Buried Treasure, January 1
Jerrika Mighelle, Broken Family, Girls on Grass
By Adeem Bingham, Editor
[Publisher’s note: I fucked up and failed to publish this yesterday. My excuse: I was just starting to write down my resolutions when I was interrupted by a pet emergency. My apologies to you and to Adeem. The pet is fine. The resolutions remain unwritten. – Dale.]
It is the first day of 2021 and I am beginning to imagine some resolutions as I sit here in a bed of empty chocolate wrappers and soda pop cans. We had a white Christmas here in East Tennessee which is not the usual thing.
Right righteous weather for hot chocolate and winter socks and in the fast, fevered frenzy of snowmen resurrection and outstretched angel wing outlines, it almost seemed like this had been a good year. But we know better than all that, don’t we?
This week I’ve got a short list but some really fantastic ones. I hope you’ll carve out a small block of time to listen to these folks, support them if you can with your internet nickels, and if you really dig them, throw them on a Spotify playlist or give ‘em some likes on their social media channels (it’s like an online clap).
Remember to be patient and gentle with yourself, to honor your contradictions, and drink more water than you feel like you need. You need so much water. Here’s hoping we can all find a breadcrumb trail of joy to guide us towards a season marked by equality, equity, and social justice.
Happy New Years, y’all.
— Adeem
Jerrika Mighelle
Jerrika is an insatiably cool singer-songwriter based in Wisconsin with a unique and punchy voice. She has a new album coming out in February called Brightest Star that promises to be riveting. The lead single is an original folk ballad called “Trouble” with a driving backbeat and eerie, ambient interruptions. The performance is raw and passionate, ranging from a delicate quiver, a wailing vibrato, to a guttural scream.
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Broken Family
Broken Family is a queer Country Rock outfit from Western North Carolina that writes and performs “sad, scrappy” songs. Their newly released self-titled album is full of grit and twang. Colored with lap steel and fiddle, the songs lament, “I don’t think this world is for me,” while finding solace in friendship with Mountains.
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Girls on Grass
You ever find yourself at a blue-collar bar, grab the cheap pint, and scan the room for the artists? That’s my read on the aesthetic of Girls on Grass, a trio from New York whose songs paint the soundtrack to your favorite hometown venue. You know, the one where you smuggle in on a five spot to see one of your heroes play a tight 45 and there are only six other people there to catch the show for some reason?
They just have such a distinctive and palpable vibe. Their new 7’’ is worth your time just for the guitar tones but stick around for the songwriting and let Barbara Endes’ voice inundate you with waves of authority and protest. “When you go down, we’ll have a ball – this whole fuckin town will go crazy!” Give ‘em all your love.
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“Buried Treasure” is your bi-weekly guide to under-the-radar queer artists in country, Americana, and folk. Know an artist who should be included? Contact us!