I unearthed an old song from 1983 today, "Not a Person". The lyrics seem apropos of the OWS movement.
Not A Person c 1983 Tim Cain
You won't find my name in a phone book
I'll never have a post office box
You'll never see me with a hand full of keys
You'll never see me buying stacks of CDs
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
Seems I can't find me a good job
I'll never get to buy a new car
I'll never have enough for a mortgage
For a pretty little house with a yard
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
Bridge-
Is it Reagan?, Is it Carter?
Is it Thomas "Tip" O'Neal?
Is it unions? Point the finger
I only want my next meal.
You won't find my name in a phone book
I'll never have a post office box
You'll never see me with a hand full of keys
You'll never see me buying 3D TVs
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
I'm not a person, oh no
Not by your standard, oh, no, no, no
I am still working on an update- especially for the bridge.
Tim
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Drums Between the Bells
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/07/brian-eno-drums-between-the-bells/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29
This is the stream of the newish Eno cd, "Drums Between the Bells". I am enjoying the feel just two tracks in, more tension than any recent Eno or Eno collaboration in recent memory.
I love the second track, "Glitch". He is working his space jazz groove here. Definitely reminds me of his work with U2 on Zooropa, but also dips back into a Bush of Ghosts territory as well.
I love the ambient compositions too. For me the juxtaposition of the spoken word performances call to mind Laurie Anderson's work, especially on "Seed Pods"; and the Vocodered girls voice of, "The Real".
"Sound Alien" is actually the title track. It is an adrenaline rush of rhythm I would love to be the sound track of a cutting-edge roller coaster. I swear he has been listening to imaginary 1970's soul-detective dramas.
But "Dow" featuring Eno's own voice (I believe) is actually the update I have been waiting for- the connective tissue between Another Green World and Nerve Net. I am lifting off...
The album end with a piece called, "Silence", itself a cribbing of John Cage's "4:33"- the original non-musical, no-sound at all statement. Throughout the 58 seconds of time, one imagines Eno's own wild flipping of Oblique Strategies divination cards, each one restating the original message, "Just Shut Up Already". And so he does, a slave to his own machinations.
This is the stream of the newish Eno cd, "Drums Between the Bells". I am enjoying the feel just two tracks in, more tension than any recent Eno or Eno collaboration in recent memory.
I love the second track, "Glitch". He is working his space jazz groove here. Definitely reminds me of his work with U2 on Zooropa, but also dips back into a Bush of Ghosts territory as well.
I love the ambient compositions too. For me the juxtaposition of the spoken word performances call to mind Laurie Anderson's work, especially on "Seed Pods"; and the Vocodered girls voice of, "The Real".
"Sound Alien" is actually the title track. It is an adrenaline rush of rhythm I would love to be the sound track of a cutting-edge roller coaster. I swear he has been listening to imaginary 1970's soul-detective dramas.
But "Dow" featuring Eno's own voice (I believe) is actually the update I have been waiting for- the connective tissue between Another Green World and Nerve Net. I am lifting off...
The album end with a piece called, "Silence", itself a cribbing of John Cage's "4:33"- the original non-musical, no-sound at all statement. Throughout the 58 seconds of time, one imagines Eno's own wild flipping of Oblique Strategies divination cards, each one restating the original message, "Just Shut Up Already". And so he does, a slave to his own machinations.
Friday, June 24, 2011
We goin' to Niagra Falls!
tlrd Towleroad
BREAKING: New York Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage After Senate Vote of 33-29 http://bit.ly/k3Kee2
BREAKING: New York Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage After Senate Vote of 33-29 http://bit.ly/k3Kee2
California are you watching?
California are you watching? My Santos and I were denied two weeks after Prop Hate. Which coast will we be going to to tie the knot and spend our gay dollars- meager as they are. Niagra Falls, here we come.
Sen. Diaz needs to be educated
Sen. Diaz summer reading list: http://www.amazon.com/Same-Sex-Unions-Premodern-Europe-Boswell/dp/0679751645
NY4M!
Get a hook and pull this bigot off the podium.
NY4M!
Get a hook and pull this bigot off the podium.
Wow!
Mike Signorile
MSignorile Mike Signorile
Seland is swing vote. If he votes yes, the bill passes. #NY4M
MSignorile Mike Signorile
Seland is swing vote. If he votes yes, the bill passes. #NY4M
MaddowBlog featuring the Marriage Equality Vote in NY
Watch it now at http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/
Monday, June 20, 2011
20th Anniversary Year for Boys' Entrance
It was 20 years ago that I first traveled to San Francisco and visited my friend Jon Ginoli. Jon had just returned from our old stomping grounds, Champaign/Urbana, Il. where he had just recorded the first Pansy Division demos. Jon first knew me as the boyfriend of one of his fellow DJs at WPGU radio- the campus radio station at the U of I. I had demos for my band, Talltrees in rotation at the station. I believe I was the first queer musician Jon ever knew. We both worked together at Discount Records and I think at Record Service too. We also worked together at The Bar, where I worked the coat check, and he spun records. And yes, Jon and I briefly "dated". Improbably, that started after a few cocktails and seeing Ultravox at Mabels Nightclub.
I sat on Jon's bed and he played me the demos- and I just laughed and laughed. We both did. The songs were so funny, and baldly in-your-face. It was the shock of the NEW! Even though I had never been in a closet as a musician, it was Jon who showed me a different way of writing. He really tore away the ambiguous pronouns and cloaked meanings. He put it out there. He wrote about "The Cocksucker Club". I actually contributed a small lyrical change to that song. He wrote about doing it in "your parent's King-sized bed". I said, "No, that should be changed to "Queen-sized bed". We laughed some more and he agreed. Later he re-recorded the lyric with my change.
