Angels among us

Talk about your marketing dilemmas.

Jason & deMarco is a pop singing duo that, by most superficial accounts, should be tailor made for heavy radio play and magazine photo shoots. These are two boys with pin-up good looks (Jason is the cute blond, deMarco the sexy brunette), blissful harmonies, and - especially on their newly released 2008 album Safe - a boatload of pop-rock music with wide mainstream appeal, from original hooky melodies to commercially viable cover songs (including an emotive rendition of U2's beloved "One").

Yet even if it seems like they should be conquering the world of music, Jason Warner and deMarco DiCiccio's competing notions of faith and sexuality seem to leave them wedged between irreconcilable universes. Sure, they're cute; but they're also gay and in a long-term relationship, more interested in gazing into each other's eyes than into those of adoring teenage girls. And though Safe may have a mainstream, Top 40 sensibility, with previous album releases like 2003's Songs for the Spirit and 2004's Spirit Pop, the duo's roots in the Christian music industry can come across as a turn-off for secular fans.

"On so many levels, we're making a path in uncharted water," says deMarco. Speaking by phone, he elaborates on the difficulties of garnering attention - or at least, the right kind - as part of a gay singing duo with a strong sense of faith. "If we go to play at a college campus, and we're promoted as gay Christians, the gays might not come because we're Christian ... the Christians won't come because we're gay," he says. "And the music industry won't come because of both."

Jason & deMarco's struggle to find a comfortable niche for their music is the subject of We're All Angels, a documentary film that followed the couple through the trials and tribulations of album production, marketing brainstorms, and live performances. After making the rounds at GLBT film festivals over the last few years, We're All Angels, found its greatest audience after debuting on the Showtime network this summer. It finally hits DVD on Jan. 20, replete with beaucoup special features that investigate the intersection of sexuality and religion.

When it came to investigating the ins and outs of their career, deMarco admits that a no-holds-barred documentary was a bold maneuver for musicians whose success hinges so greatly on perception. But he says that director Robert Nunez was the perfect fit to helm the project.

"The interesting thing is that he identifies as an atheist," says deMarco of Nunez. "That was interesting because most of the time I would say that people are on one side of the fence or the other [about us]. Robert really wanted to tell the story, and wasn't trying to bring any agenda."

Agendas aren't necessary when there's already this much drama in place. We're All Angels, is remarkably honest in its appraisal of the duo, heralding their undeniable talent without serving as PR spin. In fact, the documentary prods examination of the inconsistencies and contradictions that haunt a career that, unlike many others in the music industry, comes without a playbook of precedent.

In the film, we see the boys celebrate appearing on the cover of The Advocate even as they lament that the story may perpetuate pigeonholing them as a gay Christian novelty act; we laugh at the honest lovers' quarrels that emerge between them at home and in the recording studio, yet we cringe as spats during sound check and photo shoots verge on diva-esque; we applaud their parents as they make sincere efforts to reconcile their tightly held religious beliefs with their unwavering support for their children, and we say our own prayers that the young gay fans who write Jason & deMarco heartfelt e-mails recounting their battles with rejection and depression will one day find that same kind of support.

Until then, Jason & deMarco say that they are happy to offer as much as they can. "We hear from kids who are really screwed up mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sexually. When they do finally come out, they leave their faith. They have problems with drug addiction in the club scene, they have unsafe sex... if you trace it all back, it's because of the situation that they grew up in. There's a lot of work to be done, and that's what keeps us going."

The irreligious may need further convincing that the communities of the gay and the faithful need not necessarily adhere to popular portrayals that pit them as archenemies. But in fact, Jason & deMarco have come to see their music as more about empowerment and inspiration than any one religion: "We believe that religion divides people while spirituality brings people together because you respect everyone," explains Jason. "That's what music does ... it's the universal language."

"We don't want to exclude anyone," says deMarco. "We believe we can empower all people, whatever their culture or religion... that's the goal of any artist."
Empowerment can take many forms, and find many homes. As depicted in We're All Angels, the twosome mainly pay their dues with performances at "gay affirming" churches across the country, but they also deliver dance remixes of their praise songs to thumping circuit events like the White Party. That might sound incompatible, but Jason says that the two scenes have more in common than one might realize. In fact, he's long toyed with the idea of starting dance parties that focus on praise music.

"Circuit parties and huge clubs, they make people feel something and whether they realize it or not, those people are having a spiritual experience," says Jason. "It would be great if we could combine that with music and lyrics - not "praise Jesus, Hallelujah!" - but lyrics that are about unspeakable joy. A lot of the gay community that comes from the church background wants to reconnect in a way that feels safe."

After all, not all Christian rockers are angels; but they're not all devils, either.

For more information on Jason & deMarco, their album Safe and the documentary film We're All Angels (available on DVD Jan. 20), visit: www.jasonanddemarco.com