Wicked weekend!!!

A rare behind the scenes glimpse at what we get up to on weekends...

Poetry from the heart - Secret inside me

Copyright © 2009 M Beeton
All Rights Reserved

The Modern L/Plumfizzle VIP Experience

How to enter:

The Modern L/Plumfizzle VIP Experience:
Step 1: Share this photo on your facebook wall
Step 2: Write on our facebook wall or in the comments tab below why you want to be the VIP
Step 3: Tag yourself in this photo on Facebook
Step 4: RSVP YES to the Plumfizzle P!nk launch party event on Facebook

 

Winners must be available to attend the Plumfizzle P!nk launch party on the 5th of May and The Modern L photoshoot on the 6th of May 2012

 

See you at Plumfizzle

Doors open at 8

Entrance R30-00

First 100 ladies gets a shooter at the door

Address: 265 Hill Street (btw Pretorius & Schoeman Strs), Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa
 

 

 

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Social Butterfly – Henry Ate Live @ The Barnyard

“Hey mister in that skirt could you be giving me directions? I’m trying to find a place where I’d be guaranteed to lose my mind, by the looks of it you’ve been there a few times…” And we found that place last night at the Barnyard Theatre in Menlyn park shopping centre when we went to go see Karma Ann Swanepoel and Julian Sun of Henry Ate for an acoustic version of the hits that put them at the top of our all-time favourites list.

After a hectic weekend, the ambience of the Barnyard and the soothing voices of Karma and Julian was just what the doctor ordered. It’s been about four years since I last saw Karma in action, and I have to admit that I missed seeing Henry Ate live and regret taking the experience for granted years ago when all I had to do was pop into Roxy’s on a weekend and the chances were good that Henry Ate was on the bill.

The duo wowed us with acoustic renditions of their hits such as Just, Hey Mister, Tuesday Afternoon, One day  soon, and ended the show with the mesmerising Waves of Salt. Karma also sang songs written with her new band, The Edison Project, like Ethel Jones and Monster.

What I enjoyed the most about the evening was the stories Karma told about how some of the Albums were born and the meaning behind some of the songs they sang as well as the intercontinental collaboration the two have got going and how well it works despite the distance. Karma poking fun of and making jokes with Julian was also highly entertaining. Many fans of the band would agree that this was a rare treat as we’ve hardly ever experienced this before.

Another highlight of the evening was being called on stage and winning four of their albums. Yes, I already own all of them, and no, for those of you who were there, my name is NOT Martha Welman, but that’s another story for another day!

The Butterfly Chart:

Modern L’s song of the evening: “Seconds Count”

Venue: cccc
Performance:  ccccc
Vibe: cccc
Crowd: ccc
Bar: cc

“Henry ate his way to the moon, come back soon, Henry I’m missing you!!!”

Batwoman's a Lesbian...According to Lizzy!

The Modern L attends Pink GirlFest 2012

After months of planning, back and forth e-mails, meetings, press releases, event requests, a couple hundred phone calls and thousands of likes and shares on social media platforms, the weekend to top all weekends finally arrived.

On Thursday morning we were all up at the crack of dawn, packing and preparing the eagerly anticipated Pink GirlFest. A short drive later, we arrived at Malonjeni Game farm, a mere 78 km from our front door, and what an amazing venue this was. More than enough spots for camping, two and four sleepers, as well as luxury tents, a massive pool, an entertainment hall with bar (stocked with my favourite favourite…Jack Daniels!), wildlife, a dam, and the list just goes on and on.

The first day we walked around and saw all the exhibitors and stalls on display, our favourites (besides our own of course), were the Gay goodies and Untamed tattoo stalls and the mindblowing Harley Davidson Legends On Tour truck and their bikes on display. Another major highlight was the Audi R8 at the Audi Menlyn Centre stand and the majority of the Modern L crew lined up for test drives (thanks Ghardi!!!) all weekend.

 The weekend was crammed full of all sorts of fun and educational activities. The ones we enjoyed the most was the Golf clinic with Caryn Louw, and thanks to her tips on Muscle Activation I can safely say my golf swing has improved dramatically. Supa Quick Sandton also held a very informative workshop on DIY car maintenance, which is something, in our opinion, that every woman should know. Pink Confetti gave us some info on wedding and event planning at their workshop and another absolute must for all women, was the self defence workshop.

Along with the workshops, we were also treated to an awesome game drive, a pool competition, volleyball, clubbing every night and one of the most epic highlights of the entire weekend…The oil wrestling competition! Watching Models, DJ’s, Event organisers, our make-up artist and random girls getting rubbed down, getting into an inflatable ring covered in oil and then grabbing, tackling and pinning each other, what more could a girl ask for in terms of entertainment?

