GED MAGAZINE - December 2022

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Tis the holiday season and all of us at Gay Entertainment Directory wish you a very happy and healthy holiday and a prosperous new year! This month features an exclusive interview with David Archuleta who is sharing his story, his struggles, and his sexuality in a candid way that we have never seen before. We also spoke with filmmaker Myles Yaksich on the future of LGTQ film, and have a gay chorus roundup for the holidays.

We at GED Magazine are very thankful to our readers, advertisers, and partners for being part of the GED Fam ily throughout 2022. As we look ahead to 2023, we wish you all a very happy holiday season and new year. Upcoming issues include our Health and Fitness, Wedding, and Travel issues. Email sales@gedmag.com to re serve your ad space now and get into these exciting upcoming issues. Stay tuned to GED Magazine and GEDmag.com for all your holiday fun.

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Myles Yaksich The Future of LGBTQ Filmmaking

By Alexander Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy of Myles Yaksich

Steven Spielberg has served as an inspi ration to many writers, directors, and pro ducers - filmmaker Myles Yaksich is no dif ferent. But his journey from 5-year-old to international money guru, to a festival-win ning storyteller, is far from typical. His latest film, the critically acclaimed Albatross, is a darkly beautiful culmination of his worldly journeys, his experience as a member of the LGBTQ community, and his fascination with societal norms of past eras.

Born in Canada, his parents supported his entertainment interests with dance, film, and acting programs. As a family, they filmed a murder mystery short at their house while Myles was still in grade school. Fun fact: this is the home that Myles filmed Albatross in, making his feature directorial debut a true circle of life. Life took a shift, though, when he moved to Asia for over a decade with a career in investment banking and private equity. Not passionate about working in the finance industry, he made himself a promise to move to Los Angeles and make two shorts and a feature film. He did just that. Understanding the business side of things and with the organizational skills learned from the investment world, he has checked off his to-do list with fer vor. His first two short films, Poppies and Erin, won him awards from multiple film festivals including Best Director, Writer, and Best Film.

Albatross, which premiered at the Sedona Film Festival, also received over 4 awards across 3 continents including Best Indie Film, Best Script, and Best Director. Being compared to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, it is centered around an intimate dinner party in 1959 New England. Tackling is sues such as racism, classism, alcoholism, and sexuality, the film is a roller coaster of thought-invoking stories that, at first, seem unrelated but culminate into a truly dra matic denouement. Yes, trying to adhere to norms placed on us by social and political pressure can make us all a little crazy, if not a lot crazy. Myles was originally working on another piece in Los Angeles but returned home to Canada during COVID and found himself going from script to production in a matter of months. His full-length debut is well-crafted and masterfully shot. He has a way of capturing beauty and horror all at once. Also, with the talk of gay versus main stream filmmaking being the buzz topic of late, he presents a film that has gay themes but cannot just be categorized as being a gay film. This is the future of filmmaking.

We chatted with Myles about his unique life journey, his role as a gay filmmaker, and what’s up next.

Watching Jurassic Park was the spark that incited your interest in filmmaking. What exactly affected you about that style of sto rytelling?

Well, as a 5-year-old dinosaur junk ie (when Jurassic Park was released in 1993), it was simply the magic of seeing dinosaurs on screen for the first time, and the eventual realization that anything’s possible with film. More analyti cally, it’s the way Spielberg managed to capture both my attention and imagina tion for over 2 hours, while only giving the dinosaurs about 17 or so minutes of screentime. A huge lesson in how antic ipation and suspense can be more satis fying than seeing everything.

What made you head into a career in fi nance rather than filmmaking?

Although I’ve always been creative and analytical, enjoying both the arts and mathematics, I grew up in a relatively conservative environment that viewed the arts as more of a hobby. Moving to a financial hub, like Singapore, during my formative years, also played a key role in pushing me over the edge into invest ment banking. And I’m grateful I did, I worked in finance for years and learned a lot that I’ve brought into the film in dustry. Personal growth during that time enabled me to break down those expectations and some of the pressure to make a change and move to LA to pursue film.

You lived in Asia for over a decade. What kind of films/art were you watching the most?

Although it depended on where I was living, most of the big international films made their way over in some capacity, and I remember flying to Singa pore from Vietnam just to catch the 20th anniversary of Jurassic Park on IMAX (the first time I saw the film in theatres because I was too young the first time)!

With all the streaming platforms, I’m now finding out how many American films I actually missed out on during the 2010s (trust me, I’m catching up). I also watched a lot of Korean and Chinese films, as well as Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian content.

Living in Asia for a decade broadened my perspective and showed me that people have more in common than not. I tru ly believe we all want the same things; love, family, success, and advancement – but the ways in which we define those things and how we go about achieving them may be different. And those dif ferences are the root of cross-cultural conflict. This idea, cultural misunder standings, and varying interpretations of cultural symbols are explored in my first short film, Poppies.

What inspired you to leave finance and re turn to your first love?

After studying business and economics in Canada, I went on to study and work in Singapore and other parts of SouthEast Asia for nearly a decade, with a particular focus on Mergers and Acqui sitions and Private Equity. When it came time to take my career to the next level (by completing a master’s degree in the US), a work situation arose that inspired a self-evaluation, and pivoted my path toward filmmaking. Up until that point, I had always felt a certain degree of flex ibility in my career – if I wanted to make a movie one day I could. But the thought of entrenching myself in an MBA felt heavy, it would become that much hard er to change careers afterward. As a result, I moved from Asia to Los Angeles to pursue those creative childhood ambi tions and make movies.

How did you so quickly transition from life in Asia to returning home and successfully filming your first piece?

Perhaps part of my LGBTQ+ experience is being adaptable and nomadic; cre ating a home wherever I go. Although moving from Asia to Los Angeles was a bit of a culture shock, I was quick to make friends and build a community. I also moved here with a strong intention of changing careers and had a plan of mak ing two short films and a feature-length film. In order to accomplish this, I knew I had to hit the ground running and invest in building the best team I could. Now, working on my fourth film, I’m proud of that work and have defined a new set of goals to achieve.

Poppies is your first film. What did you learn most about filmmaking from this project?

While making Poppies, I learned a lot about the importance of teamwork and

how trusting your team can elevate your vision. When I moved to Los Angeles, I didn’t really know anyone in the indus try and took classes at UCLA Extension to build a quality network of experi enced industry professionals. About a year later, when I was ready to go into production on Poppies I turned to this network for recommendations and began building out a team that I’ve re lied on time and again. Throughout the films, I’ve also learned to trust this team, not only to realize my vision but also to elevate it.

Your films have garnered much attention and festival success…why do you think au diences and critics respond so strongly to your material?

There’s nothing like sitting in the theatre and hearing how the audience re sponds to the film you and your team have spent months or years creatinglaughter at the right jokes, gasps during the suspenseful beats, or pin-drop si lence during uncomfortable moments. Thankfully, Poppies, Erin, and Albatross have all been well received by the fes tivals and have shown internationally at Academy-Qualifying and prestigious festivals. All three films explore human stories and universal themes that ex pand the definitions of home, family, and belonging; whether it be the griev ing workaholic who searches for an swers in the elderly passenger beside him (Poppies), the young academic who questions his sexuality after an intimate pen-pal relationship (Erin), or examining the concept of self (identity, ethnicity, and sexual orientation) in the context of society, while illustrating the compro mises individuals are willing to make to feel as though they belong, during an awkward dinner party between a pair of newly introduced couples in 1959 New England (Albatross). I’m proud to say all three films are available on Amazon in the US, among other platforms like Ap pleTV and Spectrum.

What is most important to you about film making?

Connecting with others through shared experiences. When watching films, we go on a journey that enables us to learn about ourselves through the struggles of the character. This is why represen tation is so important; more diversity in storytelling means we can find more

ways to connect and ultimately bridge gaps in understanding others. For this reason, filmmaking can also be a very therapeutic process.

What is your creative process when writing a new script?

Generally, I start with a deep dive and brainstorm the motifs or themes I want to explore in the film. As that mind map expands, I move on to characters and plot points that might illustrate them. In tandem, I also build out mood boards that reflect the tone or aesthetic. So, with Poppies I started with the idea of cross-cultural conflict and misinterpre tations of cultural symbols, with Erin I wanted to explore the illusion of expectations and what’s better, reality or fan tasy. Albatross is all about compromise.

