Liberating Queer Country Music

June 23, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes, This will be a superpost! Not only are cities around the country gearing up for Pride celebrations this weekend, I also skipped last week. I...

Say It Loud (And a Retraction)

June 9, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! First of all, thanks so much to everyone who has so generously contributed to the Rainbow Rodeo issue 3 fundraiser! In just 5 days, we've...

Rainbow Rodeo Issue 3: Your Turn!

June 5, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! I am thrilled to announce that Rainbow Rodeo Issue 3 is ready to go to the printer -- we just need the cash to get it going! Most of the...

Happy Pride!

June 2, 2023

Hey, cowpokes! It's Pride! And I can only hear that phrase in the "It's corn!" kid voice. I have somehow become an avid baseball fan and so a lot of the...

Death to Rainbow Capitalism

May 26, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes. I don't have much to say this week that hasn't been said better by other, smarter folks. (Also, my brain is completely shot from doing...

Wrong is What I Do Best

May 19, 2023

To be honest, I have an encyclopedic knowledge of the ills of the current Nashville industry than I do for country music lyrics, so I had to Google country...

The Briefest CMA Recap

May 12, 2023

Things have been a little quiet this week as I (Rachel) rounded the corner on finals. Two great albums came out today, though: Jude Brothers' render tender /...

Get Your Tacos and Tequila

May 5, 2023

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all who observe! (Just a fun reminder that this is purely an American holiday used to sell tacos and tequila. Mexican Independence Day...

Update on Rainbow Rodeo + New Music!

April 28, 2023

I did Rainbow Rodeo bass ackwards. From a zine to a podcast to a newsletter, that's not usually how things go. But I might as well complete the reverse...

The Wrong Kind of People Are Coming Out

April 21, 2023

You can livestream Patrick Haggerty's celebration of life at 7 PM Eastern here. For those who may not know, Patrick recorded the first known queer country...

Appalachian Tradition and Cosmopolitan Listeners

April 14, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! I hope everyone who had a spring equinox holiday to celebrate enjoyed it with loved ones, biological family or not. And spring feels GREAT!...

Trans Music For Trans People

March 31, 2023

Well, pals, I fucked up pretty badly. The e-mails didn't go out on time (not my fault!!! I hit send! I think!) and then I accidentally only reviewed half of...

A Vessel of Power and Limitations w/ Holly Cinnamon

March 29, 2023

I'm so thrilled to announce a special mid-week issue of Rainbow Rodeo! There's truly been a wealth of beautiful queer music these last few weeks, especially...

It's Country, But It's Gay

March 24, 2023

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Did this not send? Again? Apologies if I'm sending it twice!) Did you catch the Love Rising livestream on Monday night? Golly -- it was so...

Stream the Love Rising Show Monday Night!

March 19, 2023

Feeling FOMO that can’t be in Nashville to go to the Love Rising concert? Me, too! And now we don’t have to! You can stream the show for $15 at 8:30 Eastern....

Learning to Embrace Queer Country and Baseball

March 17, 2023

I love it when two of my favorite things come together. You may be aware that the World Baseball Classic is happening right now -- a true World Series...

Trans Bruce Springsteen Energy

March 10, 2023

I'm going to keep this quick so you can read all about John-Allison Weiss's gorgeous album The Long Way! Probably the biggest-ticket item is that a whole...

When Nashville Steals Your Voice

March 3, 2023

EDIT: OOPS. I don't think this actually went out on Friday?? Well, I hope you had a great weekend! I recently interviewed Jaimee Harris, and during that talk...

Tennessee Bans Queer Country?

February 24, 2023

CW: Transphobia This week is a heavier one. Yesterday, Tennessee passed a bill "restricting" public drag performances. As journalist Will Groff points out in...

A Hopeful and Unapologetic Expose

February 17, 2023

When you want something done, you go to the expert. So when you want to evaluate someone's songwriting, you go to Adeem the Artist, This issue, they review...

Community Above Schmoozing

February 10, 2023

Hey so the Grammys happened. Have you heard about that kid Brandi Carlile? She's going places! (I personally thought In These Silent Days was just ok....

Every Song a Tragedy

February 3, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! I hope everyone is staying warm! Sorry this one is coming out pretty late! A coworker of mine is getting divorced. Last year, her husband...

Fever or Surrender: H.C. McEntire's "Every Acre"

January 27, 2023

Hi, cowpokes! I hope this e-mail finds you well and hunkered down somewhere cozy if you are experiencing nasty weather. January is almost at an end, which...

Queer Country Goes to China

January 20, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! Boy, do we have a PACKED issue this week. First up, Nashville Scene has published its Country Almanac for 2023. I wrote about trans and non-...

The Rainbow Rodeo Reader's Choice Awards!

January 13, 2023

Howdy, cowpokes! I hope 2023 has been a smooth ride so far. Thank you to everyone who voted in our reader's survey! Without much further ado, let's get into...

Rainbow Rodeo Reader Survey!!!