As soon as I got back to Chicago, I was driving West on Belmont Ave. and I drove past a school with these words carved in stone above the door, "Boys Entrance". I thought to myself, "that sounds like a band I should be in." Soon thereafter, I found a keyboard that could record sequences. It enabled me to layer parts together in pre-production for the first Boys' Entrance album, "Exit or Entrance". I recorded it and released it in 1991.
The first album has never been released as a cd, and I am very excited to announce that I am re-releasing it as a 20th Anniversary edition later this year. It feels like a fitting bookend and commemoration of Boys' Entrance.
I will also be recording new material with Mike Ferro and M@ Ramage for release as a single or as part of a compilation album. So watch and start spreading the word. It is the 20th Anniversary of Boys' Entrance!
I sat on Jon's bed and he played me the demos- and I just laughed and laughed. We both did. The songs were so funny, and baldly in-your-face. It was the shock of the NEW! Even though I had never been in a closet as a musician, it was Jon who showed me a different way of writing. He really tore away the ambiguous pronouns and cloaked meanings. He put it out there. He wrote about "The Cocksucker Club". I actually contributed a small lyrical change to that song. He wrote about doing it in "your parent's King-sized bed". I said, "No, that should be changed to "Queen-sized bed". We laughed some more and he agreed. Later he re-recorded the lyric with my change.
As soon as I got back to Chicago, I was driving West on Belmont Ave. and I drove past a school with these words carved in stone above the door, "Boys Entrance". I thought to myself, "that sounds like a band I should be in." Soon thereafter, I found a keyboard that could record sequences. It enabled me to layer parts together in pre-production for the first Boys' Entrance album, "Exit or Entrance". I recorded it and released it in 1991.
The first album has never been released as a cd, and I am very excited to announce that I am re-releasing it as a 20th Anniversary edition later this year. It feels like a fitting bookend and commemoration of Boys' Entrance.
I will also be recording new material with Mike Ferro and M@ Ramage for release as a single or as part of a compilation album. So watch and start spreading the word. It is the 20th Anniversary of Boys' Entrance!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
The stories we tell ourselves are the myths we come to believe about ourselves and the world around us (Is the actually a World around us?).
When I was a boy and was forced to go to Boy Scout camp, where there was a myth about the Polliwog Man. I was terrified. I was especially terrified because one day I was walking along a path, and the plants beside the path rustled. I crouched down, and reached out. I parted the plants to see what was doing the rustling, and there he was, looking much like the Creature From The Black Lagoon- THE Polliwog Man! I screamed and ran. Camp from then on, was a place of panic and fear, and separateness.
My imagination was that powerful. The myth, conjured for me was that potent. The reality was palpable. For me, the Polliwog Man existed, and I told my troupe leader so. I am sure he thought I was too far gone to be helped. I was likely a burden to him. I am certain he wanted me gone as much as I wanted to be gone. Sometimes, the irrational beliefs of the visionary/touched/not-right make others wary, cautious, or just plain annoyed.
Now at the age of 54, I am writing about this for the first time. I can do so because I am fairly certain the Polliwog Man does not exist, and because I think there is something real in this story which speaks to the role of fantasy, delusion, myth, and magic in our lives. It is a tangled ball of string to me, my life, my perceptions- the real, the un-real. I have attempted not to judge it- allow myself to be "special", to entertain magic in my life. But internalizing it for 42 years has complicated the magic. It darkened. The memories are mired in thought and interpretation. I still see his face in the brush, clearly; but there are 42 years of strata piled on top of the image. Beneath it all are feelings of wonder and terror.
When I was a boy and was forced to go to Boy Scout camp, where there was a myth about the Polliwog Man. I was terrified. I was especially terrified because one day I was walking along a path, and the plants beside the path rustled. I crouched down, and reached out. I parted the plants to see what was doing the rustling, and there he was, looking much like the Creature From The Black Lagoon- THE Polliwog Man! I screamed and ran. Camp from then on, was a place of panic and fear, and separateness.
My imagination was that powerful. The myth, conjured for me was that potent. The reality was palpable. For me, the Polliwog Man existed, and I told my troupe leader so. I am sure he thought I was too far gone to be helped. I was likely a burden to him. I am certain he wanted me gone as much as I wanted to be gone. Sometimes, the irrational beliefs of the visionary/touched/not-right make others wary, cautious, or just plain annoyed.
Now at the age of 54, I am writing about this for the first time. I can do so because I am fairly certain the Polliwog Man does not exist, and because I think there is something real in this story which speaks to the role of fantasy, delusion, myth, and magic in our lives. It is a tangled ball of string to me, my life, my perceptions- the real, the un-real. I have attempted not to judge it- allow myself to be "special", to entertain magic in my life. But internalizing it for 42 years has complicated the magic. It darkened. The memories are mired in thought and interpretation. I still see his face in the brush, clearly; but there are 42 years of strata piled on top of the image. Beneath it all are feelings of wonder and terror.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
GAY ROCK star vs. gay ROCK STAR?
The shows that I did with Boys' Entrance in 2010 and so far in 2011 have gotten me to start thinking and reassessing. This is the twentieth year of Boys' Entrance, a period where I single-mindedly pursued rock music for gay people. I wanted to provide music and lyrics that spoke to our unique perspectives, needs, and experiences. But I have been feeling increasingly bridled.
