow up in the Boston area? (if so where, if not, why come here?)

I grew up in a 3 by 3 mile town called Ayer in Massachusetts. I came  to Boston to change my life and throw myself into my dream of becoming a musician.

Do you think there is a strong community of queer women here either performing or supporting a music scene?

Oh yeah! Amazing bands like Brief Awakening, Trauma Queens and solo  performers like Danielle Lessard and Kristen Ford really helped me grow  as an artist and come out. Also with radio shows like Three Strange  Women on unregularradio.com with Jackie Soriano, I feel that Boston has a supportive group of women who are out and about!

Are there any artists/performers who have been particularly influential to you?

I think my most influential artist this year was Tune-yards. She is a one woman powerhouse weaving innovation with no mercy. I am in love  with her music and warrior spirit.

What has been your experience with the various in venues for  music in Boston? Have you played many of them? What was the crowd like?

I feel like I have played at almost every club in this city and the crowd is forever changing. There are some shows where people stay  for every set, some where people leave when their friends set is done,  but it’s never quite the same. I see local musicians really supporting  eachother in Boston, I find that truly inspirational.

Why did you get into playing/performing  music? Is there anything specific you would like listeners to hear when  they connect with your music?

 I got into playing and performing music because I love poetry. When I  was ten years old I fell in love with words and began writing. After  finding the guitar I thought, music is my poetry. I could freely express myself musically and write.

When it comes to a listener connecting to my music, I hope they can  find their own meaning. To me, art is a matter of perspective.

Now, meet Little War Twins:

Little War Twins
Little War Twins

According to their bio on the Little War Twins website:

We are strength. We are One. We are whole.

Together Little War Twins stands as a tribe, with each member threading together a tapestry of sounds that is as unique as the instrument they sheath.

  • Gaetana Brown: The Voice of the Storm (voice, rhythm guitar)
  • Patrick McConnell: The Bison-Headed-Warbird (drums)
  • Mark Pare: The Magick-Eater (lead guitar)

The words: Shock, Honesty, Freedom, Anticipation and Tempestous Reflection have all been used to describe Little War Twins live performance. In the last year, the band has already seen 3 residencies in Boston and continues to tour regionally across the North East.

Little War Twins is currently played on WNPR 90.5, UnRegularRadio.com and has been featured live on CityWide Blackout, The Boston Local Music Show, and Three Strange Women, in addition to being featured on NECN News Television.

LWT is currently recording their debut album to be released in the Fall of 2012.

HELP OUT THE BAND

“We are rock and roll  mystics and we are about to hit the road for six months. Right now we  have an indiegogo campaign to raise money for our tour van, where we  will eat, sleep and basically live. We are so grateful to go across the country spreading love and our message, our hope is that we can do it in a reasonably safe van!”
www.indiegogo.com/littlewartwins

For More on Little War Twins

Marissa Owens: Scruffy Folk Player/Former Bostonian

Posted on by tina

Marissa Owens, a self-described “scruffy folk” musician got her start in Boston and, as she moves into new aspects of career, keeps Boston close to her heart.

Listen to One of her Songs:

See, Saw – Marissa Owens

A Brief Bio of Marissa:

“A self-taught, unsigned folk singer-songwriter,Marissa Owens finds her home in Portland, Maine. Currently enrolled at SUNYPurchase for studio composition, she is a barefoot traveling soul, paddingalong the riverbanks of love, hope, sadness, and longing. The deep meaning shefinds in place, and her cherishing of fleeting human interaction, pours throughher rhythmic, powerful, heartbeat-esque finger picking style. Withdiary-confession lyricism, her music exudes a feeling of being suspendedbetween wandering and searching— both lost and found, home and away.”

QWIMB asked Marissa to answer some of our favorite questions about Boston and queerness, as we like to do. Here are her responses.

What brought you to Boston?

I came to Boston to study at Boston University. I was pursuing a degree in human physiology, but instead of studying, I wrote songs and recorded them in my dorm room. Boston was the place where songwriting started for me. Unfortunately for my roommate, I was always practicing tunes. Eventually, I had to pay attention to the fact that I dreaded school and should not be wasting money or time in the wrong place. I withdrew from Boston University and decided to apply to SUNY Purchase’s studio composition program. I had a free year between studying at Boston and SUNY Purchase, and in that time I got to reflect on my experiences in Boston.

