A Dyke’s _ 0 Quinn-tesseniial -6 First Date ary of 1993. Why Burlington? “It was as close as I wanted to be to Provi- dence, and as far as I could afford to go." She’s held a variety of jobs since she got here (chicken farmer, sauté cook, dump truck driver, etc.). She says that singing has been a relatively new development—”l bought a guitar the day before I came to Burlington. I ‘ had neverplayed one in my life...I didn’t know anybody here, and I came up in January, so it was cold. I just played and played.” Five years later, she’s on the verge of releasing her first CD, “Leav- ing Decatur‘, due out in July. Jeff Miller, who brought her to the Rhom- bus Gallery as part of the Burlington Coffeehouse series, says Quinn is“on the cutting edge of acoustic music." Miller has known Quinn since she showed up at his open mike night three years ago. ‘Her songs are like aconversation,' hesays. ‘That’swhat first attracted me to her music. It's like you’re sitting down with her, and she’s telling you a story.’ Quinn's got a lot of stories. She's a prolific writer, hav- ing copyrighted nearly 100 songs since she started playing. She's quick to point out, however, that she has a hard time remembering them all. Sometimes she forgets her own photo by Jon Lukens words on stage. Even so, the audi- ence is almost always forgiving. Why? Because when she gets her songs right, she’s a captivating performer. Her songs are charged with the inten- sily of someone who has something vital to say. Perhaps this is because Quinn sees her music as an outlet for her desire to teach— she often writes about conflict and struggle. Her songs deal with conflict in relationships, the tension between activism and com- placency, and the disparity between rich and poor. A lot of her songs re- flect her own experience in the work- place, and living in BurIington’s North End. In “Kitchen Table”, for example, she says, “Maybe you should try walk- ing on the other side of the street. You’d be astounded at the people you might meet. Maybe you should try walking on the other side oftown. You know, my neighborhood, the one you avoid when the sun goes down." And although she readily ad- mits that she's sporting an attitude, on stage Katherine Quinn is soft-spoken and charming. Her newly shaved head, tattoos, and genuine smile are almost as popular as her lyrics with the collegiate womyn crowd. Some- times more so in other situations. photo by Jon Lukens She used to play at a bar in Burlington every week, until one day she decided that the steady gig was not exactly what she wanted to be doing. “One night I was playing, and I realized nobody was listening. So I ’ _staned changing the lyrics of my songs. ‘Free me, set me free, set me free’ became ‘salami, salami, salami,’ and in ‘Rather Be’, I started saying ‘I'd rather be homo where somebody was listening to me.’ they didn't even no- tice. So I stopped. Then some guy came up to me and offered me fifty bucks to keep playing. I thought, you just want a girl on-stage playing gui- tar, and that’s totally not what I'm here for.’ So I didn't do it. I left." I recently saw her perform for new student orientation at UVM. Dur- ing one set, I watched a young woman who sat across the room with a group of guys. She was listening, nodding her head, and laughing at the appro- priate moments, especially at the line in “Bar Pick Up Song," when Katherine says,_ “home is where I’m going alone." Most of the people there were hearing her play for the first time. The crowd was mixed, and the guys seemed to enjoy the show, but it was mostly the women who were getting it, and getting into it. The firsttime I heard Katherine Quinn play, I realized what it must have been like to be an Ani DiFranco fan before Spin Magazine called her “rock’s most unlikely superstar." It's exciting to see Quinn at this stage in her career, when she still takes re- quests, and hangs out with the audi- ence alter the show. I highly recom- mend the experience, especially while her shows are still cheaper than a movie date. THE VERMONT RAINBOW CONNECTION THE T.V. SHOW EY, FOIZ AND A90LlT VEIZMONTS L/61/5/T COMMUNITY