In college, I took a creative writing class (got an A+!). The course taught me, "Write What You Know". That dictum has been my guiding light throughout my musical career. The course taught me that even in the intensely personal is a universal message, and that is the lesson I have clung to even as I spilled my guts on the most personal details of my life.
That was made easier by the thought that I was speaking to people like me first and foremost. The straights were incidental. But I did find that my music did cross over occasionally and some straights did pick up on it. I was blessed to work with straight friends who helped me produce the music I heard in my head. I am so grateful to those straight-but-not-narrow allies: Tom, Greg, Glass, Jeff, Vojo, Kurt, and Larry.
Here's the thing. I am feeling that what I want now is to be thought of as a gay ROCK STAR, more than a GAY ROCK star. The sound Mike Ferro and I are producing is ROCK. Yes, it is steeped in androgyny- like any good GLAM band is. But it ROCKS. Frankly, mos gays are not into it. They are made to believe they should be into dance and pop- or maybe that is what they actually like?
It has always been so. Broadway queens, Disco bunnies, House honeys, Techno twinks. It has always been so. There too have always been queens who rocked: Little Richard, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Rob Halford (and countless closet cases and near-Missies).
I will not change my pronouns. I will not change my content to fit it. I am only changing my self-definition from GAY ROCK star to gay ROCK STAR.
In college, I took a creative writing class (got an A+!). The course taught me, "Write What You Know". That dictum has been my guiding light throughout my musical career. The course taught me that even in the intensely personal is a universal message, and that is the lesson I have clung to even as I spilled my guts on the most personal details of my life.
That was made easier by the thought that I was speaking to people like me first and foremost. The straights were incidental. But I did find that my music did cross over occasionally and some straights did pick up on it. I was blessed to work with straight friends who helped me produce the music I heard in my head. I am so grateful to those straight-but-not-narrow allies: Tom, Greg, Glass, Jeff, Vojo, Kurt, and Larry.
Here's the thing. I am feeling that what I want now is to be thought of as a gay ROCK STAR, more than a GAY ROCK star. The sound Mike Ferro and I are producing is ROCK. Yes, it is steeped in androgyny- like any good GLAM band is. But it ROCKS. Frankly, mos gays are not into it. They are made to believe they should be into dance and pop- or maybe that is what they actually like?
It has always been so. Broadway queens, Disco bunnies, House honeys, Techno twinks. It has always been so. There too have always been queens who rocked: Little Richard, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Rob Halford (and countless closet cases and near-Missies).
I will not change my pronouns. I will not change my content to fit it. I am only changing my self-definition from GAY ROCK star to gay ROCK STAR.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
"David Bowie Is Dead"
David Bowie is Dead c 2010 Tim Cain
David Jones lies in repose
On his chaise in his New York flat
A neural-jack clipped to his brain
The first such permanent connection
Of a comatose rock star and the Internet
On Bowienet again today
No Re’pondez, s’il vous plait
There’s nothing more to say, but
David Bowie is dead
His holographic self accompanies his wife
Down carpets red, and flashing lights
Collect his image pale and white
The transmissions are exhausting
So he requires a lot of rest
On Bowienet again today
No Re’pondez, s’il vous plait
There’s nothing more to say, but
David Bowie is dead
There’s been a lot of buzz
That the Spiders might regroup
If the programming is successful
Dave and Ronno’s holograms
Backed by Trevor, Woody and Mike
On Bowienet I read today
“Virtual Reality Tour” has been announced
The tour need never end, though
David Bowie is dead
Need I paint a vulgar picture?
One compilation disc too many
“An extra track and a tacky badge”
Though a tour seems a bit far fetched
Stranger things have happened
On Bowienet again today
The announcement finally made
“The Spiders Rise Again” though
David Bowie is Dead
David Jones lies in repose
On his chaise in his New York flat
A neural-jack clipped to his brain
The first such permanent connection
Of a comatose rock star and the Internet
On Bowienet again today
No Re’pondez, s’il vous plait
There’s nothing more to say, but
David Bowie is dead
His holographic self accompanies his wife
Down carpets red, and flashing lights
Collect his image pale and white
The transmissions are exhausting
So he requires a lot of rest
On Bowienet again today
No Re’pondez, s’il vous plait
There’s nothing more to say, but
David Bowie is dead
There’s been a lot of buzz
That the Spiders might regroup
If the programming is successful
Dave and Ronno’s holograms
Backed by Trevor, Woody and Mike
On Bowienet I read today
“Virtual Reality Tour” has been announced
The tour need never end, though
David Bowie is dead
Need I paint a vulgar picture?
One compilation disc too many
“An extra track and a tacky badge”
Though a tour seems a bit far fetched
Stranger things have happened
On Bowienet again today
The announcement finally made
“The Spiders Rise Again” though
David Bowie is Dead
"David Bowie Is Dead"
Dear Readers,
This is not actually the case, but virtually the case, that David Bowie is dead. It is how I feel. His absence is palpable, more than at any time in his career- that is life. It feels like David Bowie is dead to me. I am experiencing a similar kind of grief- believing that there may never be another transmission from his mind.
This is the genesis for my song, "David Bowie is Dead". The song is a sci-fi homage to La Bowie. It explores the possibility that he is on the verge of breaking through a new artistic barrier (just as he was one of the first recording artists on CD). This time, he is imagined "on a chaise in his New York flat, a neural jack clipped to his brain, the first such permanent connection of a comatose rock star and the Internet".
