Singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons was in Vancouver this past weekend to attend and perform at a three-day academic conference designed to gather together leaders in the world of transgender and intersex research. While Hegarty's been hard at work in the studio, he told Spinner that he came "out of a cave to get to this event. We flew out for this. Other than that, I'm in a kind of sequestered phase."

Performing a half-hour musical set for the enthusiastic audience, the songs chosen were primarily culled from his 2005 album, 'I Am a Bird Now,' and included 'For Today I Am a Boy' -- a track documenting conflicting gender emotions -- and 'Hope There's Someone,' a moving ballad about isolation that had many conference members in tears. Hegarty -- a longtime gender bender and trans advocate -- contributed his time to participate in the event and explained that he was delighted to be in attendance. "Everyone here is donating their time to come here and to learn," he said. "That's why I'm here -- to hear the myriad of experiences and to hear the voices of the transgender experience."

Taking a moment in between conference panels, Hegarty offered up a few pieces of information about his next CD, which he has named 'The Crying Light.' "A crying light is the idea of a kind of sanctuary -- a safe place where you can let go and open into the present without guard, where you can experience your life passing in a vivid, very awake way," he said. "The crying light is about a safe place."

Hegarty took on the role of producer for the effort, which, according to him, sounds slightly different from his two previous albums. "It is a bit more rhythmic," he said. "Maybe the pallet is a little bit more expanded sonically, more full of symphony sounds, and also some intimate songs and more drums. The last album was a smaller troupe of people. This one spans the gamut a bit. It's a little broader spectrum." '

The Crying Light' is currently slated for a late 2008 release. Those who can't wait to hear more new material from the angelic-voiced artist can find his vocals adorning a handful of songs on 'Hercules and Love Affair,' the disco redux album released earlier this year from the mind and turntables of New York DJ Andy Butler.