Well, it’s been exactly two years since I announced I would be taking a two year hiatus and I am pleased to report that it is officially over next month. I’ve been working on a new record which is slated for this fall, and am going to be releasing the 1st single, “Turn Me Out” on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 (3 weeks from today). The song was co-written by David Appaloosa (from pop supergroup The Hugs), and was produced and engineered by Gino Mari at The Country Club Recording Studios in Portland, Oregon.

We started shooting the “Turn Me Out” video this week as well, so…stay tuned! So much fun stuff happening…

Still keeping the audio for this new track under lock and key, but I released the cover art today. Check it out:

Logan Lynn: “Turn Me Out”
Release Date: Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
Lyrics and Vocals by Logan Lynn.
Music and Programming by David Appaloosa.
Produced and Engineered by Gino Mari .
Recorded & Mixed at The Country Club – Portland, Oregon.

Those of you who live in Portland have probably already caught wind of the media blitz I have, once again, found myself in with regard to my ongoing small group dialogue project between members of the queer community and members of the Mars Hill Church. After this past week’s vandalism and threats (video below) Pastor Tim and I decided to go on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” today and talk about our experience together thusfar. It first aired this morning live at 9:00am and will air once more again this evening at 9:00pm, so tune in!

You can download the MP3 HERE.

If you care to catch up on everything that happened to get us here this week, follow the links and watch the video below:

Q Center’s Executive Director Speaks Out Against Threats of Violence
KGW News (NBC)
Fox 12 News
PQ Monthly (Article 1)
The Christian Post
PQ Monthly (Article 2)
The Oregonian
The Portland Mercury
KOIN 6 (CBS)
Rev. Chuck Currie

I wrote this song about my darling Aleksandr. It started as an A cappella song and morphed into an acoustic song, then I decided I liked it better A cappella so I switched it back. That’s the version you hear below. “We Were Around Before” is the last song on my “Everything You Touch Turns To Gold” E.P. (available exclusively on Bandcamp HERE free).

Have a listen:

Click the album cover below to download “We Were Around Before (A cappella)” from Logan Lynn’s “Everything You Touch Turns To Gold” for zero dollars on Bandcamp!

Hey folks! I was the guest on Out Loud Radio this week chatting about life, love, music, activism, the church, and a whole bunch of other really gay stuff.

Have a listen HERE or download the MP3 of the show HERE.

xo
LL

(Originally published on The Huffington Post on 2/14/2012)

My mom has been taking a Tao Te Ching class recently, and she posted the following quotation from William Martin’s book A Path and a Practice on her Facebook page today, which struck me:

So we become silent. We stop looking for approval. We cease taking offense at the opinions of others. We no longer complicate our thinking or our lives. We do not seek the spotlight but instead become a simple part of all that is. We can be loved or shunned, make a profit or suffer a loss, be honored or disgraced, and never lose the treasure of our being.

OK. Yes. That sounds amazing. But… how?!

We become silent.

How is one ever truly silent? I’m not talking about staying quiet or not using my voice for an extended period of time, but actually finding a completely still place within where there is only me — no sound, nothing. Where has that place gone? Much of the time the noise I battle in my own life is an inner static. I just can’t ever seem to shut up about me, about you, about my boyfriend, about my job, about my dog, about music, about the government, about money, about the queer community, about what total strangers are doing at the store — and this is all happening inside my head all day long, 365 days a year. It’s exhausting, and moreover, it’s loud.

We stop looking for approval.

I have basically spent my entire life up to this point doing this and only this, attempting to accomplish it in a variety of ways over the years, with mixed results. I realized very early on that I was different and that my particular kind of different was not the type that most people around me took kindly to, so I started figuring out ways of getting people to value my existence externally, and I just never stopped doing that. I have looked for approval from my friends, family, God, record labels, men — you name it. I chased a professional dream down a path that has led me to here and now, in this very moment, still seeking your approval, hoping that what I write is good enough for you, that my thoughts are interesting enough, and worrying that you might not think I’m worth anything once you know how desperately I need you to think I am.

