Rainbow Rodeo Rachel Cholst

Hey there, cowpokes! This time around I interview River Shook about their new album with Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Revelations. What’s that now? Well, we get into River coming out as nonbinary, changing their name…and still touring under their given name. We’ll also talk about their growing confidence as they continue into sobriety, taking the helm as a producer for their own projects as well as Izzy Rider’s, and why their latest album Revelations kicks so much ass.
Thanks to the Nashville Scene for printing an excerpt of our conversation.
Check out John Rodney's Deers, Queers, and Carolina Twang playlist I mentioned at the end of the show.
Follow Rainbow Rodeo for news of our fundraiser (starts Monday) and support us by subscribing to our Patreon!
 
 

Howdy, cowpokes!
This is a special bonus episode of Rainbow Rodeo to celebrate two different queer country shows next week.
The online festival Country Soul Songbook, which is pay-what-you-can. It's a great weekend of conversations and concerts that celebrate radical intersectionality in country music. On Friday March 15th from 12 PM - 5 PM IN AUSTIN, Meanwhile in Music presents a queer country showcase featuring Creekbed Carter Hogan, Secret Emchy Society, Ever More Nest, Paisley Fields, Jared Deck, and Austin Lucas. Please note I misread the poster and said it was from 5 PM to midnight!!! Then, on Sunday March 17th IN NEW YORK CITY, join me at Penny Jo's at 163rd and Broadway for the very first Rainbow Rodeo Live! The show will feature The Locksmiths, Cactus Rose/Kandia Crazyhorse, Brian Falduto, and Jackfruit You can read more about what I've been up to on the Rainbow Rodeo newsletter
Support Rainbow Rodeo by subscribing to Patreon!

Cidny Bullens is not just a rock'n'roll lifer -- he's a survivor. He toured with Elton John and Bob Dylan and was nominated for two Grammys for his own solo work. If you've listened to the Grease soundtrack, you've probably heard him -- but this is all before he transitioned.

Cid's been through quite a bit as well, and not just a rock and roll lifer, but also a survivor. And his recent memoir, TransElectric, Cidny talks about his journey from growing up in rural Massachusetts to New York to LA back to New York... and eventually Portland, Maine, and all the obstacles along the way: flying high In the music scene to his lows with struggling with addiction and losing his daughter and being in the closet as a trans person in the sixties and seventies without even really knowing what that meant or what the possibilities could be.

Cidny complemented the memoir with Little Pieces and put it out in 2020. So you can guess what happened there. That's why Kill Rock Stars signed Cidny and reissued the album earlier this month.

In this interview, Cindy and I talk about his life, intergenerational LGBTQ+ work, recording Little Pieces, and what's next for him.

Purchase your copy of Rainbow Rodeo right here! Don't forget to support us on Patreon and subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Track Listing

Cidny Bullens, "Little Pieces" (3:50) Cidny Bullens, "Purgatory Road" (12:07) Cidny Bullens, "The Gender Line" (25:36) Mya Byrne, "Please Call Me Darling" (55:52) Cidny Bullens, "Call Me By My Name" (1:00:00)

This isn't Jessye DeSilva's first Rainbow Rodeo! The non-binary singer-songwriter was the very first guest on this podcast, and we're thrilled to have them back. In this episode, we talk about how DeSilva is setting intentions and seeing them through, their album Renovations as a document of coming into their own, and what's next as they tackle being an artist in a post-lockdown world.

As I mention in the intro, I interviewed Jessye and others about the transphobic events at this year's Americanafest -- and how music festivals could become safer spaces for artists in the future -- in the Nashville Scene.
 

Remember to subscribe to the e-mail newsletter to get a weekly update on what's been going on down at the Rodeo! Catch us on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Mastodon under @rainbowrodeomag, and at @rainbowrodeo on Bluesky.
 

Song List

1:48 -- Jessye DeSilva -- "Let It Burn" (Renovations)

14:23 -- Jessye DeSilva -- "Queen of the Backyard" (Hover)

19:11 -- Jessye DeSilva -- "Dysphoria" (Renovations)

36:57 -- Allison Russell -- "Demons" (The Returner)

41:28 -- Jessye DeSilva -- "What I Know To Be True" (Renovations)

 

Howdy, cowpokes, and welcome back to Rainbow Rodeo! This month, I interview artist and podcaster extraordinaire, Jenny Owen Youngs. I think you can hear in the interview that I’m a little bit starstruck, but of course Jenny was a pro. (We’re on a first-name basis now.)
 

We talk about her return to solo music with her new album, Avalanche, and how it’s been to work in the co-writing and music licensing space in LA for so long. We also get a little silly with fandoms, but also get down to business to discuss queer artists and the anxiety around pigeonholing, and idea that’s been on my mind a lot lately.
 

Read my review of Avalanche on No Depression.

Subscribe to the Rainbow Rodeo Patreon here and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here!
 

Music Time Stamps:

Jenny Owen Youngs -- "Everglades" (1:58)

Jenny Owen Youngs -- "Knife Went In" (11:49)

Jenny Owen Youngs -- "Set It On Fire" (38:17)

Trixie Mattel (ft. Orville Peck) -- "Jackson" (42:08)

Jobi Riccio -- "Whiplash" (44:45)

 

Hey there, cowpokes, and welcome back to Rainbow Rodeo! This month, I speak with veteran Maia Sharp about her album Reckless Thoughts, which came out in August. I also interviewed her for the Nashville Scene. In that interview, we discussed the divorce that caused her to move to Nashville and how she brought together a trusted band to create Reckless Thoughts and her previous album, Mercy Rising. The part of the conversation you'll hear is from when we were already 30 minutes in and switching gears for podcast mode. Maia had mentioned joining a softball league in Nashville, so we had to kick things off by discussing it, naturally.
 
Follow us on all the apps and subscribe to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Patreon for access to the Rainbow Rodeo zine, extra podcast content, and more!