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April
15, 2002
What is Girlyman? If you haven't seen the FAQ,
go take a look!
Girlyman is a brand new musical ensemble featuring Tammy, Doris,
and Nate Borofsky. The three musicians of Girlyman owe
our present musical bliss to a series of housing complications,
including more than one eviction, in June of 2000.
Frazzled, we all ended up renting an apartment together
in Brooklyn, and immediately began to sing, rather
than converse, in a soprano, alto, tenor configuration.
But why a new project, when Nate waswinning Boston
Music Awards for Best New Singer-Songwriter and the
garden verge was getting written up in Yahoo
Internet Life?
Our current promo
picture depicts Tammy as a boxer, Nate
suggestively holding a whisk, and Doris sipping
from a wooden spoon. This begs the question:
What is folk? Folk music used to be revolutionary,
political, challenging. All too often these days we've
found it to be business as usual. Partly to
challenge this, and partly because we can't necessarily
hide how messed up we really are, we decided
to be ourselves.
Sure, Girlyman alludes to our unconvential treatment
of gender. As the FAQ says, Nate's something of
a snippy little princess, Tammy's got that fag-next-door thing,
and Doris...well, some days she's an ice queen, some
days she's a high femme goddess. But really, gender's
a metaphor, ain't it? So we're enjoying stretching our
ideas of what we do and who we are, whether it's playing
new instruments, singing calypso doo-wop, or blabbing
about everything from our coordinated shampoo bottles to That
Pesky War.
The bottom line in this new endeavor is fun. We
all like each other so much, and we've really been connecting
with the folks we meet at the shows. We sing sweet harmonies,
and we're not afraid of the three-chord-song. Come
see us live!
february,
2002
This
just in! The February issue of Yahoo Internet Life has
this to say about the gals & the CD: " This
reflective indie-folk duo's fine ear for stark ballads
and mournful harmonies is comfortingly straight-from-the-heart--and
goes well beyond the obligatory anguish common to the
coffeehouse menu. On this debut album, their acoustic
pickin' and plunkin' admirably avoids the lure of studio
bloat; download the songs or be a patron of the arts
and order the CD. (3-1/2 [out of 4] stars)"
november 20,
2001
Life
is still bizarre, here in Brooklyn. What with planes
falling onto neighborhoods, among other things, we watch
the skies here. It doesn't help that we live directly
beneath the flight path going to and from both JFK and
LaGuardia airports, and planes fly low over our apartment
every 30 seconds or so. So we're doing the best we can.
The collaboration we started several months ago with
our new housemate Nate (Borofsky) has taken on a different
kind of urgency, and we're just going with it. We're
all writing new songs, about new kinds of things, and
arranging them as a (gasp!) band. None of us is sure
where this is headed, but that seems appropriate given
the shaky state of just about everything I can think
of...
I
certainly didn't set out to write about the war, it just
happened. I came up with a tune I'm calling "Amaze
Me," the product of a painful renogotiation of my
relationship with america. It's a little bit of a love
song, a little bit desperate, and seems to be about betrayal
of a whole new sort.
By
the way, we'll be posting the lyrics to our new tunes
soon, so check out the lyrics page.
We'll also be working on getting some mp3's of tunes
that aren't on Shadow of a Habit onto the site...stuff
like "Earthquakes," "Even If," "Sacred
Hand," "Santa Lucia," and so on. We'll
be doing it in our spare time in between heroic feats
of saving the world from imminent destruction.
september 26,
2001
Doris
and I hope you and all your loved ones are safe, and
that you're slowly recovering from the shocking mess
that was September 11. We sympathize deeply with everyone
who is grieving right now.
For
us the past two weeks have been a sobering blur. There's
so much sadness and anger in New York right now, and
on top of that a kind of genuineness I haven't seen before.
It's like people have broken out of their little individual
bubbles and are noticing the things and people around
them more. Every day feels like it's about ninety hours
long.
A
lot of the time music feels surreal at best, irrelevant
at worst. We had booked a bunch of shows for the end
of September and into October way before any of this
happened, and we're doing our best to show up and to
give of ourselves as fully as we can. I've noticed that
a lot of our songs, as well as other people's songs,
have taken on new meaning.
Personally,
I'm not feeling a lot of anger right now, although I know
a lot of others are. It's more like a deep sadness and
a desire to understand on many different levels--politically,
spiritually, psychologically. I know that it's compelling
to want to contract and just be a trembling, scared,
depressed thing--just pull the proverbial covers over
my head indefinitely. But music, as it turns out, is
just as profound and life-affirming as it's ever been.
Going out, seeing friends, living life, and giving wherever
and however we can--it's the best we can do, and it helps.
So,
Doris and I want to invite you to our
shows.
We really hope to see you, and maybe we can all cheer
each other up a little bit.
