54 minute read
AN INTERVIEW WITH
from AUGUST 2022
Uncle Tino
The local rapper is a new member of the GRAMMYs Music’s Bold New Generation Class of 2022.
By LOURDES ZAVALETA | Photo by BRENDA HERNANDEZ
Tell me about your journey to becoming a musician.
It started in high school, but I’ve always really loved music. I picked up guitar and drums individually, but eventually I started to really tap into my creative writing. In high school I did slam poetry, which gave me an avenue to perform in front of people. It was scary as hell at first, and I was super-nervous and very shaky, but it led me into lyrical hip-hop. I started listening to it, studying it, and enjoying it. I was like, alright, this is something I want to do with my life eventually. Now I’m here, and I’ve decided to incorporate a bunch of different [styles and influences] into [my music]. I wanted to take my once-emcee persona and transform it and evolve. For me, it doesn’t just have to stay in one spot. If I want to be a hip-hop artist I can, but that doesn’t mean that I have to abide by hip-hop criteria. Even though I respect the art and the genre, I like to twist it up a bit.
What made you realize music was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
In high school, when people listened to what I would write. And it felt good to see that people were genuinely interested and enjoying what I had to say. Even then, I felt a fire under my ass when people would look at me and think, ‘Oh, this dorky, vaguely Hispanic kid, he can’t rap.’ Then I’d rap and they’d be like, ‘Oh shit!’ I liked being that element of surprise, and I really liked moving people. I had a blast—and I still have a blast performing. It’s so fun to me, and I love spreading joy. I first started performing in August 2014, and it was just great seeing everybody being happy. I loved it. Once I realized I could do it, I didn’t see why I should stop.
When OutSmart interviewed you last June, you had recently released your album Colorfool. Catch us up on what you’ve been up to since then.
I have a lot less money! [Laughs] I ended my time at a job that helped me get Colorfool off the ground. [Then I had] another job less than three months, because I decided to make music full-time. It’s been eye-opening and humbling. Since then, I’ve just been performing the album and making it different every time. I’ve also been using the time to find my center again, because I really want to make new music. Recently, I acquired a really good microphone that allows me to actually want to work at home. I’ve been getting back into writing, practicing a lot of self care, exercising, praying, meditating, resting, and spending time with my friends. Right now, it’s just been a [time to reflect] on how I want to approach my next album. I also [recently got accepted] into the GRAMMYs Recording Academy, and I have a manager.
How did you become a member of the Recording Academy and the GRAMMYs Music’s Bold New Generation Class of 2022?
I knew a bunch of people who were invited last year. It was super-badass. I was so happy for everyone. [To get in], you need a couple of letters of recommendation from current members, and two of my really good friends in the industry [wrote mine]. I sent my application in, and the Academy reviewed it to [make sure] that what I do for the music industry is worthy of being invited to join.
Academy privileges?
Yes, my membership allows me to vote in the Texas chapter.
You’ve performed on stages across Houston, have been featured in Billboard, and now the Academy has recognized you. What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Billboard is definitely up there. I thought that was really neat, because I got to talk shit about Greg Abbott. But I would say my proudest moment was definitely the first show I got to play at White Oak. One of my friends, who is also an Academy member, is dating someone whose son is trans as well. He’s 12 or 13, and I had a moment to really make him feel special at my show. I created this little grid on the floor with tape to get people engaged [during different parts of the show]. I told my friend [to stand in a specific spot on the grid] so that I could dedicate a song to [the son]. That’s one of the big reasons I want to do what I do, because I get to make kids like me feel special and let them know that they’re capable.
What does it mean for you as a trans artist and activist to have your career
blow up like it has?
I really just want to help. I want to make this community visible and let people know that we are harmless. There are people who don’t “agree,” or whatever, but this isn’t something that you’re supposed to agree with. You just have to understand that this is our life, and something that we need to do. If somebody wants plastic surgery, or larger breasts—or I want none [laughs]—just be human.
I always knew I wanted to help; I just never knew in what way. Right now I’m teaming up with a couple of other people to throw a drag show, with all proceeds going to the Montrose Center. I’m also donating some money that I’m making from my hats for trans youth to Equality Texas. It’s really cool. It’s something that I’m glad to be a part of. I’m blessed that I’m able to do this, and to be a voice to people who feel like they don’t have one.
Walk me through the process of creating a song.
Sometimes, if I want to produce a song, I can sit down and play with drums or just little dumb noises. Other times, I’ll sing to myself and I’ll record a vocal for it. More recently I’ve been trying to write more organically while in session, because it helps me get things done quicker. When I’m on the spot, writing with other people, we’ll only have a couple of hours. I try not to put too much pressure on myself, because that’s an easy way to lose it. Recently, I’ve just been trying to have more fun with it and express how I feel. If there’s a song I don’t think sounds good, I won’t get married to that song or the words.
Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Missy Elliott, Mac Miller, Wu-Tang Clan, Gang Starr, Parliament-Funkadelic, Deftones, Incubus, The Gorillaz, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, OutKast, Action Bronson, Isaiah Rashad, Anderson Paak, J Dilla, Madlib, the Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs, Britney Spears, Led Zepplin, and Smokey Robinson. I just like pulling inspiration from a lot of different people—especially a lot of dance and house music. Recently I’ve been pulling inspiration from my friends Dende, CA The Don, Andres Mishka, Tol Calvin, Kiran the Nomad, and Kim Koro.
In your opinion, what makes a good song?
Something that can leave a lasting impression on everybody.
What are some of your favorite places to perform in Houston?
I like to perform anywhere, as long as the stage is big enough. I have several other musicians with me on stage, so I love to be able to run around. I had a great time performing at Ripcord [during Pride]. White Oak is cool. Axelrad is always fun. I want to do Warehouse Live and The Secret Group next.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a musician?
