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Friends! I’m so excited! Cindy Emch is gonna be here all the way from California! Her band Secret Emchy Society is one of my favorites and I’ve been wishin’ and hopin’ to get her here for a long time. I can’t wait for you all to fall in love with her too!
Also, VIVA. If you’ve seen Viva before then I don’t need to tell you why you need to see Viva again. If you haven’t seen Viva before then what are you doing with your life? You need to fix it by immediately seeing Viva. 

Also, my band will be there with sad songs, as usual. There will be lots of new ones because I’m working on getting ready to record a new album! We’re on first, so make sure to get there at 8:00 if you want to catch our set.

WHEN: Saturday, October 20th, 8:00pm
WHERE: Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave at the corner of Bergen St, Brooklyn
DOOR: $8 but no one ever turned away for lack of cash
ACCESS: Accessible entrance and bathroom, please email me if you need reserved seating or have any other questions 
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/557727347990211/

More about Secret Emchy Society: 
Cindy Emch is Oakland’s First Lady of Queer Country. She plays foot stompin’, heart breakin’ americana music about good friends and hard times. You’ll be haunted by her band’s dark, sexy, boozy ballads and off-kilter anthems and cowboy songs.

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Dearest queer country friends, this Saturday’s show is gonna be seriously special.
Tina and Her Pony will be here on tour from Asheville, NC, and you do not want to miss your chance to hear their gorgeous, powerful music. Plus, more heart-melting beauty from our opener Mo Pepin. And I have been working hard on a whole new set of Sorrows songs that I can’t wait to share with a striped-down band of just guitar, banjo and fiddle. It’s gonna be one of those huddle-close-with-the-ones-you-love-and-share-your-heartbreaks kinda nights.

WHEN: Saturday, July 7th, 8:00pm
WHERE: C’mon Everybody
325 Franklin Ave bet Clifton Place & Greene Ave, Brooklyn
G To Classon Avenue
Accessible entrance and all gender accessible bathroom, email me if you need seating or anything else I can help with! 
TICKETS: $10 in advance, $13 at the door
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/249357052482094/

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Hey there, friends. Thursday, April 12th is gonna be a very special Queer Country Quarterly—we’re celebrating the release of Paisley Fields‘ fabulous new record Glitter & Sawdust! Plus Mylo (a solo project from one of the stars of queer country fave Small Talk) will be opening. And it’s also my birthday show, so c’mon to C’mon Everybody and bring me a little birthday love! 
WHEN: Thursday, April 12th, 8:00pm
WHERE: C’mon Everybody
325 Franklin Ave bet Clifton Place & Greene Ave, Brooklyn
G To Classon Avenue
Accessible entrance and all gender accessible bathroom, email me if you need seating or anything else I can help with! 
TICKETS: $10 in advance, $12 at the door
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/164706724187180/

Paisley Fields
Paisley Fields are a queer country band, unapologetic about pushing boundaries and seeking inspiration in the unexpected. Though lead singer James Wilson is inspired by country musicians like Dolly Parton and Gram Parsons, he wanted Paisley Fields’ lyrics to reflect a modern world. Pittsburgh City Paper writes, “While Paisley Fields have a good bit in common with contemporary country — rich production, songs with pop bones and twangy accents — the band probably won’t be touring with Toby Keith anytime soon. They’re a refreshing change from country radio.” Paisley Fields tour frequently, and their latest album, Oh These Urban Fences, is described by No Depression as “a labor of love that demands your attention.”

Mylo
Mylo is a musician and artist living in Brooklyn who began writing songs privately when they were 11 years old. Mylo admires the healing power of music and, now playing to a wider audience, aspires to create music that keeps people company when they are lonely and encourages connection when people are together. As a gender non-conforming and mixed-race person, Mylo envisions creating spaces where people feel like they belong.

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WHERE: Littlefield, 635 Sackett St, Brooklyn, New York 11217
WHEN: Sunday, July 2nd from 2:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Click here for all the details!

What is country music? Who decides? Who is it for? And what does that have to do with this country?