What was your experience like in Boston?

While I was in Boston, I met a lot of great people because of my involvement in the queer scene at Boston University. I made a point to go to events outside of Boston University, just to feel more comfortable in the community. Boston allowed me to be open about my queerness as an adult. That was so valuable to me.

I loved wandering around Boston. I liked getting lost in the crowd, and I spent a lot of my time riding the T alone just to think. On my campus, people didn’t smile at others walking by. I wasn’t used to that. On one hand, I wanted strangers to connect, but on the other hand, I liked passing through a crowd where nobody cared about me. It is a confusing way for me to feel, but I explored all of that confusion and angst in my songs.

What’s great about Boston is there are so many young people there. There’s a feel of excitement, inspiration, and open-mindedness.

Did you feel there was a “scene” for queer female musicians? What about queer women of color? Is there a strong Boston scene in that regard? Was it welcoming/unwelcoming?:

There is a scene for female musicians. Although I was not playing shows in Boston, all of the artists I met and respected in Boston were women. I was so lucky to meet Jenny Owen Youngs and Steph Barrak. For big names, and indie musicians alike, I think Boston has a place for all musicians, because of the range of venues available. I was really in tune with the queer musician scene, and I think Boston supports that scene as well. What’s important is for people to create the scene, and a lot of musicians are doing that, with house shows and such, and that is incredible. As far as a scene for queer women of color, I didn’t really experience that. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t exist, but I’m sure the scene could be much stronger. Every place could stand to be more welcoming toward queer women of color who are musicians. Every place could be more welcoming to women in general. For a woman to get up and relate what she really thinks and feels is still shamed by society. That’s the way it is for people who are queer, of color, etc. But, we ignore all of that, and keep putting ourselves out there.

Thanks Marissa for answering our questions and adding to the QWIMB community!

For more info on Marissa and her music here are some links:

Check Out Local Musician: Sierra West

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From Horse Farm to Harvard Square: Sierra West’s is Journey to Inspire

Luck Media)

Helping Animals By Day, Inspiring People Through Song By Night…Welcome To The Fascinating World Of Sierra West! The Folk Influenced Pop/Rock Singer Songwriter Is A Veterinary Technician Who Volunteers Her Musical Talent To Support Animal Causes.

We asked Sierra to answer some questions for QWIMB about her thoughts on Boston, Queerness, and Music…our favorite things.

QWIMB QUESTIONARE: 

Did you grow up in the Boston area? (if so where, if not, why come here?)

I grew up in rural CT on a horse farm. I lived in Watertown until I was 8 and moved to Thomaston where I still visit family. I moved to Boston after college because I heard of a historical folk venue called Club 47 (currently Club Passim) where Bob Dylan and Joan Baez started out and I dreamed of doing the same. I wanted to become part of the folk scene and start taking formal lessons (I was self-taught), so between Club Passim and Berklee I thought I couldn’t go wrong!

Do you think there is a strong community of queer women here either performing or supporting a music scene?

I think there is a strong community supporting more liberal artists/slam poets and dj’s. There is a stronger scene for bands than for solo artists, but there are several acoustic musicians working hard to create a stronger community, especially in JP and Somerville.

Are there any artists/performers who have been particularly influential to you?

I am influenced by a wide variety of music…everything from Neil Young to Nine Inch Nails. I grew up listening to James Taylor, Tom Petty, CSN, Steely Dan…any Classic Rock records i could get my hands on. Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were repeatedly played. My first concert was Little Feat and Melissa Etheridge when I was 4 and I have been particularly influenced by them because of that. I went through stages of listening to U2, REM, & Ani DiFranco in high school and currently listen to The Weepies, Ben Harper, and Patti Griffin. I have to say, of the thousands of artists I have seen and heard, Martin Sexton is my number one all around choice. He has it all…and I aspire for a career much like his.

What has been your experience with the various in venues for music in Boston? Have you played many of them? What was the crowd like?

