When I heard that Angela Brownell-Miller’s parents were going to be in the Gulfport audience last June 2nd (2012), I had unusual feelings of both admiration & envy. In spite of my own parents’ acceptance of my lesbianism, I doubt that we’d have found ourselves in that circumstance with Angela & her folks. It’s heartwarming & encouraging to see that, in the 10-year age span between Angela & me, LGBT individuals & their families are much more comfortable in melding their lives outside of family get-togethers.

Angela’s upbringing carries over to the Butchlesque community. From the moment that she signed-on for last year’s show, she was “down” for whatever help we needed or any resource that she could provide. She was instrumental in preparing the catwalk, and she even brought in sponsors for the show.

Butchlesque became another family to her. The kind where everyone pitches-in however they can. Who makes the deviled eggs for the family dinner? Why… the one who makes them the BEST, of course. And wherever Angela’s skill set best fits, she steps up to the plate.

Angela didn’t hold back anything at Gulfport that night. She left it all on the catwalk.

 Her parents enjoyed the evening, too — especially when, at the end of the show, they won the autographed PaperJamz guitar that was a door prize. And it occurred to me that Angela & her family are the epitome of what Butchlesque strives for: that everyone should have the opportunity to lead their own authentic life, and not have to renounce any part of themselves in order to receive the acceptance, respect, appreciation — and love — that they deserve.

I’m enjoying working with Angela in these days that lead up to the 27-82 Concert at the State Theatre in St. Pete. She reminds me of why we HAVE “Pride” organizations & events. I don’t know if her parents will be in attendance that night, but the Butchlesque family hopes that you’ll pitch-in on June 28th, 2013, to support St. Pete Pride’s Community Grants fundraiser. It’s going to be an exciting evening of music & entertainment. Get Tickets.

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I remember the first time that I met Michelle Jahren. It was at a Halloween costume dance at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. Michelle excitedly told Kim Herbel that she wanted to be in the next “Butchlesque” show. Less than eight months later, at that same venue, Michelle appeared on the catwalk in her country boi interpretation of “Chester Sullivan”.
“I decided to enter the Gulfport ‘Butchlesque’ show because I wanted to step out of my box & do something that I would not normally do. I had to learn how to step outside myself. I can now say, ‘I learned how to swagger across the stage!’ Along the way I found support , encouragement, creative ideas from my friends, and at the same time made new friends. Getting prepared for the show always made for a good conversation among family and friends.”

“Chester” was a hit with the femmes that night, from the top of her cowboi hat, to her rhinestone-encrusted six-shooter belt buckle, down to the pointy toes of her boots. When she mopped her brow with a handkerchief, a piece of straw in the corner of her “aww, shucks, ma’am” smile, she was rewarded with applause galore. The judges were wow’ed, too, and sent Chester home with the evening’s “Dapper” glass top hat.

Michelle is never one to take all of the credit, and she insists that having a good assistant was key to her win that night.

“My best friend Angela Paolillo helped me pick out clothes, shoes, and helped define the look of my hair that night. She became such an expert at getting me ready for the show that other contestants asked for her assistance backstage. Thank you, Angela, AND Butchlesque for letting me step outside the box!”

Best friend Angela congratulating Chester on her big win

On June 28th, at the State Theater, “Butchlesque” is going to un-box a very special edition of its’ show, in conjunction with St. Pete Pride’s 27-82 Concert. Michelle is going to be there, with a 10-gallon hat full of butch swagga to wow the audience with! We hope you’ll join us for this great fundraising event for St. Pete Pride’s Community Grant program. For Tickets, CLICK HERE.

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Kristine Eigenbrode may be gracing the “Butchlesque” catwalk for the first time this coming June 28th, but she’s no stranger to our endeavors. When we set out to make a promo video for the 2012 show, we put out an all-call for someone to portray a geeky bicycle messenger who gets the full “butch” makeover at 6S Boutique. Kristine happily stepped up to the plate. In light of the fact that we had not personally met Kris until the morning of filming, we were in awe of what a professional she was. Not only did she come prepared with many costuming options & accessories, she gave freely of her time AND offered many helpful suggestions for our project.

If you’re scratching your head right now, trying to figure out who this “Kristine Eigenbrode” character is, maybe it’s because you know her better by her other persona of “K’ne Cole”. K’ne is a male illusionist in the Tampa Bay area, as well as a former (2012) Mister Tennessee US of A MI.

Kris knows no limits when it comes to carrying out the art of male illusion. She has even appeared topless — draped only with a towel. Kris’ proud, no-apologies machismo is a perfect match for “Butchlesque’s” goal of every participant feeling empowered & experiencing their individual rock-star moment.

When Kris isn’t performing on stage, she is empowering her clients to resolve debt through her company Infinity Debt Solutions.

We are thrilled that Kris Eigenbrode will be treading the catwalk on June 28th, at the 27-82 Concert to benefit St. Pete Pride’s community grant program. Tickets are still available – click HERE.

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Butchlesque is excited by the prospect of sharing the State Theatre in St. Pete with girl band “Uh Huh Her” on Friday, June 28, 2013!  Camila Grey & Leisha Hailey are the faces of the band.  Camila attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and she has had her work featured in such projects as “Dirty Dancing:  Havana Nights”, the Showtime series “Nip / Tuck”, and in collaborations with artists like Busta Rhymes and Adam Lambert.  Leisha Hailey is likely the most widely recognized of the two, as she played “Alice Pieszecki” for the six seasons of “The L. Word”.

Admittedly, “Alice” was one of my favorite components of the show.  I couldn’t help but smile at her weekly observations on the lesbian culture.  However, I never felt more connected to a character — or more appreciative of Ms. Hailey’s acting chops — as I did when she fell apart upon the passing of her love, “Dana Fairbanks”.  At that moment, “Alice” was someone who we all could relate to.  She was someone who we live next door to… work with… want to wrap our arms around… and cheer on to success.

“Uh Huh Her” has received critical acclaim recently, when their song “Same High” was in the Golden Globe-winning & Academy Award-nominated movie “The Kids Are All Right”.  If you didn’t hear about that milestone, then maybe you are familiar with the duo’s run-in with Southwest Airline personnel over a public display of affection that got them removed from their flight.  Again… something that lesbians & gays are able to relate to.  The “Butchlesque” crew is looking forward to being in the company of these lesbian icons.

It’s not such a stretch of the imagination to see why “Butchlesque” is an appropriate companion to “Uh Huh Her” for the 2013 St. Pete Pride Carnivale 27-82 concert on June 28th.  Since its’ inception in 2011, “Butchlesque” has incorporated the butches who are your neighbors… your co-workers… your best friends and your partners… and we’ve put them out front for you to cheer on to success.  These are people who you routinely wrap your arms around, from the same walks of life that you have walked, dressed not in $300 ties or $2000 custom suits but in fashions that you can just as easily aspire to for yourself.  We all know that the swagga IN the clothes are as important as the fabrics themselves, and we assemble the butches that you admire, that you want to be, and who you want to love.

Real.  Butch.  BUTCHLESQUE.

The 2013 St. Pete Pride Carnivale 27-82 Concert is a new event for the women in our community.  We hope you’ll show support & appreciation by being in attendance at the State Theatre on June 28th.  BUY TICKETS here.