I’m also excited to share that I’m in de velopment on my next feature-length film, The Barracuda Alchemist, which questions the definition of self in a world where everyone craves a sense of belonging. The character-driven dra matic thriller follows a young artist nav igating a city that’s equal parts grunge and glamour while walking a tightrope in the face of temptation, teetering be tween naivety and arrogance.

What are the biggest challenges facing an independent filmmaker today (besides fi nancial)?

I’ve noticed an increasing amount of competition in the independent space coming from relatively large-budget dramas, which 10 years ago would have been studio pictures. These types of films feature an A-List cast and take premiere spots on the festival circuit, making theatrical distribution more challenging for low-budget films. Thankfully, streaming platforms provide an outlet for a wider range of stories at multiple budget lev els.

Albatross is a very dark, yet beautiful film. You tackle multiple social and political is sues without making it a soap box film. What were your biggest challenges in writ ing this script?

Asides from the limitations imposed by a COVID-compliant production (i.e., writing a film with one location and limited cast size, etc), giving characters that are quite damaged and flawed enough

dimension and authenticity so that they aren’t flat, or one-note was the most challenging part of writing the film. Get ting into the mindset of writing charac ters with ambitions or objectives that I don’t necessarily agree with was drain ing at times.

What themes do you most identify with in Albatross?

Each character in Albatross wrestles with compromise and struggles with a decision they’ve made in their past that impacts their future. To get literary, each character must reconcile their individu al ‘albatross.’ By the end of the night, do they come to terms with their burden, or let the past haunt their future by remaining in denial? That’s a pretty uni versal idea; coming to terms with past decisions that have impacted our pres ent or future direction.

What’s a young kid like you dealing with period pieces? Why do you set your stories in past eras?

The setting, including the time period, can be an effective tool to explore ideas from a distance. Turning to the past can help us understand the present and get some insight into the future. Through multi-generational storytelling, Poppies merges the present and the past to ex plore different types of love. Erin turns to the past to explore ideas about social media and living in fantasy.

Conceptually, I am fascinated by the ways we cope with challenging experiences to either grow or stagnate. Social media deters us from understanding differing opinions and encourages us to react emotionally to the impact alter nate opinions have on our community. It’s become too easy to shut the door, block an account, or add more filters to categorize others as either fitting with in or outside of our own bubble. With Albatross, I wanted to go back to a time when differing ideas were analyzed and discussed intellectually, not just blocked emotionally. The film is riddled with op posing philosophical perspectives, forc ing the characters to question the sta bility of their respective relationships and consider how the past or future will continue to nurture or deteriorate them. What happens when you can’t leave the dinner table?

Albatross deals with gay themes for sure, but I wouldn’t categorize it as a gay film. Is that the future of LGBTQ filmmaking?

This was something our team discussed a lot during the editorial process of the film and when we got feedback from test audiences; how gay is the film? The film was written with the intention of being a dramatic thriller that had gay characters. And as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I’ve written the story through a lens shaped by my own experiences. Consequently, there are probably sequences in the film that may be uncomfortable for some audience members. And I think that’s okay, discomfort is one of the ways film inspires conversation.

What have you learned the most about filmmaking from your first three projects?

That the creative process is fluid and a rollercoaster. Situations can change day by day, for better or worse. An investor pulls through, or an actor has a scheduling conflict – it’s continually fighting fires. Planning is crucial, but you can’t plan for everything.

How have you changed as a person since completing Poppies?

Since completing Poppies, I’ve developed a deeper sense of confi dence and trust in the creative process. Meeting other creatives reinforced how much we all want to create and encouraged me to open up to new opportunities and explore topics that I previously would have been uncomfortable with.

Hollywood is so concerned with using labels and highlighting sexuality – “gay actor plays this role, openly gay director releases new film,” and so on…do you think focusing on someone’s sexuality helps with representa tion or overshadows their skills or project?

Given the current climate, using labels to highlight diversity helps with exposure and building an audience. Hopefully, as audiences consume more diverse content, we won’t need to use as many labels and the work can speak for itself. If a film is good, it shouldn’t matter how the person who made it identifies.

How can we best support yet challenge other LGBTQ filmmakers?

Being supportive and open to various representations of LGBTQ characters and stories, even if they do not represent your individual experience. This is so challenging because there are still so few examples of mainstream LGBTQ characters and stories – when there is one, we want it to reflect us, exactly. Also, social media and the troll culture have made it so easy to criticize without consequence.

What film would you want to reboot?

I love films from the ‘80s and ‘90s, they explored much more edgy and controversial topics than films do today. Although they still hold up and do not need to be rebooted, reinventing stories like Mrs. Doubt fire or Tootsie would be great fun.

What is your biggest wish for the LGBTQ entertainment community?

Keep creating riveting content.

Albatross is available on YouTube, Apple TV, and Vudu. Follow Myles on IG: @MylesYaksich

A Dream is a wish your heart makes,

and all of your dreams can come true on board the Disney Wish!

By Ethylina Canne

I am a huge fan of all things Disney, thanks to my family taking me to theme parks from a very early age. I mean it is the Hap piest Place on Earth, so I often wonder how anyone couldn’t be a fan, but I digress. After many years of visiting the parks, I thought it was high time to get on board a cruise and experi ence it. I must tell you.... I am so happy I did.

The Wish sails out of Port Canaveral, and my friends and I chose a 5 day/4-night cruise to the Bahamas. From the mo ment we got to the port itself, we just knew we were in for a treat! The embarkation process was just a dream, and we

were on the ship within minutes of arrival, ready to explore the beauty and splendor of the boat. Our party was officially an nounced as we entered the Grand Hall, where a golden statue of Cinderella awaited. We felt like we had just arrived at the ball and our prince was waiting for us!

Our ocean view veranda room was ready promptly at 2 pm and comfortably slept the 3 of us. (We got along swimmingly the entire cruise…which was all due to the Disney Magic on board).

Dining options and shows await on board with a rotating se lection of Marvel with Ant Man, Arendelle with Olaf, Anna, and Elsa, and the glitz and glamour of the Roy and Walt Disney din ing rooms. Each evening had a spectacular menu, AMAZING entertainment, and the best part is that your wait staff moved with you each night making it such a personal experience.

Ahoy mates! It’s your favorite Cruise Director here wishing you a very Happy Holiday from deck 14 of the Disney Wish, the lat est cruise ship from the Disney Cruise Line. If you are thinking about going on a Disney Cruise or have wanted to…the time is NOW!

Day 2 was on shore in Nassau, Bahamas, which we chose to experience the wonders of the Atlantis Resort. We purchased an all-day experience package at the resort, which allowed us to go at our own pace and see the sights without having to be with a large group. We enjoyed all the water slides, one which you even got to swim with the sharks, the lazy river, and the aquarium of friendly fishes. We saw Nemo swimming by… no lies!!!! There was even a casino in the hotel, which Disney ships do not have on board, so I was able to find a Dolly Par ton slot machine and try my luck. Sadly, it was a “Hard Candy Christmas” and I didn’t come home a billionaire, but I still had tons of fun.

Day 3 was another day on shore at Disney’s private island “Castaway Cay” which included all you could eat BBQ, gorgeous beaches, and a parasailing excursion. The water was beautiful and the adult only section of the island was pure bliss. You could also hike the island or take a bike ride to explore if that was your fancy. Since I was on vacation, she found herself lounging in a hammock with an Olaf Freeze instead…lol

Back on the ship that evening, we were able to experience fireworks at sea!!! Disney is the ONLY cruise line where such a magical experience is allowed, and my heart almost burst with JOY! I mean, what more in the world could you possibly want.

Day 4 was a relaxing day at sea which allowed us to play bin go, eat more food (I made many trips throughout the day to the soft serve cone station), and enjoy the pool and lounge area at “Quiet Cove”, which was the adults only section. If children are an issue for you, do not fret, there are plenty of areas for relaxation without the kiddos.

Each evening we were able to catch Broadway caliber shows at the Walt Disney Theatre, which included a fun “Welcome Aboard” show with Goofy, The Little mermaid, and Aladdin. The cast was phenomenal, and I don’t think that you will find entertainment of that caliber on any other ship on the sea.

