Although a transplant from Utah, Chicago has claimed out singer/songwriter Dylan Rice as its own.
Rice's song ,'The Lie,' is featured on the recently released compilation Revolutions from the new LGBT record label Music With a Twist. Being on a compilation backed by a mainstream label and featuring the hottest emerging LGBT artists will hopefully raise this Windy City star to new heights. He is excited to be an out artist during a time when the music business is rapidly changing, and is gearing to shoot his first music video in June.
Rice, who has been compared to Chris Isaak and Morrissey, learned piano at age eight, sang in his church's choir and picked up the guitar later down the road to accompany his unique, powerful voice, which he considers his main instrument.
Check out Rice June 1 at Martyrs', 3855 N. Lincoln. For tickets or info, call 773-404-9494 or see www.martyrslive.com .
Nightspots: What are your thoughts on having a mainstream gay music label?
Dylan Rice: It's really great because it's very validating for independent artists to be acknowledged and promoted by a major label. It's funny how maybe 10 or 15 years ago being an openly gay singer/songwriter was seen as a strike against you. Now it's great because it's becoming an asset. I'm just really impressed with the talent on the CD, and I'm very humbled to be a part of it.
NS: I also think it does a great job showing the diversity in the community. They're all not just dance club artists.
DR: Right! … Gay men and women want to rock, too. They don't just want to hear DJs spin and they don't just want to go to coffeehouses and hear folk music.
NS: I hope this launches you to a super rock star status. Is that something that you want?
DR: Yeah! I've always wanted to be a professional rock n' roller. I've always wanted to travel around. It's a hard career to get into and it's very unpredictable, too. It's a wild ride, but I'm having fun in the process. The music is the most important thing to me. At the end of the day, if the songs aren't my best, it's just not the point.
NS: When you do become rich and famous, one of the requirements, I think, is to have a pain-in-the-ass rock star request. Like picking out all the brown M&M's for you. What would be your rock star request?
DR: [ Laughs ] . If I'm getting served greasy food after 10 p.m., I need some Pepcid AC with it, or else I just won't eat it.
NS: Well, that's just reasonable. That's not crazy.
DR: Oh, shoot. I'm so polite and sensible. There's a lot to be said about having water room temperature. But I guess a back rub would be great. I'd take that.
… By a handsome, strapping lad, of course.
NS: Now, a lot of articles pen you as being the 'gay choir boy from Utah.' Does that bother you?
DR: Part of it is poking fun at it. When you listen to my music, I don't think you get 'choir boy' out of it. I would assume you don't. I think that was played up because it seemed a little bit of bizarre and funny, which is fine. It is kind of unusual. It's not unusual for a young, gay boy to be in a choir. But you don't hear about rockers who grew up singing in a choir. But church is where I learned about singing.
…That's where I learned I love being a ham. I would sing solos sometimes because I loved the attention I got at a young age from the old women of the church. "Bringing In the Sheaves," whatever, but as far as harmony and tone-that's where I learned how to sing.
NS: You studied English at Northwestern. What led to your music career?
DR: It was gradual. Music was always a hobby that I loved. I was performing other people's music, at school musicals and community theaters. But it wasn't until college that I met some musicians on campus who were interested in my original music. They kind of got me thinking that maybe people want to hear it. I discovered there was an outlet for my original music. Before, I was very secretive and private about it.
NS: Were you shy, too?'
DR: Very shy. When I got out of college, I realized I was having fun playing in this band, so I stayed in Chicago to see it to its fruition. I've played in several bands now. I kind of built up this following in Chicago. The gay community has always embraced me. I played the gay coffeehouse circuit. They liked my music, and I didn't have to pretend I was someone else or have to dance around the issue. That really helped me feeling supported by a community.
I do think the mainstream rock world is changing. In a good and bad way, money talks. …We are a financial force to reckon with.
…It's interesting being in both worlds. I find everyday, those worlds are getting closer and closer together. There's not as much of a division from gay and straight audiences. My audience is mixed.
NS: And it's nice to have a diverse audience because as much as it's great to be backed by your community, you don't want to be pigeonholed as a gay artist.
DR: Honestly, I used to be concerned about that, but I see artists like Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang, and they've achieved this level of eminence and respect that transcends their sexual orientation. Any fears of being pigeonholed or it being bad for business-I think that's changing.
…They way things are going, people who are in mainstream media are almost irritated with people who have been in the closet that long. But then again, I live in a major metropolitan city with gay pillars on the street. Sometimes I think, am I just living in this gay, little world? Is this just here, or is where things are going, like a national trend? I don't know. I think it's an exciting time to be openly gay and to be a musician.
NS: If you were stranded and could only bring three albums with you to listen to for the rest of your life, what would you bring?
DR: U2's Achtung Baby. This list changes every year! The Best of Sly and the Family Stone.
NS: If it's a tie between a couple, I'll let you cheat.
DR: Vauxhall and I by Morrissey, tied with Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Session.
NS: When you aren't performing or writing songs, what do you do in your downtime?
DR: I love watching cooking shows. They are so soothing.
NS: Can you cook?
DR: I used to cook in college, but then I decided to eat out all the time. I have been known to cook amazing meals for guys I'm trying to woo.
The other thing I like to do is study Italian.
NS: What is your favorite Chicago hangout?
DR: The Hideout, because the people that own it are just fantastic, creative and supportive of local music and the GLBT community. It's an incredible place.
NS: What is your biggest turn on?
DR: It's when your eyes catch with an extremely handsome man, and he smiles back at you with this huge, toothy grin. It's like that confident, happy grin. That's such a huge turn on.
