Banned feminist art is becoming prevalent, but RAINBOW STAR’s feminist folk punk record promises a rawness and depth unlike any other. Her sophomore album, “Music From The Rainbow Sparkle Palace: Vol. II,” was recorded entirely on an iPhone – no fancy equipment whatsoever – at STAR’s 96 sq. ft. tiny house & homestead in the Appalachian foothills. Most of the tracks are the songs’ original birth-moment. STAR says, “I just feel it coming, grab my phone and an instrument, hit ‘record,’ and BOOM – there’s the song. The purity of that moment is impossible to recreate, so what you get is the very moment of channeling.” What you also get are breaths of fresh air in the form of nature sounds: the organic music of The Rainbow Sparkle Palace, which bookend the album as a gorgeous whippoorwill intro, and crickety night sounds to finish.
Feminist anthem, “Patriarchy Song,” is fierce: “It must be nice to be a guy / All of your anger justified / Get to do whatever you want / Nobody calling you a –” The song was banned from Facebook for being “offensive,” even before its ultra-controversial official music video was released, featuring our shero jogging topless through the heart of her tiny, conservative town, as well as women the world over sharing Me Too moments, calling out domestic violence, coercion, and false feminism. See the banned video here: https://youtu.be/V-gyno2L2rw
“Patriarchy Song” is scant – angelic vocals and an Appalachian banjo dulcimer – with lyrics that go for the jugular, yet come around to unity and peaceful resolution. Since then, STAR says, “I’ve received dozens of bans, blocks, deletes and throttling of my engagement on Facebook and Instagram. It’s apparent they’re in total opposition of feminism. They even refute their own ‘Community Standards,’ which state that a woman’s bare chest as a form of protest is ok; yet they quote those same standards when refusing to allow my posts, on the basis of ‘nudity.’”
Domestic violence survival song, “Texas Oil Rig,” (Official Video: https://youtu.be/czAFcI6St7U )catches the heart in the chest with its fragility. “I chained myself to a Texas oil rig…” This is a story of domestic abuse and its near-deadly path of destruction, played out on soprano ukulele, with STAR’s sometimes surprisingly powerful vocals weaving amid butterfly-wing whispers.
The album is riddled with reclamation of self, calling one’s love back to its source, calling out injustices, and poetic confessions of the heart. At times lyrics are morbid in their musings, but remain nevertheless somehow soothing.
“Music From The Rainbow Sparkle Palace: Vol. II” is out as of Friday, 9/27, on STAR’s independent record label, Rainbow Sparkle Palace Publishing, and will be available on all major streaming platforms, as well as Amazon, iTunes, etc. The best way to support the artist is at www.rainbowstarmusic.com.
10% of profits from the album benefit Hope’s Wings Domestic Violence Shelter in Richmond, Kentucky.
Media Contact:
RAINBOW STAR
info@rainbowstarmusic.com
