#Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer

[jenroses]

Youtube sometimes offers up pieces of history and this one is one that I'm almost certain Tumblr hasn't seen, but I really think more people should know about Dave Carter.

It's hard to talk about. Dave died in 2002, very suddenly, after starting transition. Hormones had been started but no public announcements had been made. None of us know the name Dave would have gone by. No public request for pronouns was ever made.

Dave was a poet, and made magic on the stage. Some of those songs might have changed over the years, as our understandings of social justice changed, but the heart of them was so, so strong.

And someone recorded this concert a year before Dave died, and despite the grainy old footage, it is so worth a listen. Pretty much all Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer's music is up on Youtube, but most of it is just the music, this shows them performing together.

I saw them live, so many times, and the amount of poetry Dave managed to pack into the music was astonishing. I think I learned about them circa 1998, they were playing the local holiday market. By 2002 Dave was gone. They were super well known in the folk circuits during that time, well deserved. Anyway. Give a listen.

The last song Dave ever wrote was called Phantom Doll, and while most of Dave's songs were about death (in remarkably positive ways, usually) this one feels like a trans anthem.

Lyrics are in the comments on Youtube.

[kckatie]

Bonus Folk Friday track: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - When I Go

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

omg I completely forgot about this until now but if it's the week of Trans Music TM boy do I have something that will fuck you up

(first of all cw for a trans person dying)

There was this folk/country duo that released music under the name "Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer". One of them was a closeted trans woman (or possibly transfeminine nonbinary person) and this was brought to light years after her death from a heart attack by Tracy, the other half of the duo and apparently the only person who ever knew.

Bearing that in mind, listen to Farewell To Saint Dolores. Kills me! For obvious reasons!

"Can you stay until tomorrow, there is no one here to save.

So spoke our lady of eternal sorrow, from the shelter of the cave.

She took me to the jesse house of women, and sanctified me there.

And the ageless face that witnessed me for certain, when my own could not be found."

------

And actually I'm also gonna recommend Hey Diddle Diddle, a sweet little happy ditty about how life could be so simple and happy, especially if you just fit in. How for some people it really is that easy and the world is so lovely. There are no complicated things to worry about and it's wonderful. We could have that, here is what it's like, but also it's a fantasy world with fantasy characters.

I think this is also very much deserving of the title of "fucks you up music" even though it is very cheerful and almost comforting!

I love that trans music week TM has become a thing. Also that description fucked me up a LOT. Something about queer folks living in hiding their whole lives, but relying on some special person to truly know them... history man.

[the-october-country]

"When they hear my bowstrings tightnin' Angels gay, devils frightnin' C'mon fire and midnight lightnin'

To the garden gancy

Hail the wayward werewolf howlin' Haints and shades and goblins growlin' Fiends and demon deevs a-prowlin' When I break and fancy

Shine the merlin moonbeam eye Set my dancin' feet to fly O'er the dark and dervish sky I go like the raven"

This is another one @owlpockets turned me on to, and I discovered a wonderful interview about the album, by Mike Devlin at Music Matters Review, which speaks about the goddess imagery of this song towards the end.

And with that in mind, Elizabeth Sandifer's piece on Eruditorium Press thoughtfully explores the complexities of Carter as a trans songwriter working in a mythic mode, and deserves to be read alongside discovering her songs, though a trigger warning applies as the piece extensively discusses posthumous misgendering both in general and in the context of Carter's life and work.

[iyote]

tagged by @its-a-coffin, tyy

5 songs I've had recently playing on repeat... ah I haven't actually been listening to music that much lately

I Go Like The Raven - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer Woodpecker woman, chip-away, whittle Carve my name in a hickory fiddle Dance all night, dream just a little I go like the raven

Brand New Love - Sebadoh Any thought could be the beginning Of the brand new tangled web you're spinning Anyone could be a brand new love

Pink Snow - The Cribs But were you better on your own? To all my sisters I promise you this, that I'll try and be brave for you

uhm

aaa

[lirillith]

So @elvisgrace tagged me to share five songs I listen to, and I'm chronically terrible at remembering to do these things (oh look, there's one where Suzume tagged me back in September) but there's only one way to fix that!