We cease taking offense at the opinions of others.

This part truly offends me. I will not legitimize it with words.

We no longer complicate our thinking or our lives.

I spend hours every day over-thinking things. From the small stuff to the big stuff, my inner thought process of choice has always been circular, and it leaves me dizzy and paralyzed much of the time. The stories I create in my head to help explain the unexplainable or more difficult parts of my life cause me to react, and my reaction to the reaction is to try and figure out what caused me to react in the first place. It’s in a loop, and it’s endless.

We do not seek the spotlight but instead become a simple part of all that is.

All my life I have been notoriously attention-seeking, which I’m sure is a direct result of my not feeling worthy as a kid or feeling like I had to act like someone else in order to be liked, but the truth about me is that I am actually very shy. Anyone who knows me in real life already knows this, yet there is something inside me that is constantly pushing me toward the spotlight. My boyfriend recently said to me “It’s like you are always talking out into the world, but then you are shocked when the world talks back,” and I think he’s right. There’s something in me that needs to be seen and valued, but I am just as uncomfortable receiving either now as I ever have been.

We can be loved or shunned, make a profit or suffer a loss, be honored or disgraced, and never lose the treasure of our being.

I struggle with this. I think mostly because I am still trying as a 32-year-old man to get to a place inside where I actually do treasure my own being. That reads sadder than it sounded in my head, but growing up gay in the bigoted Church of Christ didn’t help me develop self-worth as a child, and I spent over 20 years being internally cruel as a result of God’s “plan for my life,” so it understandably takes some time to do… or undo. Whichever it is, I am still working on it.

My mother is very wise (much wiser than she fancies herself), and we have spoken about this many times over the years. She thinks the only way I will come to a place of accepting what is unacceptable is by working to rid myself of this feeling I have of separateness from the rest of the world, something I’ve guarded fiercely over the years as a central means of my own self-protection. She says this process of letting go involves coming face to face with the impermanence of everything; accepting that the world is always changing and that I cannot stop it; sitting with fears, and letting myself truly accept the inevitabilities of my human experience instead of spending all of my energy on trying to fit everything into the story I continue to craft for myself.

This storytelling has no doubt forever been at the root of my misery, feeding lines to my suffering and choking out the realness of my life, my love, my time with all of you, my humanity. What am I still so afraid of? Hasn’t the worst come and gone already, or is there more to come? What would happen if I just decided right now that there is nothing to fear; that no matter what happens to me or the people I love, we will be fine; that everything is perfect and just as it should be, no matter how the story plays out?

I hope I get there sooner than later, and I’ll be sure to let you know when I do. In the meantime, deep breaths…

I’ve been releasing acoustic versions of new songs every few weeks since December and let another one out this evening. It’s called “The Tree You Named After Me” and is yet another collaboration with teenage pop phenom Noah Daniel Wood on guitar & David Appaloosa (from Portland indiepop boyband The Hugs) recording and quick mixing the whole thing for us.

Have a listen:

Click the album cover below to download “The Tree You Named After Me” from Logan Lynn’s “Everything You Touch Turns To Gold” for zero dollars on Bandcamp!

Hope everybody is having a great new year so far. We are just 2 days in and I am already announcing exciting stuff! I was recently asked to come on board as a blogger for The Huffington Post and they published my 1st piece today in the Gay Voices section HERE. It’s called “Unhappiness Is A Strange Muse“. Please comment, share and click the “Like” button…and you can subscribe to my future posts on my official HuffPost author page HERE.

Cray Cray, huh?

Happy New Year Everybody!

I am headed to the Oregon coast tomorrow to ring in the new year with my boyfriend and some of our friends but figured I would leak another in a series of acoustic version of songs from this new record I’ve been working on before I go. That’s Noah Daniel Wood on Ukulele.

Click the album cover below to download “Laying Still” from Logan Lynn’s “Everything You Touch Turns To Gold” for zero dollars on Bandcamp!