Be the least afraid as possible. Enjoy yourself. Do not overthink shit, because that will hold you back. It sounds cliche, but have fun with what you wanna do. You’re going to make some good songs and you’re gonna make some bad songs. That’s a given. You’re not going to make a perfect song every time, especially when you’re first starting out. Don’t let the fear of being not good stop you. That’s just a part of the process of creating music, evolving, and getting better.
Where can our readers keep up with you?
If anybody wants to find me or follow me, I’m Uncle Tino on all platforms.
Keep up with Uncle Tino on Instagram @reallyuncletino.
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SONGS OF SELFREFLECTION
Kam Franklin pours her soul into an upcoming solo album.
By JENNY BLOCK Photo by PATY RAMIREZ-SANCHEZ/ AGAVE BLOOM PHOTOGRAPHY
You might know Kam Franklin for her music. The pansexual singer-songwriter is the front woman of the popular Gulf Coast soul band The Suffers, as well as a solo artist in her own right. But if you don’t know her for her activism work, you’re missing out on what makes her such a powerful and desperately needed force right now.
The 35-year-old Houstonian attended both Texas Southern University and Lone Star College. “I studied the music business before diving into it,” says Franklin, adding that music has long been her calling. “I knew at 5 years old, when I got to sing on a mic for the first time.”
Still, Franklin was torn between following her dreams to be a rock star and taking an entirely different route by setting her sights on becoming a federal judge. “Growing up, we were taught [that a legal career] could make the most significant changes. But if you’re really trying to make the most changes, you need to go for the highest of the high, which would be a federal judge or a Supreme Court justice.”
But when she tested the waters by working at a law firm, it didn’t take long for her to see that working in the legal world wasn’t the right fit. “The law and the way that exists [with so many] restrictions and all of that is really not for me at all. I know that now,” she admits.
As for which rock star made her want to pursue music, she’s quick to answer. “Prince, for sure. We have the same birthday, so that was always a very fun thing to think about. I just loved that he played everything and wrote everything, and that he could sing. I thought he was so beautiful and just so different, in comparison to what I was seeing at the time.”
Growing up, she was also obsessed with R&B. “I was always really enamored with whatever Brandy and Monica, Destiny’s Child, Selena, and people at that level [were doing].”
The Suffers launched in 2011, and three years later when David Letterman’s show came calling, Franklin suddenly found herself working full-time on her music. The three-time recipient of a Houston Press music award for Best Female Vocalist has since performed on five continents, sung with the Houston Symphony and before an Astros game, and produced events promoting up-and-coming independent, minority, and female artists.
Franklin calls the music she does with The Suffers “socially conscious” funk and soul. “That funk, that jazz, that Latin everything— we’re not really leaning into one genre with that, in terms of cumbia or salsa or anything like that,” she notes. “We are really, really just going wherever the flow takes us.”
In February, she released her Bayou City Comeback Chorus EP, a social-justice album funded with a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance that features the voices and musicianship of over 20 local artists.
But her musical collaborations are a bit different from her personal projects. Before the year ends, Franklin plans on releasing a solo record and is currently working on capturing her truth. industries.”
When it comes to her solo work, every one of her mentors has told her to just tell the truth. “[That applies] not only as an artist, but as a writer and just as an observer of humans— to know that I could write down what I’m seeing and record it and release it,” she says.
“I think it takes a lot of guts, as I’m releasing a record, to talk shit about music journalists and call out the fact that there’s not very many [trained] music journalists left,” Franklin continues. In one of her upcoming song lyrics, she sings, ‘I know this album will be fire. I can feel it in my soul, but I gotta wait for writers who don’t even like their role. They should be working on their screenplay or off finishing their book, but the budget says they’re music writers that also review the cooks.’
She’s also working on a follow-up to It Starts with Love. “On top of this, I’ll be on tour the rest of the year with The Suffers,” she says.
As for how she manages to keep working despite the state of the world, she says, “I take a lot of breaks. I smoke a lot of weed. I hang out with my friends. I hang out with my family, and I try to stay out of the bullshit. I try to stay well-informed of what is happening in the world. However, I’m not interested in news. I’m interested in fact.”
Franklin hopes that all the violence and hate and disenfranchisement targeting underserved communities will ultimately lead to a better world for everyone.“That’s what it takes, sometimes. It takes everybody being torn apart. It’s going to take people having their rights taken away, it’s going to take people getting uncomfortable. I’ve been more focused on what I can control, because it’s very easy to spiral. It’s like, you’ve got to keep it moving. Got to keep it moving. The world’s chaotic, so I have a lot of things to write about,” she notes, adding that the state of the LGBTQ community is also one of her topics.
Queerness, she says, is “something that you just have to really normalize, because it seems as though people are working really hard to erase the work and connectivity that we’ve all worked so hard to create for one another, for [no good] reason other than hate.”
Hate is something Franklin has no time for. “All I want to do is just keep making more music that is reflective not only of my stories, but the people that can’t tell their own stories—which is probably more of a focus on my solo album. I’ve been working on it for the better part of a decade and was just waiting for funding, and I finally got that and I’m about to get started. It’s a cool time to be creating.”
—Kam Franklin
“I’ve been hyper-focused on making what I feel is a true record, in terms of what I’m saying. But genre-wise, I think I’ll probably be thrown somewhere between Americana, soul, and country—and I’m okay with that,” she explains. “It’s a bit more than ‘socially conscious’ because I’m not just doing observational writing at that point. I’m doing a lot of self-reflection and a lot of storytelling for my family members. I’m doing work that is beyond myself.”
