To celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, an event that would jumpstart Pride as the annual event we would come to know, queer-country songwriter Paisley Fields has released a video performing their single "Ramblin' Ranger" from the recent Don Giovanni Records released album Electric Park Ballroom.
Reflecting on Stonewall, Pride and its impact on their work, Paisley Fields stated "Stonewall is; Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera. Countless marginalized people. My first Pride March. Celebrations with friends. Grieving the losses and heartbreak we’ve gone through. Stonewall is a cornerstone of our community. It’s a place to gather, to grieve, to celebrate; a place of congregation. The night after the Pulse massacre in Orlando I stopped by Stonewall and paid my respects to those who were killed that night. My husband and I went back for the vigil the next day. Stonewall is a reminder that queer people exist outside of Pride Month. It’s a sacred place, a place I believe holds significant meaning to all queer people."
Electric Park Ballroom is now available everywhere via Don Giovanni Records. The stories on the album are his, but the feelings they convey -- love, loneliness, lust, and so on -- are, hopefully, still universal.
Active since 2013, Fields is a singer, songwriter, and bandleader splitting time between Brooklyn, New York and Nashville, Tennessee. He writes country music. His songs are tender and authentic, but also pretty quick with a joke. They’re mindful of tradition, but deeply informed by his singular background.
Raised in the Midwest, Fields spent his teenage years playing piano at church, detasseling corn, and pulling shifts at Dollar Tree. He ultimately skipped town to become a world traveler, a proficient taiko drummer, and a Manhattan piano bar survivor who has co-written songs for RuPaul’s Drag Race stars (“Purse First” and “Feeling is Mutual”). Fields is a touring member of the pioneering queer country outfit Lavender Country and can also read your tarot.
