julia serano

Julia's music projects!
In addition to all my other endeavors, I also happen to be a musician and songwriter. My current solo music project is called *soft vowel sounds* and the most successful of my past music projects was Bitesize. You can listen to & learn about both projects on this page - some of my music-related writings are also listed below.

*soft vowel sounds* offers a rather novel mix of deliciously percussive & dissonant guitar noises, catchy-as-hell melodies, smart yet silly lyrics, unconventional yet charming vocals, and occasional keyboard & bird squawks. imagine something like Sonic Youth meets They Might Be Giants, if such a concoction were to be performed by a quirky queer lady.

My first *svs* record is Ray versus Macbeth and the Music Box, part one. Click that link to find out more about the record, how to procure it, view artwork and song lyrics, and more! If you just want to listen to the songs, you can do that right here via the Bandcamp tracklist below:

find out more about the record at the Ray versus. . . webpage or the *soft vowel sounds* Bandcamp webpage.

*soft vowel sounds* compact discs can be purchased here. You can also find *soft vowel sounds* on Spotify and YouTube.

Bitesize was a noise-pop indie-rock trio for which I was vocalist-guitarist-lyricist). During our heyday (circa 1997-2005), we entertained audiences with two-minute long pop gems filled with awkward stops and starts, weird bursts of guitar noise, back and forth vocals, quirky lyrics, and lots of jumping up and down. Bitesize released two critically acclaimed CDs (The Best of Bitesize and Sophomore Slump), received college radio airplay nationwide, and were invited to perform at high profile events such as Noise Pop, North-by-Northwest, Ladyfest Bay Area, Folsom Street Fair, Mission Creek Music Festival, bEASTfest and the San Francisco Pride Main Stage.

The entire Bitesize discography can be found here. You can listen (for free!) to songs from our three main releases via the Bitesize Bandcamp website or the tracklists below:

The Best of Bitesize (& individual tracks from it) can be digitally downloaded for a nominal fee here and CDs of the record can be purchased here.

Sophomore Slump (& individual tracks from it) can be digitally downloaded for a nominal fee here and CDs of the record can be purchased here.

More Songs About Cars and Body Parts (& individual tracks from it) can be digitally downloaded for a nominal fee here.

You can also find Bitesize on Spotify and YouTube.

music-related writings
Here are a few pieces (blog-posts, interviews, etc.) where I discuss music:

Bandcamp published Julia Serano’s Journey to Self-Discovery Through Music (October 7, 2019), which delves into how my trans experiences influenced my songwriting over the years, including several fan-favorite Bitesize and *soft vowel sounds* songs!
Transgender-themed artists, bands, music, songs & anthems (December, 2014) links to transgender-themed anthems by other artists, and discusses & links to seven of my own trans-themed songs.
On The Kinks’ song “Lola” and the *soft vowel sounds* song “Ray” (May, 2014) wherein I discuss my thought process on creating a parody of that famous “gender-bending” classic rock hit.
Genes, fruit flies and the Ramones (October, 2013) is an Ethnography Matters interview with me that touches a bit on music, along with other topics.
Laura Jane Grace and coming out as trans in the public eye (May, 2012) is my reaction to her coming out, and includes my own experiences publicly transitioning while playing in Bitesize.
Hear No Evil: the almost entirely true unauthorized autobiography of the band who almost changed the world (see “bio #2”; 2009) is a tongue-and-cheek and slightly fabricate biography of my band Bitesize.
bitesize: big evil (November, 2002) is a West Coast Performer feature article on the band, shortly after my transition and the release of our second record Sophomore Slump. (many more articles/interviews/reviews can be found on the Bitesize press page.)

homepage - about - booking - news & events - writings - social media - contact

Subscribe to Julia’s email list for updates about new books, writings, performances, etc.!