Sounds Gay! open mic night in Hamilton brings 2SLGBTQ+ community together through music

If you go to Hamilton bar Mosaic on the fourth Thursday evening of the month, you'll likely find a warm and welcoming community of 2SLGBTQ+ musicians playing some tunes.

That's what Sounds Gay! is all about, according to its founder.

After being the only musical performer at the 2020 virtual Pride event in Hamilton, sound engineer Nim Agalawatte noticed how few spaces in the city celebrate queer music and they decided to do something about it.

The now monthly open mic event invites 2SLGBTQ+ performers to play original songs or covers.

Sounds Gay! started in 2021, running for a few years out of the now-closed The Casbah. It moved to Mosaic earlier this year. Over the years, Agalawatte said it has grown into something meaningful.

"There's a lot of folks who … started coming to the event as soon as they moved to the city … and that's sort of how they got to know people," they said. 

"There's people who have come to the open mic and now play in bands together, which is really cool."

Sounds Gay! runs from 7 to 10 p.m. one Thursday a month and although everyone is welcome, it is meant as a performance space for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. 

"Historically, music has always been a place where people gather to form community, whether it be through singing songs or protest or gathering for concerts," Agalawatte said.

It has also been a place where people can express themselves, share emotion and stories.

"It's important to have music-specific spaces, because it brings a very unique experience," they said.

Sounds Gay! has slowly grown into more than an open mic. Agalawatte will often partner with local organizations and musicians for community events.

On Thursday evening, they are hosting a free workshop at Mills Hardware on King Street on using social media to express queer identity, featuring non-binary, Vancouver-based musician, Kimmortal.

'One of the places I felt the most safe and open'

Music has been a "very big part" of Agalawatte's life. They grew up playing and around music, starting with clarinet and making their way to bass guitar, their primary instrument. 

The medium helped them explore, and eventually express their identity as a non-binary person.

"Music is definitely one of the places I felt the most safe and open to be like a queer person," said Agalawatte, who also plays bass for the band Basement Revolver. 

Agalawatte said they got to experiment with makeup and clothes for the first time while on stage, a space that felt "a lot more open," and "receptive to different identities."

"It felt like an easier place to do that than out and about in the streets or [at] work," they said.

Getting to help others enter that world is "something that means a lot," for Agalawatte.

"It's really affirming for me, I think, and kind of validates the reason of why I keep doing it," they said, adding they host the monthly open mic on a volunteer basis.

"That inspires me to keep going and reminds me of why it's important to have this space."

Agalawatte said it has been very special seeing people inspired by Sounds Gay! to pursue music, including Sarah Bellstedt.

Bellstedt arrived at one of the open mics in 2022 after living in Hamilton for only a year.

"My eyes were so wide. I was so scared and just like shaking," she said.

She hadn't performed music in many years, and wasn't planning on doing so that night — but the welcoming crowd won her over and she put down her name to perform.

"As soon as I got on stage, I just felt so calm and played my songs. And it was just like such a sweet, encouraging, positive experience," she said, which gave her confidence she "wouldn't have had otherwise."

Singer credits the platform for her music career

Bellstedt had been writing music since 2020, which she calls "sad gay love songs." She mostly used writing as an outlet to process her feelings, but it wasn't until performing at Sounds Gay! that she's gone back to performing.

She has since released three singles, with more on the way, and has gotten to perform her songs in Hamilton and area. 

"I really, really credit Nim and the space that they've created with the entirety of my music career," Bellstedt said.

She said Agalawatte created a "special, unique and supportive space" she still attends regularly.  Bellstedt has also enjoyed seeing the community gather there and grow, month after month.

"If we don't visit these spaces, they may not last forever, so I really try to make a point to go every month just because I think it's important."

Bellstedt said places like Sounds Gay! are pivotal at a time where those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, especially those who are trans, don't "feel like they can exist safely in public."

"I just really don't take it for granted," she said.