That’s right – Donna Jam is back again!  If you’ve already got plans for the weekend…no worries!  Donna Jam is on a Thursday night this time around, and it will be a great fluffer into what’s sure to be a crazy, Rainbow- flagged-filled weekend in the ATX.

Come on down to Jovita’s, our friendly little Mexican food restaurant down on South First street at on June 3rd at 6 pm and grab a table…Donna Jam is presenting all a whole new line-up from the last showcase!

Opening up will be Boys On the Inside, fronted by Ryan Kelsey who brings some soulful lyrics to the stage.  Some would say her style is very Melissa Etheridge-esk.  Robin Smith who has already proven very popular among the lesbian community graces the stage next, and the night ends with a band new to the Austin lesbian scene – The Blue Hit with lead vocals by Grace Rowland.

To get pre-sale tickets for only $5, email info@justbmused.com, otherwise just show up and pay $8 at the door!

Here are the details one more time:
WHEN – Thursday, June 3rd – Doors open at 6pm
WHERE – Jovita’s Restaurant on South First

We’ll be there with our Pacifico’s in hand – hope to see you ladies at the show!

Plans for Sunday, May 16th?? Feel like dancin’, cruisin’, and sippin’ on some free drinks…on the lake?!  Well, jump on this 2 story historic boat because it’s settin sail at 6pm!  Lace up your dancing sneakers because this dance cruise will talk you on a 3 hour excursion down Lake Austin to the 360 bridge for a Sunday sunset showdown between some of the best DJ’s Austin has to offer – Orion, Klassen, and the TMC!

Why are we promoting this event to the lesbian community, you may ask?  Well, the dance cruise is being put on by LegitArt, a part lesbian owned and operated company.  There are bound to be some single ladies lookin’ for ladies on the cruise!

Need more convincing?  Check out what all this party has to offer:

The night heats up with a swimsuit contest sponsored by Cream Vintage.
Cool off with complimentary vodka Red Bull all night and Five kegs of
Pyramid Beer. Put on your sexiest rock-star face for the LegitArt
Photobooth, and dance your way into summer on a river cruise.

-Two stories of indoor dance floors
-Three hours of fat beats and free drinks
-Five DJ’s spinning on the Red Bull DJ tables
-$150 Swimsuit contest sponsored by Cream Vintage
-Sexiridiculous nautical-themed LegitArt Photobooth
-6,000 watts of delicious bass in ya face!
Each contestant will win one of six featured Swimsuits from Cream
Vintage, and the winner will receive a $75 gift card to Cream Vintage
and a $75 gift card to Massage Envy!
Featuring: Orion and Klassen vs. Table Manners Crew
-DJ Orion
-DJ Prince Klassen
-DJ Digg
-DJ Tats
-DJ Kid Slyce

Need we say more???  Want to grab you ticket now?  Just go to http://dancecruise.legitart.com.  Get to the boat dock (1600 Scenic Drive Austin, near Hula Hut) at 6pm because the boat sets sail at 7, and you’ll party till 10!

The goal of DJ’s Sam&tha and Ramesh (lead singer of Voxtrot) is to make Fridays at Red Fez all about the gays!  Both proud gay folks themselves, they want to offer up something a little different than the usual rap beats to satisfy the variety of musical tastes of Austin’s gay community.

They are dubbing the event: Gay Ghey Gaiye and will be pumping Red Fez full of sounds ranging from house to gay disco to kitschy new wave and post punk!  Sounds like fun to us!!

So come one, come all and try something new!  There is NO COVER, cheap drinks, and the party starts at 10 pm!

bMUSEd Music Fest’s ALL FEMALE music showcase is JUST AROUND THE CORNER!! Make your way down to Sister’s Edge II tomorrow, Saturday March 20th!  It’s pretty much an all day event – we’ve got bands playing from 1:30 in the afternoon to 10:30 at night!

Last year bMUSEd Music Fest was a HUGE!  Over 500 ladies showed up to Rainbow Cattle Company to hang out, drink some beers (or red bulls), and listen to GREAT music! 

This year it will be even BIGGER and BETTER!  So, if you’re looking for a music showcase to attend during SXSW where you don’t have to wait in a ridiculously long line for a wrist band and then have to wait even longer for a drink…come down to our neighborhood lesbian bar where everyone’s a friend!

The artists this year include:

Grrlz Will Be Boiz
Ginger A. Thompson
Stephanie Erdel
See Green
Robin Smith
Stephanie Salvo

NOW ANNOUNCING——–GOD-DES AND SHE

Picture Me Broken
Lunic
Elyse and the Aftermath

Some of these bands are our hometown girls while others have come from far and wide to play for you!  The cover is only $5 at the door – pretty darn good for 9 hours of awesomeness.  And with a stamp, you can come and go as you like.