So, well.... I'm a longtime weeb and I go through long stretches of not really listening to music and occasional acquisition periods, and I could easily just fill this up with anime opening songs - hell, with 90s anime opening songs - but to try to represent the kind of stuff I listen to:

Idol - Yoasobi

Kageboushi ~ Itsuka Mita Yume - by Hinayukki

Terra's theme by Nobuo Uematsu

Earth as a Character Gallery, one of the duel songs from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - Red (Elegy)

So you have: Yoasobi, a recent discovery; Vocaloid; JRPG soundtracks in general and FF6 in particular; Utena duel songs; and spare, cryptic folk music.

This is why I always used to panic and act like a total weirdo when coworkers would ask me "so what kind of music do you listen to?"

[thewickedbohemian]

Fellow Oregonian here and if the comedy music duo is who I think it is I think they're still somewhat going (used to be on their mailing list but not anymore) but why it hasn't seemed like they've put out new music in a while is because their pandemic project was writing a stage musical

Anyway, to help you find good Oregon artists even though we're not literally bound by this challenge if we don't want to be here's a list of a bunch of them at least according to Wikipedia (albeit just the ones I've heard of/what I'd have to listen to other than some showtunes because my rule on how this challenge would apply to showtunes is if any member of the original cast of the show is from your state you can listen to the whole cast album (which gives me a bunch of shows but I'd be most excited about Hadestown and Lizzie))

Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer

Case/Lang/Veirs

The Decemberists

Everclear

Courtney Love

M. Ward

Savannah Outen

Quarterflash

Modest Mouse

The Shins

Sleater-Kinney

Elliott Smith

Todd Snider

Spoon

Meredith Brooks

Collin Raye

and I'd also have access to a lot of songs I wouldn't otherwise thanks to the many covers done by Peter and Evynne Hollens

AKA I'd miss a lot of stuff and why is there this weird trend of Oregonian artists being one-hit wonders

[jayofolympus]

For the character ask: Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Favourite thing about him - His dedication. He commits to a path and sticks with it

Least favorite thing about him - Let's be real, the man can be a bit arrogant sometimes

Favourite line - I'm a big fan of the iconic "Hello there!" 🤣

More seriously though, I think "In my experience, there is no such thing as luck." is one of my favourites because of how it introduces us to how the Force works

BrOTP - Obi-Wan & Anakin! Their friendship and brotherhood is so tragic and heartbreaking

OTP - I'm a filthy multishipper, but I have a massive soft spot for CodyWan, as well as a love for the potential for toxicity and mutual destruction in ObiMaul

NOTP - Obi-Wan/Satine. I think it does them both a disservice for them to have them as anything but wistful for what might have been. They would never have worked together long term

Random headcanon - He doesn't actually like tea all that much, but he drinks it to feel closer to Qui-Gon

Unpopular opinion - Obi-Wan does not show the sort of respect to some of his opponents, particularly Maul and Savage, that a good Jedi should extend toward even their enemies

Song i associate with them - I mean... Duel of the Fates is on more than one of my playlists. (I'm partial to the Epic Version, by Samuel Kim)

I also tend to associate him with Tanglewood Tree, by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer

Favorite picture of them -

He's so pretty, and for what reason? He deserves to be tied up more

[padrespaleale]

Variety

What is your favorite genre of music? My tastes in music have varied over the years. From the days of heavy metal, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath to the singer-songwriters like John Hiatt, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Nicks. My Pandora channels reflect my preferences in music, such as Bruce Springsteen, John Hiatt, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Kate Rusby, and The Band. Each has a slightly…

[genderqueerpond]

21: Favourite song with a person's name in the title.

okay I have to give this to Heather on the Moor by Alexander James Adams, even though it's only sort of a name title, because hello. Fucking Power Move

I mean absolutely everything he does is iconic but like. okay. REALLY QUICK version of his Lore; Alexander James Adams is a trans man who performed and recorded for 20+ years under the name of Heather Alexander. When he came out, he did so by explaining to his fanbase that the musician they had all been following was in fact a changeling, and he, the real child, had been in faerieland all this time while "sidhe" established a music career in his absence. However Heather has now gotten tired and gone home, and Alec, after defeating the faerie queen in a fiddle battle, has proven himself worthy to take his rightful place in the real world, as a real boy, and has inherited her music career.