The crew on the ship truly were the highlight. Every person we engaged with was kind and made our trip extra special. The character photo ops and meet and greets were happening throughout the cruise with less than a 10-minute wait time, and I just LOVE a photo op. They even had those “Glamour Shot” cruise photos available, which we just had to get. I recommend getting the high-speed internet package AND the unlimited photo package as well to make your cruise one that you will remember forever!

There are 5 ships in the fleet and Disney is currently working on their 6th ship as we speak. I cannot recommend this cruise enough and am already looking to book another next year! If Halloween or Christmas are your thing, they have specific cruises for that too. The world awaits you and the Disney Mag ic on board will leave you wanting more!

Set sail to happiness my friends! Mickey and Minnie are wait ing for you!

www.disneycruise.disney.go.com Joyfully, Ethyl

Photo courtesy of Paper Airplanes Photography

David Archuleta: Finding His Voice

Last year, hours before kicking off his OK, All Right tour, per former David Archuleta had to cancel his appearance as well as his tour. His fans were shocked as the singer announced that he had ruptured a vocal cord, unsure of when he would sing again. His tour was to kick off just weeks after his very emotional so cial media video during which he shared that he intended to live a more authentic life as a gay man.

After a time of physical and mental healing, Archuleta has emerged with a voice stronger than ever, both literally and figurately. Not only did he star in his first professional musi cal theatre appearance in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but he released his latest single and music video “Faith in Me,” and is on tour with his intimate holiday show The More the Merrier. Hard to believe that he first made a splash al most 15 years ago on American Idol as 44 million votes made him runner-up in Season 7. Since then, he has enjoyed success after success with Billboard charting hits, sold-out tours, and a fan base that continues to thrive. Now, after all this time, David isn’t hiding anymore. He is sharing his story, his struggles, and his sexuality in a candid way that we have never seen before. Why now?

I guess it’s the way I was raised. I was always raised to share my beliefs and share what was important to me and so, even though I’ve had a shift in what I believe, I still hold to that core, the principle of sharing and being real, being authentic. It’s kind of hard for me to exist without being authentic; trying to be something I’m not feels very incomplete. So, I’m like, the more I figure myself out, the more I just need to get it out there and share it so that I can con tinue being myself and connecting with people. I feel like the ultimate goal is connecting with other people, whether that’s through music, talking, get-togethers, or the arts. I feel like it’s all about connecting with other people, I feel like the best way to do that, the most fulfilling way to do it, is to be authentic.

American Idol had instructed Archuleta to be outspoken, to shine his light. He went from being outspoken about being Mormon to talking about his blossoming sexuality, even at the risk of losing his fans.

A lot of people would say, well, why don’t you just keep it to yourself? This is an important thing because people made such a big deal about it being bad and being wrong, even calling it something that’s evil. And I felt I didn’t want peo ple to think I’m evil just because I’m allowing this part of myself to come forward and not try so hard to push it down and suppress it and pray that it be taken away from me. I want people to understand where I’m coming from.

I was afraid that people were going to reject me. I was afraid that people were going to think, oh, we don’t want to see this anymore. Because that’s how I dealt with LGBT anything. It might tempt me, it might pull me away, lead me astray. So, I thought maybe when I was realizing that’s not the case, but maybe people are going to think that of me, that I’m going to pull them away, lead them down this dark, dirty path, I was like, I just have to be myself. I have to be real because I want to be accepted for who I am. I don’t want to be accepted because people think I look good for them.

David was devastated as his voice began to deteriorate. After postponed dates and the ultimate tour cancellation, David had to make a full stop. His vocal cord was ruptured, and he had nodules, what was happening?

I think it probably was just a lot of stress. It was manifesting itself in my voice. I don’t think I knew how to identify myself anymore because I was going through a bit of a faith crisis and I didn’t know what to think of myself anymore, what to think of my beliefs, because my beliefs with Latter Day Saints and with Mormons, it’s kind of like, it’s either true or it’s not. You accept all of it as real, the real deal, or it’s not, it’s not just like a nice concept to live by. I didn’t know how to live in both worlds because I was trying to be like, why can’t I just be how I am? There are so many people like me who are queer, part of the LGBTQ+ community who are hurting. They are trying to stay here, but everyone keeps feeling like they’re getting pushed away because people don’t want to acknowledge them, they don’t want to deal with their problems, and they don’t want to deal with their hurt. Maybe they think it’s better if they just kind of disap pear and go off and then we can make whatever assump tions we want of them. Like, oh, they just gave up, or they just lost their belief, or they just preferred to be sexual and lustful over being a good person. I thought, wait a second. That’s why I have to share what I’m going through because I know I’m not the only one going through it. And when I did, some of my church leaders were fully supportive, but then other church leaders who were higher up that were just kind of like, well, maybe it’s okay for you to date guys, but you can’t marry because that’s unnatural and that’s against the way God designed things.

I asked them questions and presented where I was coming from. I tried to get married, I tried to do that, because they were saying, well, maybe it’s okay for you to still be attracted to men, but you still should marry a woman. I’ve tried that three times. I bought three engagement rings. I

DAVID ARCHULETA as Joseph

Photo by Leavitt Wells

tried to move forward with that, but it’s hard to be honest. My exes would say, why you’re so cold? There’s something strange that just doesn’t feel right. I am doing everything I can, I don’t know what else I’m supposed to be doing. And so, I tried to present those issues to them, and they would be like, well, we don’t know what to tell you in a sense. I’m like, shouldn’t something be done? Because there are a lot of people hurting, A lot of people are thinking it’s better for them to end their lives than to accept that they’re queer or LGBT in any form.

If this is about bringing people in and saving them and rescuing them, why are you letting this whole entire group of people just go away feeling horrible about themselves? And they didn’t really have any answers for me, and it just seemed like it was something they didn’t want to talk about. If this is about godliness and love, I don’t feel like that’s a godly decision. And I don’t think it’s a loving deci sion. If we’re believing in a Savior, in Christ, who said He left the 99 to go after the one, I’m like, this is the LGBT sheep, that’s the lost one, and you’re just letting it go. I asked a lot of things and they had no answers. My thought is they are too afraid to go to a place, you know, admit that maybe there are some faults in the way our beliefs are.

With his newly found voice and confidence in his relationship with his faith, David was ready to challenge himself. This sum mer he starred in Tuacahn Amphitheatre’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, for a multi-week run. Even this consummate live performer had some trepidation in taking on the iconic role.

To be honest, I was really hesitant. I was really scared. I’d never done theater before; it seemed like a lot. My manag er’s mom said, “I just want to see David in the role of Joseph before I die!” And so, when this opportunity came and they’re like, hey, would you be Joseph? I said I guess I can for Carrie’s mom. But I got so much more out of it. It went from, well, I’m going to do this for the sake of fulfilling this wish that my manager’s mom had, to having so much fun. I loved it. I felt like I belonged, I felt like I was home on that theater stage. I’m not the greatest actor, but the music tell ing a story with this whole cast is amazing.

The biggest challenge was just being comfortable being theatrical, getting into character, and into emotions. The acting side always intimidates me, it’s not something that comes completely naturally to me, but I think it was easier because Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musicals are basically sung entirely. There are no speaking parts, if there are any, it’s very few. And that made it a good segue into the theater world for me because my acting was accompanied by music. I could sing my acting but having to do the choreogra phy and stuff was different for me. I do the little spins in the coat and learn staging. All that stuff. I mean, we had to do some for American Idol staging, but it’s nothing like the theater world. But I had so much fun.

Having fun and feeling liberated is center stage in David’s mu

sic. His latest single “Faith in Me” is a most relaxed, fluid, and joyful David than what we’ve seen before.

I wanted it to feel liberating to be free and fun. I wanted it to feel like you’re dancing around in your room by your self like no one’s watching, kind of a feeling where you just don’t care what anyone thinks. I wanted to capture that emotion of not caring what anyone thinks because I care so much about what everyone thought of me, especially when it came to my sexuality. I was so self-conscious. I was ashamed of it. I felt guilty, I felt like I needed to change it; and if I couldn’t change it, I needed to work as hard as I could to hide it and push it down, suppress it. So, to let it come out and just experience it fully, see what it’s like to like a guy and not feel ashamed about it, but feel the beauty of it, the excitement, the wonderful feelings, and the butterflies you can feel, it was liberating. The lyric says “Who cares what anyone else will say?” I wanted it to feel like that. So even if the people aren’t coming out, I just wanted it to feel like I’m going to dance in my room to this song like no one’s watching. And the video is the same feeling.