See you lovely ladies there – Saturday, March 20th at Sister’s Edge II!!!

1. A talented group of performers/songwriters
2. No cover
3. Free CDs and swag
4. Free album downloads with t-shirt purchase
5. Featuring a special guest, the beautiful crooner Ginger A. Thompson
6. Headed up by the Mistress of Ceremonies, Saffire T. Stone
7. It’s at Rusty Spurs, which means lots of ladies and cold beer!

So what’s the story on GWBB, you ask? One lesbian couple that played guitars, sang and wrote music together. Another lesbian couple not five minutes away that played bass and drums, sang and wrote music together. The lesbi-gravitational pull was just too much to avoid.

This talented foursome includes:

-   Sami Di Williams – Vocals/Guitar
-   Amy Williams – Lead Guitar
-   Amanda Williams – Bass/Vocals
-   Melissa Nunan – Drums/Vocals

GWBB formed in the Spring of 2008 in Austin Tx and in just over a year has played a large number of shows in Central Texas to crowds that continue to grow weekly. The growing buzz, reputation with venues, and positive response to their independent EP release, “How We Ended Up This Way” have served them well recently, earning them coveted spots in the annual FriendsFest Women’s Music Festival in Dripping Springs, TX in April 2009, the Austin Pride Festival in June 2009 and the kick-off party for the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival in Sept. 2009- the biggest and longest running LGBTQ film festival in the Southwest.

Check them out on Facebook

Download the album here

See you Saturday!

I know.  When you think of SXSW you either think a) YES!! Crowds of people, booze, extremely loud music, late nights and craziness…or  b) BOO!! Crowds of drunk people taking over my city and filling it with craziness.

Either way you think about it – I’ve got just the right thing for you!  It’s called bMUSEd Music Fest and it’s an ALL FEMALE music showcase that takes place at Sister’s Edge II on Saturday March 20th!  It’s pretty much an all day event – we’ve got bands playing from 1:30 in the afternoon to 10:30 at night!

Last year bMUSEd Music Fest was a HUGE!  Over 500 ladies showed up to Rainbow Cattle Company to hang out, drink some beers (or red bulls), and listen to GREAT music! 

This year it will be even BIGGER and BETTER!  So, if you’re looking for a music showcase to attend during SXSW where you don’t have to wait in a ridiculously long line for a wrist band and then have to wait even longer for a drink…come down to our neighborhood lesbian bar where everyone’s a friend!

The artists this year include:

Grrlz Will Be Boiz
Ginger A. Thompson
Stephanie Erdel
See Green
Robin Smith
Stephanie Salvo

NOW ANNOUNCING——–GOD-DES AND SHE

Picture Me Broken
Lunic
Elyse and the Aftermath

Some of these bands are our hometown girls while others have come from far and wide to play for you!  The cover is only $5 at the door – pretty darn good for 9 hours of awesomeness.  And with a stamp, you can come and go as you like.

See you lovely ladies there – Saturday, March 20th at Sister’s Edge II!!!

Both of these music showcases have been tremendously popular events in the past and are only getting bigger and bigger.  Bands from all over the world participate – just take a look at the growing popularity of Porcelain, a band from Australia, that played at both Donna Jam and BMF last year! 

Here are the guidelines to qualify: 

You must have a Myspace page with samples of your music, as well as a list of local or regional venues that you have played at.  This open call applies to ALL female musicians no matter if you’re straight or LBT (dropped the “G” for obvious reasons)!  Local, regional, national, and international solo artists or bands with female leads are welcome!  So sister cities in Texas – Dallas, Houston, San Antonio…we’re talking to you, time to spread the word to your friends near and far! 

If you have any local gigs coming up where Goldstar ATX can go check you out that is definitely a bonus!

All submissions can be sent to booking@justbmused.com.  It is VERY important that you add something like “Female Artist” in the subject line.  Your submissions are important, so get them in as soon as possible.  We want to get you on stage!

Submission deadline is January 15th 2010.

I think all of us girls at one point have had dreams of being a famous singer or musician, but let’s face it – most of us aren’t blessed with the music gene (no matter how much we think our crooning at local karaoke bars could qualify us for American Idol).  Ginger, however, has it.  She is one of those girls who can just do it all.  Compose, write, play, sing – and she makes it look easy!  She is just one of those girls who we love to hate…because she is just so damn good. 

Well, wait no longer – let’s hear Ginger’s story… 

Where are you from?
I’m originally from Tacoma, WA 

How long have you lived in Austin and what brought you here?
I’ve lived in Austin for 9 years this month (December) and came here after 4 years of touring with a musical theater group. I decided it was time to get a “real” job.

