Semi Precious Weapons

Semi Precious Weapons is the creation of Chicago-born gay/ambisexual singer/songwriter Justin Tranter, a charismatic frontperson with a long history of outrageous performances. Tranter fell under the spell of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid when he was a boy, and after seeing Courtney Love and Hole perform, his course was firmly set. He wanted to be a rock star. Realizing he wanted to write songs as well as sing them, he begged his parents to get him a piano and taught himself to play. He went to a music and arts high school, where he studied classical and pop piano, before moving on to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Being a practical man, he studied the business side of the music business as well as songwriting when he was at Berklee. While getting his degree he founded Musicians with a Mission, a scholarship fund for GLBT youth education. He also put out his first solo album, Scratched, a piano-based album that turned the conventions of pop songwriting inside out with its dramatic flair.