Rainbow Rodeo: Honky Tonk Dance w/ The Unbranded, Elise LeBlanc, Leah Barley, & Beastie

The Wise Hall 1882 Adanac St, Vancouver, BC
June 5, 2025

General Admission 19+ Info

RAINBOW RODEO Honky-Tonk Dance: Round up your pals for an old-school, boot-stompin' hoedown to celebrate Queer country music at the WISE!

Featuring an all-star line up of BC country Queers: Outlaw country dance band The Unbranded (Chilliwack), classic crooner Elise LeBlanc (Victoria) sassy banjo picker Leah Barley, and gender-bending troubadour Beastie (East Van). Special guests include cowboy Drag King heartthrob “Butch Sassidy”. (Vancouver)

Our honky tonk hosts will keep you dancin' all night to classics by Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and more - along with their own Queer Country originals!

We'll kick the the night off with an easy 2-step lesson at 7PM, give away prizes for the "best boots” and “dressed cowpokes", and raise funds for QMUNITY. Big hats and bolo ties encouraged!

Thank you to our event partners: QMUNITY, Heartache No.2 Records, & The Victoria Honky Tonk Society.

TICKETS / INFO

RAINBOW RODEO Honky-Tonk Dance: Round up your pals for an old-school, boot-stompin' hoedown to celebrate Queer country music at the WISE! Featuring an all-star line up of BC country Queers: Outlaw country dance band The Unbranded (Chilliwack), classic crooner Elise LeBlanc (Victoria) sassy banjo picker Leah Barley, and gender-bending troubadour Beastie (East Van). Special guests include cowboy Drag King heartthrob “Butch Sassidy”. (Vancouver)

Our honky tonk hosts will keep you dancin' all night to classics by Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and more - along with their own Queer Country originals! We'll kick the the night off with an easy 2-step lesson at 7PM, give away prizes for the "best boots” and “dressed cowpokes", and raise funds for QMUNITY.

Big hats and bolo ties encouraged!

ARTIST BIOS:

Elise LeBlanc (She/They) is bound to break your heart with toe-tappin' two-step classics and lively, original Queer country bangers. Their latest record ‘The Fiddle & The Fire' was named on Bandcamp's top 10 Best Country Records (11/24) and featured in Country Queer Magazine. Covers include Loretta Lynn, Jean Shepherd, and more!
https://www.eliseleblanc.com/
https://www.eliseleblanc.com/music
https://www.instagram.com/eliseleblancmusic

The Unbranded: Outlaw country standards and rockin' originals with pedal steel, twang, and heartfelt harmonies. The Unbranded has played sold-out shows across Western Canada, with a gritty 1970s’s sound inspired by Waylon Jennings and Buck Owens. Based in Chilliwack, BC.
https://www.theunbrandedband.com/
https://www.instagram.com/theunbrandedband/?hl=en

Beastie (They/Them): Beastie’s music is a vocally-driven blend of dusty old country, blues, and witty, dark-humored folk. Expect original flamin’ gay honky tonk tunes and haunting, country gothic waltzes. Inspired by Lucinda Williams, Johnny Cash, and more. Based in East Van. (Listen up, fans of Hurray for the Riff Raff, Frazey Ford, Adrienne Lenker) https://beastie.bandcamp.com/track/trouble

Leah Barley (She/Her): Banjo-pickin country rocker Leah Barley will have you on your feet with her bluesy, soulful twang. Leah’s latest record was featured in Country Music News, and she’s a favourite in the Vancouver folk & alt-country scene. Her contagious, original bops are inspired by 70s country rock, soul, and belting blues. Leah will have you high-kickin’ with covers of Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, and more!
https://www.leahbarleymusic.com/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x4NLklbQh_A

Butch Sassidy: (Drag King) Keep your wits about ya, cowpokes. This cavortin’ casanova is out to get all our knickers in a knot with his signature gallant mustache, charming drawl, and the biggest hat you’ve ever seen. If we’re lucky, he might sing us a classic. Hold on to your dates, dykes - this gent’s bound to steal your lover for a turn about the dance floor.