David actually had to rewrite the song he had originally started working on before he came out. Reworking the song is a literal mirror of his personal life.

Photo courtesy of Zack Knudson

I was dating a girl. I was dating my last ex-fiancée when I had written it, and it still had a fun feeling to it. It had an eighties vibe, but then it went downhill. LOL. I let her know, and I said, “Hey, I think I need to date guys, and I need to end this relationship. I need to see what that’s like.” Then I came out a few weeks after that and then the song was just put on the shelf for a year. And then I was like, but I love the fun carefree element to this song. So, I rewrote the verses and the pre-chorus, and we changed the production to give it a little more kind of rock pop, rock alternative feel to it. I rewrote it so it could fit where I was at in life, which is that I had come out and it had been a year since I’d come out and what it felt like, what it feels like to have feelings for someone you are excited to like, and the sensation and just going for it. No rules, no stops.

David is shifting the narrative. His holiday The More the Merrier tour will be a very different experience for his fans.

I usually went with this grandiose kind of epic feeling of Christmas songs in my previous shows. I wanted to do a different take just because I’m in a different part of my life now. I’ve had a bit of a faith crisis and a faith journey. So, I wanted to take a step back; still capture the awe and won der of Christmas, but looking at it as an adult now, more of reminiscing on that awe and wonder of the Christmas story

and Christmastime and the presents and Santa Claus. Ev erything was so magical. I think when you get older, a lot of those elements are taken away. It’s not as magical as it was before. I’m going to be more intimate. I’m still debating, it might be just me on the stage, just to make it feel like a liv ing room experience. Kind of like looking back and you’re talking with your family in the family room. Just taking a more chill take on Christmas shows. I’ll still do vocal stuff, but I just want to keep it more intimate this time with the setlist and everything.

And David’s holiday message to his fans?

I’m just blown away by how supportive they’ve been. Thank you so much for going through this journey with me. Some parts of it were scary for me. It was hard to come to terms with myself, to accept my sexuality, to talk about it openly, and share it with other people. So, I’m just thankful that people are willing to listen and let me grow in front of everybody. When I was a teenager, people watched me grow and now I’m just growing in another way, in front of everybody. Thank you for listening to my music, supporting me in that way, but also supporting me in my personal life changes as well. It means the world.

Follow all things David at DavidArchuleta.com

ON STAGE

JENSON

cember 3rd. It’s hard to believe this incredible group is now 21 years old. I stage managed their concerts for their first nine years, so I have a special love for them.

PALM SPRINGS: Gay Men’s Chorus of Palm Springs (psgmc.com) “Naughty or Nice” at The Annenberg Theatre, Palm Springs Art Museum, December 16, 17 & 18. Broadway star Michele McCo nnell, who played Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera on Broad way for 2,400 performances, will once again join the 90-man chorus for three fun-packed performances.

The Lincoln Debate uses five actors to explore the fact that Abraham Lincoln shared his bed with a young male soldier for some four years before marrying Mary Todd. One is The Guide, the other four only get assigned roles as the show starts. They frequently “break the fourth wall,” speaking directly to the au dience, and very importantly they don’t reach a conclusion. They simply present the evidence to the audience. It is such an intriguing subject that I know I’m eager to see “the debate.” It will be presented at the Palm Springs Cultural Center starting on December 14. For exact details of performance dates, times and tickets, visit www.TheBent.org.

Bent Theatre is working on a diverse collection of gay classics, new gay works, new twists on existing plays, and a first in Palm Springs: lesbian plays! Most importantly, they plan to give plays the chance to be rehearsed adequately to present quality production. In fact, they plan to make Palm Springs gay theatre proud; to be a nationally recognized company for producing theatre of quality.

GAY MEN’S CHORUSES: California is blessed with almost a dozen gay men’s choruses. Their concerts are typically a mix of serious music to show their bona fides, and then a fair bit of camp and silliness to show, well, their gayness. Their concerts are a place you can comfortably bring your straight friends and family to. You might even consider auditioning for one of the groups if the guys look like folks you would like to socialize with one night a week. The groups are a great alternative to bars.

LOS ANGELES: Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (gmcla.org) “A Motown Holiday” at Royce Hall, Westwood, December 17 & 18. This talented group is in their 44th year of performing and has produced quite a catalogue of recordings, as well as perform ing in concerts with numerous celebrities. And gay men doing Motown? What a Christmas present!

ORANGE COUNTY: Men Alive (ocgmc.org) “Merry and Bright: Tinseltown” at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, De

PALM SPRINGS: Modern Men (ModernMen.org). Only Palm Springs could support two full gay men’s choruses. This out standing group will present “Sparkle: A Galaxy of Song” on December 10 & 11 (with a preview (November 27) at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (former Camelot Cinema). For you Palm Springs readers, this would be a great opportunity to compare the two choruses – and perhaps to decide to audition for one of them.

SACRAMENTO: Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus (sacgaymen schorus.org) “Holiday Hits with a Splash of Sass!” at Pioneer Congregational Church, Sacramento, December 9 - 13. This chorus was founded in 1984, but only added the word “Gay” into their title in 2006.

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus (sdgmc.org) “Jingle” at Balboa Theatre, San Diego, December 10 - 11. This group of 200+ men is one of the ten largest gay men’s choruses in the USA, and there is nothing quite like hearing 200 voices singing together!

SAN FRANCSISCO: Golden Gate Men’s Chorus (ggmc.org) “Voic es Singing, Let’s Be Jolly” at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco, December 15 - 20. This group’s history is reversed in that they were formed as a “Gay Chorale,” and then in 1988 changed to the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus, I assume to distin guish them from SF Gay Men’s Chorus, and to be inclusive of their non-gay members. They are a group of excellent vocalists with many recordings on sale worldwide.

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (sfgmc.org) presents “Holiday Spectacular” at various locations December 10, 11, 18 & 19 plus three special performances at the Castro Theatre December 24. Their Christmas Eve concerts at the Cas tro Theatre are so popular that they present it three times on the one day – and they generally sell out all three!

SAN JOSE: Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus (scvgmc.org) “Ever green” at Santa Clara University Recital Hall, December 9 - 11. This group is proudly celebrating their 40th anniversary!

with STAN

MICHAL NICOLAS is Unbreakable

Teamm8 Brings a New Gender Neutral Style

By Alexander Rodriguez

No doubt, you have drooled over the impossibly hot models on men’s fashion wear Teamm8’s social media. Headquartered in Austra lia, the brand of underwear, activewear, and swimwear has become an international sensation. The designs are sleek and sexy in their simplicity. Not much is left up to the imagination as these masterfully cut designs hug and accentuate the male form in all of its beauty.

The brand has become an empire; a far cry from the company’s early start in Michal Nicolas’ living room with a simple website and just two styles of underwear. Michal would run every aspect of the business in those early days. And though the line and his team have become a full-blown enterprise, the brand has never lost that boutique style of operation, reflecting their customers’ changing needs and preferences every step of the way. Their core customer is the ‘everyday champion,’ not necessarily an athlete, being champions in whatever fields they choose to play on.

As the company enjoys its 14th year in business, its line has evolved to reflect the current social themes in today’s climate. Kicking off fall with the release of Teamm8 ONE, the line is an extension of the company’s Skin products, reflecting the beauty of all people from all races. Designed by Michal, Teamm8 ONE celebrates gender. With the celebration of non-binary and trans members of our community, this line can be worn by all genders, because, as Teamm8 puts it, “whether one’s pronouns are They, He or She, everyone demands to feel seen, heard and respected this season.” In addition to featuring the usual bevy of male models, this campaign features different ethnicities, ages, and genders and shot them in gear that matched their skin tones.

Teamm8 is the perfect gift this holiday season for yourself, your SO, or your crush. In addition to Teamm8 ONE, they have released a more risque AERIAL line with see-through mesh and darker colors, making after-dark play a bit more fun. “Our customers don’t follow trends, they drive them,” Nicolas remarks. “They demand gear that allows them to stand out from the crowd.”

We chatted with Michal about the early days of Teamm8, the evolution of men’s underwear, and going gender neutral.

Photo courtesy of Teamm8

Before starting Teamm8, what were you do ing career-wise?

