Aspiring Heartthrob
Hey look at me — making myself a social media presence.
I am now going to begin releasing my own music to the world through the form of Youtube videos. This first one is a freestyled stream-of-consciousness supported by a repeating chord progression.
The Cliks have been a revolutionary band in the queer scene, with lead-singer Lucas Silveira being the first openly trans person to be signed to a major record label. I’ve been listening to the band for the last 6 years, and took special interest in them when they re-emerged in 2013 from a long hiatus. I wrote a few articles about the band for BlogTO and Listen Queer, and attended their CD release show for Black Tie Elevator. I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to take the stage with them. But Toronto has a funny way of providing me with dreams-come-true scenarios, over and over again (just look through this blog!). When I noticed the Cliks were looking for a new drummer, I auditioned, got it, and rolled into this summer doing my first ever international tour dates with a well-known band that I respect and admire.
A 12-hour drive from Toronto, we arrived in Indianapolis, geared up to play the main stage for Indy Pride Festival. We had an early rise, with a 8am sound check on a big outdoor stage. An hour before our set, a driver picked us up at our 5-star hotel, and drove us down to the festival. Police officers had to herd the hundreds of people to get out of the way of our vehicle. As we slowly proceeded through the crowd, the half-dressed Pride goers curiously peered in our windows to see what all the fuss was about. Cops escorted us out of the car and back stage, where we had our own air conditioned RV, and a Pride volunteer taking care of our every beer need. 
When it was our time to play, I stepped on stage where I was greeted by the biggest crowd I’ve ever played to. It was wild! We blasted through our set, with fans singing along to every word. When all was said and done, I headed over to the merch table where there was a crazy long line up of smiling fans. I helped sell CDs, shirts, and stickers, and was even asked to sign autographs and have my photo taken! I felt like a real rockstar for an afternoon – it was super cool. What a huge accomplishment this was for me. I learned a lot about the road, the music industry, festival life, and myself as a musician and traveller. Next stop – San Diego on July 19th!
My band beau has covered a lot of ground in the last year or so. First of all, in light of our new sound and band direction, we changed our name from Ruby Randall to beau. We also played a bunch of big shows! We’ve now got NXNE, Toronto Pride Festival, and a Hillside Inside Showcase under our collective belt! So it’s about time we have actual music on the internet for people to listen to!
We have released three demo tracks on our CBC band page. We did it in style too – as part of our entry in the CBC Searchlight Competition! Take a listen, groove to your heart’s content, and maybe give a little clickity-click vote to help us make our way into the second round of the Searchlight Competition!
More exciting news!
I am now part of the ultra-hip community of young females at She Does the City!
She Does the City is an “imperfect life guide for women” covering the latest in fashion, lifestyle, news and culture. Content is geared towards young females navigating their way through the coolest happenings the city has to offer.
I’m taking care of weekly music posts, bringing you events, playlists, spotlights and more.
This website is a great fit for me, giving me the chance to emphasize the importance of strong women in music. Down with the overload of misogyny and sexism – and power to talented women doing their thing in a male-dominated industry!
Check back to She Does the City regularly, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
After spending the last year building my way up as a music writer, I’m very excited to announce my newest positions:
BlogTO: Intern
Over the next four months I’ll be undergoing a crash course in what it takes to run Toronto’s number one cultural website. If I disappear until January, now you’ll know why.
Autostraddle: Canadian Music Correspondent
That’s right! The hip young website for lesbians, with an astronomical international reach. I’ll be writing all sorts of music articles, especially Almost Famous Canadians. Feel free to email me if you or someone you know is making a buzz in the music scene and would make for a great Almost Famous candidate.
Pride weekend: sweaty, scandalous, and sexy. Just as it should be. The highlight of my Pride this year was most definitely playing the Bud Light South Stage with Ruby Randall on Saturday’s Dyke Day Afternoon. Playing music I love, with friends I love, at a place that celebrates who I love. It was an absolute dream come true!
A few years ago I was introduced to Magnetic Sound Studio’s in Guelph, ON. A beautiful studio for recording, a giant backyard for drinking, and of course the famous pinball room. Packed wall-to-wall with flashy retro pinball machines, where the owner, Dan Beeson, collects and repairs them. A collective of musicians was formed through this space, where they birthed the idea to record touring artists of all different genres, and make these live-off-the-floor recordings available to the public.
With the help of FACTOR Music Canada, the website was funded, and pinballsessions.com was launched May 31st, 2013. I’m geared up to be part of this project. As an editorialist, I get to listen to these one-of-a-kind recordings and create a written piece summarizing what I hear. Check it out, sign up for the newsletter, and enjoy the special sounds Pinball Sessions have to offer!
The Cliks finished off their BLACK TIE ELEVATOR tour with a hometown CD release in Toronto. They put on an energetic show, and Lucas had all the ladies swooning (myself included). I met Lucas after the show and congratulated him on all the success:
My latest Listen Queer article talks about the band’s 4-year hiatus, and how they’ve come out of it sounding better than ever. Check out the details here!
This summer, I’m going to be playing a lot of drums! Here is my summer show line up thus far:
Saturday, May 18th – Benjamin and the Howling at Synn Studios Guelph – RSVP
Thursday, May 30th – There There Indigo at Sneaky Dee’s – RSVP
Wednesday, June 12th – Ruby Randall NXNE Showcase at Czehoski
Wednesday, June 19th – There There Indigo at The Horseshoe Tavern – RSVP
Thursday, June 20th – Benjamin and the Howling at eBar Guelph
Thursday, July 4th – Benjamin and the Howling at Sneaky Dee’s – RSVP
Thursday, July 18th – Benjamin and the Howling at Tranzac Toronto
Friday, July 19th – Ruby Randall at Lee’s Palace Toronto
It’s here! It’s queer! Get used to it!
I’m so pleased to announce the launch of my music column: Listen Queer. It’s published through The Indie Machine; a Toronto-based multimedia music series that plays a discernible role in supporting local music.
The queer community exists on foundations of love, camaraderie and genuine support. As a queer musician, I crave to translate those conventions into my exploration of music. However, as I search to discover new queer music; I find myself dissatisfied. Every LGBTQ publication has their designated “Music” section, but it’s often solely dedicated to Elton, Ani, and the Indigo Girls. It’s 2013! Where’s the new blood!?
Listen Queer is about providing a resource to discover queer-centric music and events. Through artist interviews, event coverage and ongoing news updates – readers get an inside scoop on the queer music happenings in Toronto and around the world.
Check back to theindiemachine.com for bi-weekly postings, and follow @listenqueer on Twitter for all the latest. If you have any suggestions on music/events I should cover, please email listenqueer@gmail.com.
Keep it queer my homomies,
– Julia
J Stead 