MARCH 26, 2008 (DENVER, CO) — James Roy, a self expressed gay vocalist, is reaching out to the nation with his unifying song, “Rise Continue Reading »

Is David Archuleta Gay? Chances are that he will never come out. Even though he tips my gaydar beyond the questionable mark, I guess I have to look at the actual, real, ya know…empirical evidence. Continue Reading »

Danny Noriega is seen in the video below declaring himself to be gay. I love Danny’s attitude, even in THIS sassy video. Continue Reading »

Mention the series finale of “Six Feet Under” to any fan of the hit HBO show and they’ll gasp, and then exclaim “That SONG!” With one little, Continue Reading »

Ever since it was announced that Janet Jackson would be releasing her tenth studio album, Discipline, the musical question at hand seemed to

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Among the most prolific and engaging artists of today’s folk and cabaret genres, gay singer/songwriter D.C Anderson liberates a new collection

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I still remember the days when I was “truly, madly, deeply” into the music of Savage Garden; drawn in visually by the uber-hip and sexy look of the duo and finding myself captured by the catchy pop-synth melodies of their songs and then being completely taken over with the urge to sing along.  This urge being encouraged by the easiness and sincerity of Darren Hayes’ vocals.

Well, it’s been almost five years since the duo of Savage Garden broke up. A lot has happened since then for Darren Hayes.  He started his own record label, Powdered Sugar, came out as a gay man and married his boyfriend Richard Cullen in 2006.  Now one year later, he has a new solo project due out for release.  The new album, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, is a 25 track double cd which will be available worldwide on August 20,  [here].  

The first single to gain some international air play already is “On the Verge of Something Beautiful”, released in July.  At first, the song opens a bit stilted and staccato, not quite what I would expect from the mouth of Darren Hayes, but then he reaches the bridge and the easily recognizable, beautifully breathy and romantically insistent lilt of Darren Hayes’ voice seduces you into listening to the rest of the song. And you are hooked instantly.  Not needing to hear too much, you are caught up in the hopeful lyrics of the bridge and the chorus.  It is reminiscent of many of the same nuances and emotive qualities that made the sound of Savage Garden so unique and a joy to listen to.

This album is also tempered with a self-realization of the struggles Darren Hayes has overcome to get to this point in his life.  On “Who would Have Thought”, he blends a moodier, dark sound which represents the doubt and fears he used to feel as a closeted gay man and then contrasts it in the chorus with a lightness and sense of gratitude for having found the strength to overcome the doubts and fears, freed by the love of that someone special who changed his life.

“Who would have thought, it could be amazing?
Who would have thought, the tiny courageous?
Who would have thought, that love so belated,
Could save me, and bring me back to you.”

I believe its underlying message also serves as a dedication to his spouse, Richard Cullen- the sound of what sounds like wedding bells providing background to much of the song. Currently, these are the only songs I found available upon which to comment.  But so far, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, seems to be truly inspired by a new found sense of contentment and self-acceptance on the part of Darren Hayes.  I believe many will find it easy to relate to.  More, importantly, I think it will also give meaning and hope to an audience of people still unsure about their own lives as gay men and women.

Darren Hayes, look out!  You may be taking on a new role as gay hero based on the merits of this new album.

For more information on Darren Hayes, visit his official website [here].

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OUT OF SYNC: A MEMOIR, Lance Bass
Review by Phil Putnam

To those who are relatively aware, culturally sensitive, and otherwise not idiots, the question was not IF one of the sugar-waxed pop idol bois in *NSYNC was gay, but rather WHEN one of them would tire of pledging eternal teen love to Babysitters Club alumna and krump on out of the closet, sequins blazing. Thus it really wasn’t news when Lance Bass, now aged nicely into his 28 years with the square jaw and shifty glance of an extra in the locker room scenes of Top Gun, announced his love of man-love via the cover of People Magazine in 2006. We gasped, we murmured, we fantasized for a few days, and then we figured we’d just wait for the book to come out and pick up the details there. If only we could have known what a colossal waste of time that would end up being.