I had a career in music just prior to start ing Teamm8, although that does feel like a lifetime ago! I made dance/pop music, and it was the love of my life for a while and I enjoyed my years in the industry and got to travel the world, which I’m very grateful for. I also spent many years in the fashion industry working my way from stock control to sales assistant to manager to fashion buyer, so I learned a lot about the industry from the ground up which was invaluable experience be fore deciding to start my own label.

What fashion designers or styles inspired you to start designing?

I’ve always loved classic aesthetics. It’s more about fit and cut for me than it is about bells and whistles. So back when I launched Teamm8 as an underwear label I was inspired by what brands like Calvin Klein were doing. It was classic but it was sexy because to me understated is very sexy if you get the design right.

What made you decide to start Teamm8?

If I’m totally honest, I fell out of love with making music and the lifestyle the industry calls for and wanted to make a big change in my life. Fashion was an other big love, more specifically creating my own brand, so I took a leap of faith! I’m very proud of being Australian and I wanted the brand to really represent our lifestyle and values. Sport is a very big part of Aussie life and so is mateship (we call everyone mate here), so when I final ly landed on Teamm8 it immediately felt right to me. I wanted something that felt Australian, and the word teammate combined both of those qualities I wanted to evoke. I just abbreviated the mate to m8 and then Teamm8 was born.

What were some of the biggest challenges in starting your own clothing line?

Starting any sort of business is not for the faint-hearted, especially endeavoring to launch your own brand. It’s costly and requires dedication and sacrifice but I’ve always been someone who takes chances. I’d rather say I’d given something a go than spend the rest of my life wondering and regretting.

Apart from the obvious challenges any start-up faces, I would say one of the things that kept arising was people think

ing I was crazy to think I could compete with the big men’s underwear players at the time like Calvin Klein. I didn’t see it that way though, I just believed that I had something to offer and believed there was room in the market for Teamm8. Be sides, I was never naive enough to think I could take on multinational companies and it was never my intention anyway. I just believed in what I was doing and used that as my motivation.

You didn’t have any formal background in design and production – what mistakes did you learn from early on?

What mistakes didn’t I make?! Although I had extensive fashion industry expe rience, I didn’t have any production and design experience, so I knew this was go ing to be my obvious hurdle to overcome but I just knew it was something I could do. I literally had to do everything myself. What I didn’t know how to do, I taught myself, basically because I had to. I had so much to lose that I had no choice but to make it work.

As cliche as it sounds, I saw mistakes as lessons, and there were many of them! Heck, I still make them today but that’s because there is no magic formula, I just believe in doing what feels right at the time but of course, with hindsight, there are some things I would definitely have done differently.

Why do you think Teamm8 prod ucts have become so in demand, what sets Teamm8 apart?

Above all, we’ve always made sure our quality spoke for itself, it’s a big deal for us. So, when guys discover us and find they can have stylish designs that aren’t over the top but still very much on trend and sexy, they appreciate what we’re offering. We have a very loyal cus tomer base, and we love that about our Teamm8s.

How has the line changed the most over the years?

When I launched it 14 years ago, the men’s underwear market wasn’t as satu rated as it is now, but I think choice and competition are great things. It keeps us all on our toes. But Teamm8 has always organically evolved and changed over the years. I launched the label as purely underwear in the start, but a couple of years later introduced swimwear then

not long after that I launched activewear. So now we pretty much have you covered from your undies to the beach, gym, and everything in between.

How have you changed as a designer the most over the years?

I always lean toward a classic aesthetic, and I’d say when I started I was definitely designing for myself, which I don’t think is uncommon. But as Teamm8 grew it became very apparent that you have to design for your customer, not just for yourself. So now, as Creative Director, I have to take all that into consideration. Making sure we stay on brand but also making sure we are listening to what our customers want.

What is your creative process when design ing a new piece?

It’s a collaborative process these days, my whole team is involved in the de sign. We’re a very tight-knit group and we work on everything together. Sometimes that’s a lot of chefs in the kitchen but we always end up with a clear and unique Teamm8 offering. We consider what has worked previously, and we listen to valuable feedback but at the end of the day, as Creative Director, I want to make sure what we are offering remains fresh and exciting. The key is to not get too hooked on trends. At Teamm8, we’re more into delivering go-to pieces that will endure and give you options for sea sons to come. Having said that, of course we make ourselves aware of color pal ettes and cuts that come into fashion and make sure we are current as well as clas sic. That is our DNA at Teamm8 and how we keep our boys happy.

What are the basic essentials for a gay man’s dresser drawer and closet?

Every guy needs great underwear, that’s the basic rule! Then you need plain, slo gan-free t-shirts and a slim fit but NOT skinny jeans, they’re over boys! You also should have great-fitting sweatpants, gym shorts, and clean white sneakers. It really doesn’t have to be complicated, keep it simple and effective.

What sparked the decision to go gen der-neutral?

It just felt like another organic evolution to release a gender-neutral line. How do you live in these current times and not want to unify and celebrate our differenc

es? We’re still a menswear brand but we wanted to send a message out there that we support and respect everybody irrespective of gender identity, race, or whatever it is that makes us all unique and beautiful!

It’s great to see men’s fashion taking risks and not just conforming to a certain ideal. I think we’ll see more gender neutrality in menswear, and I think that’s a great thing. If a guy wants to wear a skirt or long flowing top, then why the heck shouldn’t he? Above all though, to me, great fashion is what makes you feel comfortable and confident. If you’re not feeling that in what you’re wearing, then fashion is pointless.

How have themes like body positivity and inclusion affected your line?

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive brand, especially when it comes to diversity. It’s very important to us and the success of our SKIN and TEAMM8 ONE lines are testament to that. But because we’re an ac tive brand a lot of people just assume that we only want to promote the bodies that go with that but we’re an Australian brand and a lot of peo ple here live a very active lifestyle, and we depict that. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to have a six-pack to feel good about yourself. Far from it!

Our customers stretch over many age groups and body shapes, and we now offer everything in sizes XS to XXL. We would love to offer more but as a small brand it’s hard to do that, but that doesn’t mean we don’t support body positivity.

What effect do you think gay fashion has had on mainstream men’s wear?

Gay men’s fashion used to lead mainstream men’s wear but to be honest, I think it has reversed over the last 10 or so years. That is not a neg ative thing, in fact, I think it’s incredible that the mainstream market recognizes that all men want to look good and now menswear is at the forefront and not just a fashion by-product. But now you see gay guys looking at what cool straight guys are wearing and being inspired by that.

What is your biggest wish for Teamm8?

Notching up 14 years in this industry is no easy feat, and of course, I am super proud of that and beyond grateful that Teamm8 has carved itself a niche and continues to grow and flourish. None of that would be possible without the guys that love and support us and it’s my mission to keep giving them what they love and deserve. Here’s to the next 14 years!

Spill the tea, does it ever get tiring being around so many hot models?

Hideously so. [Laughs]   OK, I definitely can’t deny that we get to work with some very good-looking guys and, I know this sounds weird, but when you have a team of people and a thousand things are going on you are just focused on the job at hand. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have hot guys around but to me, if they aren’t down to earth and super nice then they’re not Teamm8 models and we don’t work with them.

What item in your closet is your guilty pleasure item, something maybe not so fashionable but that you love?

I love my sports slides and will wear them every chance I get! To me, they can replace a sneaker, but they still feel like a guilty pleasure. During summer it’s so nice not to have your feet bound in shoes all the time.

Head to Teamm8.com for your holiday underwear needs and visit them on IG: @Teamm8

Harmony for the Holidays The Music of Modern Men

By Kevin Perry

We waste endless amounts of time denying our desires, our vul nerabilities, and ourselves. When we grow old, we want to be younger; after we overindulge, we crave a slim, lithe figure; and during our formative years, many of us wish to be straight. But nature is undeniable. Truth penetrates our consciousness like the perfect tune, swelling to a crescendo of realization and satis faction. You can’t refrain from dancing to the beat, humming with the melody, and echoing the lyrics that speak directly and urgent ly to your soul.

Being gay is the ultimate playlist, and the song must go on.

“You get a feeling from music,” declares Dr. Stan Hill, artistic di rector of Modern Men, a Palm Springs based LGBTQ+ chorus brimming with transcendence. “My whole thing - my raison d’être, I guess, if you want to call it that, is to try and nurture that and let that come out so people go away feeling wonderful, feeling uplifted, feeling inspired. I think music does that better than any thing else.”

