And, well, now we’re starting to wonder if this is going to be a week of heading down to the bottom – if so it’ll be one of those weird coincidences, stay tuned to find out – you’ll know just after we do.
Shawna Virago is not only one of those musicians who moved from a punk beginning into a musical realm suitable for the ears of Americana listeners (we love punk, really!) but is also one of America’s first openly transgender women to tour nationally, performing as her true self since the early nineties. Today’s song comes from ‘Blood in her Dreams‘, Virago’s new album which was released on May 31st. It’s a song that, well, celebrates isn’t quite the right word – but acknowledges, maybe, an outsider status, as Shawna Virago sings: “I found myself in a waterfront bar where they drink whiskies by the dipper / It was filled with faces no mother could love and no Princess would find a glass slipper / I took my place with the ragged crew of the loser squad / Each one of us believing we’d been betrayed by the brutal forces of God.”
Shawna Virago has acknowledged the autobiographical elements of the new album, saying: “Each song on ‘Blood in Her Dreams’ is a chapter in a larger story about navigating identity, confronting the past, and striving for authenticity in a world that often demands conformity. This album is my manifesto of resilience and a testament to the power of living authentically.”
