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Lambda PublicationsServing the Chicago area gay and lesbian community since 1987
Outlines newspaper brings together
37 singers and groups from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to benefit local charity:
Patricia Barber, Ginni Clemmens, Diana Laffey,
Ellen Rosner, Patty "Elvis" and many more
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
What do country, folk, rock, rockabilly, blues, punk, disco, power pop, electronica, jazz, celtic, choral, alternative rock and big band music have in common? All these genres and more are featured on a new doubleCD collection, High Risk, available from Chicago´s Outlines newspaper, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the nonprofit Lesbian Community Cancer Project.
Thirty–seven singers and bands, either currently based in Chicago, or formerly from the Windy City, help document the early rise of the lesbian music movement in the city, from Ginni Clemmens and Linda Shear in the 1970s to one of Chicago´s first outlesbian bands, Surrender Dorothy, in the 1980s, to nationally recognized musician Patricia Barber of the 1990s.
The CDs, priced at $20 retail, is also available by mail, for $20, plus $4 shipping, to Music Project, Outlines, 1115 W. Belmont, Suite 2– D, Chicago, IL 60657.
The range of styles and sounds on High Risk is truly amazing, from Michal Brody´s a capella "The Old Woman Song," to Jorjet Harper´s haunting "Paris Was Yesterday" tribute to lesbian foremothers, to Godiva´s cover of Carole King´s "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman."
Disk A includes many of Chicago´s favorite lesbian singer–songwriters, from Betsy Godwin, Diana Laffey, Joanne Swanson, Paula Walowitz and Paula Berg to Anne–Marie Akin, Minna Bromberg, Valerie James, Linda Smith, Debe Welch and Angie Mead. The first side also includes Chicago´s only lesbian–feminist choral group, Artemis Singers, performing "Good Night Walt Whitman," and the band Mollycoddle performing "Adrift."
Disk B starts with Patricia Barber, Ripley Caine, Kimi Hayes and Patty Ortega, and picks up rocking speed with Ellen Rosner, Patty "Elvis" Manning, Stewed Tomatoes, Evil Beaver and The Prescriptions. Pal, Three Dollar Bill, and Mocktet featuring Laurie Lee Moses are up next on Disk B, followed by Pulsation, Skratch and the Boobettes doing a cover of "Takes My Breath Away" by Claire Hammill, Lynne Mandarino, Great Dane, State of Collision and Big Hello. A reprise of Brody´s "Old Woman" song completes the second disk.
The beautiful, 4–color cover design for High Risk was created by Carol Forsythe Design in Chicago. The inside cover panel was designed by Chicago artist Juarez Hawkins.
Outlines newspaper conceived of producing a compilation of lesbian Chicago music one year ago, as a fundraiser for LCCP, as well as a way to document the rich history of women´s music in the city. A call went out to local musicians¯and more than five dozen entries were received. A variety of volunteers helped host "listening parties" to sift through the materials. Once the final roster of songs was selected, producer Martie Marro (of MaterVille Studios and the band Stewed Tomatoes) was instrumental in taking the project to the next level. Many of the musicians needed to re–record their work, and Marro worked with every artist to make sure to create the best selections and sounds for the CD project.
In addition to Outlines newspaper, the CD Project is also sponsored by Tower Records, Temptations nightclub, and Curve Magazine.
Outlines is a weekly newspaper for the gay and lesbian community, serving the city and suburbs since 1987. Lambda Publications, which publishes Outlines, also publishes Nightlines, BLACKlines, En La Vida, Clout!, OUT! Guide and Taste. Outlines newspaper was recently awarded 13 Vice Versa Awards–a contest featuring the largest participation by gay and lesbian media in the U.S., with more than 1000 entries. The 13 awards Outlines won made it the most honored gay paper in the U.S.
Lesbian Community Cancer Project promotes lesbian health, with a focus on cancer–related issues. LCCP provides support, information, education, advocacy, and direct services to lesbian and non–lesbian women and their families of choice. Free services include support groups, one–on–one "buddy" support, practical support services, gynecological care, mammograms, spa visits/massage, a resource library, and smoking cessation workshops. For LCCP information, call (773) 561– 4662, or visit their web page at www.lccp.org
If you have additional questions please contact Tracy Baim, Publisher and Managing Editor, Lambda Publications, (773) 871– 7610. Or contact Kathleen Ulm, Marketing Director, (773) 871– 7610.
