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Rachel Cholst

QUEER COUNTRY: The Revolution Will Be Twang-ified

QUEER COUNTRY: The Revolution Will Be Twang-ified

Ella Langley’s erstwhile lover may be choosing Texas, but LGBTQIA+ Texans are leaving in droves. There is a slow-moving migration of trans people away from the South – and even from this country. Against this context, it feels like many LGBTQIA+ folks are casting a leery eye on Pride next

ALBUM REVIEW: India Ramey’s Feminist Outlaw Country Kicks Ass on ‘Villain Era’

ALBUM REVIEW: India Ramey’s Feminist Outlaw Country Kicks Ass on ‘Villain Era’

Country music is as much about image as it is authenticity. Most country artists wear a certain type of drag to indicate their belonging in the genre – whether it’s full-on hats, boots and chaps or a trucker hat and band t-shirt — to signal what part of the Americana spectrum

QUEER COUNTRY: Putting It All On the Line

QUEER COUNTRY: Putting It All On the Line

Heather Mae should be going viral for her art: she has a commanding voice and a deft pen, just as competent writing sinuous electro-pop and affirming, heartbreaking folk music. She is not shy about her politics: her music is unapologetically queer, fat-positive, and condemning of repressive Evangelical Christianity. Her double

ALBUM REVIEW: Paisley Field’s ‘Are U Mad At Me’ is an Instant Country Classic

ALBUM REVIEW: Paisley Field’s ‘Are U Mad At Me’ is an Instant Country Classic

Paisley Fields immerses the listener in a delightful frenzy from the very jump on his instant classic Are U Mad At Me. Fields takes country music’s key ingredients – nostalgia, authenticity, the mundane indignities of life – and throws them in a blender, producing ten songs that set the head spinning,

ALBUM REVIEW: Jessye DeSilva ‘Glitters Up the Dark’

ALBUM REVIEW: Jessye DeSilva ‘Glitters Up the Dark’

Jessye DeSilva embraces the miracle of trans self-creation on her new album, Glitter Up the Dark. Teaming up with Aaron Lee Tasjan in the producer’s chair, DeSilva continues her streak of soulful country that cuts to the bone while infusing the listener with hope and resilience. DeSilva has a

QUEER COUNTRY: Looks Like We Made It

QUEER COUNTRY: Looks Like We Made It

It's funny how life sneaks up on you. Last Saturday, I stood on a stage in front of 40-ish people, making sure my mic was at the right angle. I didn't exactly see my younger self in the crowd — the stage was in the wrong place

ALBUM REVIEW: Brit Taylor's ‘Land of the Forgotten’ Is One Banger After Another

ALBUM REVIEW: Brit Taylor's ‘Land of the Forgotten’ Is One Banger After Another

Brit Taylor casually strings together 11 songwriting masterclasses on her latest album, Land of the Forgotten. The album is dedicated to the small victories and near-misses of Appalachia, which Taylor has traversed as a professional singer since she was a child. Forgotten lovingly pays homage to Taylor’s East Kentucky