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Gay Musicians You Probably Won't Hear At The Club

Hey y'all, I hope this is appropriate for here. I'm somewhat of a music junky and love finding new artists to check out, and while I don't usually seek anyone out based on sexuality/gender/etc., I have discovered a few artists who are gay and don't fit into the mainstream "gay" music box of "nails, hair, hips, heels, yas, thworp" EDM or bubblegum pop. Don't get me wrong, I love some of that stuff and there's great art being made in those genres! I just figured this community's about finding commonality outside of mainstream queer culture and I wanted to feature some gay artists expressing themselves in other genres.

I'll just add a note that my tastes outside of pop and EDM tend to lean towards rock and metal, so I didn't try to actively ignore hip hop or other genres, I'm just not as well-versed in those. Also, I can't think of a good rhyme or reason for why I focused on some artists' solo material over groups they're in, aside from maybe personal preference or whether they take on a supporting role in other groups and I just wanted to highlight the material that displays their creativity front and center.

For accessibility, links will either link to the artist's Bandcamp page, or Youtube videos.

Torment & Glory

Genre: Folk, post rock

Torment & Glory is the solo moniker for Brian Cook, who's better known as the bassist for a number of influential metalcore, post metal, and sludge metal bands. Unlike those other projects, Torment & Glory sees Cook branching out from holding down thunderous basslines to stacking layers of reverb-drenched guitars and soft whispers until the listener's engulfed in a one-person symphony. 'No Big Crime' even adds in what I assume is Cook's signature distorted bass in its climax, giving just the right amount of gritty support to lift the delicate sonic ecosystem above.

Recommended: No Big Crime

Other projects:

MAN ON MAN

Genre: Shoegaze, indie rock, synthpop

MAN ON MAN (M.O.M.) is a literal labor of love between boyfriends Roddy Bottum (keyboardist of Faith No More, Imperial Teen) and Joey Holman (formerly Cool Hand Luke), who formed the group during the COVID lockdowns. The music born from that period feels like a reaction to the tension and fear prevalent at the time, as it teeters between Smashing Pumpkins-esque raunchy, garage rock fun and cozy, anthemic synth numbers à la CHVRCHES. The lyrics, while maybe not classically poetic, are unapologetically gay. ("We the people fuck in bathrooms, and in backrooms; they’re our classrooms. Don’t like what you see? Don’t you fuckin’ look at me." they spit on "Haute Couture", in case the sentiment wasn't clear.) Maybe they're not breaking ground in terms of sonic exploration, but it's kind of nice to see a couple of big, hairy dudes staking their claim in a space normally reserved for slim, baby-faced guys and gals.

Recommended: Gloryhole

Other projects:

King's X (Dug Pinnick)

Genre: Grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock

These guys are one of those "your favorite band's favorite band" groups. They formed in 1979 and have consistently released albums that are praised by some pretty big names in music, yet never really hit mainstream success themselves. Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam credits them as "inventing grunge", Layne Staley one told vocalist/bassist Doug Pinnick that he "was just channeling Doug" on "Rooster", and progressive metal giants Dream Theater also featured the singer on their third album "Falling Into Infinity". Don't let their origins in the Christian rock scene turn you off; the members have all struggled with their faith, with Pinnick in particular unable to reconcile the religion with his sexuality and has left Christianity entirely. Even more, these guys do rock, combining the melodic sensibilities of Rush with crushing drop-D riffage and intensity that brings Soundgarden to mind.

Recommended: Dogman, Pleiades

Other projects:

Cynic

Genre: Technical death metal, progressive metal, jazz fusion

I'd wager these guys are the most likely to be recognized out of this list, considering their legendary status in the metal community. While Paul Masvidal (guitars, vocals) and Sean Reinert (drummer) formed Cynic first, they gained notoriety by displaying their technical prowess on the album "Human", by the pioneering death metal band...well...Death. Their technical-shredding-meets-alien-jazz leanings on that album were amplified on Cynic's debut "Focus", which is a seminal album in tech death. Facing homophobia from crowds and the allure of less-niche musical styles, Cynic was put on hold for over a decade before they returned with a followup, "Traced in Air", which leaned even more into the otherwordly aesthetics of their core sound. They've had a few albums and EPs since then, but their first two albums are by far their most groundbreaking and influential. Unfortunately, Sean Reinert departed the band on unpleasant terms and later passed away in 2020, followed shortly by the death of bassist Sean Malone. Paul, the only remaining original member, has continued to carry on the Cynic name, releasing their latest offering, "Ascension Codes", in 2021.

Recommended: Integral Birth, Veil of Maya

Other projects:

  • Portal (Jazz fusion and progressive rock, clean vocals.) If the metal side of Cynic isn't your thing, try this side project that Masvidal and Reinert formed after the release of "Focus", which is essentially Cynic minus the death and some added female vocals. The project never had an official release, but demos were released under the Cynic name as "The Portal Tapes".
  • Aeon Spoke (Alternative/pop rock band, clean vocals.) Paul and Sean formed this group after releasing "Focus", and put their, ahem, focus into this endeavor, hoping to achieve more success in a more mainstream market.

That's it for now! I'd love to hear if anyone discovers something new or enjoyable out of this, and if you have any recommendations yourself, drop them in a comment below!

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