We’ve got new grooves from Home Is Where, Momma, Jake Wesley Rogers, Wryn & Reid Parsons.
Florida is a big state, large enough to have its own distinctive weather systems. The climates in Miami Beach and the Keys, for instance, differ greatly from those of landlocked Orlando or Tallahassee in the northern center of the Panhandle. Florida is also expansive enough to have multiple music systems. Chances are that the electronic dance music or Latin rhythms heard in South Florida clubs wouldn’t have much in common with the country tunes popular north and west of Palm Beach County.
This is all to say that the queer emo-twang of the double LP green vinyl 45 RPM “Hunting Season” (Wax Bodega), the third by Palm Coast-based Home Is Where, seems to be a geographical fit. If you recall, Gainesville was the hometown of emo legends Against Me!, led by trans musician Laura Jane Grace.
Somewhat similarly, half of Home Is Where’s band members, including lead vocalist Bea MacDonald, and her songwriting partner Tilley Komorny, are both trans. “Hunting Season” gets off to an energetic emo start with “Reptile House” and “Migration Patterns,” but by the end of “Artificial Grass” a sonic shift begins to occur, and the country vibe kicks in, boots and all, on “Black Metal Mormon.” Memorable songs also worth mentioning are “Stand-Up Special,” “Everyone Won the Lotto,” “Milk & Diesel,” and “Roll Tide.”
https://homeiswhere.bandcamp.com/album/hunting-season
After addressing the possibility of becoming a known quantity on 2022’s “Household Name” album, Momma writes in the liner notes for their new album, “Welcome To My Blue Sky” (Polyvinyl), that it’s “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives, our friends & lovers, our ex-friends and ex-lovers, who have all had a hand in creating this hurricane with us.”
A modern rock quartet co-founded by Allegra Weingarten and openly queer Etta Friedman, Momma could easily become household names on the strength of “Ohio All The Time,” a song that’s getting consistent airplay on college and satellite radio stations. Momma’s as comfortable blazing and blistering (“Last Kiss,” “Rodeo”), as they are slowing the pace (“Take Me With You,” “Sincerely”), and even dabbling in electronics (“Bottle Blonde” and “New Friend”).
https://www.mommaband.com/
On pure white vinyl, “In the Key of Love” (Facet/Warner) is the long-awaited full-length debut LP by queer singer/songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers. Chosen by Cyndi Lauper to join her on the summer 2025 leg of her farewell tour, it’s a fitting pairing because it sounds like Rogers’ “In The Key of Love” attempts to contain and package his energy in the same way that Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual” did for her.
While some listeners may be put off by Rogers’ spiritual presentation, you have to admire the way he never shies away from his queerness, as if it is its own form of sacred expression. This is exemplified in the title tune, “My Misery,” “Hot Gospel,” “God Bless,” “Mother, Mary, and Me,” and “Happy Accident.”
https://www.jakewesleyrogers.com/
“Shapes” (Righteous Babe) is the debut album by non-binary avant/folk (their words) singer-songwriter Wryn. The nine songs sound like a personal invitation to observe a transformative journey. “Steady,” for example, opens with Wryn asking “What do you see when you’re looking at me?,” and then goes on to declare that “tender” in their heart and skin, they are steady and ready for what comes next.
After echoing Whitman in “Multitudes,” Wryn prepares to “let go” of what holds them back in “Only Thing,” and embraces who they’ve become in the title song.
https://wryn.com/
Who a singer/songwriter chooses to cover on their debut album says a lot about them. On their debut album, “Back to Back,” nonbinary artist Reid Parsons performs a respectful and respectable cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” which does The Boss proud. Regarding Parsons’ own songs, sung in a vocal style reminiscent of Ani DiFranco, they have a natural inclination for crafting compositions that are soulful (“Get Out of Bed” and “Holiday”), have a jazzy twang (“Lightbulb”) or a funky beat (“Show Me You Love Me”), or are straightforward country (“Same Old Shit”).
https://reidparsons.com/
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay. Donate today!
