Man, this website gig has opened quite a few doors to me as a media resource... Not the least of which has been the door to Ms. Doria Roberts, Founder of Queerstock, a grassroots queer music festival based in Atlanta. Now admittedly, I hadn't heard of Queerstock until Doria filled us in on the message boards... but what a rush to find out it exists! Female musicianship has been on the rise over the last decade, but female queer musicians still have a long way to go towards gaining broad-based, mainstream acceptance. Listen to what Doria, a pioneer in the queer indie rock scene, has to say about her festival:Q. Queerstock... what a blast! For those of us who aren't yet informed, can you tell us a bit about the conception and evolution of the festival?
A. Queerstock was started by a group called Grassroot Queers in Philadelphia. Our Pride committee forgot to get a parade license for June so Philly had Pride in MAY that year. Grassroot Queers held Queerstock illegally in a park so that we would have some sort of celebration during national Pride Month. That was June 3, 1995.
I performed and was overwhelmed by the experience. It was better than Pride. Hit closer to home. The artists were the focus and they really conveyed what it was like to be queer in America through their music, poetry, dancing, reading, etc. We didn't have to sit through speeches from the mayor (who shows up once a year to talk to the gay community) or the local news anchor. We validated 
ourselves.
I wanted to help with the next year but they said they wouldn't be doing it and gave it to me. I've kept it going because it provides a rare opportunity for me and other queer musicians to be completely out and appreciated--more than once a year. It mistakenly turned into a tour when I relocated to Atlanta :) I've taken it to New York, Boston and Durham so far. Planning on Chicago, Portland, San Fran, DC and London (in 2001) for future stops
Next year will be the 5th Anniversary Tour and I hope to make another stop in Philly as well as take over a park in San Fran. Some queers out there are interested in doing that.
Q. What's the Queerstock "Manifesto"?
A. Hmmm, well I have a saying: "Start enjoying what you've been fighting for!" When I started doing some serious activism I realized that it was all I was doing. I was fighting for visibility but the only time I was being visible was when I was protesting. As a black person, woman and lesbian, I have advocated for some major civil rights. It was consuming me. I felt
manipulated by politicians. I felt like they asked us what we wanted and then didn't give it to us just to show us who was ultimately in control. I got tired of asking one day. The first QS was illegal. We didn't get a permit for the park or for the sound system (which was run on a batteries). We just wanted to have a good time and didn't think that it required a piece of paper signed by the authorities.
If you're fighting for visibility, BE VISIBLE! It sounds simple but activists forget, our community forgets . Personally, I don't want my life to become a series of political events. I want to experience some of the freedom that we march for and I want others to have that too.
So, "Start enjoying what you've been fighting for!" just 
makes sense for QS. It's inherently political b/c of the content, but IT'S SO MUCH FUCKING FUN! No one can deny that. Urvashi Vaid and Kate Clinton showed up at QS in NYC and it was exactly what I want people to see: Two of our hardest working and most respected activists were jammin'!!!!!!!!!!!!! awesome, truly...
Q. How can we, as the audience, help promote Queerstock and/or bring it to our area? And how can we, as potential performers, get in touch with you?
A. Since I produce QS out of pocket I am always looking for people to do the
local promoting for me which is usually putting up flyers and talking it up, word of mouth. I've sold out 4 shows with just a grassroots approach. Usually one person expressing interest can be enough for me to start
researching the area. But, some chicks drove from Atlanta to Boston for QS so it's becoming important that the shows are put together well.
I've found most of the performers on the web or by meeting them at my own
gigs. I either know everyone or they have been recommended by someone I know. Now that it's getting bigger I have to rely on press kits.
The first thing a performer needs to do is send me an address so I can put
them on the list and send them an application when it is time for artist submissions. Please don't send a random package because I also run a record company and I am a performing singer/songwriter. So, I have very specific times of the year when I can work on Queerstock. The address is: Queerstock Tour, Attn: Performer Inquiry, P.O. Box 5313 Atlanta, GA 31107 or e-mail a snail mail address to droberts@compaq.net
Queerstock is for all types of music and spoken word. I've booked everything from rap to punk. Some of the past performers include: Melissa Ferrick, Pansy Division, Sonia of disappear fear, the Butchies (ex-Team Dresch), MC Cyryus, Kid Sister, Erin McKeweon, Pamela Means, poet Letta Neely, Cooper Seay (ex-Ellen James Society/Viva La Diva), Darren Polite, GLAMA Award winning artist Angela Motter, Robert Urban, Jessie Zoldak (who plays bass with Patti Smith) and lots of other awesome people.
You can catch Doria Roberts and Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) in a documentary called "For the Love of Rock". (http://www.loveofrock.com), a film about independent women in the music industry. There is a filming show scheduled in NY January 14 at the Mercury Lounge w/ Doria, Melissa Ferrick, Brenda Kahn and Moxie. You can purchase her CD at amazon.com, CDNow.com, ladyslipper.org, and goldenrod.com. Dorias source distributor is Red Eye Distribution at www.redeyeusa.com.
Unofficial Doria Roberts Websites:
http://www.listen.to/doria.comhttp://www.welcome.to/doriasgroove.comhttp://www.lilithfair.com - look for video of Doria at the Atlanta festival, July 23rd
Feature Archive | Write for Techno Dyke!
Man, this website gig has opened quite a few doors to me as a media resource... Not the least of which has been the door to Ms. Doria Roberts, Founder of Queerstock, a grassroots queer music festival based in Atlanta. Now admittedly, I hadn't heard of Queerstock until Doria filled us in on the message boards... but what a rush to find out it exists! Female musicianship has been on the rise over the last decade, but female queer musicians still have a long way to go towards gaining broad-based, mainstream acceptance. Listen to what Doria, a pioneer in the queer indie rock scene, has to say about her festival:
