Rachel Lark

Summary

Rachel Lark is a composer, mutli-instrumentalist and folk punk singer-songwriter based in New York City and the Bay Area.[1] Known for her sex-positive songs and activism, she has been regularly featured on Savage Love with Dan Savage.[2][3] Rachel is also a writer of theatrical musicals, screenplays, and TV.

Rachel Lark at the DNA Lounge

Career edit

In 2014, Lark released her first album, Lark After Dark, followed by her debut music video, "Warm, Bloody and Tender", which she funded through a Kickstarter campaign and produced herself.[4] "Warm, Bloody, and Tender" features cameo performances from the writer and activist Dan Savage and local San Francisco sex-positive activists Jamie DeWolf, Polly Superstar, Dixie De La Tour, Sister Flora Goodthyme, Wonder Dave, Laika Fox, and Paige Goedkoop.[5] Soon after, Lark began touring the U.S. and Europe regularly, playing festivals, comedy clubs and colleges and building a die-hard cult following among the poly, sex-positive and queer communities, as well as academics and podcast fans.[6] During the COVID pandemic, while production for her original musical, Coming Soon, was on hold, Lark brought actors and musicians together to create a concept album based on the show. Coming Soon: The Pandemic Sessions was released in May 2021.[7] Rachel Lark is the creator and composer of "Coming Soon: A New Rock Musical" about a woman's journey to stop faking her orgasms. The show had a sold out run at Z-Space in San Francisco in 2022. A review in the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as "the sex musical for both inhibited normies and kink veterans".[8]

Personal life edit

Lark’s parents Louise Antony and Joseph Levine are both philosophers at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lark is also known for her activism and advocacy work in women's rights and sex-positive feminism.[9][10]

In 2017, she began making trips to Tijuana to translate and advocate for asylum seekers at the border, and worked to match asylum seekers with U.S. sponsors to get them out of ICE detention.[11]

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

  • I Wouldn't Worry EP (2013)[12]
  • Lark After Dark LP (2014)[13]
  • Hung for the Holidays LP (2014)[14]
  • Vagenius LP (2015)[15]
  • They've Done Studies LP (2017)[16]
  • Sex & Balances EP (2020)[17]
  • Coming Soon EP (2022)[18]
  • Live at the Independent LP (2023)[19]
  • Warm By The Dumpster Fire LP (2023)[20]

Singles edit

  • "Warm, Bloody and Tender" (2015)[21]
  • "Naughty Bits" (2018)[22]
  • "National Emergency" (2019)
  • "The Unicorn Song" (2020)[23]
  • "After You Say Sorry" (2023) [24]

References edit

  1. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (2020-09-17). "Indie Roundup | 41 Tracks To Get You Ready For Friday". Tinnitist. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  2. ^ "A feminist songwriter explained equality in a way 'even our president can understand.'". Upworthy. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  3. ^ "First Out: New Music From Carlie Hanson, Shamir, Chaz Cardigan & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  4. ^ Jul 1, Dan Savage •; Pm, 2014 at 4:30. "Rachel Lark's "Warm, Bloody, and Tender"". The Stranger. Retrieved 2021-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "SF Singer/Songwriter Rachel Lark Talks About Her New Video About Period Sex: SFist". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2015-08-27. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  6. ^ "The poster girl for period sex: "I think it's unfortunate that women often think their vagina's kind of disgusting"". Salon. 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  7. ^ Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Rachel Lark Releases 'Coming Soon: The Pandemic Sessions' on May 14". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  8. ^ https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/review-z-spaces-coming-soon-is-the-sex-musical-for-both-inhibited-normies-and-kink-veterans
  9. ^ "Video: Feminist Bachelor Auction Kicks Off Valentine's Weekend: SFist". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2016-02-13. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  10. ^ "Feminists to Auction Off Bachelors for Planned Parenthood". Broke-Ass Stuart's Website. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  11. ^ Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Rachel Lark Releases 'Coming Soon: The Pandemic Sessions' on May 14". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  12. ^ "I Wouldn't Worry, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  13. ^ "Lark After Dark, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  14. ^ "Hung For The Holidays, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  15. ^ "Vagenius, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  16. ^ "They've Done Studies, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  17. ^ "Sex and Balances, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  18. ^ https://rachellark.bandcamp.com/album/coming-soon-a-new-rock-musical
  19. ^ https://rachellark.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-independent * Live at the Independent
  20. ^ https://rachellark.bandcamp.com/album/warm-by-the-dumpster-fire
  21. ^ "Warm, Bloody, and Tender, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  22. ^ Rachel Lark, Naughty Bits, retrieved 2021-09-17
  23. ^ "The Unicorn Song, by Rachel Lark". Rachel Lark. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  24. ^ https://rachellark.bandcamp.com/track/after-you-say-sorry-2