Buried Treasure, July 10

Bobby Guard, Joe Troop, Maddie Rean

by Adeem Bingham, Editor

Howdy y’all,

The blackberry bush is full of plump, sweet berries and the peaches have all dried up here on our patch of earth in East Tennessee. I have noticed two small pumpkins swelling up in the patch, though, and the fireflies are descending on the lawn with their sort of unceremonious jubilance. 

My toddler has taken to snatching them from the air and introducing them to a mason jar just as the sun goes down. The work is tedious but those tiny fingers are delicate with the bugs and before we go in to get washed up for bed, they’re all released and reunited with unbridled animation.

This week I’ve plucked a few songs out for y’all for the collective mason jar and I hope you’ll join me in admiring their scintillating glow. From Los Angeles to the Carolinas, I’ve found some choice selections of Queer Country sonic euphoria so grab your water canteen and hydrate before you gyrate to these sticky stomps.

I appreciate you,

Adeem

Bobby Guard 

Bobby Guard is a non-binary indie-folk musician based in Los Angeles. Wholly uninterested in genre, their catalogue is diverse but this single from 2019 has excellent pop sensibilities while being rooted firmly in folk songwriting. 

Joe Troop 

Joe Troop is an incredible bluegrass picker, a songwriter with a critical activist slant, and an organizer deeply committed to progress. Grammy-nominated for his work with Che Appalache, his original bodies of work have been full of Guthrie bite and inspired imagery. “Love Along the Way,” the lead single from his upcoming album, is a protest song and an absolute banger with fiddle and banjo racing with one another in a friendly competition. 

Maddie Rean 

I found Maddie Rean on TikTok and could not help but to become a little obsessed. Her new single “Whiskey & Women” is a pop country bop with an excellent production. After being hit on by a guy at the bar, Maddie notices a young woman smiling in her direction and notes that the guy doesn’t realize that he and her are both at the bar for the same reason. It’s kind of a queer country anthem.

“Buried Treasure” is your weekly guide to under-the-radar queer artists in country, Americana, and folk. Know an artist who should be included? Contact us!