Franklin describes music as being healing, and a form of comfort for many. “It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You just gotta find the right song. Music can be a vessel for change. Listen to the music of Marvin Gaye or The Staples Singers, or even Kendrick Lamar. Music has a way to communicate emotion while also encouraging people. It all depends on the message within the music.”
Franklin says The Suffers’ most recent album, It Stars with Love, which was released in June, discussed “oppression within the music industry, whether it applies to sexism, racism, pay inequity—just all kinds of things that exist there. I don’t think that necessarily only applies to music, [so] I call out a lot of different Keep up with Kam Franklin on Instagram @bamitskam.
Hitting Life’s High Notes
John Holiday continues taking his opera career to new heights.
By SAM BYRD | Photo by SHERVIN LAINEZ
The public knows John Holiday from The Voice’s 19th season as well as his opera career. But long before that, he was just a little boy growing up in Rosenberg.
“I’ve been singing since I was two years old. My grandmother and my mother often tell me that I sang before I spoke, which I think most babies probably do—they start singing along and don’t even know what they’re singing,” he says.
His mother and grandmother were both primed to recognize this knack, as they were both involved in music. They weren’t the only ones who took a shine to Holiday’s vocals, though. As a second-grader at Travis Elementary School, one of his teachers noticed his gift and further encouraged him to explore music by auditioning for the Fort Bend Boys Choir.
And with that, his journey as a musician launched—one that would also introduce him to the world of opera.
“I often tell people that opera chose me; I didn’t really choose it. I hadn’t really heard opera until I was in the Fort Bend Boys Choir, and I just thought it was choral singing. I didn’t know that we were singing classical,” Holiday recalls.
He also loved opera for its eye-popping costumes. “Anyone who knows me knows I love a good outfit or a good costume. One of the things that I was enamored with in opera was the dresses the women would wear in performances. I was gobsmacked and taken by what they would wear!” he adds.
Holiday’s love for performance, and for opera’s vast array of musical styles, would inspire him to study at some of the best institutions in the nation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Southern Methodist University, a master’s in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, and the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies from The Juilliard School in New York City.
His career rocketed soon thereafter, taking him across the globe. Holiday has performed at world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s Barbican Center, and the Philharmonie de Paris. His career highlights have included a tour with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, appearing as the Sorceress in Barrie Kosky’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, as Orpheus’ Double in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice at the Los Angeles Opera, as Caesar in Handel’s Julius Caesar in Egypt at Wolf Trap Opera, and singing the title role in Xerxes at the Glimmerglass Festival.
While Holiday had been gaining attention in classical music circles, his appearance on The Voice caused the public’s awareness of him to grow exponentially. However, it was a long time between his initial contact with The Voice and his audition.
“I had been asked probably five years in a row by the casting producers to do the show. I always declined—not because I didn’t want to do it, but because I didn’t have the time. I have been booked back-to-back for the majority of my career, and I consider that a really big blessing in my life,” Holiday explains.
His schedule might have been packed before the pandemic, but COVID-19 changed everything.
“Everything was canceled in the art world during that time, so my window of opportunity opened. The Voice miraculously called me again, asking me if I would audition,” he recalls. “So I went on an audition just like everybody else. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I knew that I was going to give it my all.”
He ended up making the cut and joining John Legend’s team.
“I loved every minute of it, particularly the challenge of doing things that were different for me. But some of the songs I had listened to growing up,” Holiday reminisces.
He ultimately took fifth place in the competition, but he walked away with a bigger prize. It was on the show’s set that he met fellow contestant DeMario Adams (aka Rio Souma), and the two started dating.
Last month, the couple tied the knot in Houston surrounded by friends and family. Longtime family friend and Houston mayor Sylvester Turner officiated the wedding, which was themed “a celestial dream.”
Reflecting on his marriage and his career’s potential for breaking down social barriers, Holiday is enthusiastic. “I’m proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community, as I feel that one of the things that I try to do in my work is to include everyone. I try to represent all the communities of which I am a member. There are so many challenges that we have in our community, unfortunately. I hope that in my lifetime, I see the eradication of hatred toward our community. I hope that my music and my life have created a conduit in which we can create conversation. I hope that I have been an example of what love looks like, and what walking in your true, authentic self looks like.”
—John Holiday
For more on John Holiday, visit johnholiday.com.
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A Banjo, a Bass, and Embroidery
Geoffrey Muller shares his wide array of talents in Houston and beyond.
By ZACH McKENZIE Photo by JEREMY KABALA
Life on the road suits Geoffrey Muller, the multifaceted musician who fans may know as @CajunBanjo on Instagram. He is currently on tour with the Houston Gulf Coast soul band The Suffers, so he talked with OutSmart from his hotel in Wyoming.
With a career influenced by a wide range of music, a personal style that caught GQ’s eye, and a penchant for creating unique, one-of-akind crafts (his Instagram features his incredible embroidery skills) Muller is an eclectic Houston artist worth watching.
“Music has been my full-time job since my mid-20s,” the 43-year-old musician says. “I’ve played guitar since I was 12 or 13. My dad had mentioned that he always wanted to play the banjo. I don’t know if I’d ever even heard one before then, but I asked for one and got it for Christmas. I’m self-taught, mainly by books. I’d pore over them.”
Pursuing music full-time was a no-brainer for Muller. “After college, I did some voice and stage acting in Houston and I would play music at night. After a year, I realized I wanted to do it full-time,” he says. “I made my own schedule, met cool people, and traveled the world. There’s a lot of perks to the job. You don’t get paid much at first, but it’s fun.”