Dr. Hill not only speaks with boundless enthusiasm, but he also speaks from experience.

“I’ve been a singer since I was eight years old on television,” he narrates. “It was called Faith of our Children and a different movie star would teach a Sunday school class.”

Basking in the memories that reverberate in his brilliant mind, Hill continues, “Roy Rogers was one of them, Dale Evans was another one. So we had all of these people that taught the Sunday school class and then there was this choir and I was a member of the choir… Because I was the soloist, they put a black velvet bib on me. So my head floated above the chorus.”

Despite the pious perspective of the program, young Stan took every opportunity to revel in rebelliousness.

“We were wild and crazy young kids,” recounts Hill. “We had the run of the entire NBC Studios and, you may not remember this, but there was a show by Groucho Marx called You Bet Your Life. That studio was right next door. So we would go playing around and pretend we were Groucho Marx and the bird comes down and tells you what the word of the day was and all of that. It was kind of fun.”

Punctuating his reminiscences with a timestamp, Dr. Hill narrates, “This was in ‘52, this was before the freeway.”

It’s now 70 years later, but Stan Hill hasn’t slowed down a bit. He still relishes the chance to pretend and to play, pivoting his en ergy from the small screen to the bigtime. After leading the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus for over a decade, he spent another 12 years as the director of the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus. From there, Dr. Hill moved to Palm Springs and moved audiences with his unique approach to arrangement and camaraderie.

“The thing that is impressive about this particular chorus, Modern Men, is with the exception of the accompanist and I, it is entire ly volunteer. Every single person on every committee and on the board are all volunteers. And what that does, it engenders a whole new level of commitment and dedication to the organization.”

That passion is on full display at this year’s holiday concert, a ce lestial celebration that is truly out of this world.

“The theme of the show is Stars,” explains Hill. “I wanted music that either mentioned stars or was evocative of stars, all the way from Broadway, from Les Miserables, one of the major songs that is sung

by Javert is called Stars. So, I’ve commissioned some music, espe cially from our wonderful in-house composer, Bob Seeley, to do medleys of songs with stars. A lot of them are holiday related. I think that’s wonderful.”

Drilling into the details of the program, Dr. Hill orchestrates a blend of excitement and restraint.

“One of the favorite pieces of the chorus, which I think you’ll love, is called Night of Silent, Silent Night. So, it’s a mashup where two songs, completely different songs, are sung at exactly the same time… We have one of the world’s greatest ASL interpreters in Tom McGillis. He was the ASL interpreter for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus for many, many years. He’s moved to the desert, and he’s now joined us and we love him for that. But the last verse of Silent Night will be done in utter and complete silence. The only thing you’ll hear is the rustle of the guys’ tuxedo jackets as they move to interpret ASL, interpret Silent Night, in complete silence.”

Overcome with the power of his own vision as it takes shape, Hill utters an exclamatory whisper. “I’m getting chills.”

Eager to share the spotlight, Dr. Hill beams as he sings the praises of his esteemed ensemble.

“I’ll tell you; these guys sing like you can’t believe. They’re just incredible singers. What we are doing is lifting people up. We’re full of affirmation. Our music is positive. We always move them in some way. There is always going to be an emotional 11 o’clock moment where we just hit them right between the eyes with something very poignant and then we end up with just having fun and every single concert, our members file out and they make a reception line, and they say thank you to every single person

who came to their concert. That’s how personal it is with Modern Men.”

But every experience, no matter how intimate, ripples profoundly through our surroundings, and Stan Hill is proud to conduct these shockwaves of inclusivity.

“Sometimes we think of our community as a specific group of people with the wall around us. I see community as an opportu nity to bring in and include and really lift up every single person. Our audience is probably 60/40 gay/straight, with 60% gay, but we have a lot of straight people, and I consider that part of our community too... The more we reach out, the more we become one in ideas and positive reflection of ourselves, I think we em brace a larger and larger and larger community.”

From the macro to the micro, Hill hones in on the magic of music. “Singing is directly connected to your psyche. Your whole person ality is exposed when you sing. My job as an artistic director is to select repertoire, which allows their inner voice, the person that no one else sees, the person they know to be themselves, it gives them a chance to express themselves in ways that are not avail able to everybody. If they are convincing enough in that, it rubs off on the audience… They go away with a whole new apprecia tion for the organization and for the guys in it. There is a wonder ful saying that you may not remember the specific song we sang, but you’ll never forget how you felt when you heard it.”

There is strength in sound, there is empowerment in empathy, and there is wonder in the wintry whimsy of Modern Men’s hol iday show. Enjoy it with someone you love.

www.modernmen.org

Photos courtesy of Modern Men

GAYME GUIDE

with JOSH JAQUEZ AND STEVEN H. GARCIA

Black Summoner

By Josh Jaquez

Kelvin wakes in a forest with no memory of who he is, when a voice notifies him that he was accidently killed and reincar nated into a world of fantasy and magic. The voice introduces herself to Kelvin as the goddess Melfina and tells him that he exchanged his memories in order to gain extraordinary power as a summoner. This is the beginning of Kuro no Shōkanshi or Black Summoner which is based off the light novel written by Doufu Mayoi which was published two years later with illustra tions by Kurogin. Then getting a manga adaptation illustrated by Gin Ammo two years after the illustrated novel. Kelvin’s first attempt at battling turns out to be harder than he thought but soon learns how to strategize during a fight and how to tame a creature. It isn’t too long before the two are joined by a half-elf named Efil, a slime Kelvin tamed then named Clotho, the black knight Gerard, Sera the daughter of the former demon king, and Ange a summoned hero. The group learns early on that Kelvin is not and Ange are not the only people summoned from another world, there was a group of four high school students that were teleported and are supposed to work with Kelvin to fight the new demon king before he gets too powerful. But as this is the group’s first time around they are all a great deal weaker than Kelvin. As soon as he realizes the difference in their stats Kelvin comes up with a plan to both test and teach the new adventurer team. The first season can be watched dubbed or with subtitles on Crunchyroll, or Amazon if you want to rent or buy it.

Gotham Knights

By Steven H. Garcia

Gotham Knights is an open world action RPG developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The story takes place immediately in the after math of the death of Batman, uncovering the dark truth of a secret society group known only as the Court of Owls, and their plans for Gotham City. The game focuses on the characters Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Robin (Tim Drake), and Red Hood (Jason Todd). Each character has their own unique playstyle and abilities and after each character solves 10 premeditated crimes you will unlock Knighthood and their Heroic traversal abilities. Nightwing is very acrobatic and is built for healing and support and uses a drone glider to fly across the map called the Flying Trapeze. Batgirl feels the most like playing as Batman and is the most tank-like of the group, she is also the only one of the four that can glide like Batman. Robin focuses a lot of stealth abilities and take-downs he’s able

to teleport via the Justice League’s satellite for seven seconds at time across the map, Red Hood is a bit slower than the others but hits the hardest and focuses on range attacks, he can also tap into the power of the Lazarus Pits energy to perform midair double jumps off of mystical platforms. The overall story is intriguing with some surprises to uncover.

A cooperative online multiplayer mode is also included, allow ing two players to play through the single-player campaign together. A separate four-player cooperative mode named “He roic Assault” was just added. Players must battle enemies in an arena-like environment while completing various objectives. The level cap of the game is level 30 but when you play New Game+ you can unlock levels 30-40.

Gotham Knights is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Chadwick Johnson is Unbreakable

By Alexander Rodriguez

Whenever tickets for a Chadwick Johnson concert are available, snatch them fast because his fans are fierce, and his performances are quickly sold out. A staple of the Las Vegas community, the Las Vegas Review Jour nal calls him “a vocalist blessed with a nearly flawless voice.” Indeed. His crystal-clear voice and soaring notes quickly set him apart, he has a cer tain vocal magic that comes through in both his studio and live audience work. He has appeared nationally and internationally, including at Bird land’s Jazz Club in NYC, Feinstein’s at Vitello’s, The Purple Room, Catalina Jazz Club, and the prestigious Smith Center for the Performing Arts where he recorded his live album “Live In Las Vegas.”

His style is a perfect blend of jazz and pop, and his original music rivals the quality of the well-known songs he covers. He has collaborated with mu sic icon David Foster, earning him recognition with the Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Song of The Year.” Chadwick’s 2019 album Stormy Love topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart and featured special guest, saxophone megastar Grace Kelly. Perhaps the key to his success is his sto rytelling. He is not just singing the notes, he is taking you on a journey.

