Jade Jericho Performance Benefits Queer
Community
by Ruth Schneider | February 2009
Some days I wonder whether
I've been in Olympia too long. Others, I wonder whether I've just been here
long enough to be ingrained in the town. Either way, it's a little weird
recognizing people on the street who I don't actually know. Jade Jericho
requested to be my friend on MySpace sometime last year. When I went to her
page, I liked her music — a sort of blend between punk and '80s New Wave
with a lot of attitude and a wicked sense of humor. I added her as a friend,
and off and on saw her around town — at Jake's on Fourth, the downtown
liquor store — I suppose it's easy to spot someone with pink hair. It also
could be the brightly colored purse that reminds me of '80s "Rainbow Brite"
cartoons.
Last week, I sat down with Jericho and her partner in musical
crime, St. Robert, to talk about their music. Her first album, "Hot Pink!" is
available on iTunes, Amazon and Rhapsody for less than $5. "It's gotten a lot
of positive response," Jericho said. But, she laments, "it's not had tremendous
sales." She describes the album as "a little Monty Python, a little 'Rocky
Horror Picture Show.' " That seems appropriate because her influences run the
gamut from Janis Joplin to "Doctor Who" to Chaucer to Snoop Dogg. "I've been
compared to Blondie," Jericho said. "I think it's some of the talk-sing thing I
do." St. Robert described her as "a pissed-off mouse." Both, somehow, seem
accurate.
She recently posted "Knuckle Dragger" on her MySpace music
page. It is the first song she has released from her upcoming second album,
"Supa Swinga," due out this spring. What exactly is a "knuckle dragger?" "It's
somebody who hasn't evolved," Jericho said. "Someone who is not walking upright
mentally."
Jericho, who grew up in a Southern Baptist family, said her
60-year-old mother walks around the house singing the song. Clearly her music
appeals to a wide audience. "Most of my songs are about experiences I've had
— some internal," Jericho said. "My belief in personal freedom probably
inspires most of what I do." With more than 3,700 friends on MySpace, when
Jericho posts a new song, she has a good base to reach. And upcoming
performances will give her an even broader audience.
Jericho and St.
Robert will perform March 21 at a fundraiser for Capital City Pride at the
Urban Onion called An Evening of Cocktails and Fingernails. "Everybody has this
idea that music comes out of a factory," St. Robert said. "The live shows
legitimize the project. It's a visceral connection." It also is beneficial for
the queer community, something Jericho is passionate about. "I'm obviously very
open to performing for the queer community," she said. "It is really an
interesting time in history. The time is absolutely right for this project."
Songs from her first album such as "Drag Queen" and "Bad Lesbian" are
light, fun and slightly subversive. "I don't see myself as a queer artist,"
Jericho said. "This project has a great potential to help people lighten up."
It also has a lot of potential to help the queer community when she performs
next month.
I hope to attend and I highly recommend others do the same.
In the meantime, I'll try to stop inadvertently stalking local musicians with
pink hair. |
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Homosensual - A Drag
Gender F*ck at the Funhouse
by Shaun Knittel | Excerpt
March 2010
After the drag
portion of Homosensual, Pacific Northwest singer/songwriter Jade Jericho
performed a live music set. Jericho, who has found success with her openly
Lesbian and pro-Gay lyrics, was the perfect choice for the live portion of the
show. Foxy, fun, and candy-coated, her music is infectious.
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