By Keston Huntington

Where are today's lesbian rock stars?

Just the Cold Hard Facts

During a recent ASCAP seminar with some of the top Music Industry wise guys and dream makers, it became apparent that the art and real talent of today's music scene is being drained right out of the soul of music and into the pocketbooks of the Record Producers, who pick and choose the next great act out of modeling magazines and teen movies. As far as artistry, let face it.... Today's Music Scene is more made up of digital trickery, boardroom meetings and businessman who create designer music with designer bands out of modeling magazines.

I was hoping to find out about some amazing new coming talent, (with an eye out for lesbian talent, of course) and I found carefully planned acts that were put together in boardrooms by men that were really too old to be working. I even met with a lesbian big shot who explained clearly to me that it's all about the money, even she will only market, "tweens" and "go go girls". It is a very sad state.  She explained to me in detail that it is almost impossible for true talent to succeed in today's digital market. Today its all about fast and cheap, sexy bodies and a nice face.  

Would Melissa Etheridge had made it if she were to start out today?  I seriously doubt it. The world would have never known what they were missing!  So who are we marketing to the lesbian fan base? Who are our HERO's?  Our champions?  Who is telling our story?   Who is the latest lesbian representation in the music industry that is up and coming and talented?

The Lilith Fair is long gone. We go to the Dinah Shore parties, the big women's events and such and we are inundated with Carmen Electra's and PussyCat Dolls headlining our events. These acts are quite opposite of what we as lesbians, represent. Almost anti lesbian and geared more toward straight men's sexual fantasies.  I am not talking about dykes. Most of us do not necessarily relate to the stereotype bull dyke that we are often characterized with.  I am not saying we need a big butch Mamma's with her bare breasts hanging down to her knee's or some flower child lesbian with her banjo and Birkenstocks. But where are our hero's?

There is HOPE, but we have to support our cause.

The Linda Perry Factor

The neglected, Linda Perry of the 4 non blonde fame, is perhaps the most inspirational lesbian musical talent on the for front today, she is more like what we are, regardless if she likes it or not. She is the REAL DEAL. She is strong, sexy, androgynous, but all woman. What's most important she is just extremely talented. Not only has she emerged as an industry giant behind the scenes, but she is back in the music scene with her old "new" album, In Flight. 

Having met her and being a fan, she surprises me. The reason I say that is she is so dedicated to the music, she is the mountain that stands behind some of today's most talented act's like James Blunt, Pink, Christina Aguilar, yet shy, when it comes to her own performances and personal music.  She is sought out by anyone and everyone who wants to touch on the talent that may be asleep within them.  Linda Perry is a music magician who is thee best of the best to work with and all the best know it, I wonder if she knows it? 

So now I touch on my comment, neglected.  Why neglected?  Because Ms Perry is so huge, her music, and I mean her own music has been put on the back burner, has been given to other performers, it has been neglected.  Why Perry doesn't promote her own work is surprising, especially when you hear it.  Her remake of "What's going on", is so passionate that it really could become a smashing hit on today's airwaves.

Perry's work with the artist, Pink is legendary in the Music Industry. Pink certainly could have gone another path, she was on the verge of becoming the latest industry made hip hop, tits and ass, Brittany, which didn't sit well with the young toughie. Pink was true enough to herself to take a risk and depend on her true talent and style, rather than her sex appeal. In comes the Linda Perry Factor. The collaboration between the talented tom boy and the musical genius catapulted Pink into Superstardom. Pink who writes her own lyrics and plays by her own set of rules was quickly a lesbian icon. Perhaps Pink who is not a lesbian, became such a huge lesbian icon, because she herself makes fun of the tits and ass, sell outs. Her tom boy style and refusal to compromise her musical integrity for sex appeal, have made her very relatable to the lesbian audience.

Currently Perry is promoting her latest protégé Sierra Swan.  Perry recognizes talent and Swan has talent.  Swan is very Pink'ish, as she is not a lesbian, but can easily be relatable to the lesbian audience. Beautiful, but strong. Swan accurately describes the lesbian music scene and her response to being labeled a lesbian rocker, “That’s what they call all girl rock! If you’re not pop, if you write your own music, and play your own instruments, that’s what they call it.”.  Wow, what a compliment!

Scottish artist on the rise, KT Tunstall also remarks on her own lesbian rocker label, "I have a massive lesbian following, I think it's because I'm a singer-songwriter with a personality - balls and some sassiness."  Actually KT it may be about the lyrics in your hit "Suddenly I See", but we will leave it at that.

So... why is it that Lesbian Rock, Lesbian Music = GREAT MUSIC ?

Because lesbians and gays for that matter take their music very seriously. That is why.   Lesbians as a culture are music connoisseurs of sorts. Our music comes from the heart, not from the loins of straight men.  We know crap when we hear it, we may enjoy it, we may dance to it, but we are much more likely to buy music with depth and true soul, than to buy music based on sex appeal. Gays in general are very loyal and we actually listen to the lyrics. 

Columbia and Sony BMG knows this well, so much so, that they are zero'ing in on the gay music scene and have launched the first ever Gay Record Label, Music With A Twist. Music With A Twist has been all over The L Word, but with the exception of Betty, they have yet to promote an actual Gay Musician or Band for that matter.  Instead they market the straight male sex appeal hype and types, and repackage it as "gay music".  Are they not getting it?  Are they only getting part of the story?

Where are today's lesbian rock stars?