January 11, 2023

Hi, pals! So far only two people have responded to the survey! I know you all have lots of opinions on lots of things, so weigh in here and your responses...

The Rainbow Rodeo Reader Survey: We Need You!

January 6, 2023

Welcome to 2023! Let's talk about 2022. This was a big year for queer country music. We got the publication of Shana Goldin-Perschbacher's Queer Country...

Goodbye, Good Riddance, and Dolly???

December 16, 2022

Well cowpokes, this is the last e-mail for 2022! (Unless something earth-shattering happens, of course.) On Adobe & Teardrops, I always like to do my year-...

Justin Hiltner Takes Us Back to "1992"

December 9, 2022

Howdy cowpokes, I'm in the midst of finals so I'll keep this intro short! I have so much respect for Justin Hiltner. I'm pretty sure he's the first musician...

Musicians On Music: Melissa Carper and Julian Talamantez Brolaski

December 2, 2022

I hope everyone had a restful and restorative holiday, regardless of if or how you celebrated! Melissa Carper released her latest album, Ramblin' Soul. right...

Of Cowboys and Mastodons

November 18, 2022

Hi, y'all! Quiet week, huh? Nothing particular happening on the Internet or in the world. Indeed, you may even have forgotten that the Grammys were...

Ariel Bui Celebrates Self-Discovery

November 11, 2022

##Sweetheart of the Rodeo ##Album Releases Here are all of the queer country album releases this month! Let me know if I should add something to the list!...

Remembering Our Queer Country Elders

November 6, 2022

Hello out there, cowpokes.

One Year Later: Country Queer

October 21, 2022

About a year ago today, the founding staff of Country Queer publicly resigned. A year later, Country Queer and Dale Geist in particular have not addressed...

Michelle Malone Brushes Ego Aside in New Album, 1977

September 30, 2022

Hi, cowpokes! I'm going to keep this intro short and sweet because I've been laid low by COVID! Last time, I wrote about the links between queer country...

Queer Country and The Trans Liberation Movement Share a Spark

September 16, 2022

Hoo, boy! What a week! What a time! I'm insanely jealous of everyone at Americanafest, but do remember that there is a Queer Country Roots showcase tomorrow...

New Orleans is a Queer Country Town, Says Ever More Nest

September 2, 2022

As expected, Nashville had nothing to say about Brittany Aldean's transphobic comments, though Jason Aldean was just dropped by his publicist. They said it...

A quick correction

August 29, 2022

I misread some of Mya Byrne's Tweets about trans representation at Americanfest! Adeem the Artist, who is nonbinary, will be playing at American Aquarium's...

Trans Rights Has Entered the Chat

August 29, 2022

Hi, all, If you do not follow mainstream country music stars, obsessively check their social media, or spend an unhealthy amount of time on country music...

What's In a Name?

August 19, 2022

Howdy, cowpokes! Before we get any further, I want to remind you that I will be selling copies of Rainbow Rodeo in person at Flamecon in NYC this weekend! I...

Wallowin' With Shawn Williams, Good News in Jacksonville

August 5, 2022

I know I've been using this space to kvetch a lot lately so here's some good news! There are a lot of amazing queer country concerts and parties coming up...

Semler's Johnny Cash Moment

July 22, 2022

Before we get into the meaty part of this issue, I just want to make a note about country music media. It’s a bit meta, I know, but where you get your news...

EXCLUSIVE: Celebrate International Non-Binary Day With EVVAN

July 14, 2022

The powers that be have informed me it’s International Non-Binary Day! I got top surgery and would identify as butch if given the choice, but I still use...

Expanding the Queer Country Empire

July 8, 2022

Hi, cowpokes! Are you keeping cool? In New York, it seems like the first hot day of the year always falls on Pride. It’s homophobic, honestly – everyone is...

Happy Pride!!!

June 24, 2022

Happy Pride, y’all!!! I know things are scary out there – I’m starting to feel scared – but I hope everyone can take time to celebrate queer joy and...

Happy Pride!

June 10, 2022

Hi, cowpokes! It's the most rainbow-ful time of year...for better or worse! And since this is a newsletter I'm writing, we're going to focus a little on the...

New Podcast! New Doc! New Sirius XM Channel!

May 31, 2022

Hi, cowpokes! I have THREE quick and exciting announcements for you! 1) I have just launched the NEW monthly Rainbow Rodeo podcast! You can get it everywhere...

Mining for Country Gold

May 20, 2022

Hi, there, cowpokes! June is around the corner and I was invited to participate in some very exciting things! Can’t wait to tell you about it but until then...

Mega Super Duper Roundup

May 6, 2022

Hi, cowpokes! I am back in the saddle after recovering from top surgery! I've had an essay rattling around in my brain about my gender identity and country...

Queer Country at the Grammys

April 8, 2022

Here’s the short version: we killed it. I did not watch the ceremonies, but here’s a (limited!) recap: Allison Russell performed “Nightflyer” at the now-...