He really made his stamp on Houston starting in 2002 at the Montrose bar and event space Avant Garden, where he played to large crowds of locals for four years. “I met a lot of people through that weekly gig. It was a crazy night in Montrose every Monday night. There would be 200 people inside for those shows.”
Eventually lending his talents to artists including Robert Ellis, Joshua Ray Walker, and Ethiopian pop musician Gili Yalo, to name a few, Muller, who identifies as queer, became recognizable to audiences near and far. “I travel the world now, and people ask me if I’m Cajun Banjo,” Muller says with
laughter as he describes people recognizing his Instagram handle. “When I was starting, I didn’t know I could [also] tour and do all the things I’m doing now. I thought you just did bar gigs until you died,” the Houston native with deep familial roots in Louisiana says jokingly. “My world expanded when Robert Ellis started getting around a bit.”
The hustle is always top of mind for Muller as he makes sure to continue fullsteam ahead. “We aren’t touring 365 days a year. I have to find other artists to work with to keep myself moving and working.” He’s slated to play bass for Houston legend Kam Franklin’s upcoming new solo project. Networking is the name of the game when it comes to finding his next gig. “A lot of times, I see the same people out at music festivals and we become friends. They’ll call me up and ask me to do two-week runs, or record on an album. It’s old-school shaking hands and networking.”
While he’s typically hired to play guitar or bass, Muller uses social media to display his banjo skills. “I started doing banjo videos on TikTok. People don’t usually associate the banjo with the house and ’90s songs I cover.”
He also dazzles crowds with his own band, Geoffrey’s Electric Banjo Band. “When I go out and play my shows, there are a lot of queer people in the audience. They hit me up online and tell me they play banjo,” he says. “I had quit playing banjo because some of the environments [for that music] are a little more conservative and not as accepting, and that’s not a place where I want to be. [But now that I’m] playing banjo again in public, I’ve noticed things have changed a lot.”
Muller’s fashion sense has also won him some acclaim. “I was featured on GQ’s website when they were profiling the Trans-Pecos Festival in Marfa,” he recalls. “Early on, I was really into The Golden Girls, so I would find Bea Arthur-esque robes and rocked those for a while. I found a red jumpsuit like my grandpa would wear, and it was so comfortable. That evolved into overalls, and I collected them everywhere I’d go. Soon enough, I started making bolo ties and wearing cowboy hats. I didn’t like country music growing up, but my parents always joked that I’d come around to it eventually. I don’t consider myself a cowboy, though— I grew up in Missouri City!”
The multitalented musician and maker is paving the way for other queer artists, and he encourages them to make their voices and influence known. “I wish there were more out, queer voices in the country and Americana music worlds I find myself in,” he notes.
Muller is hopeful that being true to himself will ultimately create more space at the table. “There are a lot of people in the queer community who love country music, and I want there to be more space for them.”
—Geoffrey Muller
Geoffrey Muller performs at Axelrad on August 6. Keep up with him on Instagram @cajunbanjo.
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Creating the Soundtrack to His Life
Pop star Isaac Niaz’s music is authentic to his own personal journey.
By ZACH McKENZIE Photo by TARA CAMPBELL
When it comes to artistry, Isaac Niaz holds all the keys to his creative kingdom. The singer, who recently performed the National Anthem at an Astros baseball game, also produces, composes, and is hands-on with all aspects of his burgeoning career.
With exciting new opportunities on the horizon, Niaz’s hustle is stronger than ever. The Houston artist’s latest creative exercise will be a remix EP with accompanying visuals, to debut for his fans later this month.
“I started singing before I could speak,” he explains. “My grandmother would tell me that when jingles came on TV, she noticed I could sing along with them.” Niaz discovered early on that in order to become the artist he dreamed of becoming, he had to do it his own way. “I always knew I wanted to sing professionally, and I’ve always wanted to pursue it,” he says. “I auditioned for American Idol and The Voice. I’d always make it to the final rounds before the live shows, but I didn’t love it because it’s such a machine and takes the art out of it.”
In addition to feeling stunted by the status quo of the music business at the time, Niaz was also facing a harsher reality. “I was closeted, and I didn’t get to pursue music the way I wanted to. The most crippling thing was not being out. I knew I ultimately couldn’t make my authentic sound if I wasn’t being true to myself.”
His evolution transformed his music ambitions. “I’m inspired by the creative process, and being able to do something that comes so naturally to me in front of people,” he says emphatically. “That energetic exchange with people willing to listen to my music and the creative side of the industry is so beautiful when you can do it authentically. Everyone has a soundtrack to their life, and being able to create something that is affirming to me is what I’m meant to do.”
The independent artist draws inspiration from a familiar voice. “I’ve always loved pop music, and the first thing that most [of my] listeners catch is the Mariah Carey influence. She’s one of the greatest to ever do it, and I’m so inspired by how she does it all—writing, melodies, backgrounds. I do the same thing with my music.”
Years of burning the candle at both ends by moonlighting as a musician while working full-time at a River Oaks hair studio has allowed Niaz to see his personal dreams come true. “I’ve performed hundreds of times, and my opportunities keep getting bigger,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of my favorite artists at the House of Blues. In 2020 I was riding my bike downtown and I passed that venue, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to play this venue one day. It’s such an iconic venue, and I’m going to manifest this.’”
It wasn’t long before Niaz’s phone rang. “Ten months later, I got the call to perform!” he says. “The turnout was huge, and it felt like the moment when this became real for me and that it was really happening. What I thought was impossible a year prior was now happening. My name was on the tickets and the Live Nation website. It was incredible!”
The local superstar is set to release his remix EP of some of his original songs this month, complete with accompanying visuals for each song and a Spanglish version of his tune “Out of Love” featuring producer and creative collaborator Iris.
