Broadsheet for February 14, 2014

5. MUSIC: Hannah & Maggie, In The Company of Strangers

Get lost in the sweet, harmonic melodies of out singer-songwriters Hannah and Maggie, whose new album In The Company of Strangers drops February 25. Channeling the likes of Brandi Carlile, with some snark and spunk that feels reminiscent of early Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang, the folk duo's newest album is unapologetically queer and unquestionably catchy. Get a sneak peek of the album in the video below, and check out the pair's earlier works — including the instant holiday classic, "Mrs. Claus (A Gay Love Song)" at Hannah & Maggie's YouTube channel and SoundCloud. I guarantee you’ll be tapping your toes to the sweet sounds of this New York-based duo after the first three bars. — Sunnivie Brydum

4. THEATER: LezCab at the Stonewall Inn

LezCab, the only cabaret series by, for, and about queer women, is back for another season, and this year the ladies will be performing at the bar upstairs in New York City’s historic Stonewall Inn. The first show of the year will be Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and will feature songs from beloved musicals, including Next to Normal, Once, The Sound of Music, and 42nd Street. Get advance tickets at EventBrite.com or buy them at the door. — Trudy Ring

3. EVENT: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in concert

Queen of J-pop and “Lady Gaga of Japan” Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is on a rare U.S. tour, bringing the signature creepy-cute whimsy of her music and fashion sense to our shores. Her show Saturday in San Francisco is sold out, as is her March 8 show in New York City, but you can still get tickets to see her, Sunday in Los Angeles, and March 5 in Chicago. Find out more about her in this MTV Iggy clip. — Trudy Ring

2. MUSIC: Melanie Martinez's “Dollhouse”

I would trade a thousand Taylor Swifts for just one Melanie Martinez, the 18-year-old singer who made it to fifth place on The Voice in 2012. She had two top-five hits, and people are still talking about her take on Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” Now the American equivalent of Lorde (in her realness) has released the arresting, dark pop video for “Dollhouse” which is a brutally honest depiction of a family falling apart — set to a spare dance beat and stark vocals. It's awesome. And if you’re in New York, you can catch her Saturday, February 15, headlining the Gramercy Theater. — Diane Anderson-Minshall

1. BOOK: Slash and Burn

In journalist Valerie Bronwen’s debut novel with Bold Strokes Books, Winter is a lesbian novelist from some prestigious, New York women’s university who heads back home to New Orleans to attend the LGBT writing conference called Angels and Demons (a clear allusion to the real-life and very popular Saints and Sinners Literary Conference). But when another writer ends up dead literally at her feet, Winter becomes embroiled in a baffling mystery behind the murder and lands herself on the suspect list. From the opening chapter, in which Winter is navigating the Atlanta airport, to the scenes in the French Quarter, the book has an air of authenticity that’s hard to find in lesbian lit. A must-read for mystery buffs of all orientations.  — Diane Anderson-Minshall