THROUGH THE LENS: Porch Pride 2021 Celebrates Juneteenth and 5 Years of Bluegrass Pride

Last year this column featured California-based nonprofit Bluegrass Pride celebrating Pride Month with a virtual weekend festival, Porch Pride: A Bluegrass Pride Queer-antine Festival. It raised over $22,000 and enabled each participating musician to be paid $825 for their performances. 

That may seem like a relatively small amount, but after three months of no touring, even that modest payment meant a lot. Moreover, it also highlighted, showcased, and uplifted LGBTQ+ roots musicians and fans and brought a geographically isolated community together.   

Building on last year’s success, Porch Pride 2021 has been expanded into a monthlong multimedia festival, spanning all four weekends in June, featuring 13+ hours of virtual music, programming, and community engagement. Pride Month kicked off with Lavender Country Live! on June 6, and this past weekend featured a virtual brunch and a jam-along. The remaining two weekends, June 19 and June 26-27, will thrill roots music fans far and wide as they feature the core of the performance portion of the virtual festival.

While an overview follows, more information on Porch Pride, the festival (including viewing options) and the mission,  can be found here.

Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival

Saturday, June 19, 6-9 p.m. ET: Hosted in partnership with Brandi Waller-Pace and Decolonizing the Music Room, this show features a three-hour series of virtual performances highlighting the seminal, trailblazing contributions of Black queer and trans folks to bluegrass, old-time, and other branches of roots music.

Performers include Sunny War, Yasmin Williams, Jackie & Resa, Stephanie Anne Johnson, and Jake Blount, a recipient of the 2020 Steve Martin Banjo Prize.

Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration!

Saturday and Sunday, June 26-27, 6-9 p.m. ET: The final weekend offers a two-day virtual festival featuring more than six hours of live music. The weekend serves to both promote and financially support LGBTQ+ roots musicians and allies, while also celebrating the growth of the Bluegrass Pride movement in the past five years.

Saturday, June 26 performers include: Mya Byrne, Ben Garnett, Crys Matthews, BOOJUM, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and Gangstagrass.

Sunday, June 27 performers include: Willi Carlisle, Maddie Witler, Amanda Fields, Hasee Ciaccio & Friends, Stephanie Anne Johnson, and Rainbow Girls.

Now, the photos. Click on any photo below to view the gallery as a full-size slide show.