Sierra WestThe crowds showing up for music venues in Boston are a hit or miss for artists starting out on their own, especially without representation. There is so much music going on all the time that you really have to advance the gigs & do everything you can to promote them on your own. I’ve never performed at Toad (although I’d love to), but it’s a great small place with free music every night.  Most artists looking to book gigs can do so at The All Asia. There is not much of a local draw there, but it is a great way to gain experience. I performed at The Abbey Lounge, Toast (the gay bar in Union Square), and The Sky Bar regularly before they shut down. I’ve performed at The Midway and The Milkyway in JP supporting queer events and loved the crowd there. I’ve performed a lot at The Cantab Lounge, with a great basement band stage called Club Bohemia, again hit or miss for the crowd. I held my first EP release for “Rocks” at The Lizard Lounge, one of the best basement venues – standing room only on a Thursday night. I loved performing there – intimate, funky, and rockin’ at the same time.  I will be holding my EP release for “Hold Your Fire” on August 14th at Club Passim, which is a dream come true. It’s my favorite venue to perform in not only for its history, but for the love of the folk community and the power of a listening room. It’s not just a venue.

Why did you get into playing/performing music? Is there anything specific you would like listeners to hear when they connect with your music?

After my older brother, also a musician, was killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver I bought my first acoustic guitar and started writing privately in my room. Every time I sing it reconnects me with him. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I began playing in front of people. My girlfriend at the time was cheating on me with her male best friend. The day before she broke up with me she had insisted she “could never love a man the way she loved a woman”. We made out to The Cure for half an hour in my old Volvo (my brother’s old car). I recorded my first CD “Depleted Oxygen” 3 months later in NYC. It was fuel for a fire that was already there. I hope my listeners hold on to their dreams despite the resistance that arises, that it is possible to get through a struggle despite how different or against the grain it may feel, because life is too short not to.

____________________________________________________

Intrigued Yet? Take a Listen to Some of Her Music:

Sierra was kind enough to allow QWIMB to post a link to her NEW EP, which comes out AUGUST 14.

Hold Your Fire

Also check out her earlier EP, Rocks.

Rocks


See Her Live!

Sierra is promoting her upcoming EP, Hold Your Fire, at Club Passim on August 14. You Don’t want to miss this show.

Get Tickets Here.

Want More Info On Sierra:

Sierra on Myspace

Sierra’s Website

Feature on a Retired Local Band: PornBelt

Posted on by tina

PornBelt

Pornbelt was an all-female full-frontal assault back in the early 2000s, with members residing in both Boston’s Jamaica Plain and Somerville neighborhoods. Travis, the former drummer, gave me this description of the band dating from their heyday :

Take a listen to some of their songs. Pornbelt will melt your face off and injure your hearing.

  • Babysitter Fucker
  • Gash Rash
  • Clam
  • Cherry Commando

A couple of show reviewer/writer-type dudes had some words to share on Pornbelt:

“Hell spawned and godlike at once…Pummeled the audience with feedback, white noise and a kazoo.  They brought a power to the state that can barely be described.”  Tony Reaves. 11.11.02.  UMO

“This has to be some milestone in evolution, or a sign of the apocalypse. Perhaps the shrillest, most painful and pointless cacophony I’ve ever witness and I’ve seen some real train wrecks. I’m outta here.”  Joe Coughlin, The Noise, Boston Issue 221.May 2002.

 

 

I had some questions for band members about what is was like to be a queer band in Boston in the 2000s, if the bandmembers were all from the city, and what the queer music scene was like at the time the band was performing. Their drummer Travis, was kind enough to answer.

Travis: “This is a really good question.  And honestly, queer was not really a word floating around Boston yet, the way it is today.  There were dyke bands, but not queer bands.  And even though we all were dykes at the time (or bi and trans etc) we were almost more of a feminist band then a queer band.  Most everyone was from the city.  I was a country bumkin from Maine who must moved to Boston and had discover Team Dresch 5 years AFTER they had broken up and I thought they were the greatest thing i’d ever heard (still my most fav band).  I wanted to play dyke punk music and found an ad on Craigslist.  I “audition” for the guitar part at this basement/practice space in Jamaica Plain and joined in. Wtihin a year, we lost the drummer, so I switched to drums and we got a new guitar player.

We were also playing music at a time when many bands were being protested for any affliction with the Michigan Women’s Music Festival.  We played a show once with a few performers who had played there, and subsequently were being protested.  My bandmates reminded me that we bought them hot-coaco cuz it was cold out.  And even though there were trans members in our band, we did not stand behind the protesting of bands.  My girlfriend was in a band at the time (The Kitty Kill – another band you should look up) and they were also protested because they played there.”

