CQ Roundup with Hayden Joseph, Sam Rae, and Kerryn Fields
By Christopher Treacy
Especially for our resident cynics, making ‘gratitude lists’ probably seems corny as hell. And I might be inclined to agree… except for the fact that they work. And then, they keep working. Because once you’ve started doing the exercise of pointing your mind toward things to be grateful for, it begins going there without the prompt. I never would’ve thought of myself as someone that would use this as a tool to transform my tendency toward negative, dark things. And that is still, by and large, who I am. I like the dark, brooding parts of me… I don’t want them gone. But I don’t want them running the show, either.
As this year comes to a close, I have an unusual amount of things to be thankful for. And, in turn, hopeful for. But what’s clear to me in saying that is how easily I could spin it another way. And so, there’s a choice involved.
None of that is to oversimplify the tough time that anyone might be having or to undervalue anyone’s feelings of despair, frustration, or pain. More, it’s just to express my own surprise that some of that self-help mumbo-jumbo might not be mumbo-jumbo after all.
And when all else fails, there is always more music to be thankful for.
-CT
Song of The Week – Kerryn Fields – “Until You”
Melbourne-based Fields recorded her aptly titled 2021 disc, Water, quite literally by the water, giving the tracks a sense of space seldom achieved on modern recordings. “Until You,” which just got this brand new video treatment, explores the queer search for belonging, particularly in spaces of worship—and that can be a space in our heads just as much as it can be a church or temple. So many of us have internalized this idea that we don’t belong there, and we’re blocked from spiritual faith as a result. “Until You” expresses a renewal of faith… faith that there’s a place for us, in the eyes of a lover and in the eyes of a deity. It’s an inspiring reminder that love truly conquers all, and it’s out there for us to find. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll find you if you let it.
We’ve got a Q&A scheduled with Kerryn Fields later this week. Woot!
Bryan Ruby – “Christmas With You”
Baseball’s queer pioneer Bryan Ruby croons this holiday charmer about wanting nothing more that to spend the holiday with that someone special and… we think he hit this one outta the park (hey, we couldn’t resist). Look for more original music from Ruby in 2023!
Sam Rae – “Child of Love”
In between their own gigs, classically trained cellist and indie-folk singer-songwriter Sam Rae has spent the majority of the last decade touring with Gregory Alan Isakov, The Highwomen, Courtney Marie Andrews, and Brandi Carlile. “Child of Love” is their first new material since album number three, Ten Thousand Years, in 2020, and it’s a fierce declaration of worth, from the inside out—an affirmation, for Rae and for anyone else that needs to remind themselves, that they’re worthy of love.
“This first came to me as as a song about how hard it is to let someone fully love me. I can slosh this idea around in my head for as long as I want but the root of this struggle is self love,” Rae wrote in to tell us. “Once I can love myself, I know the love others try and give will be easier to receive, I’ll be confident in my deserving that love. It’s a tale as tall as time, it is human, especially in this world we live in today: self love is a struggle more days than not. At the core is being true to myself, feeling my gut loosen when I hear someone refer to me as they/them. In those little moments they are grand, I feel seen at an all encompassing angle and that’s all I could ever ask for.”
Hayden Joseph – “Hard Candy Christmas”
Joseph does a downright endearing job with this Dolly holiday classic. Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn also did a lovely version on her Tinsel & Lights album, but Joseph’s version throws a cool gender twist on the song, giving it an extra queer spin… we definitely approve. “Hard Country Christmas” is one of those beloved, melancholy seasonal songs, but it’s also got a healthy dose of resilience and determination that speaks clearly to the queer struggle… and, really, the struggle of anyone else that feels at odds with the “spirit of the season.” It pairs beautifully with Brittany Ann Tranbaugh’s “Christmas Flannel” from a few week’s back.
poolblood – “wfy”
Simply put, “wfy” is an engaging symphony of dissonance. And it’s definitely not for everyone. But Toronto’s Maryam Said, the artist behind the project known as poolblood, is making music that sounds like nothing else in the queer sphere. Co-produced by Shamir, Said’s chosen musical textures cast such a wide net… it’s not country, but it doesn’t fit into any of the other genre-defined boxes, either. If “wfy” strikes you as ill-coherent and noisy, do yourself a favor and keep listening—there’s a method to Said’s musical madness that will reveal itself to you if you’re willing to do the work. It’s worth it.
Christopher Treacy has been writing about music and the music industry for 20 years. He’s contributed to The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, and Berklee College of Music’s quarterly journal, as well as myriad LGBTQ+ outlets including the Edge Media Network, Between the Lines/Pride Source, Bay Windows and In Newsweekly. He’s the Managing Editor for CQ and lives in Waitsfield, VT.
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