Catie Curtis

October 5, 2001

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 11

Wandering troubadours

Local and national artists sing their way. around the Buckeye State

by Anthony Glassman

For some reason, in the mind of the general public, women playing folk music are lesbians. If they're playing folk rock, they're lesbians. If they're playing country folk, they're lesbians. If they're playing alt-folk, they're lesbians.

The Decline, a Cleveland folk rock band with a definite Etheridge flair, has played Pride, they play at queer bars a lot, and they're pretty good.

The Decline, being the Cleveland favorites they are, seem to play somewhere at least once a week. Most often, they can be found at Victory's in suburban Lakewood, but they have also been bringing live performances to the recently-opened Club 727, a dance club behind Jacob's Field downtown.

The Decline, who just released an eponymous EP, say that they're going into hiding for the month of October, but rumor has it that they will be seen playing some gigs in Columbus. Central Ohio is about to get a boot in the tuchus, and it will be begging for

more.

Commonbond, on the other hand, is more along the lines of the country-folk; some of the songs might bring to mind the lovely k.d. lang, but similarities lie mostly in genre. Their song "Slick Skin Boogie" perhaps fosters the most comparisons to lang, but those comparisons are to the early, Reclines-leading lang, that good-natured twangy country-styled folk music. Other songs are far more traditionally folk.

There's also blues here, giving rise to thoughts of the red-headed goddess Bonnie Raitt. Commonbond, who hails from Washington, D.C., pretty much covers as many of their folk bases as they can, and they do it well.

They've played more than once at Lydia's in Akron, one of the state's best spots for women's music. Now they're back in the state on a four-day whirlwind

tour of Ohio, starting at Slammer's in Columbus on October 4, moving to Bullfishes in Cincinnati on October 5, then Saturday night back at their old haunt in Akron, Lydia's, wrapping up Sunday with a show at the Nickel in Cleveland. Four days, four cities, who knows how many happy women dancing the night away.

the

Then, representing the "new guard,” the young Turks, the hip thang brigade, is Catie Curtis, falling squarely into alt-folk. There are touches here, since comparisons to other artists are the theme of day, of Sarah McLachlan, a drop of Edie Brickell, some nouveau k.d. lang, all tossed into a blender and as gay as lang. This is the folk that people went to Lilith Fair to hear. This is the stuff that the less-angry young lesbians like (or so they say)..

Were this not the age of Boy Bands, Teen Tramps and Hardcore Hooligans, Curtis would probably be getting major airplay right now. Were there any justice, she definitely would be getting it, along with maybe a nice platinum album plaque for her wall.

Her latest album, My Shirt Looks Good on You, came out in August on Rykodisc. She and a handful of other Ryko artists are going to be in Ohio over the next month or two; according to their publicist, though Curtis is the only one of the performers who is openly gay

Curtis will be in Ohio on Tuesday, October 9, playing Memorial Auditorium at Ohio University in Athens. The phone number of Memorial Auditorium's box office for tickets and information is 740-593-1780.

Finally, and far more briefly, the iconic Holly Near will be giving two performances in Ohio this month.

The first, and probably the more important of the two shows, is "Singing for Our Lives with Holly Near and Guests," a condert benefiting the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland. Tickets to the show, which will be held at the Odeon Concert Club, 1295

Old River Road on the east bank of the Flats, are $25, and will be available through the Taskforce, at Diverse Universe in Lakewood, High Tide Rock Bottom on Coventry, and at Muggs, Victory's and the Nickel. They are also available by calling 216621-0766 ext. 337. The evening starts at 7:30 pm.

Her second show will be on October 14 at Canal Street Tavern, 308 East First Street, in Dayton; 937-461-9343 or http:// www.canalstreettavern.com. Doors open at 8:00 pm, the show starts at 9:30 pm.

Commonbond