Michal Brody is a native Chicagoan, hippie dyke, storyteller, cab driver, songwriter, dishwasher, housepainter, ESL teacher, Cannonball messenger, post office clerk, teacher of college rhetoric and is now working on a Ph.D. in linguistics. Ginni Clemmens will re–release Wild Women Don´t Get the Blues in November. Personnel on "Solid Ground": Ginni Clemmens (guitar and vocals), a nationally known singer formerly of Chicago; Margie Adam (piano); Linda Kanter (sax); Lynn Keller (bass); Lee Diaz (drums). Valerie James has been singing professionally for the past seven years. "Headed for Heartbreak," the title track of her debut recording, was written by Tommy Ward, the album´s engineer. Betsy Godwin has been performing at festivals and in bars, coffeehouses, and concert halls in Chicago and throughout the Midwest since 1978. (Ellen Miller appears as guest Harp) Debe Welch released her album of original music, Not the Way I Planned, in 1999. She has been performing with several bands in the Chicago area for more than 15 years. Angie Mead has been writing soulful tunes for 10 years. She has recently been signed by an L.A. label and will release her second CD this winter. Minna Bromberg, a graduate student at Northwestern University, has shared the stage with Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Charlie King, Magpie, and Pat Humphries, among others. She has released two independent albums, most recently The World is Ready (1999). Linda Smith has published over 60 original songs and five albums. She was chosen Most Talented Unsigned Artist by WTMX, Chicago in 1997. She has toured nationally and has produced several music videos. Diana Laffey wrote "One Breath At A Time" for a show with former Chicago performer Marcia Wilkie. "Just One Time," the result of a hot, lustful summer, is from the first album she recorded with Kathy O´Hara, heard on background vocals. Anne–Marie Akin is a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music, co–founder of LUNACY! and resident composer for Scrapmettle SOUL. Recordings include I Fly to You and We´re All Growing. Jorjet Harper named her piece "Paris was Yesterday" after a collection of New Yorker columns by Janet Flanner. She is an award–winning columnist (for Outlines), author (Lesbomania) and in Chicago´s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Artemis Singers are Jennifer Horton (Director), Midge Stocker, Nicole Joice, Jamie W. Johnson, Diana L. Clegg (President), Diana Klein, Mary Wallace, Michelle Davis–Clark, Loraine Edwalds, Eileen Lynn, collaborated with songwriter Anne–Marie Akin, arranger/director Siri Soderblom. Paula Berg is a Chicago playwright and songwriter. The two songs on this recording are selections from Connections of the Heart, her musical play celebrating the courage, joy, and humor of women who love other women. Personnel: Lavonne Byers, Julie Crossen, Rose Kaplan, Jill Moore, and Michelle van Note on vocals; Sharon Karp (electric guitar, flute, keyboard), Ellen Goode (drums, percussion), Laurie Lee Moses (piano, sax, keyboards), Ella Szekely (bass). Paula Walowitz has been performing for more than 25 years. Recordings include Last Night at School Street and an appearance on the Folkways album Gay and Straight Together. This song was recorded with Sharon Karp. Mollycoddle is talented players, Molly McGrath (vocals, rhythm guitar), D. Jacobs (bass), Alice Lowenstein (congas), and Anne Statton (congas, drum brushes). Joanne Swanson appears courtesy of Stone Row Music Company. "We Gather" celebrates the Michigan Womyn´s Music Festival, an annual event of women´s music, art, theater, and dance. Linda Shear first released "Family of Woman" on Linda Shear, A Lesbian Portrait in 1974. Ann Hackler performs cello with Shear on this recording. Family of Woman is also the name of what is believed to be the first out–lesbian–feminist band in the U.S., co–founded by Shear, Ella Szekely and Joan Capra in 1971. Godiva! performs a range of music including jazz, pop, and classical. Personnel: Karena Mendoza (Director), Martha Anderson, Janene Bergen, Linda Coon, Polly Novak, Kathleen Shaw, Mary Woodruff, Elizabeth Gorg. Surrender Dorothy, formed in the early 䚠s, is one of Chicago´s early out–lesbian bands. Personnel: Paula Walowitz (writer of the song, guitar & vocals), Toni Armstrong Jr. (bass), Laurie Lee Moses (keyboards, guitar, sax), Jane Kreinberg (drums).
Liner notes by Sarah Henry
ARTISTS Michal Brody – The Old Woman Song
Ginni Clemmens – Solid Ground *
Valerie James – Headed for Heartbreak
Betsy Godwin – Step in Time ^
Debe Welch – Not Today
Angie Mead – Silence
Minna Bromberg – What Price Liberty
Linda Smith – Castle in the Sand
Diana Laffey – One Breath at a Time
Anne–Marie Akin – I Fly to You
Jorjet Harper – Paris Was Yesterday ^
Artemis Singers – Good Night Walt Whitman
Paula Berg – Strange Combination
Paula Walowitz – More to Life Than Love
Diana Laffey – Just One Time (on the first 2,000 copies of the CD, this is actually the song Jessica by Kathy O'Hara, who is very supportive of the lesbian and gay community; the MP3 version will immediately have the Laffey song).
Mollycoddle – Adrift
Joanne Swanson – We Gather *** ^
Linda Shear – Family of Woman **
Godiva! – (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman **** ^
Paula Berg – Women, I Love Their Way
Surrender Dorothy – Goddess´s Rage *****
* Recorded live by Richard Warren, courtesy of WFMT FM Chicago, Open Door Records, Copyright 1980
** Copyright 1971. Engineered and mixed by Jane Clark. Recorded at IMA, Bodega, CA, 1999. June Millington, prod. consultant; Shear piano /voice; Ann Hackler cello.
*** Courtesy of Stone Row Music Company, BMI
**** Music & lyrics by Gerry Goffin, Jerry Wexler, and Carole King. © 1967 Screen Gems, Columbia Music Inc. NY. Arranged by Karena Mendoza.
***** Recorded live at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse, September 19, 1987 by M.J. Hochberg
^ Recorded at Materville Studios
ARTISTS DISK B
Patricia Barber – Winter *
Ripley Caine – Final Kiss
Kimi Hayes – Evening Prayer **
Patty Ortega – Scratches and Scars
Ellen Rosner – Crash Bang Boom
Patty "Elvis" Manning – Dress Up
Stewed Tomatoes – IF U see Kay ^
Evil Beaver – Enter Beaver
Prescriptions – Drop–In Girl
Pal – Ex–Girlfriend
Three Dollar Bill GirlOMatic
Mocktet featuring Laurie Lee Moses Simple Sim
Pulsation Groovin in the Dark ^
Skratch and the Boobettes Takes My Breath Away *** ^
Lynne Mandarino Wondering Why
Great Dane You Blow ^
State of Collision Look at You ^
Big Hello Cynical Girl ****
Michal Brody The Old Woman Song (Reprise)
* Courtesy of Premonition Records
** Engineered and produced by Steve Witt at Elysian Sound
*** Written by Claire Hammill
**** Published by Riot Squirrel Music Publishing, BMI, ASCAP
^ Recorded at Materville Studios
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