When She Returns From War comes home to Charleston for a Nov. 19 gig at the Pour House, the band’s hometown show will feature some comrades-in-arms along for the ride.
Joining the bill is Nashville-born, Denver-based singer-songwriter Maddie Medley, whose haunting blend of indie folk, alternative rock and raw, literary songwriting gives her music a cinematic edge. Also on the bill is Big Guy and The Very Large Men, the project of Nashville songwriter James Droll, whose emotionally candid, indie-pop sound explores the beauty and messiness of living openly queer in the Bible Belt.
The Charleston show is part of an eight-show tour for these three bands, and it’s not an accident or a coincidence.
Over the past few years, a queer country scene has been taking shape in Nashville, creating space for artists who have historically found themselves on the margins of a genre steeped in tradition.
Hunter Park, a 33-year-old Charleston native who relocated to Music City in 2024, is the singer, songwriter and main member of She Returns From War, and has become part of that community, bringing her own experiences as a trans woman in the South to a body of work that pushes the boundaries of country, folk and indie rock.
All three groups have new albums either out now or about to be released. Park’s new album with She Returns, called “Dinner Music,” comes out in early 2027, though she will be giving fans a sneak preview at the Pour House.
In a recent Charleston City Paper interview, Park said that “Dinner Party” is more stripped-down and country-leaning than the more atmospheric Americana sound she had been exploring before.
“I do want to find the best way to keep moving forward,” she said. “And I moved with the intention of – I don’t know if ‘simplification’ is the correct verbiage, but the writing is more geared towards a country-esque record, though there’s still some ambiance there. But I don’t want to give it away too much.”
The album is Park’s first since signing a deal with music industry veteran Kohl Almire’s Under Color, an artist management company focused on championing independent artists and fostering creative freedom and authentic self-expression. Both Medley and Big Guy are managed by Under Color, too.
“Since moving to Nashville, I’ve come to understand that you’ve got to approach your career on a business level,” Park said. “And I am really happy to have signed with Under Color. Kohl is a really hard worker, and both of these other artists are amazing.”
Park added that she’s happy to play what she considers more honest country music than what you hear on the radio. And that’s why it’s been historically difficult for artists like herself, Medley and Droll to be heard.
“You can’t deny that southern music is rich and fluid and natural,” she said. “But I think people in the music business want to protect assets like big pop country because music would be more difficult to contain if it was more complex.”
The insular nature of Music City is just one of the reasons that Park is happy that she’s found some sense of community with Under Color and other queer country artists.
“It’s like this community table that involves music and building relationships from the ground up,” she said. “Sometimes it seems like we’ve had to start all over again, but we’ve always had this general love for music and community and building something that’s real that you can hang your hat on.”
It’s a community that often reminds Park of her days on her hometown scene before she moved to Nashville in 2024.
“It was everywhere when I was in Charleston,” she said. “I was hanging out with Jordan Igoe and SUSTO and Rachel Kate and Lindsey Holler and Wolfgang Zimmermann. And they created something grand that expanded pretty far and put a lot of people on the map locally, regionally and nationally.”
I know that I did make the right decision to move to Nashville,” she added. “But I want this to be a situation where I’m able to go back and forth because I definitely miss Charleston a lot.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 5 p.m. Nov. 19, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy., Charleston. Tickets range from $15 to $20: charlestonpourhouse.com
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