His latest album, Unbreakable, is perhaps his most intimate project to date. Recorded in Nashville, the provocative track list resonates with personal themes of love, determination, and resilience. Instead of com ing from a place of being broken, he shares how he overcomes what life throws at us. It is soulful and optimistic. With no signs of slowing down, he is set to release his holiday single “It’s Almost Christmas,” with a series of holiday performances in the works.

What sets your music apart from other singers?

Each of us has a specific point of view on life and all that it brings. Our perspective is unique to us. I really try to focus on bringing my unique perspective to the lyrics and melody of every song I sing whether it be a song I’m covering or one of my own original songs. At that moment, I’m not concerned with anyone else’s point of view, I just focus on filtering the song through me and my life experiences. I feel that is how we as artists can make a song of our own.  We each have something unique to share and I hope that the message from my heart resonates with people.

Do you remember your first professional gig, what was it and how did it go?

My first professional gigs were in the studio singing demos for established songwriters that I had met when I first moved to Los Angeles.  I was so inexperienced. I remember when the producer asked me to ad-lib at the end of a song that I was recording (meaning I needed to improvise with the lyrics and melody), I had no idea how to sing something that I hadn’t already learned and memorized. This really pushed me to discover how to find my vocal freedom and sing with abandon.

What is your creative process when writing new music?

I have been co-writing a lot over the last few years with Ka lani Queypo and I think it’s a little different for each song. It is important for me to live life and experience relationships and this ever-changing world.  That’s where I find my inspi ration.  There is usually something that one of us or both of us have been experiencing that we can draw on and write about. We often start with a catch-up conversation and chat about life and what each of us has been observing or experi encing.  We find something that we both relate to, and then we begin.  Sometimes it starts with a lyric idea or concept, other times I just start playing a melody on the piano and we build it from there.  In all our songs, our goal is to lead with humanity and dig into the emotions and the human experience that we all have no matter where we come from or how we identify ourselves.

Do you think it is still limiting to be an openly LGBTQ singer?

I hope not.  I am optimistic that people are willing to celebrate different races, beliefs, and sexes.  I believe there is room for everyone in the arts.

Storytelling is a big part of your music…you share a lot on stage and through your music. Your social media focuses a lot on your career and music, not so much on your personal life. Is this an ac tive choice?

I am an independent artist, which means that I eat, sleep, and drink my music career, and I love it, so that truly is where so much of my time is spent. I also feel like when I am in a person al setting with people, I am there to experience and connect with them. I’m not there to be thinking of my next social media post. Social media is a wonderful tool that keeps us connect ed but I also still have a desire to just be with my friends and loved ones and I don’t feel a need to capture it all on camera.

Tell us the inspiration behind “Unbreakable.” Are you unbreakable?

“Unbreakable” is a song that holds a tremendous amount of personal meaning for me. The message of these lyrics is my fierce answer to the struggles that may shake us but will never break us. It’s about resilience! In recent times I think we all have felt broken and uncertain of our futures. We are living

in a complex and difficult world, but I hope that this song and this album will remind people of their humanity. My hope is that it will remind people that who we love and who loves us in return is the most important part of our journey. Our low moments don’t define us, we learn from them and they make us stronger, they make us “Unbreakable.”

What was it like recording the album in Nashville, that must have been a surreal experience!

The “Nashville way” or recording is AWESOME!  It’s organic and old school in the sense that all the musicians record play ing together at the same time.  The musicians there are topof-the-line and they almost always nail it in one take. It was nerve-racking to perform with them like this.  I was so worried I’d make a mistake and throw them off.  But it went beautiful ly!  The musicians I was fortunate enough to work with knew just what to play to convey the emotion of my songs and it felt so good to sing with them.

What song from Unbreakable most tells your story?

There are twelve original songs on the Unbreakable album and each one holds a piece of my story.  I don’t feel that there is one song that defines my journey.  Maybe I’ll write a song like that someday, but there is so much living left to do.  The “Unbreak able” track is probably the one that I have been really feeling lately coming out of the pandemic feeling unshaken and resil ient like I could reclaim my strength and share a new part of myself with this body of original music.

I am so thankful for my fans.  Without them, my music wouldn’t mean anything.  I can tell you that it is absolutely no fun to sing to tables and chairs, trust me, I’ve tried it. Music and live shows are a two-way street. Let’s keep coming together to celebrate life through music.

Read more of our interview with Chadwick at GEDmag.com and check out everything Chadwick, including show dates, at Chad wickJohnson.com.

Unbreakable is now streaming on all music platforms.

Photos are courtesy of Chadwick Johnson

LOS ANGELES DIRECTORY

BARS & CLUBS

AKBAR 4356 W. Sunset Blvd Silverlake, CA 90029 323.665.6810 akbarsilverlake.com

BEACHES WEHO 8928 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.360.0395 beachesweho.com

FIESTA CANTINA 88565 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.652.8865 fiestacantina.net

FUBAR 7994 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323.654.0396 fubarla.com

GYM Sportsbar 8919 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 424.313.8202 gymsportsbar.com

HAMBURGER MARY’S 8288 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 323.654.3800 hamburgermarys.com

Heart Weho 8911 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 heartweho.com

HI TOPS 8933 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 hitopsbar.com

MICKYS 8857 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.657.1176 mickys.com

ROCCO’S 8900 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 424.343.0123 roccosweho.com

SAINT FELIX 8945 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.275.4428 saintfelix.net

THE ABBEY 692 N Robertson Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.289.8410 theabbeyweho.com

THE CHAPEL 692 N Robertson Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.289.8410 theabbeyweho.com

THE EAGLE 4219 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029 323.669.9472 eaglela.com

REVOLVER VIDEO BAR 8851 SANTA MONICA BLVD. WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 424.382.1108 REVOLVERWEHO.COM

STACHE 8941 SANTA MONICA BLVD WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 310.402.0770 STACHEWEHO.COM

THE BAYOU 8939 SANTA MONICA BLVD WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 310.273.3303 THEBAYOUWEHO.COM

TRUNKS 8809 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.652.1015 west.hollywood.trunksbar.com

CLOTHING & LEATHER 665 Leather & Fetish 20810 Lassen St Chatsworth, CA 91311 818.678.9193 665leather.com BRICK & MORTAR 8713 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.652.6605 shopatbrick.com

CHI CHI LARUE’S 8861 Santa Monica Blvd and 8230 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 323.337.9555 circusofbooks.com

ROUNDERBUM 802 N San Vicente Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 844.284.2968 rounderbum.com

ROUGH TRADE LEATHER 3915 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029 323.660.7956 roughtradegear.com

THE PLEASURE CHEST 7733 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323.650.1022 thepleasurechest.com

HAIR SALONS BLADES 801 N. Larrabee St, Ste #1 West Hollywood 310 659-6693

LOS ANGELES DIRECTORY

SHORTY’S BARBER SHOP

755 N Fairfax Ave West Hollywood 323 297-0554 shortysbarbershop.com

COMMUNITY RESOURCES HEALTH/COUNSELING

AID FOR AIDS AFA

8235 Santa Monica Blvd #200 West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 656-1107 aidforaids.net

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION/MENS WELLNESS CENTER

• 6255 W Sunset Blvd, 21st Fl Los Angeles, CA 90028 888 AIDS CARE

• 1300 N Vermont Ave, Ste 407 Los Angeles, CA 90027 866 339-2525 800 367-2437 inspotla.org

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION PHARMACY

8212 Santa Monica Blvd The David Geffen Center West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 654-0907 ahfpharmacy.org

APLA HEALTH CLIENT & COMMUNITY SERVICES

The David Geffen Center

• 611 South Kingsley Drive Los Angeles, CA 90005 213.201.1600 213 201-WALK (9255)

• 3743 S. La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016 323.329.9900

• 5901 W. Olympic Blcd. #310 Los Angeles, CA 90036

• 1043 Elm Avenue #302 Long Beach, CA 90813 562.247.7740 apla.org aidswalk.net

AIDS RESEARCH ALLIANCE

1400 S Grand Ave Ste 701 Los Angeles, CA 90015 310 358-2429 www.hopetakesaction.org aidsresearch.org

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY 3333 Wilshire Blvd #900 Los Angeles, CA 90010 800 227-2345 cancer.org