On Sunday, July 2nd, we’re bringing together some of our favorite queer, trans, and/or poc musicians to ask these questions and share their music for an all-day, all-out extravaganza! There will be DJs and dancing, food trucks, special drinks, and a bake sale to benefit the Trans Justice Funding Project!

Let’s turn this fucked-up holiday inside out and make it into a day full of amazing music to nourish us, inspire our resistance, and help us envision together what another country could be.

Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale* for the day-long festival. Please pay what you can to support our musicians! Any profits from the day, after all the musicians get paid, will also be donated to TJFP.

Performers:

Our fabulous host, Heather María Ács
heatheracs.com

My Gay Banjo
mygaybanjo.com

Cactus Rose
kandiacrazyhorse.com

Karen & the Sorrows
karenandthesorrows.com

Ganessa James
ganessajames.com

Viva
vivadeconcini.com

Elias Krell with special guest Jim Altieri
eliaskrell.com

The Paisley Fields
thepaisleyfields.com

Johnell Lawrence
thedapperviolist.com

DK & the Joy Machine
dkandthejoymachine.com

Lindsey Wilson & Michael Buckley
soundcloud.com/linzsounds

Nath Ann Carrera

Yva Las Vegass

AJ Lewis & Friends

Audrey Zee Whitesides

PLUS Nath Ann Carrera will be on double duty as our DJ, spinning sweet country tunes

Photographs by the incomparable Syd London

Trans Justice Funding Project
www.transjusticefundingproject.org
TJFP is a community-led funding initiative that supports grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people. TJFP centers the leadership of trans people organizing around their experiences with racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, incarceration, and other intersecting oppressions.

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”
—James Baldwin, Another Country

*If you’d like to come but this is not possible for you, please email me and we will get you in. No one ever turned away for lack of cash!

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I’m so excited for this Saturday, friends! Humble Tripe will be here from North Carolina to celebrate their beautiful new album The Beginning. AND we have the amazing Ganessa James. There’s something especially joyful that both Ganessa and Humble Tripe bring to making music, so if you’re trying to find some happy in the hard times, this show will help. Plus, long-time friend of the Opry Nadia Bourne will be doing a special opening set. And it will be The Sorrows’ 100th show!

When: Saturday, April 15th, 9:00 pm

Where: Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave at the corner of Bergen St, Brooklyn

Door: $5 but no one ever turned away for lack of funds

RSVP and more details

Access: wheelchair-accessible entrance and bathroom, please email me if you need reserved seating or have any other questions

And make sure to save the date for the Sorrows’ record release party on Sunday, July 2nd at Littlefield in Brooklyn. We’re goin’ all out and putting together a big day-long festival called Another Country, featuring queer, trans and/or people of color country and americana musicians. Come help us turn that fucked-up holiday inside out and reclaim the music we love for resistance!

xoxo,
karen

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Friends, this Winter QCQ is all about the hard-rockin’, guitar-slingin’ tough femmes of queer country. Barbara Endes’ Girls on Grass is perfect badass twang and jangle. And Julie Cira, coming to us from Northampton, MA, brings the dark, gritty siren songs you need. Plus, the Sorrows have been working hard in the studio, getting our second album ready, and we’ve missed playing you our songs about everything falling apart!

So come soak up some queer country love and community, eat free candy and drink a little too much, howl along with the pedal steel, and get what you need to get ready for another day of resistance.

When: Friday, February 24th, 9:00 pm (Note: that’s Friday for this one, not our usual Saturday!)
Where: Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave at the corner of Bergen St, Brooklyn
Door: $5 but no one ever turned away for lack of funds
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1085807831529881/
Access: wheelchair-accessible entrance and bathroom, please email if you need reserved seating or have any other access questions

xoxo,
karen

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fall-queer-country-quarterly__facebookDearest cowpeople, I know we could all use a little extra music and queer country love right now. So if you can, come on over to Branded Saloon this Saturday night because we’ve got a really special Queer Country Quarterly for you.

