When sisters Sonia Rutstein and Cindy Frank formed the band disappear fear back in the mid-1980s, Ronald Reagan was president, “trickle down economics” was the buzzword, gay couples were not allowed to marry anywhere in the United States, and there were no out pop music stars.
“On one side there was ‘Women’s Music’ (which we felt was sweet but boring) and there was rock and dance,” recalls SONiA, a Jewish lesbian who prefers to go by just her first name, complete with creative capitalization.
“Today countless singer songwriters and fans approach me and say, thank you — your strength and courage gave me the courage to be true to myself and my life,” she says, while adding, “I am glad to be the medium for such light and healing. It is not me — it just comes through me.”
Lesbian-led band performs at Eddie's Attic later this month
The Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus has a new executive director, the group announced today. Crystal Anderson, previously a senior vice president of StandUP for Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing homeless and at-risk youth, officially took the reigns of the 100-member chorus on Oct. 31.
"This position fills a need within me to give back to our wonderfully diverse community while using my experience, talent and passion for achieving excellence to help the chorus grow and achieve a higher level of success than ever before," Anderson said today in a press release.
"My heart has always been with helping others -- whether it be the homeless, the ill or those fighting against a system that refuses to grant them equal rights based on race, religion or sexual orientation -- so it was a natural fit for me," Anderson added.
Girl in a Coma is an all-female trio from Texas signed to Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records. They started when lesbian best friends Jenn Alva and Phanie (pronounced “FAWN-ee”) Diaz joined with Diaz’s baby sister, Nina, and began playing together.
The girls of Girl in a Coma are set to promote their fourth album, “Exits And All The Rest” (available on iTunes on Nov. 1) with a CD release show at The Masquerade on Nov. 7.
The GA Voice spoke with bassist Jenn Alva about their music, illegal immigration and kicking Shane’s ass (from “The L Word”).
Lesbian-inclusive band celebrates new album with Atlanta show
As the super-loveable character “Alice” on “The ‘L’ Word” and now as a musician in the lesbian power-duo Uh Huh Her, Leisha Hailey has endeared herself in the hearts and minds of the LGBT community.
Now on the new “Keep-A-Breast” breast cancer awareness tour with Uh Huh Her, Leisha and band mate Camila Grey bring their electro-indie music to Vinyl in Atlanta on Oct. 21 in an all-ages show.
The GA Voice was originally scheduled to chat with Leisha Hailey on Sept. 26. The call was postponed, however, when Hailey and Grey, who are also a couple, were evicted from a Southwest Airlines flight Sept. 25 for kissing. Hailey complained about the incident on Twitter, which sparked national headlines and drew statements from both the couple and the airline, which sponsors several gay rights organizations.