OUT OF SYNC, Bass’ autobiographical chronicle of his journey from Mississippi Baptist boy to 1/5 of a global pop icon to openly gay almost-cosmonaut, shares the details of the challenges and triumphs of his life so far. With a setup like that, ya figure it can’t be such a bad book. However, it’s never wise to assume. Bass-o-Matic hands down 192 pages of hypnotically boring personal recollections, 90% of which cover topics that are only of interest to those with a life-sized cardboard cutout of him in their love dungeon, and encases it all in a flat elementary writing style that may have been considered conversational if there was any life to it. While respect must be given to his endurance through the uniquely difficult circumstances of his emotional journey, his telling of that journey reads like a myspace blog on Ambien.

Throughout, Lance displays a skewed view of what the Lanced want to know about the second most useless member of *NSYNC (numero uno useless, of course, is Chris Kirkpatrick). His accounts of school days in Show Choirs and the miniscule details of his training in the Russian Space Program predominate while we never find out if Justin or JC is the better kisser and are left to wonder about the exact dimensions of Reichen’s manhood. These gripes are slightly assuaged by mentions of happy childhood days spent playing deep in the woods with his best boy-bud Darren, and his account of sneaking a cast member from the 2000 Chicago production of Mamma Mia! into his hotel room in for his first-ever trip to Funky Town. Have to give him kudos for picking a member of the gayest show of the time to pop his cherry.

Even with the boyhood romps in the woods and rockin’ the dawn with Mister Mamma Mia!, the most notable hole in the book is the reality of his sexuality. While he peppers the first 160 pages with mentions of the closet and his burgeoning sexual feelings, it is hardly the central theme, as the book’s title and marketing strategies suggest. Only after slogging through the painfully pedantic chapter on his attempt to go all SpacePop with the Russians do readers get to his coming out story, which is again sapped of emotional resonance by a lack of skill and style in the writing. While it is true that there is more to ole Lance-a-lot’s life than being gay, his coming out story was meant to be the primary theme of the book and ended up being relegated to an epilogue clumsily disguised as the last chapter. For readers wanting a solid celeb coming out story, better brush up on your dealing-with-disappointment skills.

Overall, it’s a shoot and a miss for our favorite Bass-tard. OUT OF SYNC will bring joy to the most committed Bass Masters and hardcore *NSYNC fans who worship whatever the guys do with the devotion of a retarded puppy. However, Lancer shouldn’t count on hooking very many new fans with this hasty and limited view into his life.

RECOMMENDATION: Read it if you have to. Re-gift it if you don’t.

Ravenz Gate: Less is More
by Hook

Outmusic band Ravenz Gate is the brainchild of sultry songstress Leslie Ruland, whose soulful vocals and superb craftsmanship make her a stand-out leaps and bounds ahead of the usual power-pop rocksters. Ravenz Gate played Girls at Gay Days (Orlando) 2004-06, the Lilish Fair 2003-05, and was a finalist in the Women Who Rock Florida Battle of the Bands 2006. The band was also featured on Gay Internet Radio Live.com and continues to play GLBT venues throughout Florida. Upon hearing the first bar of the majestic vocals on her debut cd “Less Is More”, produced by Brett Hestla (Creed/Dark New Day) and Justin Thomas, I stopped in my tracks. Literally. I did. Her vocal timbre possesses such a rare depth and richness… and combined with superb styling and passion, she delivers an unforgettable aural delight. Evocative chord progressions are peppered with soaring guitars and delicate harmonies throughout.

The musicianship and production are outstanding, and clever, insightful lyrics are woven masterfully into every song. During “Crawl” she unapologetically taunts “my bones are cold, they’re feeling like metal”, while the acoustic beauty “Dreams” will surely have you living and breathing her desperation and desire. “Hungry For You” is an absolutely mesmerizing piece of lyrical and musical artistry…”a taste, a touch, just one moment with you, it might be everything”. She kicks it up a notch with the bouncy tunes “Reach Out” and “No One to Blame”. Each of these 11 songs is hauntingly memorable. This cd is a must-have for anyone who appreciates skillful songwriting and pure musical ecstasy. Tune in and turn yourself on! Seriously folks, this cd is brilliant.

