L.A. or Bust 001
A Write-Up by Nat Lee
Howdy,
Thanks for stopping by. I’m Nat Lee, one of TRASH MAG’s new Music Journalists representing Los Angeles. Welcome to this new ongoing series of biweekly playlists curated by yours truly. So, you lucky listeners will be introduced to fifteen stellar tracks by female/queer/POC artists from the L.A. scene. Occasionally, I may plug non-L.A. artists that I think you should really know. The format and theme of this playlist will be ever evolving, but at the end of the day, I believe that marginalized artists are taking over local music scenes everywhere!
By sharing this music with you, I hope to encourage you to “decolonize” your music taste. In other words, I want to help you find new bands to actively support that are NOT cis-straight-white-male. There are numerous ways to support the artists featured on these playlists: go to their shows (when it is safe to do so again), watch their live streams, buy their merch, stream their music, engage with their social media content, and tell your friends about them.
This first edition of L.A. or Bust is a dedication to live music (I miss it so much, ugh!), as well as, the community that TRASH MAG has cultivated. As the head honcho behind Sleezehog Presents, a femme/queer/POC-run DIY promoter, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with TRASH MAG for our recurring collaborative series: Night of Queer Expression, hosted at Junior High in Hollywood, which highlights queer musicians, performers, poets, visual artists, crafters, etc.
Through going to shows and booking for Sleezehog, I’ve discovered and met the most talented local artists. The most fascinating phenomenon is the overlapping connections between fans, organizers, bands, and the like that demonstrates how tightly knit the L.A. scene is. No matter which L.A.-based collective/promoters’ show you attend, it is likely that you’ll see someone you’ve met before. This biweekly playlist is an homage to that; the powerful, diverse family that we all contribute to.
At last, I present to you, a sonically diverse playlist of various friends that I’ve had the pleasure of working with through Sleezehog and TRASH MAG. If there’s an artist that really clicks with you, please share your findings and tag @trashmagtrashmag! <3
Happy listening,
Nat
(@natatatatlee / @sleezehog)
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