Out Artists on the Rise
Team Gina’s expressive brand of rap combines their shared experience as children of the ’80s, and their love of all things pop.
The Seattle-based duo of Gina Genius, 27, and Gina Bling, 26, audaciously sample Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” simultaneously referencing My Little Pony, and themes from the queer rights movement.
“We’re synthesizing all the elements of pop culture that we grew up with and mashing them up to create something new,” Genius. “We’re also trying to bring a perspective that’s kind of utopian—we want to represent the perfect queer paradise that doesn’t exist yet, that maybe exists at our shows.” Components? “Well, there’d be really great outfits,” muses Genius, giggling. “And really great dance moves.”
While Gina Bling is a Seattle-born former “musical theatre junkie,” Genius, who hails from D.C. via Brooklyn, is a former folk singer. The beat-heavy duo, who met in 2006 at a Scream Club show, sport matching attire (think booty shorts, wristbands) when they break it down every first Friday at Seattle’s Wild Rose bar. Their debut CD, gina gina revolution, was released this year by Crunks Not Dead and Don’t Stop Believin’ Records.
The two giggly femmes, who just finished touring with MondoHomo Dirty South, share one other love: butch girls. Hence these memorable lyrics from their Sir Mix-sampled track “Butch/Femme”: “I like butch girls and I cannot lie/You other femmes can’t deny/When a butch walks in all the femmes wanna fuss/’Cause it’s like one of them and thirty of us.”
For more on Team Gina, visit myspace.com/teamgina. –Melody Wells
Hip-hoppers to country crooners, this year’s up-and-comers are here, queer and ready to entertain
Amy Kasio
Amy Kasio’s beat-driven blend of pop electro-dance tracks was borne in true lo-fi fashion: out of her own bedroom in her hometown of Warren, Ohio. On her debut EP Lick My Key, the keyboardist pairs sexually charged lyrics with melodic electronic romps spun on her four-track recorder.
“I started out really lo-fi, making music on a cheap Casio keyboard and running them through various pedals,” she says. Since starting her musical experimentation five years ago, Kasio became ingrained in the indie/underground sphere of musicians, and began handing out copies of her self-produced CD at local shows. When she is not exploring new sonic terrain, Kasio further enhances her live act by using previously recorded backing tracks, projector screens and blow-up toys to provide fans with a fun and provocative performance.
A self-identified “queer feminist,” Kasio willingly addresses sexuality in songs as a means of connecting with her audiences and fellow musicians. “It creates a sense of community with the same ideas and views. That’s comforting when you live in an area where there’s not so much of that.”
Kasio’s fervent “do it yourself” ethos resulted in the creation of her online zine called How to Make Music In Your Bedroom, detailing readers on how to use basic tapes in order to create music cheaply.
Look out for her second full length CD on Hit Gloss Productions to be out by fall 2008. Check amykasio.com for further updates. –PC
