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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2008)
MAY 30, 2008 juStOUt!39 culture Double Your Pleasure Lesbian musician, comedian share the stage by Kristin Steele Central Lutheran Church njoy one of the summer’s best lesbian double bills when sultry songstress Suede shares the evening with Seattle’s own co medic legend Lisa Koch. A New York native, Suede studied voice and trumpet in college and started working the club circuit from Maryland to Virginia, haul ing her gear around in a Toyota hatchback. “One day when I was working retail at a re cord store outside Baltimore, I was offered yet another promotion,” she says. “1 knew it was time to take the leap and go for a music career full time or I might end on the front porch with too much ‘shoulda coulda,’ and that wasn’t ac ceptable to me. I gave my two-week notice and auditioned for my first bar gig that afternoon at a great lesbian bar in Baltimore called The Shot Tower. From that point on, it was a matter of a lot of luck, more hard work, amazingly loyal fans who spread the word to everyone in their lives and lots of common sense, putting the pieces together to get playing, stay busy, find the gigs, grow the tour schedule.” Early on she founded her own record label, Easily Suede Music, and as a result enjoys the in dependence and artistic control many musicians dream of. To celebrate-her 25th anniversary in the business, Suede went all out on her newest al bum, Dangerous Mood, putting together a 14-piece big band horn section and recording in New York with a multi-Grammy-winning engineer who has worked with the likes of Tony Bennett and k.d. lang. The lush orchestration surrounds her sultry and playful voice like a glove. A singer’s singer, Suede fuses pop, jazz and blues in her work, mix- ing original creations with such greats as “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and “Do It Again.” She can do a cappella and torchy love songs and front a big band as well as cut a mean trumpet solo without breaking much of a sweat. Of her newest creation being out in the world, Suede muses: “It’s really pretty intense and awesome—a word I never use. It’s time for me to let her go and see what she does with her life on her own.” Suede is proud of her ability to con nect across all populations and genres: “While I have been blessed to have incredible support from the GLBT community from the start, I also have Lisa Koch's “rm a Middle-Aged Woman" has gotten 2.5 great support from the mainstream jazz million hits on YouTube. audience, also crossing all age ranges. My music may fall mostly into a pop/jazz/blues Koch has four solo albums and has worked as style, but first and foremost I am an entertainer, half of the sketch comedy duo Dos Fallopia. She and that precludes any limits of market or musical also wrote songs for the off-Broadway show 27 style. I connect with people from all ages, ethnici Rue de Fleurus, a musical about the relationship ties and other backgrounds or communities. I can between Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein told safely say that every single show I have ever done from Toklas’ point of view. has been about that and that has been achieved— When asked to describe her live act, Koch no matter what.” sums it up as only she can: “A Lisa Koch show is a And although Suede connects to a wide range cross between a cabaret act, sketch comedy and a of audiences, she has never shied away from who lap dance. It’s a lot of music, a lot of laughs and a she is: “It’s very important for me to be honest lot of interaction with the audience.” about who I am, period. While my music is not Koch has just released her fourth solo album, lesbian-specific, or even gender-specific, usually, Tall Cool Drink, which she describes as “jazz- it is honest to who I am. We have come a long flavored with a kick—sultry, snappy and silly.” way in regard to homophobia, but we still have “I had a great time making Tall Cool Drink— it’s a long way to go before sexual preference is the more music-oriented, which makes me happy. But nonissue I think it should be. I believe that only there’s a couple of funny tunes. In fact, I wrote a continues to move forward by lesbi song that’s making its way around the Web called ans and gay men being very visible in Tm a Middle-Aged Woman’ that people are nuts all segments of community. So, while over. It’s about the not-so-pretty side of aging and I personally have no need to ‘wave menopause. There’s one YouTube site with my banners,’ as some might say, I am song that’s gotten 2.5 million hits—crazy!” absolutely truthful to who I am, no Humor is central to Koch’s work: “[It’s] about matter what venue 1 am playing. To finding the twists and turns in everyday life and do otherwise would simply be absurd talking about the shared experience. Life is funny, to me.” even when it’s tragically funny. 1 write about my Suede advocates coming to the experience...what I see, what affects us socially show with someone you like: “I’ll get and politically, what makes me laugh.” the crowd screaming and swooning Being out in her work has been a point of and snuggling up to whoever is next connection for Koch and her audiences: “Being to them—beware.. .come to the show an out performer is an amazing experience—I with someone you really like. I play don’t ever hide who I am, and I get to incorporate my real life into my work. Humor is an amazing full out, every single time I play." bridge between worlds. Laughter or emotion is the connecting point, and when a diverse group och mixes comedy, theater and song into her work. She grew up of people laughs or cries at the same material, in Ashland and started playing music they are bonded. It makes folks realize we’re not so different. ”© in high school. “I play guitar and bass and have always thought of myself as a musi S uede and L isa K och perform 8 p.m. June 7 at cian first,” Koch says. “I kind of Aladdin Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave. Tickets are $25 from the box office or Ticketmaster. wandered into theater and sketch comedy and discovered 1 could write funny songs and create characters. So K ristin S teele is a Portland writer and educator. Suede can do a cappella and torchy love songs and front a my act today is more comedy-based, Her work has appeared online and onstage and in big band as well as cut a mean trumpet solo without breaking much of a sweat. but always with music under.” neu/spapers, magazines and anthologies. K Welcoming LGBT to Worship Sunday at 10:15am Social Hour 1 st Sunday every month at The Broadway Grill, 1700 NE Broadway @ 11:45 a.m. Central Lutheran Church www.centralportland.com Testing for Free Thursdays 5 6:30 P.M uh op in) Rapid HIV Testing (same das results) Oral Testing (two week results) Hepatitis AB vaccinations 3701 E. Fourth Plain • Vancouver. WA • 360-397-8098 for info cWestslde/ diarist Our professionals will arrange your delivery YOUR DOMESTIC PARTNER Don Duncan owner (503) 642-9992 1-800-356-1884 Teleflora Aloha Market Centre 20455 SW TV Highway www. westsidefl ori st. net BLOGOUT BLOGOUT BLOGOUT BLOGOUT BLOGOUT www.justout.com BLOGOUT ri nnmiT
