We are thrilled to finally introduce Queer Joy, a new podcast series by Homoground featuring queer-identified artists sharing what queer joy means to them through storytelling and songs.
Queer Joy was created as a response to the lack of positive representation of the queer experience in popular media. Homoground asked artists to share their songs celebrating the things that bring them joy! We received beautiful, vulnerable, and thoughtful pieces from musicians all over the world.
In each episode, you’ll hear those songs along with anecdotes from the creators themselves.
Homoground is incredibly grateful to everyone who submitted. Your voices brought this Queer Joy series to life!
PART 1 – BE YOURSELF
We danced, we cried, and we’re honored to release Queer Joy Part One: Be Yourself.
Listen to anthems celebrating the process of being comfortable with who you are from Papa Molly, JayceJanae, Boy Bowser, and Kamerin. Stream the episode below or on whatever you listen to podcasts.
Powered by RedCircle
This podcast is available for free, but it is not free to make.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support our work.
http://patreon.com/join/homoground
Our wonderful Patreon supporters will have access to extra tracks submitted by the artists along with some extended interviews.
CREDITS
This episode was produced by D Orxata.
Our executive producer is Lynn Casper.
Artwork for this series was created by Morgan Diep.
Our social media coordinators are Morgan Dean and Rowan Blackwood.
The segment on Focus/Time was produced by Cheer up Charlye of Breakfast and Beats.
Major thanks to our sponsors SPACES, Workfrom and our Patreon Supporters
PART 2 – LOVE CRUSH
This is part 2 of our Queer Joy series featuring songs and personal stories from LGBTQ musicians.
On this episode we’re celebrating Queer Joy with rose-colored lenses and songs about love and crushes from Giuliano from Worcester Massachusetts, Hana Katana from Austin Texas, Rascal Miles from Minneapolis Minnesota and Lucy Opazo from Brooklyn NY. ENJOY!
Powered by RedCircle
Worcester, MA
website | Instagram: @musicbygiuliano
Songs: “Joshua” and “The D”
Cover Design: Joshua Croke, Photo: Erika Sidor
Austin, Texas
website
Instagram: @TheHanaKatana
Songs: “Friends Don’t Make You Cry”
Photo credit: Nicole Lemberg
Minneapolis, MN
website
Instagram: @rascalmiles
Song: “Baby Baby”
Photo credit: Sam Gehrke
Brooklyn, NY
Instagram: @lucyopazomusic
Song: “Isolation Station”
Photo Credit: Crisoula Lazaridis
This podcast is available for free, but it is not free to make.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support our work.
http://patreon.com/join/homoground
Our wonderful Patreon supporters will have access to extra tracks submitted by the artists along with some extended interviews.
CREDITS
This episode was produced, mixed and engineered by CheerUpCharlye, Breakfast & Beats.
Our executive producer is Lynn Casper.
Artwork for this series was created by Morgan Diep.
Our social media coordinators are Morgan Dean and Rowan Blackwood.
Major thanks to our sponsors SPACES, Workfrom and our Patreon Supporters.
PART 3 – THE FUTURE WAS ALWAYS QUEER
Four queer time travelers sent us records of queer joy from the past, the present, and several possible futures. If you’ve ever found yourself trapped inside of a moment, this episode is for you.
Part 3 of our Queer Joy series features songs and personal stories from Creatrx, Sara Renberg, Oxeye, and Carry The Branches.
Powered by RedCircle
creatrx
Instagram: @creatrx
Songs: “Baptism” and “Sunday”
Photo credit: Danika Karolinski
Sara Renberg
Pittsburg, PA
sararenberg.com | Instagram: @sara.renberg
Songs: “It’s a Beautiful Day to be Gay”
Photo credit: Leah Brennan
Oxeye
Stockholm, Sweden
Facebook| Instagram: @oxeye.music
Songs: “Standing Proud”, “Det Här Är För Oss”, “The Only Good Thing”
Photo credit: Clara Veneziano Coen
Carry The Branches
Brooklyn, NY
Instagram: @carrythebranches
Songs: “Zombie Telegram”
This podcast is available for free, but it is not free to make.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support our work.
http://patreon.com/join/homoground
Our wonderful Patreon supporters will have access to extra tracks submitted by the artists along with some extended interviews.
CREDITS
This episode was produced by D Orxata.
Our executive producer is Lynn Casper.
