Out & About (and Onstage)–The Newtown Beerfest

Saturday September 21, 2013

After a long hiatus my band Touch The Sky is finally starting to play out again. My lead guitar player had a serious injury to his elbow which laid him up for a few months and then we had to rehearse for a few months to get our songs in shape. We played at a campground, end of the season party two weeks ago, which we have been doing every year for the last 9 years, that served as a warm up for our gig this week at the Newtown Beer fest.

There were over 80 different beer companies displaying and pouring samples of their delicious golden or dark brown liquid. I am not a big beer drinker but do enjoy a good dark porter or stout when I’m in the mood for a beer, and there were plenty of them to be sampled.

The band arrived at the event grounds located at the old Stocking Mill on State Street in Newtown, Pa. around 10:00 a.m. to get everything set up for the show and ready for when the gate opened around noon. The event planners provided a very nice stage with an overhead tent for us to perform. It took us about an hour and a half to set up and test all the equipment for our 7 piece rock ensemble. The event was a sell out and the place was packed. We couldn’t have wished for a nicer day weather wise either, the sun was out and it was about 79 degrees, with a slight breeze all day.

We played our first set while the crowd was building. and got a pretty good reception to our music, which is all original rock. I was slightly apprehensive before the show because it was the first time for me playing out (with this band) as “Rachel” The last gig we did almost a year ago I was still in guy (Ray) mode, along with the show we did two weeks ago, where I was a bit androgynous, looking so as to not just shock the fans at the campground who have been used to seeing me as Ray the last 9 years. I wanted it to be about the music, not me.

But at the Beerfest I was dressed feminine and looked like a “Rock Chick” for the day. A couple members of the band expressed some feelings about how the crowd was going to receive us with a trans girl for a front person, because even though I look pretty good as a female now, I can’t disguise my very male voice. So we did get a few curious looking faces as we started our set and I belted out the lyrics. They didn’t expect that voice to come out of this face, LOL! By the end of the set though we were given a great ovation and showed much appreciation.

During our break I sampled some different beers and hard cider or two. They were all delicious and went well with the big soft pretzel covered in cheese and jalapeños, Oh, Yum!

We rocked the afternoon away, and by the end of the day we had a crowd dancing to our music and calling for more when we announced our last song. I got plenty of praise and pats on the back as I walked around through the audience and was proud of myself for being “Me” finally. The event coordinators came up to us after the show and asked us to play again next year. That put a smile on my face and made me feel like I have arrived and been accepted. Our lead guitar player still needs some surgery to his elbow and will be out of commission for a few more months, so we will be working on our CD project while he is healing during the cold months and hoping to get out in full swing by the beginning of 2014. So keep your sights set for Touch The Sky, and get out, give us a listen and show us some love at one of our shows.

Love and Respect,
Rachel Xaviera

Photos of Rachel and Touch The Sky at the Newtown Beerfest

Tags: featured, music, Out & About, TG musician, Transgender, Transition

Category: Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Fun & Entertainment