He then proceeds to remake almost three albums worth of previously released songs, many of them as duets incorporating parts of the original vocal track. And THIS ONE. THIS ONE. He could've said, nah I'm not doing this song anymore, and it would have been entirely understandable and no reasonable person would have thought any less of him for it. Instead he does THIS, and puts it on an album right after "Stolen Child"

Insane iconic power move I die

---

honorable mentions to Kate and The Ghosr of Lost Love by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer because I love the fiddle part, and Caroline by Espers because I was just listening to it and I like it a lot!

[verysmallaminal]

dave carter and tracy grammer deserve a renaissance i think. everyone stream drum hat buddha and bring the girlies back. viva la butterfly conservatory

[kckatie]

Tonight’s Folk Friday earworm: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - I Go Like the Raven

[dudewhoabides]

When I Go - Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer

[kiminthehall]

I have a list of our favorite songs:

Kim (me:) I love Goth Music, Bluegrass, and Folk. Some Favorites are Hammer Horror by Kate Bush, Tortured Tangled Hearts by The Chicks, and Tanglewood Tree by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer

Persephone: She loves Hip Hop, Pop, and Classic Rock. Some favorites by her are Good For You by Olivia Rodrigo, You're Just What I Needed by The Cars, and All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Catherine: He loves 20th Century Japanese Pop and Jazz music of various genres, Riot Grrrl, and Alt Rock like Radiohead and PJ Harvey. Some of his favorites are Sweet and Tart by Akira Jimbo, Wargasm by L7 and Man Sized by PJ Harvey

Melody: They love Jazz, Hip Hop, and Midcentury Modern. Some favorites are: Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock, EARFQUAKE by Tyler The Creator, and Take Five by Dave Brubeck

Oliver Queen: Our newest member loves Politically Charged music in any genre. His favorites are: Cult Of Personality by Living Color, Police and Thieves by Junior Mervin, and Masters Of War by Bob Dylan

Peridot: She loves Glitch, Hyperpop, and House music. Some of her favorites are Pocky Boy by Yeule, Hand Crushed By A Mallet by 100 Gecs, and Aerodynamic by Daft Punk

Carolyn is still trying to figure out her own music tastes but she does like Led Zeppelin

Thanks for asking this was fun! 😀

Hi! Just letting you all know that you're amazing! Also for an actual question what song pumps you up?

Oh, thank you!! You’re all amazing too! /genuine

Air really likes “candy hearts” and “sparkle queens” by xomg pop, but he really only likes the old versions, they got rerecorded after half the group left and the old ones got taken down, we havent found where to find all xomg’s old stuff yet but we havent really looked yet

Earth is the pretty much the only one that actually listens to music frequently, Water and i 🔥 havent really found our own taste in music yet, although theres a song on Earth’s playlist i really like called “no parallels” by hands like houses. If Water had to name one he would probably say “say you like me” by we the kings, again from Earth’s playlist

🪨 if we’re talking about songs that pump me up, i have to mention “for the glory” by all good things, i used to listen to it a lot but ive tried not to the past year or so, because i dont have a healthy relationship with it. Basically, im not traumagenic, i was born with the body (just like all my sysmates), i dont exist to fulfill a role, but after we experienced trauma i chose to step up as a physical and emotional protector of my system, and then i made that my entire identity and felt like i failed my purpose in life when i failed to protect them, and was just spiraling rapidly downward into self loathing and homicidal ideation, which is why we quit using system roles at all in favor of mbti and still why i dont front that often, despite having fronted almost exclusively for the years prior, during our trauma. Anyway, this song has an easy time sucking me right back into the protector mindset, which is why i try to avoid it. But god its a good song. Anyway, in no particular order i like pretty much everything thats ever been recorded by imagine dragons, sugarcult, the score, paramore, yellowcard, and probably some others but those immediately come to mind, i dont think i can pick a favorite, but i can be more specific if youre looking for recommendations

[padrespaleale]

Music for the Soul

What do you listen to while you work? I’ve selected Pandora on my iPhone and have the JBL speaker Bluetooth connected, all set to play one of my favorite stations. What I listen to depends much on how I feel, both physically and mentally, and spiritually. Sometimes, I want to rock out to Bruce Springsteen, while at other times, I need to chill, so I tune in to my Dave Carter/Tracy Grammer…

[carfuckerlynch]

DAVE CARTER TRANSGENDER REAL????