“As an artist, I really want to express myself creatively, but also want people to love it,” he says. “With my remix EP, I’m revisiting some songs and giving them new spins.”
It’s been a long journey, working day and night, that has led Niaz to be able to shoot for the stars. “My dream has always been to play Madison Square Garden. I want to have a platform big enough to create a safe space for people who are afraid, or who don’t have a voice—and show them that I, as a gay man, had the tenacity to go out and do it. When I look at Mariah Carey [and some of my other] favorite artists, I think about how they provided [that kind of] safe space for me to turn to.”
Indeed, Niaz sees a higher purpose in all of the career opportunities coming his way. “My goal isn’t to be famous; it’s to be successful and do what I love for a living, and hopefully save somebody’s life through my music. That would be the biggest reward ever.”
Keep up with Isaac Niaz on Instagram @IsaacNiaz.
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An Authentic New Album
Ty Herndon’s ‘Jacob’ is his most honest body of work yet.
By ZACH McKENZIE
Ty Herndon’s life has been marked, but not defined by, trials and tribulation. While some songwriters struggle to capture authentically relatable narratives in their music, Ty Herndon’s lived experiences have played out just like any good country song.
Herndon, who shot to stardom with his debut album What Mattered Most in 1995, has taken the lemons life has handed him and made sweet Southern lemonade in the form of his latest album, Jacob, out July 15.
The singer, who became the first male mainstream country star to publicly come out back in 2014 via an exclusive People magazine interview, has been busy promoting his new album on top of his other commitments. “I think this is the first time I’ve sat down today,” Herndon says, laughing.
Reflecting on those early days of choosing to come out to the world, Herndon says, “The gift of singing has stood strong and been protected by a higher power. All this great stuff was happening for me and my career.” Chely Wright, Herndon’s fellow queer country friend and confidante, gave him some much-needed advice: “She said, ‘Let’s talk about how this would look to be free of this burden.’ When she said that, I knew there was a closet in this house of my body that needed to be cleaned out. There was a lot of old shit in there, and I needed to have an update.”
To Herndon’s pleasant surprise, the reception he received was warm and overwhelmingly positive. “Coming out, for me, was a new beginning. I got to be loved by a whole big new family. I remember doing my first Pride festival in LA. They sandwiched me between Fifth Harmony and Megan Trainor, and thought the crowd was going to hate me,” Herndon recalls, laughing. “They didn’t! There were 3,000 amazing people singing along with my songs. With all the hard stuff that’s gone on in my life, I forgot to stop and celebrate the good stuff. Coming out was me understanding I’d done some great things that I could celebrate.”
What followed were years of both extreme highs and life-threatening lows. Herndon, who has long struggled with substance abuse and anxiety, talks about how he recently found himself in a corner in his home all alone, depressed, and hopeless. “For 30 years, I wasn’t able to speak to my own story and own my shit,” he says. “It was time. I just wrote a whole record about it. My song ‘God or the Gun’ goes along with that story. We start with the hard stuff and bring in the good news with this album. This record is about changing your ending, no matter how much crap you go through.”
That song informed the rest of Herndon’s album. “I went into this project to write ‘God or the Gun.’ There’s 14 writers on this album, and they had all lost someone to suicide. I sat down next to my baby-grand piano and felt unworthy to write it with them, but we wrote the song in two hours. We finished it and, my goodness, we all went into a full-blown boo-hoo. It was like we were celebrating the lives that made it and grieving the lives that didn’t. It felt like it was meant to be written.
“I was on the journey of sobriety, and was ready for the rest of my blood and bones to catch up with me,” Herndon notes. Having sought treatment throughout his life, including at the J. Flowers Health Institute in Houston, Herndon is once again celebrating a new lease on life with this album release. “I have the opportunity to talk about survival, and how hard it is to get there. I’m on fire for it, because I started getting my life back way later in life! I had a big birthday recently, but I feel 35!”
This 60-year-old understands the road ahead is indeed a long one, but one worth staying on. “There are good days and bad days with recovery. Sometimes a relapse saves your ass—it shows you what recovery has done for you, and the work you still have left to do. I work daily to discover what dwells within me.”
While Herndon has been in the Nashville music scene all his life, he still leans on the advice and affirmations from friends about re-entering the world of mainstream country music. “I had to go back to school with this album,” he says of the changing landscape in Music City. “Reba McIntyre told me one time, ‘You’ll always be reinventing yourself. The one thing you can’t reinvent is that light in your eyeballs.’ I feel like when you look at my album cover, for the first time you finally see that light. It’s clear. I’m so proud of that album cover!”
Friends of Herndon have gotten a sneak peek at what’s to come. “My friend Cody Alan was saying he was expecting a sad ballad, but then a dance romp came on and he got off his treadmill and started dancing!”
With his new album and a forthcoming podcast about mental health in the works (with guests including LeAnn Rimes, Alan, and Kristin Chenoweth), Herndon is looking ahead to the next phase of his life as he puts in the work to make sure he leaves the next generation with the resources that he didn’t have. In 2020, he created the Foundation for Love & Acceptance to send a clear message to LGBTQ youth. “I wish that someone had told me that I didn’t have to hide who I was. I tell the kids [at the Foundation] that who you are will be celebrated. I wish someone would’ve connected those dots for me. I get into a lot of visuals with my recovery. We tore down the town that was living in me. It was a ghost town. But we kept the foundation, because the lessons are in the foundation. And anything we build on top of that is gonna be stronger.”
—Ty Herndon
For more info, visit tyherndon.com.
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BEYOND BEYOND BEYOND
BINARY BINARY BINARYthe the the
Gender identity exists on a spectrum that extends beyond the rigid male/female binary. Nonbinary or gender-nonconforming individuals often express their gender identity outside of these binary terms.
Many gender identites fall under the nonbinary umbrella, according to Medical News Now—identities such as bigender, multigender, agender, genderfluid, and genderqueer. Nonbinary people might use gender-neutral pronouns exclusively, while others use a combination of he/she/they pronouns or even neopronouns such as ze/zir. While some express their appearance androgynously, this is a personal choice and not a requirement.
There is no standard narrative that captures every nonbinary person’s experience. In this August issue of OutSmart, we highlight three nonbinary locals who are pushing diversity forward within their communities. Kevin Nguyen, a gender-nonconforming person, is continuing his advocacy work as the new director of the UH LGBTQ Resource Center. Blogger Alex Whitney, a transmasculine nonbinary person, encourages others to practice radical self-love. Frances Zuckerbrod, who is also transmasculine and nonbinary, is a college student whose artwork was recently published in a zine for the national Jewish LGBTQ nonprofit Keshet.
Hopeful Romantic
Local blogger Alex Whitney practices radical self-love.
By LILLIAN HOANG
A native of Texas, Alex Whitney knew from a young age that they were different. But they have always celebrated what made them stand out— their gender, sexuality, and disability—because it has allowed them to weed out close-minded people, see the beauty in all bodies, and practice radical self-love.
“I definitely think my disability is the core of who I am, because without it, I don’t know how I would be myself, how I would treat others, feel comfortable in my skin,” says Whitney, who was born with only nine fingers.
The 23-year-old transmasculine nonbinary pansexual, who uses they/he pronouns, grew up in Groves, Texas, a small city near Port Arthur and Beaumont. They were one of nearly 17,000 residents, and their high school’s mascot was a racist depiction of a Native American person. In addition to the struggles they faced growing up in a conservative town, Whitney was only taught about the typical identity markers: boy, girl, gay, and straight.
Despite experimenting with both femininity and masculinity as a child, they never connected with either and dismissed the concept of gender entirely. During high school, after learning what it meant to be nonbinary, they felt freer and able to form a greater appreciation of gender. “There are no rules; you can do it however you want. That’s what I really enjoy about gender.”
But the realization was bittersweet. “There’s that part of gender where you have to accept that not everyone is going to accept or understand or even see you as what you are,” Whitney notes.
Early on in life, they were bullied for their appearance and disability. Growing up, Whitney thought, “You can say and do a lot to try to get boys and girls to give you attention, but you’re disabled. You’re just the class clown—the ‘friend.’ You’re nothing more than that because of your disability.”
However, now that disabled people are better represented in the mainstream media, Whitney’s view about themself and their worth has drastically improved. They’ve not only embraced their disability,
but have encouraged other people on dating apps to share their best “thumb joke.”
“I’ve had people say, ‘I give you two thumbs up, but since you only have one, I’ll give you one thumb up,’” they laugh.
Whitney was able to realize radical selflove after going to hospitals that treated limb differences, as well as a program called Hand Camp, where they were able to connect to other disabled kids and camp counselors. “The camp showed me that it was possible to not only be happy and beautiful, but also find love,” they recall. “Seeing someone’s hand like mine with a wedding ring on it just gave me so much motivation and hope.”
Their confidence and transformative self-love also ignited their passion for community—and a desire to earn a degree in American Sign Language (ASL). As a child, Whitney visited a friend’s house and interacted with that friend’s youngest deaf sister, whose family regularly spoke to her verbally instead of through sign language. Having experienced the support of family and friends, Whitney wanted to extend that love and learn ASL to speak with that deaf girl and others like her.
—Alex Whitney
“I love making or finding a community wherever I’m at,” Whitney says.
Invested in the Houston LGBTQ community, Whitney will be participating in a local queer reality dating show called Panning for Love. Four LGBTQ contestants from Houston will go on a series of speed dates with each other. The interactions will premiere at the DeLUXE Theater on August 4, when audiences will get to ask contestants questions afterward about their experience. Viewers will also get to watch participants ask each other out on dates, and then they’ll vote to bring back
COURTESY Alex Whitney, They/He
one rejected contestant, giving that player another chance to find love.
Whitney hopes their story and worldviews can help others recognize the beauty in all people. “I want people to see the world how I see it. It’s so diverse—more than [just] white, skinny, able-bodied people. Everything is not so black and white, and I think being raised in situations where I could see that people are so different helped me escape the conservativetown mentality and form my own opinion.”
Whitney loves traveling, watching others play video games, and cooking vegetarianfriendly meals. They enjoy reading, writing poetry, and running a blog called Nine Finger Newsletter, which they update when the inspiration strikes.
With plans to relocate to Katy, Whitney recently began testosterone therapy. They often get asked if they identify as a trans man, or wish to be more masculine. “My end goal,” they conclude with a laugh, “is to be hot and happy!”
For more information, visit nine- fingernewsletter.wordpress.com.
Serving Students in Style
UH LGBTQ Resource Center’s Kevin Nguyen continues his intersectional advocacy work.
By MARTIN GIRON
With over 12 years of experience working at the University of Houston (UH) and volunteering in the local LGBTQ community, Kevin Nguyen is no stranger to being a supportive resource for the people around him. That experience— both in and outside of higher education—led him to become the new director of the UH LGBTQ Resource Center.
“I’ve volunteered for local LGBTQ organizations and advised University of Houston students for several years now,” Nguyen, 37, says. “In this new role, I hope I can become a bridge between these two communities.”
Originally from Houston, Nguyen, a gender-nonconforming person who uses he/they pronouns, admits he didn’t plan on staying in the city for the long term. “I went to graduate school in California, and within that time I saw Houston evolve. The LGBTQ community has made great strides in making the city more welcoming, eclectic, and diverse, thanks to the efforts of activists like Monica Roberts, Mayor Annise Parker, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Montrose Center, and so many others that inspired me to join these initiatives while being myself.”
After returning to Houston in 2010, he served on the boards of Bunnies on the Bayou and UH’s LGBTQ Alumni Association,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX ROSA FOR OUTSMART Kevin Nguyen, He/They
as well as Mayor Sylvester Turner’s LGBTQ Advisory Board and the Pride Houston VIP committee. He also volunteered with the Victory Fund, the Diana Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Montrose Center, among others. His efforts were recognized by the local LGBTQ community when Pride Houston 365 named him their Gender Non-Binary/ Non-Conforming Grand Marshal in 2021.
Nguyen, who is Vietnamese American, is the UH LGBTQ Resource Center’s first Asian director. Though he previously worked with UH students as an academic advisor, he is excited about the opportunity to support students in a more personal way.
“I want to focus on underrepresented student populations that intersect with LGBTQ identities and cultivate safe spaces for them to be themselves,” Nguyen says. “We’ve received feedback that some students of color feel like they cannot utilize our Center, and I want to change that. Logistically we have to reach as many students as possible, but not everything is a numbers game—we need to address the needs of each of these intersecting student populations.”
Founded in 2010, the mission of UH’s LGBTQ Resource Center is to empower students through several program initiatives and spaces to develop their authentic selves through engagement with each other and their local communities. The Center has made strides in changing the sociopolitical landscape at UH by providing scholarships, spaces for free speech and protest, peer-initiated “rainbow chats,” collaborative leadership programs, Cougar ➝
ally training sessions, and campus-wide initiatives to provide more resources for its genderdiverse student population, such as installing single-stall restrooms and facilitating genderinclusive housing.
The Center’s new director plans to expand on its success in promoting further visibility and collaboration between students, faculty, and the larger Houston community. “We want everyone to have a [physical and virtual] space at the Center and be represented and catered to equally,” Nguyen says. “I want a student to get the information they need without ever having to step foot in the building.”
Nguyen envisions several ways to implement these initiatives. He wants to train a liaison at the campus Writing Center who will help LGBTQ students apply for scholarships. He also hopes that a partnership with the Montrose Center will provide students with more resources and volunteer opportunities, and that by transforming the relationship between faculty and students, UH can provide more farreaching support systems in disciplines that have historically been less accessible to LGBTQ communities.
“This has been a dream job of mine for over a decade now,” Nguyen notes. “I had seen LGBTQ resource centers during graduate school in California, but in Texas they weren’t as commonplace back then.”
Prior to his time in California, Nguyen attended Baylor University, which is known for its anti-LGBTQ policies. Being raised Catholic, Nguyen was aware that a few of his peers would stop supporting him after coming out. What he did not expect was the support he received from peers he considered to be the most religious.
“Some friends did disown me after I came out,” Nguyen says. “On the other side of that, I also had true acceptance from folks you wouldn’t expect, and that was encouraging to see because it meant they were being more inclusive in the practice of their faith. We talk about loving your neighbor, and that means loving your trans neighbor, your Black neighbor, and your disabled neighbor.”
Nguyen’s experiences with acceptance from both the religious and LGBTQ communities has inspired him to live in his own truth, which includes rocking a pair of heels whenever he can. “I like to wear clothing that’s not always male-centric. I think there’s cultural aspects of male and female expectations that can be a little convoluted with Western ideals,” Nguyen says.
In his new role, Nguyen hopes to not only meet students where they are with their needs, but to empower them in changing the foundations of their future.
“I always try to give my students a geometry lesson: if you cut enough corners, do you know what you get?” Nguyen inquires. “A circle. There’s only so many corners you can cut before you end up right back where you started.”
—Kevin Nguyen
For more on the UH LGBTQ Resource Center, visit uh.edu/ lgbtq and follow them at @UHLGBTQ on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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An Intersectional Artist
One of Frances Zuckerbrod’s pieces is published in a queer Jewish zine.
By MARENE GUSTIN
Frances Zuckerbrod has reason to feel proud during the High Holy Days this year.
The 21-year-old Texas A&M horticulture major submitted a piece of artwork to be included in a zine for the national Jewish LGBTQ nonprofit Keshet. They liked it so much they asked to print the drawing on items they plan to sell during this year’s High Holy Days.
Keshet is a Hebrew word meaning rainbow, the symbol of LGBTQ Pride. The national nonprofit organization was founded in 1996 in Boston by Jonathan Krasner and Jared Goldfarb to advocate for LGBTQ equality in all facets of Jewish life—synagogues, Hebrew schools, day schools, youth groups, summer camps, social-service organizations, and other communal agencies. They develop the leadership skills of LGBTQ Jewish teens, train Jewish educators to prevent anti-LGBTQ bullying, celebrate LGBTQ Jewish identity, and mobilize Jewish communities to protect marriage equality and transgender rights.
Zuckerbrod, a Jewish person who identifies as transmasculine, nonbinary, and pansexual, was thrilled to have his art chosen.
“I submitted my artwork to their zine without being sure they’d want to publish it,” he says. “Having them offer to pay me to use my artwork beyond publishing it in the zine was a pleasant surprise! The piece they selected is an illustration of a cross-section of a pomegranate with multi-colored seeds. The pomegranate is a symbol I’ve seen a lot in Jewish artwork, and I wanted the variety of colors in the seeds to reflect the diversity within the Jewish community and the LGBTQ+ community. It was an image that came to mind when I saw the prompt for Keshet’s zine, ‘At the Intersection of Queer and Jewish.’”