I love it when my songs are used in cool stuff! This promo for ESPN, Mutiny Bikes, and Etnies is called “Battle Los Angeles” and has the instrumental of my track “Velocity” (taken from my 2010 record “I Killed Tomorrow Yesterday” and produced by Bryan Cecil) in it at the 5:10 mark. I once told my basketball coach brother Landon that ESPN would never want to use my music for anything but apparently I was wrong.

The video stars adrenaline junkies Brandon Hoerres, George Boyd, Andy Martinez, Matt Roe and Justin Simpson and was filmed, edited and directed by Joe Simon. Holy shit. They are all completely NUTS.

Here:

+ Logan Lynn // “Velocity” for ESPN & Mutiny Bikes (2011) – at 5:10

Well, folks…it’s been a year and a half since I went on hiatus from music world and it’s been really good for me. I’ve immersed myself in activism and community work in Portland and have managed to stay put for a second. A lot of happy stuff has come into my life as a result of my deciding to sink the boat I was on before and I don’t ever regret having done so. It needed to happen and while at the time many people thought I was fucking crazy, as it turns out, it was the right choice. ALL of it.

With a little bit of distance between the stress of constantly touring and my everyday life now I have been able to separate the parts of the music industry I like from the parts I do not. In many ways I have gone back to how it was in the beginning—no pressure, no competition, no financial motivation to be more “mainstream” or “successful”—just me, my feelings, my keyboard, a pen and some paper. It’s been lovely to get back in touch with why I started off on this career path in the first place. In searching for that I seem to have accidentally unblocked myself and have, over the past 18 months, written a new record-one which I am already proud of and so excited to make.

I have already reached out to a few different folks who I want to work with on this one. I’m not going to set up shop with just one producer for the project. I am thinking of it as a chance to collaborate with a variety of talented people on a variety of tracks, then see where it lands. There are no rules anymore so it’s really just about the music. I don’t care how famous you are or who you’ve worked with in the past. If I’m inspired by your work, you’re in. If I’m not, you’re not.

If you would like to work on this new record with me and are interested in throwing yourself into the mix of potential producers, send an email to Logan@LoganLynnMusic.com with up to 3 original, unreleased instrumental works attached in MP3 format. Any genre is fine. Push me out of the box I’ve been living in if you dare! The only thing that is non-negotiable with this project is that YOU MUST BE THE OWNER OF THE SUBMITTED MATERIAL. I will be listening to all of your tracks over the course of November and will be identifying people from there.

Really looking forward to hearing from you. I don’t know about you but I’m feeling better than I have in years and it’s coming through in these new songs. Let’s make something pretty together!

xo
Logan

It’s been a REALLY big couple of weeks since the release of “Live From Nowhere Near You” (the charity record I’m on with The Strokes, Pearl Jam, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, The Decemberists, The Dandy Warhols, Wilco and dozens of other killer bands). Not only is the record blowing up radio (and selling out everywhere in-stores) but the press has been all up in it since the beginning of July!

After being featured by Pitchfork Magazine, Under The Radar Magazine, and a TON of other awesome media outlets all praising the record, it was picked as #3 on this week’s Must-Have list in Entertainment Weekly! Pick up the current issue on stands everywhere now or click the front cover below to check out the electronic version! YEAH BUDDY!

To get your copy of “Live From Nowhere Near You” go to any record store anywhere or CLICK HERE.

“Live From Nowhere Near You” is a benefit record I was a part of for homeless youth at Outside In and it was released today. Actually, last night at midnight. By 1:00am they had sold 5,000 CD’s and were sold out. Good times, right?! OMG.

New songs by me, Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols, Pink Martini, Spoon, The Helio Sequence, The Strokes, Wilco, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Gang of Four, Sleater-Kinney, Viva Voce, Modest Mouse & so many more!!! You can read the full list HERE.

Here’s my contribution to the project:

Logan Lynn: “Movies” (2011 Greyday Records)
Words and Vocals by Logan Lynn.
Programming by Carlos Cortes.
Horns: Chris Frazier.

Logan Lynn: “Movies” (Taken from “Live From Nowhere Near You” – A Benefit For Homeless Youth) by LoganLynn

This psycho little song sure is in good company with this one. Geezuz.

