REVIEW: Femme Singer-Songwriter Showcase A Powerful Homage to Queer Acceptance
01/25/25 @ Mojo’s Cafe and Gallery, Troy
All photos by Debi Gustafson
“At the beginning of a year where spaces like these may feel rare and endangered, this night was an important reminder to accept not only who we are, but who we can be, both in and out of our art.”
Soft pink and yellow lights illuminated the cozy, coffee-scented interior of Mojo’s Cafe and Gallery, shielding all who entered from the cold, bare January night outside. As jazz music played over the speakers, audience members found spots on cushioned chairs and couches on the outskirts of the room, chatting with each other and often with the artists.
There was a clear community already established in the room as friends caught up with one another, embracing the comfort and security of the space. As a bit of an onlooker, there was not a moment that I felt “out of place” in this intimate setting and among this group; it was a night where everyone shared in this moment of art and vulnerability.
The set up of the space had been explained to me over the phone by Laura Beth Johnson, perhaps better known as Girl Love, the curator of the night’s showcase. However, not being the greatest visualizer, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that when she said the crowd would be surrounded by the musicians, she really meant it. Two artists shared the stage in the back, Girl Love and JJ’s Okay, while Lina Franzine set up in the window-paned nook to the left of the door, while Amanda Case matched her on the right side of the entrance.
The night progressed in a typical round-style, rotating between the four artists for four songs each, featuring an exciting “speed round” in which each singer shared a short or unfinished tune with the crowd. By the end of round 1, nerves started to dwindle and stories began to be told, beginning with JJ’s Okay. This showcase, they shared, was their first show out as trans and under the name JJ’s Okay, marking an incredible stepping stone in their journey. Therefore, the first song, “Boy,” a track about gender written before their gender awakening, was especially beautiful, supported by a winding guitar melody that captured the audience's attention.
The round continued with Girl Love’s tune “All In,” an emotional track that she had played before an audience only once before, but was ready to share again in the safe space of the cafe. While all three other artists were on guitar, Girl Love took up the piano, and the deep tones perfectly encapsulated the complex feelings of struggling with religion and identity. Her voice is seemingly made for these types of slow, powerful ballads, which she brought into the second round with a protest song titled, “Stonewall.”
Franzine made her own marks on the night by switching between bubblegum, bedroom pop and acoustic rock, all featuring poignant, clever lyrics. Beginning with the easily sing-alongable “I Like The Room Better (When We’re In It Together),” she showcased light-hearted lines like, “But I’m drawn to you still, like a Looney Tune to a pie on a window sill…”. Later in the night, though, she played what would be my favorite song of hers from the evening, “Belinda,” an acoustic demo of which she recently released on Bandcamp. In this song, she gave herself opportunities to belt it out, driving home the powerful melody.
While the other three artists found themselves mainly in an indie range, Amanda Case brought the night in a more folk direction, delivering expert guitar playing with soft, strong vocals. She teased an unreleased song and a tune still in progress alongside two others, “Spectator” and “Attention.” Each song was tight, with catchy riffs and rich choruses that stayed in your head after you left the show, right alongside the messages she had deftly woven into each tune about love and identity.
When Johnson asked each artist to define what queer love meant to them, each had a beautiful answer, ranging from the deep knowingness found in those relationships, to the reason they are still here, to community. Amidst these messages, perhaps the most powerful sentiment of the night came from JJ: “Queer love is the love I have shown myself to accept my queerness. It’s not just an acceptance of something I was afraid to show other people, it’s an acceptance of what I am and what I can be.”
At the beginning of a year where spaces like these may feel rare and endangered, this night was an important reminder to accept not only who we are, but who we can be, both in and out of our art.
Listen to the artists mentioned here:
