The other day I got to chat with someone whom you may not know now, but definitely will soon. Not only does she write music, but she also directs and creates visual art. And she thinks the Beatles beat the Stones. This triple threat is upcoming singer-songwriter Adrianne Gonzalez, also known under the moniker AG.
A well versed musician with eight albums under her belt, both as a solo act and with the four-piece outfit The Rescues, AG decided leapt at the opportunity to record inspired covers of a select few Beatles songs. Despite being afraid she would “either miss the mark entirely or completely nail it,” Adrianne took the risk—and I think we can all agree that what came out was worth it. The album, which will be available October 9, contains a few gender bending versions of classic tunes such as “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The video for this track is on YouTube now. Did I mention AG directed that too?
As an out lesbian, Adrianne generally prefers not to write songs that are obviously about women—not because she isn’t proud, but because she doesn’t want to alienate straight people. “I want anybody and everybody to be able to relate to my music,” she said, before sharing how it was fun doing covers of songs like “She Loves You” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The covers gave her the chance to sing to the ladies in a more straight-forward way than she was used to.
AG also hopes covering these songs would make another statement: that the video for “I Wanna Be Your Man” will “confuse people and expose people to the transgender community,” with her aim to reach the nonqueer world and “see what happens.”
Currently on tour with her L.A. comrades Garrison Starr and Maia Sharp, AG is trying to bring a taste of the “community” vibe she gets from the L.A. scene on the road. The three singer-songwriters will be backing each other up as well as covering each other’s songs for an unusual and intimate experience that New Yorkers be a part of Sept. 25th at Rockwood Music Hall. Keep your eye out for the album in October as well as a Beatles-inspired line of artwork Ms. Gonzalez will be releasing in November. This girl can do everything.
AG, Maia Sharp and Garrison Starr at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2, 196 Allen Street. Doors open at 7:45pm. Tickets are $10 plus a one-drink minimum. See rockwoodmusichall.com for more info.
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