 

 

Merry, the lead screamer, also shared some of her experiences in Boston’s queer womens’ music scene and playing with PornBelt.

“PornBelt took on many iterations over the years.I think we can be loosely defined as a gig band between 2001-2003. At that time, the music scene in Boston was fairly segregated. There was the main rock bands of Boston that played shows at places like The Middle East & T.T the Bears, Punk bands playing O’briens or basement shows- of course there were many other types of bands and venues but there was also a strong & prominent  dyke scene in the early aughts. I suppose that’s were PornBelt came in. Our lineup changed over time and we didn’t adhere necessarily to the label of “dyke band” but I think we fit a broader definition of a Queer band-at the core PornBelt had 5 women-lesbian, bi & straight, later we had transgender members. As far as a Queer music scene in Boston, I’m not really aware of any gay male bands that could be considered a counterpart  like a Pansy Division of Boston. There were however many bands that consisted of mostly queer women (and not just folk!)

Our shows were pretty evenly divided between the rock bands that Debbie networked with: Neptune, Young Sexy Assassins, Donna Parker, Japanther, Tunnel of Love and playing shows with dyke/queer bands that the members of PornBelt were fucking, or maybe wanted to fuck: The Kitty Kill, Chelsea on Fire, Secret Cock, Pelvic Circus and Naughty Shirley to name a few. At the time the dyke scene had a very loyal following. The Midway, a bar in Jamaica Plain had a ‘Dyke Night’, and back then Thursday nights were ground zero for Dykes/Queers in the Boston area. Chelsea on Fire were true rock amazons, they were like the Beastie Boys of the dyke scene-I think everyone can agree that they were just in a league of their own- holy shit the pipes on Josie! they were all truly talented,  they had a hardcore dyke following but I think they could hold their own, and did with many other bands. The Kitty Kill also was a great band, they brought a lot of melody and rhythm to their music. I always viewed PornBelt as a novelty band, novelty in the sense that we didn’t fit any particular genre and we definitely were not the kind of band that you would want to blast really loud while zooming down the highway (unless you were perhaps an escaped mental patient with a messiah complex). I like to think our shows were fun and intense -individually the musicians in PornBelt could have been stand out musicians in any other band- but PornBelt was more GWAR meets Smothers Brothers, in my mind- then a true band.

We did have a few stalkers, which I guess does qualify us as a real band.

Debbie was always the driving force in PornBelt. She was the one who got the practice space, networked, made flyers and booked the shows. As for me I was the lead screamer for PornBelt, though when we first formed I was slated to be the bass player. I couldn’t play bass, or any instrument for that matter so I transitioned to the lead screamer and I kinda sucked at that too- for example-the other members had to give me signals when to start ‘singing’, I also needed  to make cheat sheet of lyrics & I generally just winged it with a mic and a pair of well-worn knee pads.

I think towards the end of our time playing together, the last true line up of PornBelt was stellar-

Larissa was sheer force. she is so versatile on bass, shredding and fully engaged, she fucking brought it full on. Larissa also occasionally hopped on the guitar. As a side note, I was out of the Country for about a month and when I came back Larissa bought a van for PornBelt to tour in. The rest of PornBelt tricked out the van, so when I came back I remember being really confused that a van and what turned out to be an ill-fated tour were booked and ready to go.

Travis was our grounded player, he kept the music tight and worked with Larissa to come up with new musical arrangements for the lyrics, he also went between guitar and drums. When we gave each other A-Team characters names, of course Travis was Face because he is dreamy and the lady fans loved him.

Slamber did guitar and drums- (her and Travis would trade off on different songs). Slamber brought raw energy and a provocative appeal that would captivate and engage the audience.

Debbie introduced a lot of unique noise elements to the songs-kazoo, and various mic’d contraptions. Deb also sang what turned out to be some of best songs. Without Deb PornBelt would not have made it past our first basement show. Deb is a true PR machine, she is The Closer.

