Tuesday Tunes: Allison Weiss - "I Was An Island"

Tuesday Tunes: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "Bottled in Cork"

Tuesday Tunes: The Hippos - "Freeze Up" (Operation Ivy cover)

Tuesday Tunes: Atom and His Package - "Anarchy Means That I Litter"

Tuesday Tunes: Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Badu - "Q.U.E.E.N."

May 16

Tuesday Tunes: Against Me! - "Transgender Dysphoria Blues"

Tuesday Tunes: Moxy Fruvous - "River Valley"

Tuesday Tunes: Beyoncé - "Grown Woman

Beyoncé - Grown Woman from artemion on Vimeo.

Tuesday Tunes: The Bird and the Bee - "Again and Again"

Welcome to Tuesday tunes, a new regular feature I'm introducing. Each week, I'm going to share a song that I've been listening to. I hope it will be a fairly interesting and eclectic mix, because my taste can be all over the place. Enjoy!

Oh My God, Stop Complaining About the New Against Me! Album

This originally appeared at Persephone Magazine, January 15, 2014.

Next week, punk band Against Me! will release a new album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, and on Monday morning, the record became available for pre-release streaming via NPR.

The record's title, and some of the lyrical content, reference lead singer Laura Jane Grace coming out as a transgender woman in 2012 and her subsequent transition. It also apparently lead a bunch of bigoted bros in the comment sections of punk sites to avoid the album because "it seems like that's all they sing about now."

Let's get a few things straight here. As far as "all they sing about," well, that's not completely true. It's one of many topics they cover. The two-song EP that they released last year, which, as far as I know, is the only new music they've put out since Laura came out, is about her gender identity. And those two songs do appear (in different form) on the full-length album. As do eight other tracks, some of which are about gender and transition, and some that aren't.

But honestly, if the entire thing were about her gender identity from start to finish, that wouldn't be bad at all. In my opinion, songs that are written from a place of rawness, honesty, and vulnerability are often among the best. This record supports that, too — it's a really great album all the way through.

I've also seen the argument that this isn't a "relatable" topic. Frankly, I don't care. No, as a cis woman, I do not know what it feels like to struggle with your gender identity, come out, and begin to transition. I cannot relate to this subject. But I also cannot relate to songs about a lot of topics. There are a lot of punk songs about drug addiction, living in slums, and watching your friends die. I have no personal experience with any of those, but I can still enjoy the songs and the bands that make them. I don't even want to think about what boring white suburbanite bands I'd be stuck with if I could only listen to people with whom I identify. And why shouldn't punk kids who may be struggling with their own identities have an album that speaks to them? The cis, straight, white, male view is definitely not the only one that matters.

None of the excuses of these dudes really holds water. So I guess that just leaves us with transphobia. They are claiming they "can't relate" or it's "all they sing about" because really they think Laura's transition is icky or weird so they don't want to hear about it, but they don't want to come right out and say so.

I guess the moral of the story is that bros need to get over themselves. If you used to love a band and suddenly don't because the vocalist is transgender and dares to sing about it, that's a serious problem with whatever is going on inside your head. It also means you're missing out on music you'd probably enjoy.

But hey, if it means one less transphobic bigot that I have to rub shoulders with at a punk show, then by all means, isolate yourselves.

Chamber Ensemble: Survival Tool

A few weeks ago, I started playing my flute again, something I haven't done since graduating from college in 2006. I joined the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble, a community orchestra that meets weekly in Manhattan.

I'm not really sure what made me want to play again. Maybe it was the stress of school. Maybe I associate band with a social life, since that's where I made almost all of my friends in high school and college. Maybe it had something to do with turning 30 and getting nostalgic. Whatever it was, earlier this fall I realized I had an intense craving to make music again, so I started looking around for amateur community groups to join.

I landed on CFCE because their repertoire was a fun combination of popular and classic pieces and, possibly more importantly, they didn't require an audition. I mean, I used to be really good, but that was more than seven years ago.

In the three rehearsals I've been to, I've noticed something: I don't worry or think about school or any other obligations while I'm there. It's great. I have this chunk of a few hours every week when my mind is totally distracted and occupied by something fun.

This is the sort of thing I really needed. It's like I get a total reset once a week. I'm hoping it will help me in the long run to manage my anxiety levels.

Music Monday: Pop-Punk of Yore

Buzzfeed posted a list reminiscing about Drive-Thru Records the other day, and it sent me down a YouTube spiral of pop-punk songs from my high school and early college era. Here are a few gems I rediscovered:

Allister - "Residential Burglary"

New Found Glory - "Hit or Miss"

Yellowcard - "Way Away"

Sum 41 - "Motivation"

SR-71 - "Right Now"

Fenix TX - "All My Fault"

American Hi-Fi - "Flavor of the Weak"

Librarians remake the "Sabotage" video -- Amazing!

I don't think this video really needs much of an introduction, other than to tell you it's the video for the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" remade by librarians.

M&D 2013 Sabotage from Mike and Duane Show on Vimeo.

Awesome, right?