-Tammy
september 1,
2001
"The
patron saint of eyeballs" --Doris M. quote of the
month.
We were on the air on WERS in Boston, and we had just
played my song "Santa Lucia in Gold." I was trying
to explain that the song gets its name from the Santa Lucia
range in California where I spent some time at a Buddhist
monastery, and that Lucy was the patron saint of, um, vision.
But "eyeballs" has a certain ring to it, and
probably a deeper meaning than "vision."
Our
recent travels have taken us to Atlanta, where we played
with some of our favorites (shout out to our gracious
hostess, Angela Motter) at the Atlantis Music Conference,
and where I finally learned how to pronounce "Decatur" (dee-KAY-tur,
not DECK-uh-tur), to Boston, where my brother got hitched,
and now we're on the train to Kent, CT for Rebecca Stenn's
fabulous dance/music/weird stuff festival, Theatre in
the Trees. We had a nice chat with the audience last
night at CB's, where Doris explained her theory on Why
The Ocean Should be Tiled and how she plans to do it.
The idea is that you wouldn't risk being eaten by a shark.
july 20,
2001
Well,
we've just returned from sunny Boston, where not only
did we play at Radioboston and The Burren, but we also
got stung multiple times by a raging swarm of yellowjackets!
Doris, Nate Borofsky, and I were jogging in the woods
behind Nate's parents' house in Groton, and before we
knew it we were in some terrible cartoonish scene wherein
one of us accidentally steps on a hive and suddenly we're
all running away from a pursuing mass of angry, violent,
evil, venomous wasps. Doris got stung the most. I got
out with a big swollen ankle and Nate hardly got scratched.
Why??
I
don't know why. Nevertheless, we're all back in Brooklyn,
applying ice and cortisone cream. Next week we'll play
here at home at the Dark Star (aka The Triad), then it's
down to Atlanta for the Atlantis Music Conference. We'll
be playing in the "Odd Man Out" showcase, lovingly
organized by Queerstock mastermind Doria Roberts especially
for weirdos like us. Doria created this showcase in conjunction
with the Atlantis folks so that people could come see
music they might not otherwise hear--queer and/or
non-white folks who basically put the alternate back into
alternative. Check out the showdates page
for details.
Other
than that, a big thank you to everyone who's been requesting
our music on GAYBC.com radio, Amazon
Radio (WKPN
in Connecticut), radioboston.com,
and whoever else you've been calling. "Universal
Kiss" just made it onto GAYBC's Top Ten Queer Music
Countdown for June 18-29, along with Melissa Etheridge,
Rufus Wainwright, and the Village People! So thanks for
taking the time to call and write in your requests. It
helps us a great deal more than we can explain using
human words.
Oh--and
don't forget to check out the new
photos from
our University of Delaware stint back in April--one of
our favorite shows of all time. Thanks, UDel!
june 16,
2001
Doris
and I are finally beginning our slow descent back to
terra firma, after being completely blown away by a CD
release party so grand in scale and so overflowing with
great vibage, we could only call it perfect. Our little
pea-brains are still attempting to register the almost
surreal turnout at CBGB and what seemed to be genuine
enthusiasm all around even before the chocolate cake
came out. A great big sloppy kiss to all of you, particularly
those of you who didn't get to share a glowing blue drink
with either of us after the show. You really made us
feel like rock stars!
And,
for those of you who didn't make it, guess what? We're
doing it again! OK, well, it's not a CD release party,
there won't be a band, and the 3 foot by 3 foot chocolate
cake was a one shot deal (rendering me and Doris in frosting
is a once-in-a-lifetime feat, even for my mom). But I
can promise lots of great music, some cool Brooklyn brews,
and a kickoff to pride weekend. See showdates for
details...
may 25,
2001
Well!
Exciting things all around here at the Clever Shark compound
(such as it is). First off, we've gotten an overwhelming
response to Shadow of a Habit from practically
everyone who's actuallly listened to it. Although we
can't take direct credit, three of our friends have quit
their jobs since its release last month! Coincidence?
Even our childhood guitar teacher, who we haven't heard
from in almost ten years, called us to tell us it made
him cry. People have been emailing to say that every
time they listen to it, they hear something new. Incredibly
enough, so do we!
Tangibles!
In no small part due to this fabu new CD, the garden
verge has just been picked up by the Auburn Moon Agency,
which was just voted Booking Agency of the Year by Campus
Activities Magazine. (So if you want us to come play
at your school, contact
them.)
We've also been chosen to showcase at the Atlantis Music
Conference in Atlanta, GA in August. "Shining Through" was
featured on WPKN's (89.5 in CT) "Amazon Radio" show
last week. And within three weeks of its release, Shadow
of a Habit was one of the Top Sellers at CDBaby.com.
Hey--that last one is YOUR fault. So thanks, man. (And
if you've been putting off buying the CD, jump on the
bandwagon already and buy
it!)
