A wig and a prayer
Flamy Grant brings Christian country folk to Yachats
Photo by Emily Tingley
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
When Flamy Grant takes the high road, she does it in high heels, bright colors and a heavily made-up face. The Christian country-folk drag musician, appearing at Yachats Community Presbyterian Church this Wednesday, April 8, said that it was one her haters that helped launch her career.
“It was wild,” Grant said. “I had put out my first record and it was getting some listeners, but then a MAGA guy made a bunch of negative comments about me on social media. Because it was in a public space, I had the chance to clap back, but it did it in a positive way, not choosing to just send hate back. The next day it was number one on the iTunes Christian charts. What is better click bait than ‘Drag queen tops Christian charts?’”
Growing up in Appalachia helped Grant form her sound, which she describes as “Appalachian mountain music with some Gospel, Americana and folk flavor, turned up the way drag does.”
Grant’s debut album “Bible Belt Baby,” earned her coverage from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard and People. Her follow-up album “CHURCH” continued that momentum, earning a 2026 International Folk Music Award nomination for Best Album and reaching number eight on the iTunes country charts.
Her accolades also include a 2025 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival Audience Favorite award for her solo comedy cabaret show, a 2025 International Folk Music Award nomination for Best Artist and a win at the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Songwriting Competition.
As for the people who still choose to try to bait her with hate, Grant chooses to leave it alone.
“I’m just doing my thing,” she said. “What I’m doing resonates with who it resonates with and the rest can keep scrolling.”
Pastor Bob Barrett has also been receiving negative comments since posting the notice about the show, even having his church referred to as a “den of iniquity.”
Once a highly conservative seminary student who left the Lutheran church because he thought it had become too liberal, Barrett has also come to learn that the more he embraces acceptance, the happier he is.
“This den of iniquity is open to all,” he said. “Most of my congregation is not comfortable with exclusion. I’m trying to hold space for people that are still where I was early in my seminary days, and I have to believe that people can change. We just love louder, because that is how we as a congregation interpret scripture.”
The congregation, which has been “quietly growing” under Barrett’s leadership, has a small but mighty presence in the Yachats community, handing out a large amount of cash to help people in need during COVID and supporting food bank efforts.
The Flamy Grant concert, he assures, is “not to get more people to our church, it’s just an opportunity to spread joy and have fun.”
The evening will also feature Heather Mae, whose powerful, emotionally resonant songwriting has built a devoted following, bringing even more depth and range to the night.
“You don’t have to be religious, and you don’t have to like country music,” Barrett said.
“It’s not preachy. It’s honest, it’s a little irreverent, and it tends to surprise people.”
Because of the backlash, and to ensure accessibility, the church is offering the event as
pay-what-you-can. While the suggested donation is $30, the church is offering a discount for anyone that wants to come, but might not necessarily be able to afford it. Simply enter the code: “DENOFINIQUITY” at checkout, and then make the donation amount you choose.
“The best way to do what we do is not just push back every time we get that hate,” Grant said. “Instead, we just meet it with ingenuity and art and rising above.”
Wednesday’s concert begins at 7 pm at Yachats Community Presbyterian Church, located at 360 W 7th Street. For more information and tickets, go to FlamyGrant.com, to the church’s Facebook page, or call 541-547-3400.