My end of the year composition for Hybrid Music at the Evergreen State College.   Based on the four chord progressions of "Wishing Well", transformed with time distortion  and poly beats.  Spring 2015.

Crystalline House

After working on the BBC Punk Rock show for 2 years I had met Laura several times and when she came out as transgender I approached her about making a documentary about her experience and she was more than happy to be involved. I'm also very proud of the fact that this was BBC Radio 1's very first documentary focusing solely on Trans issues.  

In 2012 Rolling Stone Magazine featured an interview with the lead singer of punk rock band Against Me! Her name, Laura Jane Grace was new to even the most die-hard of Against Me! fans, yet she was the very same person who had been singing with the band since its inception. Before that interview Laura's fans would have known her as lead singer Tom Gabel, but after living her life as a man for 31 years, Laura decided enough was enough and took the big decision to be the person she knew she always had been. A woman.

Against Me! have played venues all over the world, sold thousands of albums and have high profile fans like the Foo Fighters, Frank Turner and Bruce Springsteen. Against Me! are a true part of the Punk Rock scene and have a healthy fan base to show it. With help from Radio 1's Paris Lees, Laura takes some time out from her punk rock life to find out what it's like being a transgender person in the UK and the challenges people face from being born in the wrong body.

We meet transgender people from all walks of life, from those forced to live under anonymity to YouTube stars, beauty queens and even transgender stand-up comics. We discuss the dark world of transphobic attacks that happen in the streets, in the workplace and at school. We ask the Gendered Intelligence Trust about the impacts of these attacks and the resulting pain, depression and even suicide. Above all this Radio 1 Story celebrates the spirit of the transgender community, often misunderstood and challenged, but simply a group of individuals looking to live a happy and normal life like anybody else.

Radio 1's Surgery Doctor Sanjay Pawar is on hand to talk to about the options people have if they do decide to change gender, from puberty blockers to surgery or just doing nothing at all. And we hear from the British public and find out what they really know about transgender issues. With the trans community having had a dogged past with the media, we tackle them as well. We look into why this has been the case and talk to a few people who could help with making that a thing of the past.

As well as talking to the UK transgender community, we will find out what it's been like for Laura over the past year. We talk about life before Laura Jane Grace and how she fought her need to be a woman with drug and drink abuse whilst praying to God and the devil to make her a woman. We also look at what her life has been like since May 2012 - from band mates quitting the band and her relationship with her family, friends and fans.

My Transgender Punk Rock Story - BBC Radio 1

Queer Trans-Mission - Episode 1

AKKARU-Set Queer/Electronic/Noise Podcast VOL I

Set Queer/Electronic/Noise Podcast VOL I

With permission: Stephin Merritt (ASCAP, Gay and Loud Music)

All My Little Words

Wash Away

Black Girl

Crush

Fat Bitches Need Love Too

www.augustynblake.com
Augustyn Blake is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of the Seattle, WA area. His new self produced EP ‘When Love Comes Like Thunder, You’re the Sound in my Bones,’ is now available. 

     At the heart of Augustyn Blake's music lay the expressive lyrics of a contemporary songwriter.  In rural west Texas, Augustyn became an aspiring musician, writing songs and playing guitar since the age of fifteen.  He moved to Austin, TX at the age of eighteen. There, he continued to develop his solo work at open mics including Genuine Joe's Coffee house, The Mellow Mushroom, and B.D. RIley's on 6th St.  In 2010 he became a member of The Chicon Street Orchestra, an avant-garde, improvisational band know for their interesting covers, unusual instruments and theatrics. They most notably opened for The River has Many Voices at Flipnotics Coffee House and Matt the Electrician in 2011. In 2013 he performed at the Pinhook in Durham, NC. He performed at Cheer Up Charlie's for Queer Ass Folk  in 2014 and also has played shows with  Brand New Key, an Americana band. He had the honor of performing guest vocals with Pillow Princess to open for Buddy Wakefield in 2014. He has most recently performed at The Buzz and Sidetrack Brewing Co. in Albqurque NM.

       Augustyn premiered his first demo in 2010 including "Lie of Omission" and "Keep Control". He shared another two-recording demo in 2014 including "Battleground" and "Better Change my Mind". He released "A Better Way" in spring 2017 as a new single in preparation for the summer release of When Love Comes Like Thunder, You’re the Sound in my Bones.

Wash Away

Augustyn Blake

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