What is this
thing you humans call "success"? We don't understand!
april 7,
2001 Oh my God! It's here!
We
were starting to think it was against some law of physics
for us to exist and have a CD . . . but it's really
here! It's called Shadow of a Habit and honestly,
truly, we couldn't be happier with it if Madonna had
made a guest appearance. It just sounds so good and looks
so good--for the love of God, go listen
for yourself!
Big love and thanks to so many people who loved this
project from day one--particularly our producer Carmen
Yates and our Icelandic superstar engineer Thor Jonsson.
And a gigantic shout out to all the freakishly talented
musicians who made this thing sound
so . . . legit.
As
for the songs, well, we write this stuff because from
what we've heard, it doesn't exist yet. We're so psyched
to have put it out there. We hope you like it!
Click
here to buy the damn thing!
february 16,
2001
It's
a
damn
good
thing
February
is
the
shortest
month!
Tough
love, right?
Someone
back
me
up
here.
Well,
a
couple
of
really good
things
have
happened
over
the
past
month,
too,
and
since you
don't
come
to
our
website
to
have
a
BAD
time,
I'll tell
you
about
those.
First
of
all,
we
have
a
rhythm section!
The
incomparable Nate
Borofsky has
been
playing
a
mean
bass
with
us
(a
Dan
Armstrong
at that)
and
I,
Tammy,
have
been
taking
all
my
February
frustrations out
on
a
well-meaning
djembe!
It
makes
for
a
good
groove and
shows
that
are
so
fun,
I
forget
I
sort
of
do this
for
a
living.
After
a
particularly
memorable
CB's
show
recently we
invited
everyone
back
to
the
gv
bunker
and
played
Paul Simon
covers
(for
some
reason)
into
the
wee
hours!
And,
we've been writing some new tunes...stuff that sounds
different to us and might to you too (so don't forget
to come out and see us play live). Everyone keep the
faith there about the CD...you wouldn't believe what
we've been through! It's in the mastering stage now,
and it sounds really amazing, thanks to Carmen Yates
and Thor Jonsson, aka our personal Wonder Twins. You'll
know it's done when you look up at the sky at night and
all the planets have aligned.
Thanks
again for all your support, and don't forget to write
to us and
tell us where you want us to come play! We're game.
december 5,
2000
CD
update:
we
have
reached
Final
Mixing!
We're so excited about this thing, I can't even explain.
We're being told by the boys at Thundergod that we'll have
it in our hot little paws by the new year. Which means
you'll have it in your cloven hooves soon thereafter! In
the meantime, we've been playing lotsa shows and meeting
boatloads of new people. . .highlights have included a
packed debut at The Bitter End in October and Nate
Borofsky's
fantabulous CD Release party at Club Passim last month.
He was such a rock star that we felt famous by association!
We'll be taking a little break from touring in order to
gorge ourselves, purchase products, and present them to
our loved ones, but we'll be back in 2001 with some kinda
chip on our collective shoulder. Have fun, everyone!
september 24,
2000
If
you're
one
of
the
countless
who
have
recently
wondered
(aloud), "So
.
.
.
when
IS
that
CD
coming
out??" this
section
is
for
you.
First
of
all,
it's
done!
Second
of
all,
you
can buy
it!
Right
now!
The
only
catch
is
that
you'll
have
to
wait
a
few
months
to
actually
get
the
thing,
because
it's
in
what
I've
affectionately
begun
calling
the "studio
eddy." For
those
of
you
who
don't
know,
an
eddy
is
a
current
at
variance
with
the
main
current
in
a
stream
or
other
body
of
water--in
other
words,
water
that
swirls
around
behind
a
rock
and
never
goes
anywhere.
It's
an
interesting
little
phenomenon
that
becomes
less
interesting
as
time
goes
on.
But
our
CD,
like
the
befuddled
water
I'm
describing,
has
its
own
logic,
and
we
just
have
to
trust
that
it
knows
what
it's
doing.
It's
all
about
having
faith
in
the
seemingly
paradoxical,
absurd,
ridiculous
nature
of
existence.
We
make
plans,
but
life
has
its
own
plans.
So,
as
you
can
see,
the
answer
to
your
question
is "four"!
But seriously folks! It's really done, and we really like
it. It's simply being mixed at the moment, after which
it'll be mastered, after which it'll ship to be duplicated,
after which it'll be Done done. Then, we'll send you as
many as you want! We'll send you many more than you want!
We honestly think it was worth the wait. We started this
project late in 1998 and have learned so much about recording,
singing, performing, patience, and each other in the process
that it's better called a stage of life than a compact
disc . . . we like it that way.
In the meantime, we'll be playing lots this fall . . .
so come on out and see
us live!
And as always, let
us know if
you have a particular place you'd like us to play, or if
you'd like to host a house
concert .
We're game!
--Tammy & Doris
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