Where as his last tour was called the Reality Tour, he is now being prepared to go on the Virtual Reality Tour- with Ronno. Has the technology progressed enough to keep the dying alive, and bring the dead back to life? In my song, it has.
I hope you enjoy it. http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_8157018
This is not actually the case, but virtually the case, that David Bowie is dead. It is how I feel. His absence is palpable, more than at any time in his career- that is life. It feels like David Bowie is dead to me. I am experiencing a similar kind of grief- believing that there may never be another transmission from his mind.
This is the genesis for my song, "David Bowie is Dead". The song is a sci-fi homage to La Bowie. It explores the possibility that he is on the verge of breaking through a new artistic barrier (just as he was one of the first recording artists on CD). This time, he is imagined "on a chaise in his New York flat, a neural jack clipped to his brain, the first such permanent connection of a comatose rock star and the Internet".
Where as his last tour was called the Reality Tour, he is now being prepared to go on the Virtual Reality Tour- with Ronno. Has the technology progressed enough to keep the dying alive, and bring the dead back to life? In my song, it has.
I hope you enjoy it. http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_8157018
Monday, April 4, 2011
Dorothy' Last Fling-Boys' Entrance{cover of chainsaw kitten's}
This is the first song we did at ABSOLUTE Fringe on Jan. 30th. The video was shot by my husband, Santos, but the microphone on the camera phone was overwhelmed by the sound. So there was a video shot of the second show on Mar. 27th, and Brett Basil took the audio and fused it to the video. Now we have a really cool video of this cover of one of my favorite Chainsaw Kittens songs, "Dorothy's Last Fling". I hope you like it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
ABSOLUTE Fringe finale
I have to say, I had a wonderful time at ABSOLUTE Fringe again. I loved all the acts that played, and I was so comfortable at the club. The Elbo Room was so friendly and supportive. The acts all enjoy playing there. The sound was good, and the rooms feel intimate and coccoon-like. It is a kind of incubator for bands. It was also an incubator for ABSOLUTE Fringe. But the festival has run its course.
I spent a quarter of 2011 producing ABSOLUTE Fringe. Actually, it all started in November. The festival did not catch fire. I was hoping to get some sponsorship that would have enabled advertising. That didn't happen. I tried to incorporate bands that had followings. That didn't help. I tried to lock into the lesbian community. Not so much.
We were blessed to have Tret Fure from Wisconsin, Shawn Thomas from Florida, and The Fundamentalists from Detroit. These artists traveled the furthest- for little money. But their support and their generosity was even greater.
Mr. Scott Free was a huge contributor, both in planning and in performance. But I thanks each and ever performer: Amy Delicious, Elen Rosner, Stewed Tomatos, Kristin Lems, Congress of Starlings, Shoes for Mabel, and The Joans.
Mike Ferro and I are moving forward together and will be working on new material for Boys' Entrance. So stay tuned and see what comes of it.
I want to tell you that I have learned a lot. But the biggest lesson I learned is how supportive and helpful people can be. The artists who participated and the club built my faith in humanity back up. I thank each and every one of them.
Tim Cain, March 2011
I spent a quarter of 2011 producing ABSOLUTE Fringe. Actually, it all started in November. The festival did not catch fire. I was hoping to get some sponsorship that would have enabled advertising. That didn't happen. I tried to incorporate bands that had followings. That didn't help. I tried to lock into the lesbian community. Not so much.
We were blessed to have Tret Fure from Wisconsin, Shawn Thomas from Florida, and The Fundamentalists from Detroit. These artists traveled the furthest- for little money. But their support and their generosity was even greater.
Mr. Scott Free was a huge contributor, both in planning and in performance. But I thanks each and ever performer: Amy Delicious, Elen Rosner, Stewed Tomatos, Kristin Lems, Congress of Starlings, Shoes for Mabel, and The Joans.
Mike Ferro and I are moving forward together and will be working on new material for Boys' Entrance. So stay tuned and see what comes of it.
I want to tell you that I have learned a lot. But the biggest lesson I learned is how supportive and helpful people can be. The artists who participated and the club built my faith in humanity back up. I thank each and every one of them.
Tim Cain, March 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
ABSOLUTE Fringe- It is harder than it looks.
Ok, as far as the Elbo Room goes, they are happy to have ABSOLUTE Fringe booked. We are at least doubling their normal Sunday night turn-out. That said, their normal Sunday night turn-out is sad.
It was my hope that since I had no budget to promote the shows via the normal outlets- advertising in magazines. I would try and get press in said magazines. I am grateful to Gay Chicago for a COVER story, and Windy City Times for a feature. But it had no appreciable effect.
The bands are not able to get people to show up for the shows. We have had great talent for each show, and I have been so proud to feature each and every act, but they generally don't draw. Even an established act like The Joans didn't draw. If each member of the band had brought one friend out, the turn out would have been better.Instead Jennifer Joans gave not much more than attitude and demanded, "didn't you send out emails? I didn't get one." (Never mind the fact that I had never met her and she wasn't a contact for the band. As far as I am concerned, Jennifer Joans is box office poison. And while I am at it, what was with the poster that they created that didn't even mention the event? What more evidence is needed to prove that there is no Joan in team?)
I tried to have a lesbian themed night. Fewer people showed up for that night. Even having a major national act like Tret Fure that night had no effect. Who knew lesbians were so interested in the Oscars? (But what crappy timing to have a gay-themed music night opposite the Oscars!)
