Artist: The Cramps (Lux Interior, he/him; Poison Ivy, she/her)
Why?
For Halloween, I decided to do something a bit different. The artists today never identified as trans as far as I know, but were so campy in queering gender and aggressively gender non-conforming that they embody the wider meaning of transgressing the gender binary.
Today, I am going to give you a crash course in THE CRAMPS!
The lead singer, Lux Interior (he/him), and lead guitar, Poison Ivy (she/her), fell in love over their shared passion as record collectors of classic blues and rock-n-roll, as well as a love for B-movie horror films. This led them to get married and form a band that basically created the genre of "psychobilly," also cementing other subgenres like "punkabilly." I think it's also fair to credit them with inspiring the aesthetics of later goth and emo scenes, as well.
Artist: PowderPaint (@powderpaint), which is Shonalika (@shonalika, they/them) and Hazel (@hazel, they/she)
Why? Have you ever wondered what would happen if time-traveling goth queers went back to the 80s to start a synth-pop band? Powderpaint is all this and more, and are perfect for navigating the cyberpunk dystopia we all live in.
Where to start?
Their most recent single is an absolute banger and hits me in the trans feels hard. Also, in the music video, it's a hoot seeing Shonalika switch out their usual black clothes for white and Hazel's bright aesthetics for black and red. 😁
Why? Flummox confounds genre and conventions in their music. While their songs always come at you hard, they often remind me of a much more queer or punk Primus, mixing a metal core with elements of funk, punk, and other genres.
Where to start?
Honestly, one of my favorite recordings of theirs is a live E.P. set. Something Flummox astounds me with is that even in live recordings, they somehow balance and mix their sound perfectly so that no part is lost but all is there in full. And this live performance really highlights that: https://youtu.be/TuPOualU60A?t=86
Aside from metal, I sometimes listen to softer music, jazz and ambient most of the time. So I stumbled on this artist while listening to non-metal music. She is Anohni (born Anthony), singer of the Anohni And The Johnsons, a soft jazz experience with alt rock influences. Definitely deserves more than a listening. Your heart will be grateful.
Why? A pioneer that shaped the sound of R&B in the 1960s (esp. the Toronto Sound), helped cultivate Toronto’s early queer community, and influenced glam rock and funk.
Where to start?
“Sticks and Stones” probably sums up her ethos best, as a trans woman who lovingly presented her queerness on stage. https://youtu.be/u00HYZXxxOA
Why? Today is something a bit different: an anthology cover album for trans rights! The indie label FADER has brought together a bunch of artists, including trans and queer artists I've shared here before, to raise money for the Transgender Law Center, Mermaids UK, and Rainbow Railroad. Buy it on bandcamp to support these organizations!
Where to start?
I mean, if Ezra Furman is doing something, I’m probably going to talk about it. This is probably one of her folksiest tunes, a cover of “12,000 Lines” by Big Thief.
Why? Because this is the kind of folk-y emo punk that I can't help but come back to again and again and again. Unapologetically queer and feminist, with lyrics that you can't help but let turn into earworms. You can also hear how she keeps working on her sound as the years have gone on.
Where to start?
"Gender is Boring" is the kind of awkward, ranty song that the trans heart can't help but sing.
As someone who didn't grow up knowing she was actually a girl, the first verse always hits hard, which ends with:
"Gender never really meant that much to me
Til' people started telling me how it was supposed to be
Til' the people that I loved started to say
Boys don't talk that way
Boys don't dress that way
Boys don't act that way"
(NOTE: I'll be taking a break from the fedi for several months after this, just want to leave you all with some great music in the meantime)
Artist: Farewell Utopia (Nikita, she/they)
Why? Because her music hits a lot of diverse synth vibes - chill synth, 80s horror synth, experimental noise - and is an amazing listen! Also...I may be dating her and she is brilliant and beautiful and creative, and go give her a listen already!
Why? Shawna's music as actually had a quiet but meaningful impact in trans communities and literature. More than once I've seen a concert of hers or mention of her pop up in a short story, and there's a reason. Her music captures the joys and struggles of a community on the margins in a way that often only folk or country music can.
Where to start?
"Gender Armageddon" is one of my favorites. It is a tight, well-written, and energetic song that releases something from inside many of us.
It has also been on my mind a lot this last week. The story the song tells parallels a loss and trauma in my own life, and the way the boy those moments centers around comes back to me in my dreams.
Welcome to the first Trans Music Monday! Need something fun or cathartic to ride into the weekend? Don't have enough trans genius in your playlists? I got you!
Artist: Dorian Electra (Genderfluid, they/them)
Why? You need to have your brain exploded by multimedia genius. Burning edge of hyperpop and playing with genre. Can invert your presumptions on gender and sexuality on a whim.
Where to start?
I suggest their song, "Career Boy"
Artist: Lucas Silveira and the Cliks (trans man, he/him)
Why? Lucas was probably the first open trans guy to sign with a major record label as the lead singer of the Cliks. His lyrics are poetic and his guitar is heartfelt and slaps. Great for moody indie rock moods.