As for me, when I was in PornBelt I lived in Mission Hill, but I essentially cut my teeth in the Boston Punk scene of the 90’s. I left home fairly early, at 15- so I always felt I essentially spent my teen years growing up behind the Rat, drinking cheap vodka and hanging out in The Pit in Harvard Square. Having come from the Punk scene, labels and  designations were antithetic, that being the whole punk ethos-so it was sort of natural for me to get involved with a variegated music spectrum, though I did take a lot of heat from some punks over my love of Motown, Seals & Crofts, Michael Jackson, Guns n’ Roses-to name a few.  I think because I did not play an instrument my involvement with PornBelt was a bit different from the other band members. I just sort of showed up at gigs, it felt sort of happenstance. But, I loved writing lyrics. It felt great to capture a feeling or experience in a song. It was cathartic and I suppose therapeutic, to unload a torrent of emotion and weird ideas in lyric form. One of our songs was “Baby Sitter Fucker”, the idea for the song came to me when I was dating this guy that I kind of thought was a creep. It was as Oprah would say “An Aha moment”, I remember thinking- this guy, this dude that I am dating-he’s the kind of guy who would volunteer to drive the babysitter home after a date night and make the moves on a young girl, it was also inspired by the various indiscretions of the Kennedy family. The song “Covered Girl” was inspired by an experience with my father’s wife when I was about 12 years old, she told me I need to be demure if I wanted to get a man but that I was too tall anyway and guys don’t like tall girls (I’m 5’8, that’s not even tall). I am a picky eater so I wrote “portion cup” about my O.C.D. need to segment my food.”

-Merry

I would like to thank PornBelt for giving me everything I needed for this article and basically doing all the work for me! If you thirst for more PornBelt, check out their Facebook page.

If you or anyone you know has further information on the queer scene in Boston either past/present/or future, send me a line. Did you go to any of PornBelt’s shows? Tell me about it. Were you at other shows you wanna discuss? Got any pics, stickers, pins, pit-stained t-shirts, memories, or scars you wanna share? Do it. I want it all…give it to me. Please.

(Article by Tina Lafleur)

Spotlight on a Touring Band: Nervous But Excited

Posted on by tina

A pleasantly aggressive folk duo?? Yes, Please.

Nervous but Excited is a nationally touring folk duo who just happens to be coming to Boston to play Club Passim on November 6. They are a couple of Midwesterners looking to build their Boston fan base. Give em a whirl eh?

Band Bio:

This Michigan-based pleasantly aggressive folk duo is a unique harmony built upon two songwriters singing genuinely crafted stories with three guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, a ukulele, a harmonica, vaguely choreographed dancing and a glockenspiel. Road warriors to the core since 2005, their endless passion has landed them on stages with folks like Ani Difranco, Iron and Wine and Utah Phillips. Their live show will bounce you through a variety of emotions, always keeping you guessing which is next. You might cry, you’ll definitely laugh, and they hope you’ll leave feeling that your heart has grown just a little larger.

Take a look at a couple of their videos and see what you think:

Upcoming Show Info:

Nervous but Excited & The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library

  • Sunday, November 6, 2011, 8PM
  • Club Passim, 47 Palmer St.
  • Cambridge

Tickets $10

Can’t make the show and/or wanna learn more?

Go to the Nervous but Excited website.

Queers Unplugged

Posted on by tina

QWIMB/History Project and Nancy Neon Present:

Queers Unplugged

Flier by Kara Petrucci

 

Friday September 23, at The Cantab Lounge, Mass Ave. Central Sq. Cambridge

Performers:

  • Jordan Clements
  • Michelle Barrett
  • Brief Awakening
  • Steph Barrak

First Act on at 9pm

21+ $8

The show is a benefit for QWIMB to help us on our mission to document queer women in Boston’s music scene. The event is also a showcase for some amazing local artists. Fresh upon the success of Queerpalooza, our last event, let’s all come together to make this the our best benefit yet.

Jordan Clements playing Queer Bonanza 2/20

 

Check Out Steph Barrak’s Video for Painted Face

Steph Barrak

Go Download her Album Fo Free

Michelle Barrett performing at Queerpalooza 5/20/11

 

Brief Awakening

 

 

In Memorium: DJ Kris Kono

Posted on by tina

DJ Kris Kono

Recently, Boston’s queer community lost an influential and beloved member with the passing of DJ Kris Kono.

Kris Kono, originally from Hartford, CT, currently residing in Roslindale MA, got her start in the DJ business at her father’s nightclub while in high school. Kris has been spinning at top lesbian parties for over a decade. Kris headlined New York City’s Pride pier dances, Lesbomonde in Montreal, Aqua Girl in South Beach and the Esmé block party in Boston. Locally, she has filled dance floors from Provincetown’s Vixen to Boston’s Lava Bar and Club Lucy in Hartford.