April's show has had to be shifted due to it landing on Easter, and the club will be closed. May would have been moved also because it lands on Memorial Day weekend AND International Mr. Leather competition. Then June was going to coincide with Pride Weekend. Now that might seem good, but the issue there was that it is the last night of Pride Weekend, and people would have been exhausted by the weekend of partying, not raring to go to one more late night.
For these and many more reasons (competition for bookings with other queer showcases, scarcity of queer acts, recording sessions coinciding with our program), I have decided the April show will be the last ABSOLUTE Fringe.
It is disappointing, but I did my best to present a quality LGBT showcase. I just think it was too ambitious to try and book 6 LGBT acts per month. I thank each and every act that participated. You were wonderfully supportive and shared your artistry without reservation. THANK YOU!
Tim Cain
It was my hope that since I had no budget to promote the shows via the normal outlets- advertising in magazines. I would try and get press in said magazines. I am grateful to Gay Chicago for a COVER story, and Windy City Times for a feature. But it had no appreciable effect.
The bands are not able to get people to show up for the shows. We have had great talent for each show, and I have been so proud to feature each and every act, but they generally don't draw. Even an established act like The Joans didn't draw. If each member of the band had brought one friend out, the turn out would have been better.Instead Jennifer Joans gave not much more than attitude and demanded, "didn't you send out emails? I didn't get one." (Never mind the fact that I had never met her and she wasn't a contact for the band. As far as I am concerned, Jennifer Joans is box office poison. And while I am at it, what was with the poster that they created that didn't even mention the event? What more evidence is needed to prove that there is no Joan in team?)
I tried to have a lesbian themed night. Fewer people showed up for that night. Even having a major national act like Tret Fure that night had no effect. Who knew lesbians were so interested in the Oscars? (But what crappy timing to have a gay-themed music night opposite the Oscars!)
April's show has had to be shifted due to it landing on Easter, and the club will be closed. May would have been moved also because it lands on Memorial Day weekend AND International Mr. Leather competition. Then June was going to coincide with Pride Weekend. Now that might seem good, but the issue there was that it is the last night of Pride Weekend, and people would have been exhausted by the weekend of partying, not raring to go to one more late night.
For these and many more reasons (competition for bookings with other queer showcases, scarcity of queer acts, recording sessions coinciding with our program), I have decided the April show will be the last ABSOLUTE Fringe.
It is disappointing, but I did my best to present a quality LGBT showcase. I just think it was too ambitious to try and book 6 LGBT acts per month. I thank each and every act that participated. You were wonderfully supportive and shared your artistry without reservation. THANK YOU!
Tim Cain
Monday, February 28, 2011
February ABSOLUTE Fringe
The February installment of ABSOLUTE Fringe was a fantastic evening of mostly female musicianship. The acoustic line-up was poetry, really. It started with the Scott Free Trio. Their set was a perfect counterpoint to their electric set they put on the month before. Scott and Jenny and Marvin show such versatility and sensitivity to Scott songs.
Next up was Tret Fure. Depth is the word that immediately comes to mind. Tret has been a professional singer/songwriter for 40 plus years. She is going to celebrate her 60th birthday soon! She brought a depth of emotion, intellect, and musicianship it is rare to encounter. She held the audience in the palm of her hand.
The Congress of Starlings are Andrea Bunch and Aerin Tadesco. I have seen them both separately, but together there is a melding of musical vision and a harmony that is breath taking. I only wish their set had featured some of Andrea's electronic offerings.
Downstairs the show opened with Ellen Rosner. She had some new backing players, so her sound had transitioned from what I had heard at the Cake Chicago show last year. Her voice was lovely as always.
Stewed Tomatoes were the second band up, and they blew me away. I guess I heard them with new ears. These women rule! They totally had me when they whipped out, "I wanna be your dog" by Iggy! It was tough and it was the sort of noisy rock I love.
Last up was Plain Ole Delicious, a fantastic RAWK band lead by the seminal, Amy Delicious. This grrrl is the thunderclap that wakes you up out of bed. She is the lightening bolt that gets you before you hear the boom. Got it! Get her any time you get the chance.
If there was a downside to the show it was simply that not enough people came to it. The Oscars really took a bite out of our audience and that was a shame. Still I was really proud of the show. The Next ABSOLUTE Fringe show is March 27th and will feature Lars Von Keitz, Danny+Greg, Shawn Thomas from Florida!, The Fundamentalists from Detroit, The Cathy Santonis, and my band, Boys' Entrance.
Next up was Tret Fure. Depth is the word that immediately comes to mind. Tret has been a professional singer/songwriter for 40 plus years. She is going to celebrate her 60th birthday soon! She brought a depth of emotion, intellect, and musicianship it is rare to encounter. She held the audience in the palm of her hand.
The Congress of Starlings are Andrea Bunch and Aerin Tadesco. I have seen them both separately, but together there is a melding of musical vision and a harmony that is breath taking. I only wish their set had featured some of Andrea's electronic offerings.
Downstairs the show opened with Ellen Rosner. She had some new backing players, so her sound had transitioned from what I had heard at the Cake Chicago show last year. Her voice was lovely as always.
Stewed Tomatoes were the second band up, and they blew me away. I guess I heard them with new ears. These women rule! They totally had me when they whipped out, "I wanna be your dog" by Iggy! It was tough and it was the sort of noisy rock I love.