BEING ALIVE PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS ACTION COALITION 621 N San Vincente Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 289-2551 beingalivela.org

GAY & LESBIAN CENTER

Orange County 1605 N Spurgeon St Santa Ana, CA 92701 714 953-5428 thecenteroc.org

HOLY FAMILY SERVICES, ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE 840 Echo Park Ave Los Angeles, CA 90026 213 202-3900 hfs.org

LA FREE CLINIC

• 5205 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 653-1990 – appts 323 653-8622 – admin lafreeclinic.org

• 6043 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028

• 8405 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048 LA Public Health reallycheckyourself.org

OUT OF THE CLOSET THRIFT SHOPS

• 8224 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 848-9760

• 3500 East Pacific Coast Hwy Long Beach, CA 90804 562 494-0340

• 1726 East Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91106 626 440-1719

• 360 North Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 934-1956

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD 922 Vine St Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 845-1800 angelfood.org

THE TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845 thetrevorproject.org

VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE 6801 Coldwater Canyon Ave North Hollywood, CA 91605 818 301-6314 - HIV testing 818 301-6390 - Medical Services smarthealthla.com

LEGAL

LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION FUND INC.

Western Regional Office 3325 Wilshire Blvd #1300 Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 382-7600 lambdalegal.org

NATIONAL G & L TASK FORCE 5455 Wilshire Blvd #1505 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 954-9597 thetaskforce.org

PALM SPRINGS DIRECTORY

ATTRACTIONS

THE LIVING DESERT ZOO AND GARDENS 47900 Portola Ave Palm Desert, CA 92260 760 346-5694 livingdesert.org

PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM 745 N Gene Autry Trail Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 778-6262 palmspringsairmuseum.org

PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM 101 Museum Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-4800 psmuseum.org

PALM SPRINGS AERIAL TRAMWAY

1 Tram Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 888 515-8726 pstramway.com

BARS & CLUBS

BLACKBOOK

315 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.832.8497 blackbookbar.com

CHILL BAR

217 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.327.1079 chillbarpalmsprings.com

DICK’S ON ARENAS

301 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.327.0753 eagle501bar.com

HUNTERS

302 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.323.0700 hunterspalmsprings.com

ONE ELEVEN BAR 67555 E Palm Canyon Dr Cathedral City, CA 92234 760.537.3111 oneelevenbar.com

OSCAR’S

125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 108 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.325.1188 oscarspalmsprings.com

PS AIR BAR (Speakeasy inside Bouschet) 611 S. Palm Canyon Dr, Suite 22 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.327.7701 psairbar.com

QUADZ

200 S. Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.778.4326 Spurline.com

STREET BAR 224 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.1266 psstreetbar.com

THE BARRACKS 67-625 E. Palm Canyon Dr Cathedral City, CA 92234 760.321.9688

REFORMA

333 S Palm Canyon Dr Unit 2, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-902-6630 reformaps.com

THE ROOST LOUNGE 68718 E Palm Canyon Dr Cathedral City, CA 92234 760.507.8495 theroostcc.com

TOOL SHED

600 E. Sunny Dunes Rd. Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.320.3299 pstoolshed.com

TOUCANS TIKI LOUNGE 2100 N. Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.416.7584 toucanstikilounge.com

CLOTHING OPTIONAL RESORTS BEARFOOT INN 888 N. Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA. 92262 760.699.7641 bearfootinn.com

DESCANSO

288 E. Camino Monte Vista Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.1928 descansoresort.com

DESERT PARADISE

615 S. Warm Sands Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.320.5650 desertparadise.com

EL MIRASOL VILLAS 525 Warm Sands Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.327.5913 elmirasol.com INNDULGE PALM SPRINGS 601 Grenfall Rd Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.327.1408 inndulge.com

SANTIAGO RESORT

650 San Lorenzo Road Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.322.1300 santiagoresort.com

THE HACIENDA 586 S. Warm Sands Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.327.8111 thehacienda.com

TRIANGLE INN PALM SPRINGS 555 San Lorenzo Rd. Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.322.7993 triangle-inn.com

TWIN PALMS

1930 S. Camino Real Palm Springs, CA 760-841-1455 twinpalmsresort.com

VISTA GRANDE RESORT 574 S. Warm Sands Dr. Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.322.2404 vistagranderesort.com

CLOTHING & LEATHER GAYMART 305 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.416.6436

GEAR LEATHER & FETISH 650 E Sunny Dunes Rd #1 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760.322.3363 gearleather.com

ROUGH TRADE LEATHER 321 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.699.7524 roughtradegear.com

GIFTS

DESTINATION PSP 170 North Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 354-9154 destinationpsp.com

GREETINGS PALM SPRINGS 301 N Palm Canyon Dr # 102 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-5049 greetingspalmsprings.com

JUST FABULOUS 515 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 864-1300 bjustfabulous.com

PALM SPRINGS DIRECTORY

MISCHIEF CARDS & GIFTS

226 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-8555 mischiefcardsandgifts.com

PEEPA’S

120 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 318-3553 peepasps.com

PS HOMEBOYS

108 S. Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.318.7388 pshomeboys.com

Q TRADING COMPANY

606 E Sunny Dunes Rd Palm Springs, CA 92264 760-416-7150

HAIR SALONS

CUT BARBER

1109 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-2999 cutbarber.com

DADDY’S BARBERSHOP

192 S Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 537-1311 daddysbarbershop.com

MEN’S GROOMING SPOT

68487 E Palm Canyon Dr Suite 43 Cathedral City, CA 92234 760 992-0028 mensgroomingspot.com

PALM SPRINGS FINE MEN’S SALON

750 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 3 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.904.0434 psfinemenssalon.com

REALTORS

3 BEARS REALTY 2905 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-699-6175 3bearsrealty.com

PALM SPRINGS HOME TEAM

Conrad Miller (DRE #01973983) 760.464.9559 Brandon Holland (DRE # 01986968) 760.413.1220 Palmspringshometeam.com

RESTAURANTS

1501 UPTOWN GASTROPUB

1501 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, 92262 760-507-1644 1501uptown.com

BLACKBOOK

315 E. Arenas Rd Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.832.8497 blackbookbar.com

BOOZEHOUNDS PALM SPRINGS 2080 North Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.656-0067 boozehoundsps.com

EIGHT4NINE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE 849 N Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.325.8490 eight4nine.com

FARM 6 La Plaza Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.322.2724 farmspalmsprings.com

JOHANNES 196 S. Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.778.0017 johannespalmsprings.com

NICOLINO’S CATHEDRAL CITY 35325 Date Palm Drive, Unit 111, Cathedral City, CA 92234 760-324-041 nicolinos.com

RICK’S DESERT GRILL 1596 North Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.325.2127 ricksdesertgrill.com

ROLY CHINA FUSION 1107 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.548.0041 rolychinafusion.com

SAMMY’S PLACE 69034 E Palm Canyon Drive Cathedral City, CA 92234 760.770.4030 originalsammysplace.com

SHAME ON THE MOON 69950 Frank Sinatra Dr Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760.324.5515 shameonthemoon.com

SHERMAN’S DELI 401 E Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.325.1199 shermansdeli.com

TRILUSSA 68-718 E Palm Canyon Dr Cathedral City, CA 92234 760.328.2300 trilussarestaurant.com

TRIO RESTAURANT 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA. 92262 760.854.8746 triopalmsprings.com

WILMA & FRIEDA’S 155 S Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.992.5080 wilmafrieda.com

COMMUNITY RESOURCES DAP HEALTH 1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 323-2118 daphealth.org

DESERT CARE NETWORK 760 561-7373 desertcarenetwork.com

DESERT OASIS HEALTHCARE 275 North El Cielo Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 325-DOHC (3642) mydohc.com

EISENHOWER HEALTH 39000 Bob Hope Drive Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760 340-3911 eisenhowerhealth.org

MICHAEL’S HOUSE 1910 S Camino Real Palm Springs, CA 92262 844 768-0633 michaelshouse.com

PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER 4575 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 416-5718 psanimalshelter.org

PALM SPRINGS FRONT RUNNERS & WALKERS frontrunners.clubexpress.com

STONEWALL GARDENS 2150 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 548-0970 stonewallgardens.com

LGBTQ COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr, 3rd Floor Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 416-7790 thecentercv.org