AND OUI1 $UPP0l1T5l1$ ! ‘Become a Sponsor and show your support !" all or write for rates and Sposorship/Donor information: (302) 547-2737 ‘ Lavender Visions Productions, Inc. PO Box 307 Saint Albans, Vt. 05473 email: Iavenderetogether. net Lavender Visions Productions, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible HEL? $L|PPDl1T THE SHOW THAT $U?P0|1T5 YOU ! ©—/ FjZCZZjjZZZjZCjjjZq Z 92 § By subscribing now to Out in the Mountains, not only will you get delivery to your mailbox (in an envelope), but you also help underwrite the rising costs of publishing and distributing the newspaper. We welcome any additional contributions you can make to support this and other impor- tant publishing projects. Checks should be made payable to Mountain Pride Media, and sent, along with this card to: OIT M, POB 177, Burlington, VT 05402-01” . ll ' on I Address | Town : D 1 year ($20) D 2years ($35) '3 Low income ($10) | El Contribution $ Subscribe T ozlay.’ State Zip hjjjjjjjjijjjjjjjjjj nities, including those with children. $20 admission, people under 3 it free! Meet 10:30 am at “Group Sales" in the River- side parking Iot or carpool. Call Paul (802) 862-8646 or Rick (802) 258-901 0 for more information. Manchester - Carl Orff’s Choral master- piece "Carmina Burana". Robert De Corrnier conducts the VSO Chorus and members of the orchestra. 7:30 at Hunter Park in Manchester VT. Call 1-800-876- 9293 for more information. Northfleld — Women of the Woods Patio Poker Party, 3 pm, bring a snack and something to drink. FMI 485-8588 SUNDAY Burlington - Christine Lavin, one of the four Bitchin’ Babes, plays at Metronome. 7pm. Tickets $15. Call 8654568 for info. WEDNESDAY Montpelier - Women of the Woods Din- ner and a Movie, meet at Oscar and Zeke’s at 5 pm for dinner or at 6 pm out- side the restaurant for just the movie. FMI 229-0109 SUNDAY Burlington - UU CIRCLE: Full Moon and Lammas ritual, potluck, and meeting. All who support the Covenant ct UU Pagans’ mission are welcome. Wear garb if you like, and bring something for least, a mu- sical instrument, and a cushionto sit on. Site TBA, 6 pm. Donations. Info, 658- 9689. WEDNESDAY Stowe - Women of the Woods Dinnre/bik- ing at Whiskers Restaurant, meet at 6 pm, use the nearby bikepath either before or after dinner. Call 485-8588 by 8/15 if you plan to attend. w SUNDAY Putney - Lesbian Book Group: 7 PM at Heartstone Books. We read books in all - genres, by women authors, usually with some lesbian content. Please join us! For more information, Tatiana (802) 387-2781, or tatianas@sover.net. . FRIDAY Orange - Women of the Woods pizza and planning at Sue's. Bring your drink of choice. FMI 225-0109 MONDAY Burlington - BLT (bisexual, lesbian, transgender women’s) Health Network will be meeting at the Peace and Justice Cen- ter‘ at 7:00 PM. Come visit us, join us, participate in the development of health information and help for the health of BLT_'s in the state of Vermont. For further info: phone: Lanny 899-4588, or Joy 848-7037.‘ * . September SUNDAY Buflington - UU CIRCLE: Full Moon ritual, potluck, and meeting. All who sup- port the Covenant of UU Pagans‘ mission are welcome. Wear garb if you like, and bring something for feast, a musical in- strument, and a cushion to sit on. HC ac- cessible. First UU Society of Burlington, 152 Pearl St., 6 pm. Donations. Info, 658- 9689. SATURDAY Williamstown - Women of the Woods End-of-Summer Bonfire. Bring the usual snacks and something to drink. Hot dogs. buns and fixings provided. Bring a lawn chair. FMI 2290109 SUNDAY Putney - Lesbian Book Group: 7 PM at Heartstone Books. We read books in all genres, by women authors, usually with some lesbian content. Please join us! For more information. Tatiana (802) 387-2781, or tatianas@sover.net. 3} MONDAY Burlington - BLT (bisexual, lesbian, transgender women's) Health Network will be meeting at the Peace and Justice Cen- ter at 7:00 PM. Come visit us, join us, participate in the development of health information and help for the health of BLT’s in the state of Vermont. For further into: phone: Lanny 899-4588,or Joy 848-7037. CALENDAR BflNTIlllllE8, |118