Independent Folk Singer Performs At Rainbow

Kristine Schmitt - UConn Daily Campus 4/7/06

Just a boy in a dress? A phrase once made popular by the movie "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" has been taken to a new level by Namoli Brennet, a transgender folk/punk singer/songwriter.

"People see being a transgender as a person that changes from one sex to another and then simply fades away into that chosen role," Brennet said at her small performance Thursday night at the Rainbow Center. She, however, did not just fade away into her chosen role, but instead used her individuality to express herself through her music.

All the way from Tucson, Ariz., Brennet has toured nationally for five years and has independently produced and released five CDs since 2002 on her own label, Girl's Gotta Eat Records. Her songs have a storytelling feel to them and all are based on actual events that have occurred in her life in an easy listening fashion. She sings of her nephew that has ADHD, "What I wouldn't give to have half as much energy as he does..." and of poor people that waste all their money on lottery tickets, singing "...even Jesus was poor..."
Along with playing her guitar, she includes the harmonica in a song that she describes as "silly little things that you miss about home when you're out on the road" and some songs are accompanied with a tambourine that she taps with her foot.

"I thought her lyrics were fantastic. She's a very soulful folk performer," said Michael Tower, an 8th-semester women's studies major.

Brennet uses her talent to bring up many issues concerning her and the gay community, including a song that she wrote about the Clear Channel Broadcasting Company. Her lyrics address the issue of gay marriage and say, "[...]all of us created equal? Yeah right..."

Perhaps her most catching song was "Boy In A Dress," which depicts her growing up, feeling like a girl in a boy's body and trying to figure out what she wanted to do in her life. She joked that this song is what catches most people in coffee houses where she plays because she sings the words "boy in a dress" over and over again.

"I was very tired today, but I came and for a moment I was very relaxed and the lyrics were very interesting. I felt like I was in a café in Europe. I really liked that hippie guy she wrote about in that one song," said Rimvydas Baltaduonis, an economics Ph.D student.

Brennet talked and joked with her audience throughout her performance. She even shouted, "Go Huskies!" several times, showing her UConn school spirit. After her soulful hour and 15 minute performance, she signed copies of her new CD, "Chrysanthemum," and stayed to chat and answer questions.

"Because I'm a transgender, I encourage people to be individual," said Brennet. "I like to see people taking risks, though that kind of sounds like a Hallmark card. I guess my message is - think outside the box."

You can find Namoli Brennet's music on MySpace.com or at namolibrennet.com as she continues her East Coast tour.