Artwork for this series was created by Morgan Diep.
Our social media coordinator is Rowan Blackwood.
Major thanks to our sponsors SPACES, Workfrom and our Patreon Supporters.
SPONSORS
This episode of Homoground and this Queer Joy series is sponsored by SPACES, an app that lets LGBTQ+ people find and build the communities we wish to exist. Initially conceived as a response to the shortcomings of heteronormative social platforms SPACES is designed by queer people, for queer people. You can create your own space about whatever topic you want, or you can search to join the many SPACEs that others from around the world have already created. It’s a cool way to connect with others, in a safe and like-minded atmosphere. Personally, for me, joy is when I’m able to connect with people I can be my true authentic self around.
How do you experience joy?
Join us on the SPACES app and tell us your stories of queer joy! It’s easy! Download the app from the App Store, create an account and search for Queer Joy to join our space. Or visit homoground.com/queerspaces for more info.
Be Yourself. Find Your Space.
Focus/Time is a dedicated virtual space for LGBTQIA folks to work on their personal and/or work projects in an accepting environment. It’s the perfect place to work on projects you’ve been putting off or to start the projects that have been incubating in your mind. This is a space for you to focus on the things you want to do but struggle to do. Sign up to attend a guided session.
Homoground’s Virtual Cafe is powered by a platform called Workfrom that lets us customize the space so we have an inspirational mural as our background along with a killer playlist and some ASMR options like rain sounds. It’s a cool online space that we use to bring the Homoground and Focus/Time community together. Folks pop in and out and we share updates about our lives and what we’re working on in the chat box. It’s a great place to socialize while working from home while also getting some chores and work tasks done.
Anyone can create their own virtual coworking space using Workfrom and you can control the privacy and customizations.To try out your own space visit homoground.com/workfrom.
-
Homophonix Artist Interviews with Rainbow Riots, Mandy Rich, Kristian Kaspersen, Jessie Lloyd and Zan. [Episode #260]
This episode features snippets from interviews with musicians from the HOMOPHONIX podcast.
The aim of the HOMOPHONIX podcast is to introduce songwriters and the stories behind some of their songs. These brave independent music makers identify as part of the LGBTIQ+ community. The interviews centre around their music, not their gender or sexuality. There are some amazing stories to be told, from some incredible talent, through some beautiful tracks. Each artist’s episode contains 3 tracks and some chat in under 30 minutes.
The choice to do this podcast is not to further segregate the queer from the straight community, but rather to help normalise the human experience that is reflected in song. To share our thoughts as creative LGBTIQ people to each other, and others. Music has the power to heal, to inspire, to bring people together. There are still places in the world where being of a different sexuality is not accepted, is feared, is frowned upon, or is illegal. LGBTIQ youth face a much greater risk of depression, substance use, and suicide, due to the bullying and isolation they experience from their peers, their families, or society at large. Things are changing, and for the better – if any of these artists and their music can help make someone’s life more hopeful and positive, then that makes creating this network and podcast worth it.
Most of the people you will hear, you may not have heard, or even heard of. People who are not ‘household’ names, who are not backed by large labels with huge promotional powers. In fact, it’s their independence that makes them powerful. These writers are diligently producing their own music stemming from a deep desire and instinct to share their experiences and thoughts.
Follow Homophonix on Instagram and Facebook.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support this free podcast.
http://patreon.com/join/homogroundBelow are the artists featured in this episode in order of appearance. Their artist name, location and song featured is listed beneath their photo. Please click on their photo or name to find out more information and access their full interview on Homophonix.com
RAINBOW RIOTS – Stockholm, Sweden
Song featured: “Freedom”MANDY RICH – Stockholm, Sweden
Song featured: “Regnbågarnas Stad ( City of Rainbows )”KRISTIAN KASPERSEN – Stockholm, Sweden
Song featured: “Queer at Heart”JESSIE LLOYD – Melbourne, Australia
Song featured: “Other Side of the Room”ZAN – Melbourne, Australia
Song featured: “Salafi Secrets”EPISODE SPONSOR
This episode is sponsored by Adam Male, your most trusted source for sex toys, products and information. Whether you’re looking for something to share with someone special, or you’re wanting to spice up your “me” time, from dildos to dongs, they’re putting the power of pleasure in your hands. Get 25% off plus free shipping with the code AMPOD.