The artists who performed that The Pink GirlFest were nothing short of AMAZING. First act to take the stage was our very own Androgeny drag kings and later that same evening the crowd were rocked by Holly and the Woods fronted by the talented Melissa Conradie. Other acts we really enjoyed were Toya Delazy, Comedian Kellyn Coetzee, Chix with stix, Attack of the strawberries, and we were absolutely blown away by a fantastic performance from Karen Zoid.

Then came the event we were all waiting for, something we’d spent ages planning and looked forward to ever since we left Headquarters that weekend…The first ever Miss PGF girly and Boi pageant. 18 very sexy ladies strutted their stuff in front of judges Dee O’Neill, Tracey Loader, Toya Delazy and Naledi king in awesome outdoor attire sponsored by Helber International Trading. Telana from P.E. was crowned Miss PGF Boi and Nomfy Miss PGF girly. Watch this space for more information regarding the pageant and an exclusive interview with the winners.

It takes a lot of time, effort, sleepless nights, travelling, marketing and boatloads full of money to create an event like this, just for us gay gals, so on behalf of all of us at the Modern L we would like to thank Judith Nel for organising this event and filling it with non-stop action, adventure, entertainment and education, as well as everyone who performed, attended and participated in this weekend, to all the companies that held workshops and put up stalls, Linda at Imagery Photography for taking stunning photos and capturing ALL the special moments and a big high five to the sponsors listed below, YOU ROCK!!!

The 2012 Pink GirlFest was proudly sponsored by:

·         Audi Menlyn Centre

·         Supa Quick Sandton

·         Harley Davidson Legend on Tour

·         Filghtwizard.co.za

·         Helber International Trading

·         Jack Daniels

The Modern L’s pick of the best Lesbian musicians

Sarah Bettens (K’s Choice)

Sarah Bettens (born 23 September 1972, Kapellen, Belgium) is the lead singer of the Belgian band K's Choice. Sarah and her brother Gert Bettens are the two popular faces of the band. She is known for her enigmatic, smoky voice. The band is popular in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, and had toured in the U.S. with The Verve Pipe, Tonic, Alanis Morissette and the Indigo Girls, as well as on their own. Sarah has maintained a successful solo career as well by providing vocals for music soundtracks, including Underworld, Wild Things, Zus and Zo and more recently Leef!.

Karma (Henry Ate)

Karma-Ann Swanapoel was the lead singer of Henry Ate, she has consequently gone solo releasing her first album Karma in 1998. The South African born rock star shot to fame in the mid-1990s with hit songs like Just and Henry. Before Karma's departure to the USA in 2003, Karma had attained huge success in South Africa. Her song Just was counted as No. 1 in the 5FM 2001 music countdown. Her musical style is one consisting of folk, acoustic, and South African harmony.

Betty

BETTY is an alternative rock group from New York City. The group originated in Washington, D.C. The band's harmonies and unique lyrics attracted a cult following in the vibrant alternative music scene and among gay/lesbian audiences. A "BETTY Rules" t-shirt, an early marketing item of the band, appears on one of the AIDS quilts. The band achieved notoriety by making their first major gig as a band an 'autobiographical' two-act musical at the legendary DC Space in February 1987. Entitled "BETTY:Inside Out", the show established the tongue-in-cheek personas of the band that follow them to present day: the ego of egomaniacal diva Amy, the id of shame-free rebel, Elizabeth and the superego of calm superhero, Alyson. In 2002 the group starred in its own off-Broadway show BETTY RULES directed by Rent's Michael Greif. The musical ran for 9 months at the Zipper Theatre. The show has since been performed in Chicago at the Lakeside Theatre and sold-out three runs at Theater J in Washington, DC. BETTY has appeared as a regular guest artist on the television show The L Word, for which they provided the theme song.

Beverly McClellan

Beverly McClellan is an American singer and contestant in the first season of the American The Voice reaching the final 4. She was coached by Christina Aguilera and part of her team. She finished in 3rd/4th place in the competition. Prior to applying to The Voice, she had already recorded 5 independent albums without having been signed by any record label.

At 4, McClellan started playing the piano and currently can play piano, guitar, trumpet, French horn, mandolin, ukulele, bass guitar, djembe and a wide variety of drums and percussions. She started singing at age 24 and had been performing at clubs in and bars around Fort Lauderdale, Florida for 20 years. She had won the New York National Music Festival in 2004 as Best Overall Performer amongst 500 contestants.