Most recently and for many years, she has the been the event-partner of Kristen Porter’s Dyke Night Productions and resident DJ for their events Second Saturday at Machine, New England’s largest women’s dance party, and Fourth Friday at the Milky Way – both voted Best of
Boston.

She was a Physical Therapist at New England Baptist hospital and leaves behind her partner,  Boston Globe writer, Beth Healy.

DJ Kris Kono & Kristen Porter

Queer Women in Music Boston asked Dyke Night Productions founder, business partner, and close friend Kristen Porter to tell us more about this amazing woman and her influence on Boston’s music scene.

QWIMB: When did you first meet DJ Kris Kono?

I met Kris in Provincetown in 1998. It is a funny story actually which we often joked about. I approached her at a club and asked her out on a date and she turned me down. I figured if she wouldn’t date me, we’d be perfect working together.

QWIMB: How did she get started as a DJ? What was her style like?

Kris got her start as a deejay in high school spinning at her father’s nightclub in Hartford CT. In the women’s community, she had residencies at legendary nights like Club Lucy, Lava Bar, Esme, and Dyke Night. Although her personal taste was house music, at women’s events she played popular dance music and requests.

QWIMB: In a career that spanned 15 years, how did Kono keep up with the changing trends
in music?

It was her passion, so she ate, slept, breathed music. She deejay’d in both the women’s community and the house music community so she kept her finger on both pulses.

QWIMB: What do you think will be her lasting legacy in the scene?

I think her lasting legacy was who she was as a person: a kind, loving, and peaceful soul. Kris had an authentically caring, non-ego bound spirit who truly wanted to work collaboratively. Music moved her and she was passionate about sharing her love with others. Spinning to a room of a thousand women each month brought her great joy – joy that she shared selflessly with all those around her.

QWIMB: Thank you Kristen for helping us memorialize such a treasured member of our community.

Her Legacy Will Live On

Kris’ legacy will continue to live on in the lives of all the people she has touched, as well as in the DJ community itself. The response from Boston’s DJ community has been one of sadness, but also gratitude, for the road that was paved for them by the hard work and dedication of Kris Kono.

“Kris always gave away music to other DJs. She actually offered to download her entire huge library onto CDs and give them to me. Once, when I was about to DJ a large dance with many Latin requests she just handed me the perfect mix of salsa, meringue and bachata.

Her musical tastes were diverse, and she always knew what to play for any given crowd. I loved watching her DJ at Machine and MilkyWay. She seamlessly flowed between old, new, pop, house, club and Latin music.

I admired Kris immensely, as did everyone else. She certainly has been my role model and teacher.

Kris Kono -generous in spirit,  musical, and always hitting the right note and finding the right beat. It all came from her huge heart. I miss her so.”

-DJ Ann Rogers

“I first heard DJ Kris Kono at The Vixen in Provincetown back in 1995. I was a New Jersey girl visiting the Cape for the first time. A few years later I moved to Boston to attend law school and there was Kris Kono again, this time at The Lava Bar in downtown Boston. Shortly thereafter I decided to “figure out” how to DJ and I too entered into the gay and lesbian scene as a DJ. It actually wasn’t until a few years into my DJ career that I met Kris. We have similar names and apparently people were getting us confused, Kristin Korpos, Kris Kono, yeah, I guess that could be easy to do!

Kris Kono’s visibility as a DJ in the Boston gay and lesbian community showed me that I could be a DJ too. I thank her for helping me become the DJ that I am today by showing me that it was possible to be a female DJ in a such a male-dominated profession. She paved the way for lesbian DJ’s in the Boston area, she helped create, with the promoters of course, a nightlife for the queer community. Kris Kono was an integral part of the Boston LGBT music scene because it was her music that brought people to the dance floor and kept the parties moving. Her spirit will always be a part of this community… Let the Music Play.”