CREDITS
This episode was produced by Vinn Pitcher of Homophonix.com
Editing assistance from Kim Andersson
Executive production and intro/outro by Lynn Casper
Homoground Intro Jingle by data.data.data
-
Emily Wells – New York, NY [Episode #240]
Episode #240 is up featuring a conversation between Emily Wells and Homoground host Maia Macdonald. Emily gives us tons of insight behind her latest album “This World is too ______ for you” and the process behind orchestrating her live performance.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support this free podcast.
http://patreon.com/join/homogroundTranscription of Emily’s story:
” I guess you kind of have to compartmentalize the processes. So when I was writing the record, for instance, and when I’ve written any records, I find that my process hones over the years. I go into a different kind of self-hood, I would say, and I allow myself to go into that, and I really limit any performances, which is a bit of a luxury. You kind of have to get really scrappy and frugal. Just tour your ass off and then try to make room for yourself to be a maker and not a minstrel. I engage a lot with literature during this period and poetry, and I’m really interested in the mind and how the mind works. All of these things are all connected. And all of that can, if you’re open, become part of the songs as well. So I just try to be that “self” and try to write songs. Almost simply, especially this record, I forced myself that they had to pass the Casio Test. I don’t have a proper piano in my studio, so if I could play it on this old Casio keyboard and sing along with it, and it still was emotional and still was a “good song”, then it passed. Otherwise, it was out. That helps me not get too caught in the… You have some nights where you’re working on things and you start to dabble into the production side of it, which is really fun and can be a great release. But I still had to step away at the end of each song. Then you move into recording mode, then you move into editor mode, then you move into insane person mode, actually making the final decisions, and then you move into like an intern at your label trying to like make it work, you know.”
You can read the full transcript of Emily’s interview on our patreon.
CREDITS
This episode was recorded and produced by Maia Macdonald.
Executive Producer: Lynn Casper
Intro Jingle by data.data.data
Interview transcription by D Orxata
Transcription was made possible by Queer Public Podcast who let us use their transcription software.
-
Madeline Finn – Nashville, TN [Episode #258]
In episode #258, Nashville, TN -based musician Madeline Finn talks about the healing journey of writing songs through breakups, the transition from performing in front of a live audience to livestreams which has led to more introspection.
The songs featured in this episode: “Timing is Everything” and “Save Yourself”
Follow Madeline at madelinefinnmusic.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider contributing to our Patreon to support this free podcast.
http://patreon.com/join/homogroundTranscription of Madeline Finn’s Story:
“Same ground. Different sound. You’re listening to Homoground. This is Madeline Finn from Nashville, Tennessee and I identify as queer.
“Since COVID-19, I’ve had to cancel a full European tour, a full living room tour that I had booked for the summer and a couple other really awesome opportunities like opening up for Brent Cobb and Rainbow Girls and some other festivals as well. It’s been weird shifting into an online presence as opposed to a live performance, because I feel personally that the live performance is where I thrive; the live performance is the part I love most about my job other than connecting with people and to not have it in my current reality is tough. Shifting to an online presence has been challenging for me, mostly because I’m not great at technology, but we’re learning! The livestreams have been cool, but it’s been more of an introspective time. You know, when I perform, I feed off the energy of those listening. I feed off the crowd interaction and all that. And with that gone, because when you play, you know, people can comment, but you don’t hear applause. You don’t get to see people reacting or get to share that emotional energy that’s just in the room with them. So it’s been more introspective. I’ve been able to, like, play a song and feel it for myself and kind of go inward. This has been a time of a lot of self-reflection. And as I start to try and bring that out on my social media and on my livestreams and on things like this, it’s brand new for me. But I think it’s taking me to a place of more integrity and more vulnerability. And I’m really excited for how this time is going to shape my live show in the future.”
You can read the full transcript of Madeline’s story on our patreon.
CREDITS
This episode was produced and hosted by Lynn Casper.
Intro Jingle by data.data.data
Transcription was made possible by Queer Public Podcast who let us use their transcription software.
Featured Affiliate
GET A FREE 1 MONTH PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION TO QUEER TV 24/7
Stream the most unapologetically queer movies, shows, news, originals along with the largest queer music and podcast libraries. Revry will generously donate half of all subscription fees (after your free month) to Homoground through the rest of the year! Use Promo Code: M218.