First of all, Sam Gleaves is magic. He and his super-talented sweetie Tyler Hughes are coming to play for us as a duo all the way from Kentucky. Sam made my whole band cry with his amazingness when we played together this spring on our tour, and fine, maybe it’s not that hard to make me cry, but you know that Tami and Elana are tough cookies. And then, MY GAY BANJO! I don’t have to tell you that My Gay Banjo is the best because I know you already know. Plus, our Elana Redfield will be doing a special opening solo set. And the Sorrows not only have more new sad songs to play for you, but after this we will be heading into the studio to record our second album, so it’s your last chance to see us for a while.

When: Saturday, November 19th, 9:00 pm
Where: Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave at the corner of Bergen St, Brooklyn
Door: $5 but no one ever turned away for lack of funds
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1214825421925821/
Access: wheelchair-accessible entrance and bathroom, please email if you need reserved seating or have any other access questions

And also, as usual, free candy. Because we love you.

xoxo,
karen

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Queer Country QuarterlyAmythyst Kiah will be here all the way from Johnson City, TN, and trust me, you will be kicking yourself if you miss your chance to see her. We played a show with her on the Gay Ole Opry tour this spring and she is about to break BIG. Seriously, listen to this song. Plus, we’ll also have AJ Lewis & Friends! We couldn’t let Professor Banjo come home for the summer without demanding he play his special mix of old timey banjo songs, reflections on the queer genealogies of old time music, and covers from the 1990s. And your faithful host Karen & the Sorrows can’t wait to sing some brand new songs for you!

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Tour_Dates_Facebook_Post

The Gay Ole Opry is hitting the road with The Paisley Fields and Karen & the Sorrows for a Southern tour! More about the shows:

Saturday, 4/23: Harrisonburg, VA
Sunday, 4/24: Durham, NC
Monday, 4/25 Asheville, NC
Tuesday, 4/26 Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, 4/27 Nashville, TN
Thursday, 4/28 Lexington, KY
Friday, 4/29 Johnson City, TN
Saturday, 4/30 Charlottesville, VA

Blue Tailed Skinks
www.bluetailedskinks.com
“Skinky” might best word to describe us Blue Tailed Skinks. We’ve been together for almost 15 years and pretty much relate to each other like a family of reptiles. We really love Durm and love doing our part to keep it dirty. We play old time, rock-a-billy, blue grassy blues, and some “where did they get that” (like, for instance, Cajun). And in terms of instrumentation, we’re wild with it: electric bass ukulele, fiddle, kazoo, banjo, mandolin, accordion, acoustic geetar, electric guitar, blues harp, etc. We are Christine Westfall, David Hamill, Ninian Beale, Tony Matthews, Martha Dyer and Sandee Washington.

Lilli Jean
www.lillijeanmusic.com
Lilli Jean is an American Roots, Rock ‘n’ Roll musician with a rainbow skew. She’s like a psychedelic Bonnie Raitt. Combining the forces of Blues and Groove into her own framework of intricate original songwriting, Lilli Jean breathes life into her songs with soul and spirit. Her music has been described as “Dolly Parton meets garage rock” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll for people who know what Rock ‘n’ Roll is… but completely original.”

Mawk Chunk
Mawk Chunk originated in 2015 when Amy Fisher and Caroline Stoltzfus got together to sing through the cold winter months. Both are Pennsylvania natives who met in Asheville, NC and who shared a dream of playing alt-country covers and creating a sound of their own. You may catch them singing sweet harmonies and brushing a snare drum on an Asheville street corner downtown.

Emily Backus
music.theskipperdees.com
Emily Backus is one-half of The Skipperdees, an Americana duo known for their twinsightful songwriting and heartbreaking harmonies. Bandmate/wombmate Catherine is now living her best life in the hills of Virginia, while Emily has made her home in Atlanta. In addition to being mother to the cutest and strangest cat in the world, she teaches music to almost 800 elementary schoolers each week, which brings a constant stream of puzzles and delights! Hear songs at music.theskipperdees.com

Indiana Queen
www.indianaqueen.com
Indiana Queen is an alt country band that resides in Nashville, TN. Fronted by openly queer Kevin Thornton, the band is blazing a new path in a traditionally conservative genre.