The Boy In Static remix of my song “Alone Together” (from my new record “Blood In The Water” available on iTunes HERE) was used in Trent Finlay‘s promotional video for the Q Center, Basic Rights Oregon, Cascade AIDS Project & Pride NW “Hands Across Hawthorne” anti-gay bashing event.

Read what The Advocate had to say about the event itself HERE, then watch the video below.

Together we can stop the violence. To get involved with LGBT community safety in Portland, CLICK HERE. To find the LGBT community center closest to you, CLICK HERE.

I contributed to this epic collaboration record called “Live From Nowhere Near You” & it’s about to be released on 7/19 by Greyday Records. The project paired street musicians with professionals. All profits go to homeless & street youth programs at Outside In. The pre-release is happening NOW. Order yours today by clicking HERE or on the album cover below. All the songs on “Live From Nowhere Near You” are previously unreleased. More info on the release HERE.

Here’s the full list of contributing artists on this 3 disc set:

Aaron Trueb (of Tango Alpha Tango)
Adrian McEldery
Aimee Nash (of The Black Ryder)
Aja Kim
Albert Hammond Jr (of The Strokes)
Alex Barwick
Anita Robinson (of Vive Voce, Blue Giant)
Archi Read
Arion Salazaar (original member of Third Eye Blind)
Benjamin Weikel (of The Helio Sequence)
Bill MacBeath
Bob Graham Mild (of The Upsidedown)
Bosko
Brad Hargreaves (of Third Eye Blind)
Brandon Summers (of The Helio Sequence)
Brant Taylor (of Pink Martini)
Brent DeBoer (of The Dandy Warhols)
Brett Hartenbach:
Brett Kron (of The Upsidedown)
Brian Sage
Brian Winkle
Britt Daniel (of Spoon)
Carlos Cortes
Carlos Guitarlos
Carlos Vamos
Catherine Kamei
Chris Ballew (of The Presidents of the United States of America)
Chris Denham
Chris Frazier
Chris Friel (of The Rockfords)
Chris Funk (of The Decemberists, Blue Giant)
Christian Zammit
Christine Zieverink
Cole Peterson (of Sweetwater)
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
Corin Tucker (of Sleater-Kinney)
Courtney Taylor Taylor (of The Dandy Warhols)
Dan Reed (of The Dan Reed Network)
Dan Wienstien
Dand Lee Strickland
Daniel Johnston (solo, himself))
Dann Gallucci (of Modest Mouse)
Danny Seim (of Menomena and Lackthereof)
Danyel Smith
Dave Allen (of Gang of Four, Faux Hoax, and Shriekback)
Dave Dederer (of The Presidents of the United States of America)
David Black
David Brown
David Maverick
Dirk Wallace
DJ Sirround
E.L. James
Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam)
Elliott Smith (solo, formerly of Heatmiser)
Erik McDowell
Evan Railton (of Swords)
Evan Stroum
Fabrizio Moretti (of The Strokes)
Freddie Thomas
Goldie Davich
Goldxilla
Greg Montplaisir (of Station Zero)
Greg Oden (of The Portland Trailblazers)
Greg Snell
Imani Coppola
Isaac Brock (of Modest Mouse)
James Mercer (of The Shins)
Jason Adams (of The Upsidedown, Pete International Airport)
Jason Finn (of The Presidents of the United States of America)
Jay Bennett (of Wilco)
Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco)
Jeremiah Green (of Modest Mouse)
Jeremy “Jem” Cohen (of The Ettes)
Jerry Carnathan
Jill Wilson
Jim Talstra
Jodi Huffman
Jody Linscott
Joe Berardi
Joe Purdy (solo, himself)
Joe Whaley
Joey Morales (of Top Jimmy and The Rhythm Pigs)
John Askew (of Faux Hoax, Tracker, FILMguerrero)
John Doe (of X)
John Moen (of The Decemberists)
Jonathan Maron
Jordan White
Josh Brown (of The Robots)
Joshua Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures)
Julian Casablancas (of The Strokes)
Kachina Dechert
Keith Schreiner (of Dahlia, Suckapunch)
Kevin Moyer
Kevin Robinson (of Vive Voce, Blue Giant)
Leah Shapiro (of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Raveonettes)
Licky Noir
Lindsay “Coco” Hames (of The Ettes)
Lindsay Buckland
Lisa Lengwenus
Logan Lynn (solo, himself)
Marc Cappelle
Maria “Poni” Silver (of The Ettes)
Matt Brown (of The Robots)
Matt Moore (of The Upsidedown)
Max Butler
Mic Crenshaw (of Hungry Mob, Suckapunch)
Michael Childers
Mike McCready (of Pearl Jam)
Mike Sweeney (of Criteria and Bright Eyes)
Mike Watt (of The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, reunited Stooges)
Mirabai Carter-Trueb (of Tango Alpha Tango)
Mr Ricky Maymi (of BJM and The Imajinary Friends)
Nathan Jr (of Duover, M Ward)
Nathan Trueb (of Tango Alpha Tango)
Neal Clark (of Station Zero)
Neil Gust (of No. 2 and Heatmiser)
Nicholas Crosa (of Pink Martini)
Nick Valensi (of The Strokes)
Nikolai Fraiture (of The Strokes)
Otto Papasadero
Patrick Kempfer
Paul Cobb
Paul Immanuel Owens
Paul Lingas
Pete Droge (solo, himself)
Pete Mazich
Pete Miser (solo, of The Five Fingers of Funk)
Peter Hayes (of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
Peter Holmstrom (of The Dandy Warhols)
Phillip Dieter aka Skeeter
Portland Street Elvis AKA John Schroeder
Rich Milock (of Station Zero)
Robert Been (of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
Rory Merrit Stitt
Ryan Adams (solo, formerly of Whiskey Town, The Cardinals)
Ryan Bernstein
Sarah Jane (of The Upside Down)
Scott Von Ryper (of The Black Ryder)
Seth Lorinczi (of the Golden Bears)
Shawn Smith (of Brad and Satchel)
Skeeter
Stephan Jenkins (of Third Eye Blind)
Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree)
Stic.man (of Dead Prez)
Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam)
Street Freddie
Street Keith
Streetkid SkunkE,
Suzy Coté
Thomas Lauderdale (of Pink Martini)
Tim Jensen (of Pink Martini)
Tobin Herrera
Tom Fabre
Tristan Evans (of The Upsidedown)
Tyler Coyle
Vince Meghrouni
Vini Miranda
Walker Beckman (of Tango Alpha Tango)
Wally Hendrickson (of Station Zero, The Hip Replacements, Sinus Rhythm)
Woodie Guthrie
Various anonymous street musicians and artists

