Q-Music; prolific and posthumous indie artists to hear

Here are some gay and queer music acts you may not yet know, but you should, like Willi Carlisle, who seamlessly blends his Missouri roots into music that draws on Americana and country and traditional folk. Also featured; Shamir, Frankie Grande, Frank Dain, and a posthumous release of songs by the late Jeffrey Runnings.

When I first stumbled across queer folksinger WILLI CARLISLE via his 2022 album “Peculiar, Missouri,” I was gobsmacked. Carlisle seamlessly blended his Missouri roots into music that drew on Americana and country as much as it did traditional folk, while incorporating his personal identity.

His exhilarating 2024 follow-up, “Critterland,” was as close to perfection as possible and qualifies as the singer/songwriter’s best album. Carlisle’s latest, “Winged Victory” (Signat