July 6, 2012
Philly's LGBT Art and Music Festival, Phreak N'Queer, Returns for Second Year
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Phreak N' Queer, the 4-day showcase of local queer talent starts on Thursday, August 2nd with GlitterBomb! at Elena's Soul in West Philly and ending on Sunday August 5th with the Gay Ole' Opry at Ortlieb's in Northern Liberties.
Performers for this year include Sgt. Sass, Rainbow Destroyer, AnOmali, A Voice 4 All People, Karen & The Sorrows and DJ PreColumbian! Phreak N' Queer will also be bringing in Nicky Click and The Shondes from NYC. Liberty City Kings, aka LiCK, Philly's premier drag king and burlesque performance troupe will be on hand Friday Night at Johnny Brenda's for the Hot Rods and Mustang Sallies along with the legendary DJ Lucky 7 and DJ KiT.
Phreak N' Queer was the vision of local DJ and promoter, Kate Gormley. Gormley wanted to give Philadelphians an opportunity to get back to the DIY roots of the music and art scenes and away from mainstream interpretations of these mediums. It was also a great opportunity to demonstrate the vast and diverse talent of the Philadelphia queer community and a chance for collaboration with like-minded organizations and other artists and promoters.
Phreak N' Queer is also partnering with locals organizations such as Raices Latino Pride Philadelphia and Gay and Lesbian Latino Aids Education Initiative (GALAEI).
Kate Gormley remarked, "Phreak N' Queer is akin to MondoHomo in Atlanta. I spun there in 2008 and just kept thinking, 'We need this in Philly.' So I threw out the idea to a few folks and the response was overwhelming. The organizers of Phreak N' Queer have been amazing to work with and have really taken my idea of a weekend festival to a whole different level!"
Phreak N' Queer starts on Thursday August 2nd with "GlitterBomb!" located at Elena's Soul (4912 Baltimore Avenue); Friday August 3rd is "Hot Rods and Mustang Sallies" located at Johnny Brenda's (1201 Frankford Avenue), there will be an outdoor festival at Liberties Lands Park on Saturday August 4th and that evening will be "HomoRama" located at Milkboy (1100 Chestnut Street) and "Gay Ole Opry" located at Ortlieb's (847 N. 3rd Street) all in Philadelphia.
For more information and the full festival line-up, check out http://phreaknqueerfestival.wordpress.com/
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