HOLY SHIT, RIGHT??? I’m in some REALLY good company with this one.

My new video “Quickly As We Pass” is featured on AfterElton.com today! Check it out HERE or keep reading below!

From AfterElton.com: (6/23/2011)

“Logan Lynn channels the 80′s with “Quickly As We Pass”: Out artist Logan Lynn has been producing music for over a decade, but I confess to somehow having missed him until now. But as a huge fan of 80s music, I’m quite pleased to have made his acquaintance through his new video “Quickly As We Pass” which reminds me of what was best about early 80s music. This song wouldn’t have been out of place in the dance clubs being played along side the best bands of the 80s, including New Order, OMD and Eurythmics. But take a listen yourself and see what you think!”

This 18 song remix collection has brought my “From Pillar To Post” record from 2009 to new life! From dubstep to booty house to vintage disco to techno these cuts don’t let up. Featuring remixes by Styrofoam, Flufftronix, The Gentry, Boy In Static, Y-Tron, Strobe Party!, Daniel Cartier, Ariake Waveband, Odd Year, Naked Highway, Sound///Audio, Jimi Python, Very International Love, Bad Life + Gadgets, T Vicious, Supercorsa, Neapolitan Beard, and Digital Intruder. These tracks have only been available during the “From Pillar To Post” pre-release until now and this has 2 brand new tracks never before released!!!

