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August 1, 2008 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

eveningsout

Gangstalicious

Eclectic show blends hip-hop, electronic and bluegrass

by Anthony Glassman

Calling all queers, Dykes, fags, lezbos,

Trannies and questioning, Come to the show!

While proving once again that rapping should be left to the professionals, that bit of italicized text above has a deeper meaning: On August 11 and 12, an eclectic blend of hip-hop, electronic and folk takes the

Amy Kasio

stage in Cleveland and Columbus.

The show features Ohio natives Argyle Miss and Amy Kasio, along with Georgia's Athens Boys Choir, Chicago's Actor Slash Model and North Carolina's Anaturale.

Posters for the Cleveland show, at Lakewood's Hi Fi Concert Club, read, "Calling All Queers (that means you, homo!!) also known as Lezbos, Fags, Trannys, or any other gender queer not listed." That sums up the attitude pretty well rude, in-your-face and tongue-in-cheek.

Actor Slash Model represent the indie-folk side of queer life, while Amy Kasio, a definite favorite in northeast Ohio, hits the electronic musical frontier. The other three acts step up in your grill old-school style, with a double dose of Dirty South and a big bitch-slap of C-Town jams.

Yeah, someone really doesn't have the hang of sounding "street." Suffice it to say, Argyle Miss, Athens Boys Choir and Anaturale are all hip-hop performers, illustrating the fine line between rap and spoken word perfor-

mance.

Argyle Miss, a "self-described lezbo pimp," tries to take the role of emcee and turn it on its head.

"I rap about girls and food and lots of nerdy things mostly," she said. "My whole thing is, the way I see it, to take the persona of the standard male rapper and turn it lezbo style."

"If they can do it, then so can I," she concluded.

Amy Kasio's music is an eclectic blend of electronic sounds. Ranging from electroclash to dance to something approaching darkwave, there is an undercurrent of eroticism in some of her songs that is almost unnerving. Her cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game” is a prime example. If it doesn't send shivers up your spine, the odds are there is something seriously wrong with your primary nervous system.

Others illustrate her playful side, albeit in a rather aggressive way.

"Blow Up the Ice Cream Truck," for instance, starts off with the typical style of music heard on urban and suburban streets during the summer months. Apparently, Kasio really dislikes being aroused from her slumber by those perennial purveyors of creamy confections.

Returning to "Wicked Game" for a moment: Wow. Listening to that song while trying to write about something else is completely counterproductive. It feels almost reminiscent of Madonna's "Justify My Love." I think I'll just listen to that for

another half hour and finish this later. Ah, that was most certainly the pause that refreshes. MySpace's music player is a godsend.

Obviously, being incredibly talented locals, Amy Kasio and Argyle Miss deserve your support. Adding in the other three acts is really just the icing on the cake.

Actor Slash Model's queer-ass bluegrass sound is a ray of sunshine with a twang, and is all the more amusing given their point of origin, a lake away from Canada. In their song "TN Tranny TwoStep," the line "She'd never turn a tranny Yankee down" sums up the vibe pretty well. It's a raucous song appropriate for any hoedown. Or any ho-down.

evi-

Anaturale hails from and claims the Dirty South, releasing on Crunks Not Dead Records. Despite that, there is a certain British influence denced on A's tracks. Argyle Miss lists Lady Sovereign as one of her top friends on MySpace, but that little British firecracker could be the godmother of Anaturale as well.

If Lady Sov is the "biggest midget in the game," Anaturale is definitely one of the freshest transmen in the game. Backed up with some great beats and incredibly moody synth, his words lick the microphone like fire.

Argyle Miss

As for Athens Boys Choir's sole member Katz, a Jewish transman with a "tendency towards homosexuality," there's some major old-school sounds being laid down under insanely funny lyrics.

He throws in the odd foray into more traditional spoken word, as is the case with "Athens GA," but the rap on "Fagette" and other songs is sublime in its absurdity. "Tranny Got Pack," a queer riff on Sir Mixa-Lot's "Baby Got Back," is, for lack of a better word, freakin' hysterical. It would take far more willpower than most possess to listen to that song without laughing.

The show will be at the Hi Fi Concert Club, 11729 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood, on Monday, August 11. Admission is $5 for those over 21, $8 for 18-20. Call 216521-8878 or go to www.hificoncertclub.com for more information.

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