Last up was Plain Ole Delicious, a fantastic RAWK band lead by the seminal, Amy Delicious. This grrrl is the thunderclap that wakes you up out of bed. She is the lightening bolt that gets you before you hear the boom. Got it! Get her any time you get the chance.
If there was a downside to the show it was simply that not enough people came to it. The Oscars really took a bite out of our audience and that was a shame. Still I was really proud of the show. The Next ABSOLUTE Fringe show is March 27th and will feature Lars Von Keitz, Danny+Greg, Shawn Thomas from Florida!, The Fundamentalists from Detroit, The Cathy Santonis, and my band, Boys' Entrance.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone's blog about "Born This Way" by Lady GaGa
I think this is an amazing perspective on the song and Lady GaGa. I love Sheffield's writing, so I wanted to share his perspective with you.
POSTED: February 11, 1:32 PM ET | By Rob Sheffield
Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': Much Better Than 'Express Yourself'
Share1446
Come on, girls! Do you believe in Madonna? Because Lady Gaga has got something to say about "Express Yourself," and she’s turned Madonna’s fourth-best single of 1989 into her own instant-classic club anthem, "Born This Way." Except it’s actually much better than "Express Yourself," because it’s faster, with Gaga chanting "Don’t be a drag / Just be a queen." "Born This Way" sums up everything gaudy and glorious about Gaga, all her politics and sex and Catholic angst and smeared lipstick, in one admirably compact blast of disco aggression.
Listen: Lady Gaga's New Single 'Born This Way'
"Born This Way" is more than just Gaga’s heavily hyped return to the radio: It’s an event, a statement, the most anticipatrended song in the history of recorded music, or at least since Britney’s "Hold It Against Me." It’s also primed to become the first Number One hit in history to include the word "transgendered." Gaga belts her self-esteem pep talk — "Subway kid, rejoice your truth"? okaaaay! — over the Eurodisco beats of producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow. She shouts to the gays, lesbians, bis, disabled, and monsters of all races, including the hilariously dippy line: "You’re black, white, beige, chola descent / You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient!"
Photos: Lady Gaga's Best Looks
You can complain all you want about the tip of the leather cap to "Express Yourself," which was just Madonna’s knock-off of the Staple Singers’ "Respect Yourself." But "Born This Way" is steeped in decades of gay disco tradition, with a heavy Seventies-style thump-thump from Patrick Hernandez’ 1979 classic "Born to Be Alive." (Fun fact: one of Madonna’s first professional gigs was as a back-up dancer on a Patrick Hernandez tour, and you can believe Gaga knows it.)
Photos: Before Lady Gaga — Madonna, Elton John and More Monster Influences
It might seem strange that Gaga chose to premiere her big comeback single for morning-radio commuters, rather than night people who hang out in clubs. By the time the drag queens crawl out of bed this afternoon, "Born This Way" will already be a TGIF where’s-the-party jam for ordinary strap-hanging douchebags all over the world. (Don’t be a douche, just be a bag!) But that’s part of the statement she’s making here, because "Born This Way" is her brazen pop move: short, fast, going straight for the throat. That’s the most shocking thing about it.
Photos: Lady Gaga's New Monster Ball: The Electro Opera Begins in England
I have to admit, I was expecting something more ponderous — Gaga laboring to prove she’s a Serious Artist who can get away with arty indulgences. I assumed that a couple of years of mega-fame would make the Lady sound more full of herself. But there’s no dicking around here, no piano solos or Gregorian-chant interludes. Instead, she gets right down to unabashed pop kicks, because no matter how much inspiration she takes from the arty downtown scene she came from, her pet project has been revitalizing the Top 40. So she takes on Britney, Rihanna, Katy, Ke$ha and the rest of the radio queens, pimping her we-are-all-superstars message with a voice that reminds everyone who got this party started in the first place. That’s what makes "Born This Way" sound so audacious and so amazing.
POSTED: February 11, 1:32 PM ET | By Rob Sheffield
Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': Much Better Than 'Express Yourself'
Share1446
Come on, girls! Do you believe in Madonna? Because Lady Gaga has got something to say about "Express Yourself," and she’s turned Madonna’s fourth-best single of 1989 into her own instant-classic club anthem, "Born This Way." Except it’s actually much better than "Express Yourself," because it’s faster, with Gaga chanting "Don’t be a drag / Just be a queen." "Born This Way" sums up everything gaudy and glorious about Gaga, all her politics and sex and Catholic angst and smeared lipstick, in one admirably compact blast of disco aggression.
Listen: Lady Gaga's New Single 'Born This Way'
"Born This Way" is more than just Gaga’s heavily hyped return to the radio: It’s an event, a statement, the most anticipatrended song in the history of recorded music, or at least since Britney’s "Hold It Against Me." It’s also primed to become the first Number One hit in history to include the word "transgendered." Gaga belts her self-esteem pep talk — "Subway kid, rejoice your truth"? okaaaay! — over the Eurodisco beats of producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow. She shouts to the gays, lesbians, bis, disabled, and monsters of all races, including the hilariously dippy line: "You’re black, white, beige, chola descent / You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient!"
Photos: Lady Gaga's Best Looks
You can complain all you want about the tip of the leather cap to "Express Yourself," which was just Madonna’s knock-off of the Staple Singers’ "Respect Yourself." But "Born This Way" is steeped in decades of gay disco tradition, with a heavy Seventies-style thump-thump from Patrick Hernandez’ 1979 classic "Born to Be Alive." (Fun fact: one of Madonna’s first professional gigs was as a back-up dancer on a Patrick Hernandez tour, and you can believe Gaga knows it.)
