Eighteen months ago, Tennessee’s ban on drag performances in public areas or in front of children closed doors to many performers. In that act of exclusivity, however, there was a chance for inclusivity as BERTHA became the world’s first Grateful Dead drag tribute band. Following a series of successful benefit concerts around Nashville raising money for LGBTQ+ resource center Inclusion TN, the band is preparing for its first-ever tour.
Ahead of the tour opener on September 12th in Brooklyn, Live For Live Music caught up with BERTHA singer/guitarist Melody Walker—who performs alongside Lindsay Lou (vocals), Caitlin Doyle (vocals), Melody Walker (vocals and guitar), Thomas Bryan Eaton (guitar), Jacob Groopman (bass), Alex Bice (drums), Milly Raccoon (fiddle), and Kyle Tuttle (banjo)—via email to learn more about this “all-star collective of femme, queer, and allied East Nashville musicians, fighting hate in TN and beyond.”
Live For Live Music: L4LM previously covered BERTHA’s origin story. Is there any background you’d like to share about how the Berthas initially came together?
Melody Walker: BERTHA began as a “high-dea” between Caitlin Doyle and myself (a.k.a. Mommy and Daddy Bertha respectively) just after the COVID lockdown ended both our previous bands and we were trying to get our groove back to find joy in performing again. I had been wanting for a long time to start a Grateful Dead cover band that had a slammin’ band with strong female harmonies up front, and at first we kinda wanted it to be an all-woman band, but then we had some guy friends who we knew would slay the material and I can’t remember who made the joke, but one of us said “Well, if we put ‘em in drag then we’ll still be all girls,” and we immediately knew we were onto something. Necessity is mother, right?
Related: Witness The Unveiling Of BERTHA: The World’s First “Grateful Drag” Band [Videos]
Live For Live Music: How have recent developments with Tennessee’s drag ban affected the band and the LGBTQ+ community in the state?
Melody Walker: Well, we were still just kinda joking about doing this band, but then when the Tennessee State Legislature decided to f–k with our local queens, we figured we could throw a benefit show to try and protest and fundraise to help. Drag is art, and as musicians we gotta have solidarity with other performers. Many of us are queer as well and big drag fans, so it just felt right.
Live For Live Music: For those unfamiliar with the drag scene, what’s it all about? And are there any specific drag performers, past or present, who inspired the band?
Melody Walker: So the thing about modern drag is that it is overwhelmingly done to pre-recorded, Top 40 music played by a DJ. So live music usually isn’t a part of your average drag show (let alone this kind of music). But on the other hand, the two biggest drag queens in the world RuPaul and Trixie Mattel are both recording artists and play music live. RuPaul came from the ’80s punk scene in Atlanta, and Trixie is a folk singer-songwriter who plays guitar and autoharp. They are definitely inspirations, as well as the rock stars who toed the line of androgynous glam and outrageous costumes. KISS are our kissing cousins, Bowie, Cher, Gaga, GWAR…it’s really not that crazy to play music in costumes, people just get mad about it when it’s in a gay way. Hmmm.
Live For Live Music: Do you think the values of the Grateful Dead (whatever those are) align with drag, or is it more like a mashup of two separate things?
Melody Walker: The girls that get it, get it. Drag is super psychedelic, in my book. And the Dead were all about freedom, joy, true artistic exploration and expression, and FUN. They were counter-culture, not culture warriors. Some of these Fox News heads need to get their panties out of a bunch.
Live For Live Music: You have dealt with an unfortunate amount of hate and negative comments on social media. Do you see that kind of reaction reflected in real life, so to speak, aside from in the legislature, or does that kind of negativity seem like it’s mostly a social media phenomenon?
Melody Walker: Oh it’s definitely the folks who never leave their basement, not even to go to see their local Dead cover band. I don’t give a lot of weight to their opinions. They were never gonna come to see a show anyway. The ones that are more potential fans are those vanilla Deadheads who just like Dead & Co and the tribute acts that they know, and aren’t very curious about new flavors. BERTHA is like rainbow sherbet with sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, and like… sorry if you don’t! LOL But hey, give it a chance!
Live For Live Music: What do you expect from audiences in other cities on your upcoming tour?
Melody Walker: We expect people to come have the best damn time of their life. We will be doing a full two-set Dead show: fresh setlists every night, fresh looks, special guests—nearly 3 hours of Grateful Dead music being played at a very high level. We aren’t actually sure who is going to show up, but judging from our Nashville shows, it’ll be the hottest, kindest people around.
Live For Live Music: Should/do people come dressed in drag, or is that just for the performers?
Melody Walker: Everyone should come exactly as they are or want to be. We would LOVE to see more drag out in the audience. It has been happening already. Costumes are absolutely welcome and encouraged. I think it would be fun to even do costume contests at our shows in the future, but we don’t have our s–t together to do that this time.
Live For Live Music: Are there any special guest sit-ins planned for the tour? And would they have to play in drag? Any artists you’d love to connect with in particular?
Melody Walker: Oh we’ve got some doozy guests lined up for some of these shows. And yes, everyone who sits in with BERTHA gets in drag. It’s a solidarity thing. Our bucket list is Bobby Weir or any of the members, and we will drive our hardest bargain to get them in a wig and a dress.
Live For Live Music: Do you have any tips for LGBTQ+ allies in the Grateful Dead community?
Melody Walker: First off, come to a BERTHA show! Every date on this tour is a benefit for local LGBTQ+ orgs, so you’ll literally be helping just by buying a ticket. But you will also make more queer and allied Deadhead friends. Not all Deadheads are kind, that’s just a fact we are learning everyday in this band, but most are, and wouldn’t you wanna come to a show with only the coolest heads around? Y’all are our people. The second thing would be to look out for one another, stick up for each other, and don’t let any creeps or bigots harsh the vibe. That goes for any show or space you’re in. Oh and make sure you VOTE. It really matters. BERTHA lives in the red state of Tennessee and things will definitely be kinder for us and our friends under a kinder administration.
Live For Live Music: Is there anything else you’d like to share with L4LM readers?
Melody Walker: This is BERTHA’s very first tour ever outside our hometown of Nashville, and since we are all in other touring bands, we won’t be coming through very often. So please help us spread the word of mouth and tell your hottest, kindest friends that this is a show not to be missed. See y’all there!
Catch BERTHA on its first-ever tour, kicking off September 12th at Brooklyn Bowl. The tour will travel along the East and West Coasts and Colorado into December before BERTHA boards Jam Cruise in February 2025. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates on the band’s website.
The post How A Nashville “High-Dea” Became BERTHA, The World’s First Grateful Drag Cover Band [Interview] appeared first on L4LM.
