March 26, 2004 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Herstory in the making

INDIGO GIRLS

ALL THAT WAY I

FRUIT

MY SHOES

BLUE BALL

SUSAN MORANTO

by Anthony Glassman

March was a bit dyslexic this year. It is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, but the beginning of the month was lovely, the middle was vile, and the end can't come soon enough.

March is also Women's History Month, a time to reflect on the great accomplishments of the "fairer sex," from Eleanor of Aquitaine's desire to rule her kingdom to Eleanor Roosevelt's actual stewardship of the county while her husband's health spiraled ever downward.

Musically, however, women are not only an integral part of history, but also the present and future. Lesbians and bisexual women have been at the forefront of popular music from the days of the Harlem Renaissance.

Of course, with the rise in popularity of folk music in the 1960s, queer women really rose to the fore. Janis Joplin's bisexuality is the stuff of legends, and some of those early pioneers are still active.

Four recent albums present a century of experience in the music business among four acts: the Indigo Girls, Tret Fure, Fruit and Susan Morabito. Folk, rock, dance, they're all represented here by acts old and new.

The Indigo Girls, having risen to the heights of fame in the 1980s and representing the coming-out music of a generation of grrls, are back with a new album, All That We Let In.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers continue to be a formidable duo, sticking to their guns and presenting another album with the trademark Indigo Girls sound. The songs may change, but the heart remains the same.

Of course, as they grow and evolve, so does their music. Note the ska feet to track 2, "Heartache for Everyone." They also brought in Joan Osborne for guest vocals on track 11, "Rise Up."

What makes this album truly worthy, though, it what has kept Ray and Saliers in the spotlight for two decades: solid songwriting skills and the lush harmonies of two women who are truly comfortable together. The Australian band Fruit, who will be in Cleveland on April 21 at the Beachland Ballroom, beat the Indigo Girls by one: they have three queer women in the band. They also have two boys who are cute, but without a call or e-mail to their management in Australia, their sexual orientation is unknown.

However, their Cleveland tour date will be an acoustic trio of just the women, so the boys don't really matter anyway.

The combination of Susie Keynes, Sam Lohs and Mel Watson are truly a force to be reckoned with, combining the beautiful harmonies that are so much the mark of the Indigo Girls with a more bluesy feel. Of

course, the addition of Yanya Boston on drums and Brian Ruiz on bass gives the group a touch of masculine energy, but it is still very much the three women who make the band what it is, as evidenced by the album Live at the Basement.

There's an odd feel to this album, perhaps owing to the fact that Australian bands always have a sound that is just slightly different than that of their cousins in the States and the U.K. The members all made their way to Adelaide in different ways and at different times, but their coming today was truly fortuitous. They might not be the next INXS, but they could be the next big thing.

Since longevity is an admirable quality, the next artist should probably be worshipped, having started her career in the early 1970s. She's worked with Spencer Davis, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, and probably most famously with Cris Williamson.

Yes, she is the iconic Tret Fure, back with a new album, My Shoes.

She also has a new emporium in Madison, Wisconsin, like her record label named after her song "Tomboy Girl." The store is online at www.tomboygirl.com, but that's beside the point.

Her new album continues the thirty-year streak of great music that has issued forth from Fure. In addition to what is regularly thought of as folk, there are other elements present, like the Celtic feel on "L.A." and "Bigger Than I."

Also intricately woven into the album are Fure's political sensibilities, covering issues ranging from marriage to war, although on second thought those two are more closely connected now than they probably should be.

Finally, a look to the future: techno. Susan Morabito, everyone's favorite lesbian house DJ, is back with Party Groove: Blue Ball Volume 3.0. Anyone making a "blue balls" joke will be taken out and hung.

A benefit for the Sapphire Fund, a Philadelphia LGBT health support organization, the Blue Ball is the city's premier circuit party, and Morabito, in the vernacular, "rocked the party."

Starting out with Layo and Bushwacka's "Deep South," which includes samples of both Bessie Smith and Nina Simone, Morabito takes the listener on a journey through the multifaceted landscapes of house music, blending aural textures with skill, verve and style.

"My creative inspiration comes from the passion I feel about the music I'm playing, the unconditional love, belief and understanding from my family and friends, and the dancers and listeners who understand and appreciate what I'm about," she said. "I approached this CD by choosing a selection of songs that illustrate where I am currently in my evolution, both as a listener and an artist."

While keeping close ties to the past, either through similarities to earlier works, as is the case with the Indigo Girls and Tret Fure, sampling earlier songs as Morabito does, or simply rocking out like Fruit, all these artists will be the soundtrack to future stories of women's history.

Dykes Towatch Out For by Alison Bechdel

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WELL, I FOUND IT OFFENSIVE. I THINK MEL GIBSON CONVEYS SURRENDER TO THE DIVINE MUCH MORE TASTEFULLY IN THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

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NETHER HEIGHTS ELEMEN You

CAN'T GET MARRIED!

YES, WE CAN! THE MAYOR JUST DECIDED IT WAS UNFAIR NOT TO LET US!

I MEAN, YOU'RE TOO OLD TO GET MARRIED.

DID YOU HEAR? THE MAYOR JUST STARTED DOING LESBIAN AND GAY MARRIAGES! LET'S GO TO CITY HALL!

MEANWHILE, A CROWD GATHERS... PICKING UP

IT'S NICE OF YOU TO COME SEE CLARICE AND TONI GET HITCHED, MO, CONSIDERING YOU'RE A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR AND ALL.

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www.DykesToWatchOutFor.com

STUART!

SYDNEY! OVER HERE!

BREATHE, HABIBTI. I'M NOT PROPOSING, I JUST THOUGHT IT'D BE FUN TO GO CHECK OUT THE SCENE.,

WILL YOU DO ME THE HONOR OF PARADOXICALLY REINSCRIBING AND DESTABILIZING HEGEMONIC DISCOURSE WITH ME?