To get your copy from iTunes CLICK HERE.

To purchase from CD Baby, click the album cover below.

Logan Lynn: “Blood In The Water” (2011)

Tracklist:

1. Feed Me To the Wolves (Flufftronix Remix)
2. Alone Together (Boy In Static Remix)
3. Write It On My Left Arm (Y-Tron Remix)
4. Bottom Your Way To The Top (The Gentry Remix)
5. Burning Your Glory (Strobe Party! Remix)
6. Bleed Him Out (Styrofoam Remix)
7. Feed Me To the Wolves (Daniel Cartier Remix)
8. Write It On My Left Arm (Ariake Waveband Remix)
9. If He Hollers (Odd Year Remix)
10. Bottom Your Way To The Top (Naked Highway Remix)
11. Feed Me To the Wolves (Sound///Audio Remix)
12. Burning Your Glory (Jimi Python Remix)
13. Bottom Your Way To the Top (Very International Love Remix)
14. Write It On My Left Arm (Bad Life + Gadgets Remix)
15. Burning Your Glory (T Vicious Remix)
16. Feed Me To the Wolves (Supercorsa Remix)
17. Bottom Your Way To the Top (Neapolitan Beard Remix)
18. The Dotted Line (Digital Intruder Remix)

The kids over at Portland Newsweekly Just Out ran a mini-interview with me this week about a whole mess of messy stuff and posted my new video on their site! You can check it out by clicking the current issue cover below or keep reading under that for the transcript…

From Just Out: (4/4/2011)

“Unless you’ve been living under rocks and/or endlessly napping the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard/read about Logan Lynn‘s excellent new video, the visually intriguing (stunning, even) “Quickly As We Pass.” A nostalgic blend of live action people and more two-dimensional, still cut-out counterparts (oh, how art mirrors life) make their way through cityscapes, streets, buildings, living rooms, bedrooms–and even get naked. Fitting for a song that talks about waking up “clothed in our right minds and nothing else.” As usual, Lynn takes the ordinary, the banal, mixes it all up, and turns out five minutes of salacious sensory overload. Like us, you’ll probably have to watch the video a few times before catching everything that’s happening–and even then you’ll be hard-pressed to soak up every bit, every quirk.

The video and song, both vintage Logan Lynn–you’ll recognize the first beat and lyrical declaration, “no good deed will go unpunished”–are refreshing returns to electronic-pop form and the visual stylings fans know and love. (Read: there’s no band this time around.) So, dear readers, grab your best headphones and cozy up for awhile with “Quickly As We Pass.” Pay attention to the lyrics. You’ll be surprised by how well Logan Lynn gets you. And although we’re super sad he didn’t pop out of any cakes–we’re glad he’s “back.”

-Daniel Borgen, Just Out Newsweekly

OMG. The 5th annual Queer Documentary Film Festival (sponsored in part by Q Center) is happening June 2nd through June 5th at The Clinton Street Theater in Portland. “The Advocate for Fagdom” (the doc about our dear Bruce LaBruce) is showing at this year’s QDoc alongside a bunch of others. You can check out the full list of films playing at the 2011 festival HERE.

For tickets & passes CLICK HERE.

Now…watch the official QDoc trailer:

As most of you probably already know, I spend most of my time working for LGBT rights at Portland’s Q Center. If you have ever wondered why, you can watch the video below. To get involved in Portland, CLICK HERE. For everyone else, to find the LGBT center closest to you CLICK HERE.

To watch the rest of the videos in the “We Are Q Center” web series, CLICK HERE.

New music Tuesday has brought with it another brand new music video! This time for a remix of my song “Burning Your Glory” that was just officially released on the new SCHLOCK! record “Star Whores” (2011). The video was Directed by Tony E. Valenzuela and stars Taryn Southern as a psycho killer with a conscience. Filmed by Andrew Seely & MusicKillsKate and edited by Tony E. Valenzuela & Anthony Huang with additional editing & sound design by Gianluca Licciardi.

Watch the video here now: