We had a comment on our Facebook page about what a waste SXSW was because “you’re spending all this money to see a bunch of bands no one has ever heard of” and “why not promote gay friendly artists like Rufus Wainwright?” The thing is, that’s where most of the legitimately LGBT bands are — in the folds of the indie and the obscure, and those festivals are ideal for actually discovering new sounds and not relying on being spoon-fed by the radio.
MEN didn’t play SXSW this year, but the indie avant-popsters, headed by Le Tigre’s J.D. Samson, are doing it for themselves with their own tour and stop in Dallas on Friday night at The Loft. We first mentioned the show way back in December. So if you want to discover a band you’ve never heard of, but are a little reluctant to shell out the 12 bucks, well, we got tix. How about five pairs? Just email me with “Gimme some MEN‘ in the subject line and we’ll get your name on the list.
And thanks for your bravery.
How do we find out about new, great music like this? The post above is obscure. Record stores with new music and knowledgeable staff are gone. The few remaining clubs play mainstream gay anthems or torch songs. The chances of surfing through sites like itunes and finding good new music are small. Could the Voice reporters somehow wave a big flag online or in print to alert their readers about new, really amazing new music?