Photos: Before Lady Gaga — Madonna, Elton John and More Monster Influences
It might seem strange that Gaga chose to premiere her big comeback single for morning-radio commuters, rather than night people who hang out in clubs. By the time the drag queens crawl out of bed this afternoon, "Born This Way" will already be a TGIF where’s-the-party jam for ordinary strap-hanging douchebags all over the world. (Don’t be a douche, just be a bag!) But that’s part of the statement she’s making here, because "Born This Way" is her brazen pop move: short, fast, going straight for the throat. That’s the most shocking thing about it.
Photos: Lady Gaga's New Monster Ball: The Electro Opera Begins in England
I have to admit, I was expecting something more ponderous — Gaga laboring to prove she’s a Serious Artist who can get away with arty indulgences. I assumed that a couple of years of mega-fame would make the Lady sound more full of herself. But there’s no dicking around here, no piano solos or Gregorian-chant interludes. Instead, she gets right down to unabashed pop kicks, because no matter how much inspiration she takes from the arty downtown scene she came from, her pet project has been revitalizing the Top 40. So she takes on Britney, Rihanna, Katy, Ke$ha and the rest of the radio queens, pimping her we-are-all-superstars message with a voice that reminds everyone who got this party started in the first place. That’s what makes "Born This Way" sound so audacious and so amazing.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Ladt GaGa and the Gays
"Born This Way", the new single by Lady Gaga represents a sea change of sorts in music culture, and the larger culture. Not only is it the 1000th song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, but it is simultaneously the first single to utilize the word "transgendered". It is the most overtly supportive #1 single in the history of music of LGBT people. As such it represents a milestone. It is something we can point to to gauge the progress of our people from this point forward.
When I was a boy, I recall riding in a hot car, headed for California, on a vacation with my family. On the radio came the song, "Lola" by the Kinks. It is a similar milestone, as it was the first Top 40 hit to feature a transsexual as the title character. Ray Davies sang," I'm not the world's most masculine man, But I know what I am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola", even though he was ordered by RCA Records to change the lyrics. Davies slipped it by them anyway.
To a queer boy in 1970, "Lola" was a life preserver. It is still a touch stone in the music of my band, Boys' Entrance. "Born This Way" will be the same life preserver to queer youth today and generations to come. It will literally keep kids alive. It will give them courage to carry on, FIERCELY!
Gone are the days when a label dictates to an artist what the content of their music will be. Lady GaGa is straight- but she is a straight ally. My hope is that her "Little Monsters" reach out now and learn about Queer Artists like me.
When I was a boy, I recall riding in a hot car, headed for California, on a vacation with my family. On the radio came the song, "Lola" by the Kinks. It is a similar milestone, as it was the first Top 40 hit to feature a transsexual as the title character. Ray Davies sang," I'm not the world's most masculine man, But I know what I am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola", even though he was ordered by RCA Records to change the lyrics. Davies slipped it by them anyway.
To a queer boy in 1970, "Lola" was a life preserver. It is still a touch stone in the music of my band, Boys' Entrance. "Born This Way" will be the same life preserver to queer youth today and generations to come. It will literally keep kids alive. It will give them courage to carry on, FIERCELY!
Gone are the days when a label dictates to an artist what the content of their music will be. Lady GaGa is straight- but she is a straight ally. My hope is that her "Little Monsters" reach out now and learn about Queer Artists like me.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
new ABSOLUTE Fringe website
Check out the new ABSOLUTE Fringe website, under construction at https://sites.google.com/site/absolutefringe/
Thursday, February 3, 2011
ABSOLUTE Fringe- a HUGE Success!
ABSOLUTE Fringe has been extended for the remainder of 2011 based on the success of our debut festival.
We are accepting submissions for bookings for the second quarter, the dates of which are 4-24; 5-29; and 6-26.
The next show is on February 27th and will feature Ellen Rosner and the Bubbly Creek All Stars, Plain Ole Delicious, Stewed Tomatoes, Congress of Starlings, TRET FURE! and the lone male performer, Scott Free.
I know the womyn's community is going to come out in numbers for this show. I am looking forward to booking more mostly female shows in the future too.
Male or female, I hope you will come out to support the performers of ABSOLUTE Fringe. They are really bringing their A games to entertain you.
Thanks to Kristin Lems, Shoes For Mabel, Amy Delicious, Scott Free Trio, The Joans, and Boys' Entrance for their time and talent. I hope you had a great time and will be back.
Cheers!
Tim Cain
We are accepting submissions for bookings for the second quarter, the dates of which are 4-24; 5-29; and 6-26.
The next show is on February 27th and will feature Ellen Rosner and the Bubbly Creek All Stars, Plain Ole Delicious, Stewed Tomatoes, Congress of Starlings, TRET FURE! and the lone male performer, Scott Free.
I know the womyn's community is going to come out in numbers for this show. I am looking forward to booking more mostly female shows in the future too.
Male or female, I hope you will come out to support the performers of ABSOLUTE Fringe. They are really bringing their A games to entertain you.
Thanks to Kristin Lems, Shoes For Mabel, Amy Delicious, Scott Free Trio, The Joans, and Boys' Entrance for their time and talent. I hope you had a great time and will be back.
Cheers!