Sam Gleaves
www.samgleaves.com
Born and raised in Wythe County in southwest Virginia, Appalachian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Sam Gleaves performs innovative mountain music with a sense of history. In Ain’t We Brothers, his recently released debut record produced by Cathy Fink, Sam writes new songs in the Appalachian tradition, telling stories about love, the home place, working people, and present social issues in the mountains. Peggy Seeger calls Ain’t We Brothers “a stunning first album. I keep very few albums that I am given. This one’s a keeper.” He has toured extensively both as a solo artist and with the Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble, performing at U.S. venues such as Mountain Stage and the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, and abroad in Ireland, England, Canada and Japan. His music has been featured by National Public Radio, Kentucky Educational Television, West Virginia Public Radio, Appalshop’s WMMT FM, KEXP, Exclaim!, The Windy City Times, The Bitter Southerner and Still Journal.

Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass
www.amythystkiah.com
Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass is a blues dance rock project based in Johnson City, TN. This group is comprised of some of the best musicians out of the Tri­Cities area, including Amythyst Kiah, Southern Gothic singer/guitarist/songwriter, and Matthew Martin, Patrick Taylor, Taylor Green, and Andrew Gibbens from the progressive rock band this mountain.

Debra Guy
http://helpmehelenmusic.com/
From Washington DC’s 9:30 Club to the nightclubs and bars of Los Angeles, native Virginian Debra Guy has been sharing her homegrown, authentic songs with listeners from coast to coast. Guy turns heads with her growly voice, and gritty, honest tunes. As a solo artist, Debra Guy won the 2000 Washington Area Music Award Best Alternative Rock album for her self-produced debut album. Guy spent ten years honing her live performance skills with DC’s alternative rock outfit Honeychuck. Recently, Guy has emerged into her hometown singer-songwriter scene of Charlottesville, Virginia, fronting the acoustic rock quartet, Help Me Helen. Drawing inspiration from her life, Guy’s lyrics often provide an element of catharsis for listeners, reaching them on a deeply personal level. Her passion for writing and singing shine through her energetic and captivating performances

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Winter Queer Country Quarterly_TwitterFriends, it’s time for the Winter Queer Country Quarterly this Saturday! With the wonderful Joshua Marcus on tour from Providence, dreamy cosmic-country goodness from Wiley Gaby’s Goldenchild, and your faithful Sorrows, who have been working hard on our new Jew-country, James-Baldwin-influenced song cycle.

WHEN: Saturday, December 5th, 8:00 pm
WHERE: Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave, at the corner of Bergen St, Brooklyn
DOOR: $5 but no one ever turned away for lack of funds
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/517247595091677/

Branded has a wheelchair accessible entrance and bathroom. Also, there is always a bucket of free candy for people who enjoy candy. Read more about the bands below and hope to see you on Saturday!

xoxo,
karen

More about the bands:
Joshua Marcus
Joshua Marcus loves cooking, all things musical, and to both orchestrate & be part of tangibly authentic experiences in the actual world. Joshua’s current musical interests are writing and performing our perceived shared truths, as well as syllabic syncopation and off time rhyming à la rap, r&b, hip hop, math rock. JM has been writing & performing for two decades. Current goal: 3new eps and poem chapbook in 2016!

Goldenchild
Influenced by classic country storytelling, melancholy pop melodies, and pretty things, Brooklyn-based, Florida-born songwriters Wiley Gaby & Jeffrey Doker set out to carve a space where their seemingly disparate influences could meet, mingle, and ultimately blur genre lines to create beautiful new music. On their debut album, Goldenchild merges elements of classic country and ambient soundscapes with a respectable hint of pop sensibility. The result is “gorgeous, cosmic country” that NYC’s Next magazine calls “damn beautiful.”

Karen & The Sorrows
Queer country pioneers Karen & the Sorrows “write loss and heartbreak, and goddamn are they good at it.” (F**k Yeah, Queer Music) Their album The Names of Things is full of “haunting pedal steel work and unvarnished heartbreak” (Bust Magazine) and was voted one of the Freeform American Roots chart’s best debut albums of 2014.