What was the first musical instrument you played?
The recorder. Seriously, I could tear it up on “mary had a little lamb”. I took piano lessons for a few years and just couldn’t figure it out, so when I was about 14 I borrowed the neighbor’s guitar and taught myself how to play. 

Why did you decide to take up music as a career?
Music has ALWAYS been a passion and outlet for me. When I was a pre-teen my brother, a family friend and I formed a rap group called “positive negatives”, I would write most of our material and we would record it with the old brick-like sony tape recorders. I knew back then that music was something that I would be involved in for the rest of my life. 

Who are you musical inspirations?
Being from the Northwest where the grunge scene originated, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the the like. I also listened to Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Aretha Franklin…the list goes on. Some of my modern influences are Alicia Keys, Leela James, Ani (of course). 

Does the gift of music run in your family?
My immediate family is not musical but I think I get it from my dad’s side. My Aunts on his side are old school gospel singers.

Do you write your own songs and music?
I do. I feel like I connect more with songs that I’ve written myself since they come from within ME, but there are a few covers that I enjoy playing as well. 

What is your favorite song that you’ve written?  Why?
My favorite song that I’ve written is called “Will you bleed”. It’s basically a song about recognizing your own weaknesses and using them to relate to others who have the same struggles, but also on the flip side, doing whatever it takes to show someone that you love them. That song is very personal for me. 

How would you describe you musical style?
I get asked this question a lot actually, and I say acoustic rock, but I don’t know how accurate that is. If you take R&B, mix in a little folk, add some rock and some grunge and a little somethin’ else, I think you’d get me. 

As a kid, what did you dream of being when you grew up?
A rock star. Hands down. Oh, and Indiana Jones. 

Do you have any other big passions besides music?
I’m in love with all of the arts; writing, theater, photography. I’ve dabbled in all of them but focus on music. Oh, and a lot of the “ologies” psychology, criminology….etc. 

How would you describe your personality?
I have two sides but both are very accurate. I’m kind of a loner when I’m creating music. I have a sometimes obsessive need for solitude when I’m writing. The other side would be the fun, goofy, eccentric, life-of-the-party type. I’ll go up and talk to just about anyone.

What are your aspirations for your future?
I’ve been working as a solo artist for some time now. I REALLY want to get a band together because I think that would take my music so much further. I’m putting together material to produce an EP in 2010.

As we mentioned before, Ginger plays often around Austin – her next gig is Donna Jam in January, an all female showcase put on my Goldstar ATX at Jovita’s.  We will definitely be there and so should you!!  Let’s get out and support our local lesbian artist!

Check out some of Ginger’s tracks on her MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/gingerathompson

Clear your schedules tonight ladies!  The very lovely, very talented Robin Smith is headlining tonight at Antone’s downtown!  If you haven’t gotten the chance to check Robin out yet, fear not — you no longer have to miss out on seeing the girl that everyone is talkin’ about!  Doors open at 8 pm, and opening acts include Tavana and Kalu James — both amazing artists as well!

And because we KNOW you want to know more about Robin…we’ve included an intriguing short biography that will allow you to get a glimpse into the life of this rising star… 

“Singer/Songwriter Robin Smith’s lyrics not only paint an intimate portrait of her own life, but also of the lives she sees around her. Her keen ability to explain some of life’s stickiest situations, of love lost and love found in her lyrics is poetic yet playful. The combinations of her powerful strumming, soulful voice and metaphorical words create a sound that can stop the most important of conversations in mid-sentence.

Growing up in the midwest, Robin got inspired to do music mostly by listening to artists such as Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Ani Difranco and Patty Griffin. At the age of 18, she got her first guitar and began teaching herself how to play. Robin has played many local venues in her home town of East Grand Forks, MN and surrounding areas but will never forget her first performance at Urban Stampede; a local coffee house and music venue of that area. ” I was so nervous, and forgot the lyrics to a few of my own songs but it was my first real taste of performing and even though it was mainly in front of family, friends and a few locals it brought a sense of strength and determination to my life which has never left. There is nothing more satisfying then reaching for a dream and despite all struggles finding a daily sense of hope and purpose, that was my first experience with those particular emotions.”

In 2005, Robin felt a pull South and transplanted herself to the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin, Texas. She quickly was embraced by the Austin music scene and became a familiar face in the establishments around town. ” I had never been to Austin before I decided on moving there but did have many people suggest it. Something about Austin just felt right and when I entered the city for the first time I felt like I was at home there. I just knew it was all going to alright and that I would have great experiences. Musicians here pull you in and you become a family of sorts, inspiring each other andpushing each other. It’s been unbelievable living here!”

Robin’s music career is moving at a fast pace in all the right directions. She can be found playing weekly at many different local Austin venues including Antone’s, The Parish, Momos and festivals in surrounding areas. Her 1st album is do to be released in 2010. Stay tuned…”