Tim Cain
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Cover of the Chainsaw Kittens, "Dorothy's Last Fling" by Boys' Entrance
This was our opener at ABSOLUTE Fringe, 1-30-11. Bad sound quality, nice visuals.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Covergirl, Tim Cain on Gay Chicago Magazine
http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com
Wow, it is finally out. I love the pictures by Sukie De La Croix that they chose. Gregg Shapiro did a great job with the interview. Imagine that, it took me 36 years in the biz to get a cover. Ok, it ain't Rolling Stone, but I am clearly on my way. LOL.
Thanks to Gay Chicago Magazine for their coverage of ABSOLUTE Fringe, and to Gregg and Sukie to their contribution to the success of the show.
Wow, it is finally out. I love the pictures by Sukie De La Croix that they chose. Gregg Shapiro did a great job with the interview. Imagine that, it took me 36 years in the biz to get a cover. Ok, it ain't Rolling Stone, but I am clearly on my way. LOL.
Thanks to Gay Chicago Magazine for their coverage of ABSOLUTE Fringe, and to Gregg and Sukie to their contribution to the success of the show.
ABSOLUTE Fringe- this Sunday
I am crowning! The baby known as ABSOLUTE Fringe is coming down the chute, and there is no stopping it. There are so many questions. What color are it's eyes? What color hair will it have? Will it be a healthy baby? Giving birth is a BITCH!
I have been in labor since November. Doing the holidays while pregnant is tough. It was all I could do to shop, let alone cook for the family. Then as so often happens, we got a dog before the baby came. What was I thinking? Maybe it was for the best. Buddy kept me centered when chaos was raging all around me.
Above all, I have faith "that which is right is unfolding". ABSOLUTE Fringe, honey, you go out there and make mama proud.
I have been in labor since November. Doing the holidays while pregnant is tough. It was all I could do to shop, let alone cook for the family. Then as so often happens, we got a dog before the baby came. What was I thinking? Maybe it was for the best. Buddy kept me centered when chaos was raging all around me.
Above all, I have faith "that which is right is unfolding". ABSOLUTE Fringe, honey, you go out there and make mama proud.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Gay Chicago Shoot
Watch for the Jan. 25th issue of Gay Chicago. Yours truly will grace THE COVER! The subject of the article is my ABSOLUTE Fringe show. Sukie De La Croix was the photographer, and he was accompanied to the Elbo Room Chicago by Gregg Shapiro who interviewed me for the article. We had a hoot.
We have been friends for years. Gregg was the first journalist to encourage my music in Boys' Entrance. He has written many reviews of Boys' Entrance through the years. He has been an advocate for the band, and I am deeply grateful to him for his support.
Sukie has been a friend for many years as well. He is one of the great raconteurs of the Chicago music/gay scene. Not only is he a gifted writer, but he is also a great photographer. We had so much fun camping it up at the Elbo Room last week. At one point I was doing some fabulous pose, and Sukie said, "Oh yeah, that's it. I don't know how you are doing this?" And I responded, "I haven't been watching America's Top Model" all these years for nothing". To which Greg, (that bitch) quipped, "That's America's Bottom Model!" We all fell out. It was like that all afternoon.
I can't wait to see what fringy photo graces the cover, and the accompanying article.
Thanks Sukie and Gregg!
We have been friends for years. Gregg was the first journalist to encourage my music in Boys' Entrance. He has written many reviews of Boys' Entrance through the years. He has been an advocate for the band, and I am deeply grateful to him for his support.
Sukie has been a friend for many years as well. He is one of the great raconteurs of the Chicago music/gay scene. Not only is he a gifted writer, but he is also a great photographer. We had so much fun camping it up at the Elbo Room last week. At one point I was doing some fabulous pose, and Sukie said, "Oh yeah, that's it. I don't know how you are doing this?" And I responded, "I haven't been watching America's Top Model" all these years for nothing". To which Greg, (that bitch) quipped, "That's America's Bottom Model!" We all fell out. It was like that all afternoon.
I can't wait to see what fringy photo graces the cover, and the accompanying article.
Thanks Sukie and Gregg!
Duo Again
Well, Mike Ferro and I are once again a duo for the next Boys' Entrance show. Both Brett Basil and our newest professed member, Lisa Lisak have dropped away.
So it is back to Mike and I to carry on. It seems we are fated thus. But the great pleasure of the situation is getting to know Mike better and better. We have played together in this band for 17 years, and until last year, I didn't feel I knew Mike at all. I don't know if is me or him that has changed, but I like the man I am getting to know. He is still reserved, but he is warm and deeply familiar, and like an old friend- I guess that is exactly what he is to me. He is steady, and solid. He has always been there, and he doesn't react when I am less than politic in my direction. He just allows me to be me and now I too am allowing him to be him. (As if I have a choice.)
I love Mike. He is like a brother to me. I love his partner Stuart too.
I am very fortunate to have know them both for so long.
So it is back to Mike and I to carry on. It seems we are fated thus. But the great pleasure of the situation is getting to know Mike better and better. We have played together in this band for 17 years, and until last year, I didn't feel I knew Mike at all. I don't know if is me or him that has changed, but I like the man I am getting to know. He is still reserved, but he is warm and deeply familiar, and like an old friend- I guess that is exactly what he is to me. He is steady, and solid. He has always been there, and he doesn't react when I am less than politic in my direction. He just allows me to be me and now I too am allowing him to be him. (As if I have a choice.)
I love Mike. He is like a brother to me. I love his partner Stuart too.
I am very fortunate to have know them both for so long.
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