Check out www.myspace.com/ravenzgate and www.ravenzgateband.com.

Hook is an LA singer/songwriter/activist whose background includes writing and editing projects, indie film music licensing, studio work, and of course sordid band life. Her ‘outside the box’ approach to music and its influence in our lives is as unmistakable as the rainbow flag emblazoned on her forehead. All you lovely boyz and girlz can check her out at Q Radio or email her at hoeck@digital.net.

Jana Losey
by Aaron C. Yeagle

“I want people to have an ‘altered time’ kind of experience that happens in the theater or a really good movie — the kind where you can forget about what’s going on with you and travel like you’re dreaming.”

For singer/songwriter Jana Losey and her co-writer/producer Melanie Peters, it’s not just the live performances that have felt dreamlike in recent days. After touring cross-country and moving back to her hometown of Lawrenceville, PA (population 600), Jana and Melanie recorded the labor of love called “Blocks” mostly in the house where Jana grew up.

“Some people have children, and that makes them feel a slice of immortality,” explains Losey. “I have my music to leave behind – my songs are my children, my slice of immortality.”

Though some of the stories in the songs deal with darkness and loneliness, they are often balanced by bright melodies and driving rhythms. On first listen, “5 Days” might sound like an upbeat pop song. But the origin of the song was a newspaper story about a woman who fell and remained on the floor for three days before anyone found her.  “I was sickly fascinated with what it must be like to be lying on the floor in various states of consciousness for that long.”

It’s those juxtapositions of dark and light that reward repeated listenings with subtle shades of meaning. Whereas some musicians might be content to conjure songs with memorable melodies, Jana Losey is the kind of thoughtful writer and charismatic performer who wants to take her audience deeper and create moments that stay with them a little longer after they’ve turned off the record or left the concert.

Where did the vision and ambition begin to take root? If every musical path can be traced back to its first few baby steps, you could follow Jana’s back to when she was three.

“Everywhere I went I carried around a small suitcase record player, a jump rope, and a couple 45s. When I found a wiling audience, I would ‘plug’ the jump rope ‘into’ the record player and sing ‘Sugar Sugar’ by The Archies”

Losey’s exposure to pop culture was limited by the size of her hometown.  Losey says. “I think it’s great that kids start bands so young now. They have so much more access to music and the world. I was pretty sheltered, and there was some good to that. But I do wish I had started things earlier.”

Losey managed to expand her range of musical skills and performing opportunities in a way that might have eluded a pigeonholed prodigy. As a result, she learned how to play guitar, piano, flute and tenor saxophone. In college, she studied voice, and minored in photography and dance.

Those unexpected combinations were first explored on her 2006 debut “Bittersweet” and subsequent tour. That record, the result of a serendipitous collaboration with partner Melanie Peters, earned a good deal of radio airplay which translated into a devoted following of fans.

“When Melanie and I started to explore writing together, the songs got good really fast,” Losey reflects. The success of the “Bittersweet” album encouraged her to begin thinking about how to construct a long-term, sustainable career in music. As a result, she began to take a big-picture view of her life in general and how she could sow the seeds for a long career, and eventually create a permaculture community. That direction inspired her to make changes that affect many aspects of her life on the road.

In the past year, organic evolution has been evident in Losey’s songwriting process as well. Whereas, “Bittersweet” was an experiment in writing pop songs that originally were intended to be sold to other artists, Losey describes her new record “Blocks” as a project that was conceived and structured as an album from the beginning. During the development of “Blocks” Losey’s primary goal was to focus on her storytelling.

“I want to not force-feed people an oversimplified lyric, and at the same time, not be so esoteric that my intention is not clear. I always strive to be a better songwriter and I hope the albums played back to back will illustrate that.”

“I’m working really hard to make a fan base that is lasting, not following trends,” says Losey. “People who will like the artistic changes I will no doubt go through. We plan to be bi-coastal traveling back and forth between upstate New York and California.”

You can find more information regarding Jana Losey at her MySpace space and her website www.janalosey.com.

Buy This Album

Buy This Album