Below are the artists featured in this episode in order of appearance. Their artist name, location and song featured is listed beneath their photo.

Track IX – Los Angeles, California – “Lipstick”

Track IX is a beatboxer/a cappella artist who creates multi-layered tracks using just her voice. She uses her beatbox techniques to make her sounds less traditionally a cappella sounding and closely imitates the style of electronic Music.

“The beatbox community, which I have grown my music in, is predominantly heterosexual male. While there are some kinder members of the community, there is also too much homophobia that is left unaccountable due to the lack of people simply not caring for the well-being of the LGBT beatboxers. I’ve been distancing myself from the community for a while as a closeted beatboxer, trying to reach to an audience that will appreciate what I have to offer while also being accepting of my sexuality.”

Thee Suburbia – Brooklyn, NY – “Bitchwitch”

Thee Suburbia is a Brooklyn-based drag performer. She is also the founder of the POC Drag Art Collective in NYC. Queer visibility is how Thee Suburbia began.

“If it wasn’t for connecting with my queer brothers and sisters my music wouldn’t be alive. So, I want to be on HOMOGROUND because it’s prerogative is to share queer music and make is visible to the LGBT community and beyond. My biggest challenge is getting my queer allies to understand that everyone within the LGBT community has a different story that’s just as telling as the other. In life, in my music, at the venues were I perform my aim is always to lift and inspire. With that said some people walk through all doors not wanting the same for whatever reason. So, I make it my duty to be vision for those who need to escape from negativity.

Gorgeous – Oakland, CA – “Do Cowards Get Ahead”

Oakland’s Ana Ayon and Lucy Bayne have taken their anger over the passivity of the privileged and channeled it into their saucy debut track, “Do Cowards Get Ahead?” Planning a self-titled EP release this Halloween, the two lovers are looking to put a dent in the dance floor. Taking their inspiration from the likes of Sneaks, The B-52’s and many of the electro-punk bands from the early aughts, they create a surprisingly political and refreshing take on the post-punk genre.

“We want to be a political source of inspiration to radical lesbians and trans girls.“

Electrosexual – Berlin, Germany – “I’m Your Machine (Feat. Hard Ton)

Activism, feminism, queerness and electronic music! This is the combination of Electrosexual, brainchild of Romain Frequency. While remaining independent in the queer music scene for 10 years, Electrosexual has teamed with artists like Peaches, Aerea Negrot, Hard Ton and Hanin Elias (of Atari Teenage Riot). The content of Electrosexual’s world deals with gender, art and alternative sexualities: the latest album ‘Art Support Machine’ explores the machine as a supreme vision of the human condition, as well as the sexual fantasies and relationship with robots (notably in the songs ‘Automatic People’ I’m your machine and ‘Fetish’ [ASFR] (alternative sex fetish robots).

“I love that Homoground supports queer artists all over the world and especially the most independant and underground ones, this is SO important for our community and culture! voila! The biggest challenge is visibility and the feeling of not being heard, both artistically and personally.”

Darkswoon – Portland, OR – “Human Faults”

Darkswoon is a queer electrohaze band from Portland, OR with elemental post-punk roots, and musical moments bordering on dream pop to darkwave. Originating as the bedroom project and primary creative outlet of composer Jana Cushman, Darkswoon has since evolved into an energetic trio, with Cushman crooning on vocals and guitar, Rachel Ellis stacking the electronic backbone of danceable beats and haunting synth lines, and all of it punctuated by the intelligent, rhythmic bass lines of Andrew Michael Potter. The band evokes old school goth and post-punk of early 4AD label darlings, but maintains a modern edge and originality.

“I think queer representation in music is really important. We are known as a ‘goth band’ of sorts but we are also all queer and our songs are very queer at the heart. Rachel and I are partners and getting gay married soon and our bandmate, Andrew is also queer identified. It’s a big part of who we are. I’ve literally devoted my whole life to the music industry. I’ve spent my entire adult life working on music in a variety of projects. I make a living bartending at the famed music venue The Crystal Ballroom. I’ve worked there for 6 years. Returning to work and playing shows are a distant idea-my dreams and livelihood are postponed indefinitely. I feel like I’ve lost my identity. It’s real-this collective grief we are experiencing. Everyone I know has lost something. For now, I continue to focus on what I have and can be grateful for. My loved ones are healthy. I am healthy. I have what I need in this very moment. Day by day, I am trying to remember to be gentle, to breathe, to maintain hope.”

Jupiter Gray – Columbus, OH – “High Note” (Feat. Kidd Misfit)

Jupiter Gray is a trans rapper, singer and musical artist from Columbus, Ohio.

“Creating music is meaningful to me because growing up, I was never into sports and stuff. My family is very competitive and athletic. I never found that entertaining. I ended up getting into singing and rapping by doing orchestra when I was in middle school. One day my orchestra teacher walked in on me singing a song by OneRepublic. I was playing the piano, and she said, “Oh, you can sing.” So she put me in choir, and I just went with it. I started off playing instruments. I played the cello, clarinet, drums at some point. I don’t know. I just found music exciting.”

rIVerse – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – “Stand Up”

rIVerse’s mission statement has always been to represent the underrepresented — members Dizz, Khadija, Zak and Monroe meet across lines of race, gender and sexual orientation in their devotion to music as a force for positive change.

On Juneteenth, rIVerse released what may be their most powerful video to date: “Stand Up,” a searing call-to-action in the current global fight against police brutality and systemic racism. The track empowers listeners of all races to fight back against police violence, racial profiling and a corrupt system that targets Black men, women, and children. Watch above.

“Nobody deserves to have done to them what’s been happening to people of color,” says rIVerse songwriter Dizz. “At the foundation, this track is an anthem for basic human rights and justice for Black people. It’s a reminder of what our purpose is: as a band, we need to stand up and maybe our listeners will be influenced to do the same.”

CREDITS

This episode was produced by Casper

Homoground Theme Song by data.data.data

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POD RING

On this episode you heard promo trailers from:

Tampon Rock a scripted podcast – equal parts musical and comedy featuring characters and creators from the LGBTQ community. Tampon Rock follows the dating foibles of the two lead lesbian characters – Deja and Chloe – as they luckily and unluckily navigate the Oakland love and music scene. 

The Novel Queers is a bi-weekly queer novel read-along meets book club podcast.