Where to Begin?
The song of his that first grabbed me was Savanna, with it's more gentle pace and gravely voice
Why? Non-binary Icon. Formerly, the Archandroid. Music videos dripping in Pansexual Polyamory and odes to sapphic love. Monae has been a pillar of queer music for a decade They just dropped a new music video for her new upcoming album. And it is Black queer joy at it's best.
Where to start?
"Lipstick Lover" is her new single and they are out here just loving on themselves and their sexuality.
I just noticed a musical hashtag I haven’t seen before, from @JoscelynTransient via @VestigialLung. It’s #TransMusicMonday and my first entry is local Denton/Dallas artist Dahlia Knowles (she/her) and her band Lorelei K with their newly released single
Hehe, I'm glad to see others are starting to join in for #TransMusicMonday ! @VestigialLung had joined me early on, but it makes me happy to have as much music by trans, non-binary, and gender expansive artists shared as possible. 🤩😊
Artist: G.L.O.S.S a.k.a. Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit
(Corey, Sadie Switchblade, Jake, Tannrr, Julaya)
[NOTE: Does anybody know pronouns for all members of the band?]
Why? Legends of hardcore punk, G.L.O.S.S. showed up on the scene when so much of the US alt/punk scene had become dominated by manchildren singing about beer, cars, and the girls they mistreat. While they were only around for a few years, they flipped the table over, challenged sexism and transmisogyny, and helped foster “safe and tough” queer punk spaces. Their sound is all over many of my favorite trans fem bands today, speaking to how they changed the scene.
Where to start?
“Trans Day of Revenge” feels like one of those old DIY hardcore riot grrrl cassettes you happen upon in a record shop. It charges headlong into confrontation with fucked up world, short but with unrelenting energy that doesn’t stop to take a breath.
Why? If you're like me and in a bit of a mood, Superknova's music often captures that perfectly. It's like walking under an umbrella through the streets of a city on a rainy day, mixed with the angst of queer struggle.
Where to start?
"Glitter and Blood" is one of my favorites and a good introduction to her music. Honestly, kinda what every bit of writing I do feels like to me, "painting the walls with glitter and blood."
Why? While they may have split up for now, Girlpool's music is something that keeps re-emerging for me. Towards the start of their career, the sound might remind you more of the 90s and 00s indie scene, but their style was restless and traveled into spaces that are haunting and intimate, frivolous and lively.
Why? Mykki might be described as hip hop with riot grrrl edge and queer joyous exuberance. Her lines and sampling remind me of the best of 90s hip hop, while pushing past genre into something wonderfully fresh.
Where to start?
The GucciGig video highlights how fluidly they move between brilliant rap and into melodic ballad and hip-hop, with rapturous artistry abounding. https://youtu.be/TXqSIs-i_h8
Why? Lauren's voice and lyrics are something that hooks me and I find playing in my head afterwards in the best way possible. This is made all the better by a definite skill for underlining and punctuating lyrics with the guitar. Love their indie rock with a punk edge and poetic meter.
Where to start?
"They/them/theirs" is the song I first encountered them through and I found myself listening to it on repeat. Like an anthem for the nonbinary soul trying to persist and insist on being seen.
This hook especially rhymes with my soul:
"You are fighting between a rock and why bother
We are floating between two ends that don’t matter"
Why?
Because her music has been my companion during countless writing sessions and slow afternoons. It never fails to lift my spirits a bit and help me find a playfulness, even when I'm feeling like a grump.
Where to start?
I think it was "we've never met but can we have a coffee or something" where I first heard her music described as being like the moment you're sitting in a cafe when the love of your life, who you have yet to meet, happens to sit down next to you.
Why? A friend of mine, Jordie, is the drummer for a metal band named "Nevermourn," and we often don't celebrate the many talented trans artists who aren't the lead or face of the band. Not to mention, it's absolutely stellar metal music with an interesting set of themes, and feminine vocals that play both to softer sounds and hardcore gravel.
Where to start?
They recently released a new album, and you can hear Jordie's amazing drumming on it. Girl has got talent and I love hearing her just go at it!
Why?
To make up for this oversight, I am going to remind you all that Dorian Electra has a new album coming out and their new music is absolute fire.
Where to start?
"Sodom and Gomorrah" was exactly the energy we all needed for Pride this year.
It features amazing lyrics like this verse:
"I wanna know what they did to make him bring his wrath (Ah, ah)
Yeah, I wanna know what they did, can you show me with that ass?"
Their most recent release, "Anon," actually has been one I've chewed on a bit because I'm still not sure I have a read on it despite having hooked into my brain
"Book of Our Names" is like a gospel hymn for the sacredness of trans lives. It is hard not to see it both as about the ritual so many of us perform on TDOR every year, the reading of names and a candlelight vigil, and as a call to faith that we will endure and overcome.
Give yourself a few minutes today to just listen and feel this song.