– DJ Kristin Korpos

“What you need to know is that I have been playing music since 1980. I didn’t meet Kris until the mid to late 90s. She was a sister. Someone who finessed her way up the male dominated club industry ladder like myself with skills and an easy manner. But let me tell you, there was nothing easy about what she accomplished. It was hard work in an unkind environment where if you didn’t eat the bear, the bear would eat you. And that was the thing about Kris, she seemed to be able to maneuver the many obstacles without even ruffling the bear. She followed her muse. And her muse gently and safely guided her. Kris always seemed to exude an air of equanimity no matter what was going on. From my pointof view, it was this state of grace that made Kris special.”

Maryalice Kalaghan
Resident DJ & Vibe Manager
Boatslip Resort

“Kris was always so sweet and willing to entertain my questions about DJing in Boston whenever I felt unsure. She was the barometer by which I measured my own success, and for that I will always be grateful. Kris, you will be missed.”

DJ D’hana Perry

“She taught me that confidence, diversity and attention to detail, opens doors to endless opportunities in life.”

-DJ Kelvin Sylvester

QWIMB would like to thank Kristen Porter for her assistance in assembling this memorium to DJ Kris Kono. We would also like to thank the local DJs who shared their personal thoughts.

Kris will be sorely missed, but not forgotten as we all continue forward on the road built by all those who came before.

Queerpalooza This Friday

Posted on by tina

THIS FRIDAY MAY 20th AT THE MIDWAY CAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gunpowder Gelatine, Queen Tribute Band, closes out a long night of music and revelry featuring Shepherdess, Happy Little Clouds, Michelle Barrett, and Nebraska.  There will also be stand up comedy by the hilarious Kristin Vallacher throughout the show.

QWIMB will be having a raffle with gift cards from Newbury Comics, Back Bay Bicycles, Kellys Roast Beef, and Erin Daly Photography.

Diffuse 5 (Boston’s guide to queer culture) will be there giving temporary tattoos and helping entertain.

It will be epic. Don’t miss out.

Uh Huh Her Back Again

Posted on by tina

Uh Huh Her came back to Boston on Saturday as a stop on their nationwide tour. They played the Brighton Music Hall (formerly Harper’s Ferry), which has been featuring some great shows lately, i.e. Wild Flag in March. This is a welcome change from the old club that featured college-themed reggae cover bands and hip-hop for suburbanites. Whoever is doing the booking over there has done nothing but make me happy since the change over.

Uh Huh Her features former Boston resident Camila Grey, a former Berklee student, and Leisha Hailey. Grey was a member of the band Mellowdrone and recently toured with Adam Lambert as a member of his backing band. Hailey was a member of the 90s group The Murmurs and its later reincarnation, Gush. They were joined on stage by a backing drummer and guitarist.

Most people are familiar with UHH’s first record Common Reaction, which was released in 2008. At that time, the band was caught up in a whirlwind of attention stemming from Hailey’s fame as a cast member of Showtime’s the L Word. The record is quite good, but sounds very produced. It has the big sound of a traditional electro-pop record and features a combination of darkness and catchy riffs. The musical talents of the duo were often overshadowed by the excitement of  Hailey’s “celesbian” status. There are so few well-known out women that this fact is understandable, but it can be distracting and may be frustrating for the band. While this is true, they have never been anything but patient and accommodating to their many fans, which tells me they have hearts of gold, honestly. They even met with fans after the show to say hi and give autographs.

That said, the new EP they are touring with, Black and Blue, is a strong departure from the polished and pop-friendly first record. It is reminiscent of the concept albums bands were putting out in the 70s. For those too young to know, concept albums are usually guitar-fueled epics with lots of solos and rocking out. What is awesome about this is that so few women (I can’t name any) are responsible for such albums. Women are so often making records dominated by their vocal abilities and not their ability to rock out on guitar and keys. UHH certainly has vocal abilities and they utilize them, but there is something truly empowering about watching women rock out on stage. The EP somehow manages to be accessible to fans interested in more traditional arrangements and those folks (o.k. me) who wish to play air guitar in our bedroom mirrors.

Check out Uh Huh Her’s website to get the EP. A full-length should be released sometime soon with all new material.

Speaking of women who rock, I hope everyone who went to the show saw the opening band, Diamonds Under Fire.

Straightforward rock n’ roll with just enough attitude. They were so awesome I didn’t care that the drummer kept talking about Philly while he was playing in Boston. There hasn’t been enough women in rock since the 90s riot grrl scene and Diamonds Under Fire is a welcome departure from the polished, pop-rock we’ve been subjected to for too long.

Find out more at their website.