Brenda Fassie

Brenda Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African pop singer. She was known for her "outrageousness" and widely considered a voice for disenfranchised blacks during apartheid. She was affectionately known as the Queen of African Pop and her nickname among fans was Mabrrrr. Fassie was born in Langa, Cape Town, as the youngest of nine children. Her father died when she was two, and with the help of her mother, a pianist, she started earning money by singing for tourists. In 1981, at the age of 16, she left Cape Town for Soweto, Johannesburg, to seek her fortune as a singer. Fassie first joined the group Joy and later became the lead singer for the township pop group Brenda And The Big Dudes. She had a son, Bongani, in 1985 by a fellow Big Dudes musician. She married ex-convict Nhlanhla Mbambo in 1989 but divorced in 1991. Around this time she became addicted to cocaine and her career suffered. With very outspoken views and frequent visits to the poorer townships of Johannesburg, as well as songs about life in the townships, she enjoyed tremendous popularity. Known best for her songs "Weekend Special" and "Too Late for Mama", she was dubbed "The Madonna of the Townships" by Time in 2001. In 1995 she was discovered in a hotel with the body of her lesbian lover, Poppie Sihlahla, who had died of an apparent overdose. Fassie underwent rehabilitation and got her career back on track. However, she still had drug problems and returned to drug rehabilitation clinics about 30 times in her life. From 1996 she released several solo albums such as Now Is The Time, Memeza (1997, the best-selling album in South Africa in 1998) and Nomakanjani?. Most of her albums became multi-platinum sellers in South Africa. Her family, including her long term partner, were at her side when she succumbed to a cardiac arrest in 2004.

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals. She has also been an iconic gay and lesbian activist since her public coming out in January 1993. Etheridge's interest in music began early; she picked up up her first guitar at 8. She began to play in all-men country music groups throughout her teenage years, until she moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. While in Berklee, Etheridge played the club circuit around Boston. After three semesters, Etheridge decided to drop out of Berklee and head to Los Angeles to attempt a career in music. Etheridge was discovered in a bar called Vermie's in Pasadena, CA. She had made some friends on a women's soccer team and those new friends came to see her play. One of the women was Karla Leopold, whose husband, Bill Leopold, was a manager in the music business. Karla convinced Bill to see her perform live. He was impressed, and has remained a pivotal part of Etheridge's career ever since. This, in addition to her gigs in lesbian bars around Los Angeles, got her discovered by Island Records chief Chris Blackwell. She got a publishing deal to write songs for movies including the 1986 movie Weeds. In 1985, prior to her signing, Etheridge sent her demo to Olivia Records, a lesbian record label, but was ultimately rejected. She saved the rejection letter, signed by "the women of Olivia", which was later featured in Intimate Portrait: Melissa Etheridge, the Lifetime Television documentary of her life. After an unreleased first effort that was rejected by Island Records as being too polished and glossy, she completed her stripped-down self-titled debut in just four days. Her eponymous debut album Melissa Etheridge was an underground hit, and the single, "Bring Me Some Water", a turntable hit, was nominated for a Grammy

KD Lang

Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won both Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances; hits include "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chatelaine". She has contributed songs to movie soundtracks and has teamed with musicians such as Roy Orbison, Tony Bennett, Elton John, Anne Murray and Jane Siberry. Lang is also known for being a vegan as well as an animal rights, gay rights, and Tibetan human rights activist. She is a tantric practitioner of the old school of Tibetan Buddhism. She performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" live at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Of course the list goes on and on and on…But these are our favorites for now. If you’d like to add any of your favourites onto this list, feel free to comment and we’ll add your suggestions to the next article!

Do you get bullied at work?

Somedays it feels like all I am doing is wrong. I mean I do my work with pride and I do it well, yet it seems like it's never good enough.

So I took some time and listened when my co-workers told me something, soon I came to realize that:

1. When the boss compliments me for doing a job well done, they get upset because somehow they think I get treated better.

2. That most of the time I keep my mouth shut and let them walk over me, that's when I get blamed more easily for mistakes I did not make.

3. If customers prefer my service, that's also my fault because I am too nice with them.

4. I can be ten minutes early everyday for work but when I get there two minutes before I start to work I get told that I am late and should make sure that I am early.

5. When I get more pay because I had less deductions as my work was competent, then I am trying to be the boss's pet.

Now this is only a few of the problems. I am in sales and I get bullied a lot, not because I am gay but because I work harder. I am not complaining and now I wonder how many people do get bullied at work for different reasons?

For those who get bullied know that going to work is a downer. We know how it feels to watch our backs and try not to do our best. Just in case a co worker notice and start blaming you, cursing you and making a scene.

I am happy in my work but the people who bullies us do not know how they affect us. Specially when they bad mouth you to clients, or doing what ever they are doing.

For the ones who do get bullied don't back off, don't just resign because you can't handle it. Fear is a jail and the more it consumes your strength the stronger the bars get.

Courage is the only weapon against fear, it is also the only way to beat fear. Don't stop smiling and don't stop doing your job well. Even when you think that you do nothing right because at the end of the day you are at work to provide for yourself.

Face your problems head on and never stop believing in yourself, one day you will reap the rewards, get a higher position while your bullies are still two steps down on the ladder.

To the bullies be careful who's toes you step on today because when you fall from your pedestal it might be the person you stepped on who's behind you have to kiss.   


Sent in by anon to Martha

Riverdeck country estate