How does Zuckerbrod handle that intersection?
“I tend to present myself however I feel like presenting on any given day,” he says. “Sometimes this means I look feminine, or Frances Zuckerbrod, He/They Frances Zuckerbrod’s illustration features a popular Jewish symbol, the pomegranate with multi-colored seeds, to reprepresent its LGBTQ community.
masculine, or somewhere in between. I use he/they pronouns, as well. When I met my girlfriend, who is a trans woman, I started to learn more about trans identities. I was also interested in Japanese street fashion at the time, and part of what drew me to it was that people in that community often experiment with different ways of presenting themselves, regardless of biological sex. I happened to like some of the more masculine or androgynous styles under that umbrella. What really solidified my understanding of myself was realizing that it was OK to identify as something besides a man or a woman, and that I felt most comfortable doing that.”
Coming out to his family wasn’t too much of an issue for Zuckerbrod.
“My immediate family is fairly small,” he says. “My dad is a single gay man, so I was pretty sure he and my sister would be accepting. Things were a little rougher with them than I expected, but that mostly came from a place of concern, and it’s getting better. I’m still working on informing extended family as it comes up, and I’m not really concerned with how they’ll react. My grandparents passed away before I was able to come out to them, and I suspect it would have been more difficult for them to accept me.”
Being queer at Texas A&M isn’t always easy. The school has a history of discrimination—specifically, a six-year long case fought in the courts when Texas A&M refused to officially recognize the Gay Student Services Organization on the grounds that homosexuality was illegal in Texas. Ultimately, in 1984, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the students, saying the university had denied them their First Amendment rights. Texas A&M was ranked consistently on Princeton Review’s list of “Unfriendly Schools for LGBT Students” from 2009 until 2015. People that live near A&M’s College Station campus sometimes refer to it as “Closet Station,” but things are getting better with queer student organizations being more visible and vocal.
“I don’t typically explain my gender identity to everyone I meet at my university,” Zuckerbrod admits. “I’m out to my friends in the LGBTQ organizations I’m involved with, and if a faculty member or classmate asked me for my pronouns, I do answer honestly. I just don’t necessarily look like someone who people would assume uses he/they pronouns, so usually people default to she/her. I don’t always have the willpower to correct them, and it can be hard for people to adjust even when I do. It doesn’t help that there’s a pretty vocal conservative element at A&M, but I tend to approach things that way in any situation where I’m uncertain about coming out. I’d like to be more open during my senior year and beyond that, though.”
Tony’s Place Has a New Home
The drop-in shelter for LGBTQ and ally youth is back in Montrose.
By MARENE GUSTIN
Tony’s Place, a Houston dropin center for at-risk LGBTQ youth and their allies, now has a new home in Montrose.
Founded in 2016 and named after the late community leader Tony Carroll, Tony’s Place operated for its first year out of an old twostory home on Montrose Boulevard. Operations then moved into a Midtown space they shared with the Salvation Army’s Young Adult Resource Center.
“We left there early in the pandemic to focus on street outreach,” says Lindsay Konlande, communications director for Tony’s Place. “We tried to find a new space last year, but the City permitting just didn’t work out for our needs.”
The commercial property they were considering had around 5,000 square feet of space—enough for a kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, office space, multipurpose rooms for groups, and desperately needed storage space for clothes, toiletries, and other street-outreach supplies. But the task of bringing the building up to code was just too much.
After two years without its own building, Tony’s Place finally found a suitable new home and moved in during July. The stand-alone Montrose building is part of the Bering Church’s Open Gate campus on Hawthorne Street. Open Gate focuses on 18- to 30-year-old homeless young adults of any sexual orientation or gender identity, but with a fundamental commitment to provide a safe and welcoming place for the LGBTQ young adults who generally have a very difficult time at shelters and agencies.
“This is a much better facility for us,” says Konlande. “We have our own entrance; it has a kitchen space and rooms for the donations where our members can ‘shop’ for clothing and toiletries. It also has washers and dryers and showers—whatever our members need. It’s been two years in the Volunteers from AAA Texas helped Tony’s Place set up it’s new center
making, but it’s perfect. It’s a testament to our staff and volunteers, who have been doing street outreach for LGBTQ+ youth [through] pop ups at our partners’ spaces, answering phones and securing housing.”
Move-in costs have been minimal, since the space mainly needed painting and carpet cleaning. But that’s just Phase 1.
“Phase 2 will be getting new computers and kitchen appliances,” she adds. “We’ve had a lot of support from our regular donors. They never stopped fundraising during the past two years.”
This month, Tony’s Place will open for five hours on Saturdays as they work toward expanding their hours in the future. The mission is to provide unstably housed or homeless LGBTQ youth and allies (up to age 25) with day-to-day survival needs—clothing, food, hygiene needs, and resources. The nonprofit plans to work with 25 to 50 youths at a time.
“We don’t provide overnight housing,” Konlande says, “but we can get them to our partners that do, and then work on long-term housing needs. Three of our four staffers are certified to offer assistance with governmenthousing options. Often, we are dealing with youth who have aged out of the foster system and have nowhere else to go.”
In the United States, 4.2 million youth experience homelessness each year, with LGBTQ youth 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers, according to the National Network for Youth. Family conflict is the most common cause of all youth homelessness. For LGBTQ youth in particular, the conflict tends to be over their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“This new space really means we have an opportunity to help more youths,” says Konlande. “This space will help affirm them and empower them. We want to bring in partners to offer classes to them. Maybe cooking classes and budgeting—whatever they need to get them on their feet.
“In a perfect world, there would be no need for Tony’s Place,” she concludes. But until then, organizations like Tony’s Place—with the help of generous donations—are here to help.
