Out in the Mountains Armatrading Back With Concert, New Album A friend once told me a story about when her car was broken into. The thief ignored her car stereo and instead took every single Joan Armatrading tape she had in the car. Needless to say, my friend fran- tically searched Burlington in order to re- place the stolen tapes as quickly as pos- sible. - Such is the fanatacism for Joan Anna- trading that exists in Vennont. And it is not all from the “Birkenstock” crowd as the Burlington Free Press would lead one to believe. I have seen fraternity brothers simply go overboard raving about the woman's concerts and albums. To an outsider, all of this may seem bizarre and somewhat akin to teeny-bop- pers drooling over New Kids on the Block. But there is a certain something about Joan Armatrading that is honest, shy, boisterous, and smart (among many other things) all at the same time. Her songs hit emotions that perhaps ring true to our experiences as gay, ARANOF /\'I”l'()I{|'\ll'.‘a’.\‘ /\'l' L./\ UPSON Dedicated to Serving the Needs of the Lesbian and Gay Community GENERAL CIVIL PRACTICE V Susan L. Aranoff 802.244.1170 18 Lisa A. Upson I3 STOWE STREET ZB, WATERBURY, VERMONT 05676 lesbian,aridbisexual people; theyarenot of the pre-fab, generic, boy/girl variety that often constitute the popular song market. Evidence of the enthusiasm on the part ofJoan’s fans was seen this past August at her concert in Memorial Auditorium. I had seen Joan two years before in Burlington and was certainly amazed then at both her performance and the response of the audi- ence. However, that past experience was no match at all for this most recentappearance. The audience went wild the moment Joan first appeared on stage to sing “All the Way From America.” She actually had to wait for the crowd to quiet down enough before she began to sing. It was that way all through the concert. During those brief moments when she’d talk to the audience, screams of “We love you Joan!” could be heard, to which Joan would respond with her shy smile and a thank-you. By the last song of her encore, the now-traditional “Willow,” she was close to tears, especially as the crowd sang along faith- fully to the chorus. If Joan were simply to stand on stage and do nothing, she perhaps would still have re- ceived a similar response from the audience. However, she is not one to disappoint her fans. Backed by a standout band, she ran through a few of her classics such as “I’m Lucky,” “Show Some Emotion,” and “Love and Affection,” as well as several of the new songs from her most recent album, “Hearts and Flow- ers.” The album itself is unfortu- nately not one of her stronger efforts, with some of the tracks suffering from overproduction. The title song, for example, could lose a little of the synthe- sizer. Certainly, as was proven with “Dark Truths” from her previous album, “The Shouting Stage,” justa touch of keyboards can go a long way in creating the mood for a song without overwhelming it. This does not mean that the entire album is a complete wash- out, however. Two tracks in particular, “More Than One Kind of Love” and “Free,” are typical Joan Armatrading: real, honest, and catchy enough to stay stuck in the head for days on end. Even in her weakest outings, Joan Armatrading is the equivalent of superb by most other artists’ standards. Certainly “Hearts and Flowers,” her recent concert appearance, and her legions of fans in Vermont can attest to that. Ms. Magazine is Back For all of you who missed the news in August, Ms. magazine is back, and it is explicitly, joyously, and globally feminist once again. It also looks as though Ms. will] finally include lesbians and lesbian con- cems. In an informal poll of potential read- ers, lesbian issues headed the list of topics readers wanted to see in the magazine. The new bimonthly Ms. will also deal exten- sively with international women's issues. Ms. is edited by long-time activist and writer Robin Morgan, authorof the classics Sisterhood is Powerful and Sisterhood is Global. Gloria Steinem is also back as a consulting editor and contributor. The experience of the old Ms. amply demonstrated that advertisers were terri- fied of the “F” word (Feminism). This is the subject of a fascinating story by Gloria Steinem in the first issue. So how is Ms. going to get away with using the “L” word, among others? The answer is that Ms. will be published with no advertising at all. This lack of advertising accounts for its stiff price: $4.50 fora single issue and $40.00 for a one-year subscrip tion (6 issues). A special introductory rate of $30.00 for a one-year subscription is currently in effect, and it's worth it: a 100 page magazine with no advertising has roorri for lots of material. You may have some trouble finding Ms. The first issue sold out within a week and had to be reprinted. You're more likley to find it at a bookstore than a newsstand. To be sure of receiving your own copy, your best bet is a subscription. As the l990’s begin, it is immensely comforting to know that feminism is not dead, and that neither is Ms.