Not all gay musicians market themselves as such, which is precisely why singer-songwriter Kara Sherman is emphatic about it. “Being ‘out’ is not a choice for me,” she said. “I never want to hide who I am to anyone.” As frontwoman of electronic folk band Team Smile And Nod, Kara strives to raise awareness of Columbus’ GLBT community and encourage dialogue between gay and straight music venues.
Kara and electronic musician Rich Ratvasky formed Team Smile And Nod in December of 2004. Their experimental melodic pop fusion combines traditional folk singing and guitar playing with beatbox sounds and digital arrangements. The band’s first album Look Both Ways Before You Die debuted last fall on Kara’s independent label Thinkroot Records. With 20 tracks, it blasts through themes of homophobia, vegetarianism, and consumerism like a smoking chunk of political dynamite. Some of her lyrics make hardcore statements and others teem with dark humor, but all are designed to provoke discussion. “I want to talk about the things you don’t talk about,” Kara said.
Even though Columbus is often heralded for its thriving gay community, Kara believes that we have a lot of work to do. “The threat of being gay bashed is still very real,” she said. “I think many LGBT people stick to LGBT bars and clubs to help eliminate it, but then we become less visible.” To help foster the relationship between the gay and straight music communities, she would like gay and straight establishments to consider hosting alliance shows. “Creating an environment that promotes collaboration could help mesh the two communities,” she added.
Kara and Rich will release their second album Morning Time early next year. Until then they’ll focus on playing live shows and reaching as many new listeners as possible. “Music has the power to get people to think and induce feeling,” Kara said. “When you get people inspired it helps to at least get the conversation going.”
Team Smile And Nod will perform on September 12 at The Treehouse, on September 18 at Victorian’s Midnight Café, and on November 21 at Victorian’s Midnight Café.
Visit teamsmileandnod.com and myspace.com/teamsmileandnod for more information.
Alexandra Kelley writes about music for Columbus Underground and can be reached at alexandra477.com.