lifeblood: listlogs: 1999v01n187-news

ig-news-digest friday, october 22 1999 volume 02 : number 187

today's subjects:
-----------------
  [ig-news] stomp & stammer; cons review   [melissa gordon <melissa@ce1.com>]
  [ig-news] billboard review                              [subcityii@aol.com]
  [ig-news] window cling info...        [lyndsay agans <eccemus@hotmail.com>]
  [ig-news] concert in los angeles      ["lee, jenny" <jenlee@unex.ucla.edu>]
  [ig-news] orlando listmeet     [nancy lambert <nlambert@inter-science.com>]
  [ig-news] tour info update (igc!)  [michael cunningham <mcunningham@pbp1.c]
  [ig-news] ooops - 1 more onsale info.  [michael cunningham <mcunningham@pb]
  [ig-news] article from gfn.com        [jen meklenburg <jenmek@hotmail.com>]
  [ig-news] fwd: mix lounge - 10/6/99 - soooo sorry for being late  [catheri]
  [ig-news] cons--title from amy...discussion...  [lyndsay agans <eccemus@ho]
  [ig-news] attn. bay area listees  [estelle getty <wendell01@earthlink.net>]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 06:33:21 -0700
from: melissa gordon <melissa@ce1.com>
subject: [ig-news] stomp & stammer; cons review

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

well, this should elicit some interest (from a local atlanta culture/music
publication, which i actually enjoy a great deal).....

from stomp & stammer

indigo girls
come on now social
[ epic ]

musically, the new indigo girls album kicks off with an incendiary blast: a
crunchy, amy ray-penned slapshot called "go," marked by the pair's
uncharacteristically nasty rock 'n' roll guitars and ray's raw, passionate
vocals. the tune harkens positively to neil young's periodic work with
crazy horse, and sets the tone for a radical, and most welcome, upping of
their creative ante. alas, it never materializes in what follows. cut
number two, an emily saliers composition called "soon to be nothing" that
sounds like it should be sandwiched between john denver and poco on some
'70s "ez lite rock" fm station, makes for such a drastic and immediate
shift in mood and tempo that the urgency of what came before is soon
forgotten. what seems at first glance to be an effort to hotwire the
atlanta duo's pop fortunes by making a star-studded, musically-adventurous
statement is in actuality just another indigo girls album.

which is not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. there's a lot to be said
for the comfortable and familiar, and the indigo girls have resonated with
such a dedicated following not by faking hipness but by conveying a
realness, a conviction and an authenticity that most other popular
entertainers simply lack. as people like young, bob dylan, and others of
their predecessors who have also straddled the fence between folk and rock
discovered, when they strayed too far from what the simplicity of what they
do and tried on different trends or pop sheen, it more often than not fell
flat, because it obscured their true strengths. thus, while come on now
social has been suitably lilithed with musical guest spots by joan osborne,
sheryl crow, and me'shell ndegeocello, their presence on the album is,
wisely, hardly noticeable. if you didn't realize in advance that they were
there, you wouldn't know or care. they neither add nor detract. meanwhile,
ray and saliers continue their incorporation of traditional acoustic
instruments like banjo and mandolin, to great effect, giving songs like
"ozilline" and "gone again" a homey, warm southern ambiance. the only songs
besides "go" to really rock out -- saliers' "trouble" and ray's
"compromise" -- do so with vigor and confidence. i really wish they'd do
more of that, but then again, that probably has more to do with my own
tastes. i never cared much for poco, anyhow.

whether political propaganda deserves any place in the rock 'n' roll world
is also, i suppose, a matter of taste, but obviously the indigo girls
believe that it does, what with the causes they've rallied around, the
lists of activist groups they encourage their listeners to support (mostly
environmental, gun control, feminist and gay/lesbian lobbies), and the
highly-charged leftist content of many of their songs. while it's no
surprise that i don't saddle up with them on many issues, i can vouch for
the sincerity of their beliefs and admire their ethics. but really, amy,
you're going for the way-too-easy heart-tugging tactics on "faye tucker,"
the closing song here (prior to a pair of bonus tracks). it's a mournful
elegy for the first woman executed for murder in texas since the civil war,
complete with the angelic vocals of arabic singer natacha atlas, but any
way you look at it, ray's philosophical presentation is flawed. "well mercy
could prove us," she sings, "but nothing would move us, to rise above just
being cruel." now, wait a minute. is she saying that that, because tucker
was female, she should have been treated differently than the male inmates
on death row? that would go against the supposed cornerstone of feminism
and equality of the sexes, right? so the message must be that capital
punishment = evil, a view which is backed up by the girls' listing of the
national coalition to abolish the death penalty in the "resources" section
of the album's liner notes. but do you think ray would ever sing some weepy
song mourning the execution of a guy who raped and dismembered little
girls, or dragged some black man behind his pickup truck until he was
decapitated? hell, no! to do so would cause ray's listeners to question
their blanket acceptance of the indigo girls' anti-capital punishment
stance. such horrendous murders do not lend themselves so easily to
emotional pleas for leniency and calls for re-hab hand-holding. was not
tucker also "being cruel" when she committed murder in the first place?
such self-evident details, when pointed out, crumble the effectiveness of
protest songs such as "faye tucker," exposing them to be all-too-shallow.
it's a consistent failing that the indigo girls would do well to overcome.

�jeff clark

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------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 10:16:58 edt
from: subcityii@aol.com
subject: [ig-news] billboard review

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

this review is from billboard magazine:

those who have pegged ig partners amy ray and
emily saliers as little more than earnest folkies need
to lend an open-minded ear to their seventh studio
set-which shows 'em at their most varied and
creatively potent. complementing their signature
acoustic strumming is an array of well-crafted roots
rockers framed by adept, intricate electric guitar work.

ray's superior contributions brim with guttural
intensity and wildly emotional performances, in which she often
sounds two steps away from a nervous breakdown.
most notable is her blues-kissed "sister," wherein she
vamps like the revered rock goddess she deserves to
be. meanwhile, saliers seasons her reliably sensitive,
introverted compositions with newly discovered
aggression-as evidenced on the foot-stompin'
"trouble." added pleasure is derived from guest
appearances by sheryl crow, joan osborne, and
meshell ndeg�ocello, although their appearances are
more incidental than integral to the set's overall
appeal.

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 12:10:17 edt
from: lyndsay agans <eccemus@hotmail.com>
subject: [ig-news] window cling info...

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hey y'all...
here's the deal, if you are interested in the clings: send me a self
addressed stamped envelope (a big one so they don't get messed up...the
length varies but max is about 8 inches.

cling prices run:
1 for $3
2 for $5
5 for $10

my address:
lyndsay agans
towson u
unit #38
8000 york road
towson, md 21252

cash or check is cool. remember to include a note saying which clings you
want (please include text and not just number)

incidentally, i've decided against offering my t-shirts to the list, because
of legal reasons, i'm thinking they'll just have to stay in my closet.

thanks...

hope you like 'em!

- -lyndsay

(remember, i'm a college student and there are a lot of requests, so give it
a little time before you bite the postal carrier for not bringing you your
clings.)

______________________________________________________
get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 10:13:04 -0700
from: "lee, jenny" <jenlee@unex.ucla.edu>
subject: [ig-news] concert in los angeles

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

greetings all!

i have one ticket for thursday, nov. 4th concert at the wiltern theatre.

i purchased 2 tickets and realized that i should have just purchased one,
the seat is in the last row of the orchestra section. i don't have the
'exact seat number' with me at the moment.

if you're interested please e-mail me back!

thanks,
jenny

totoro930@aol.com
jenlee@unex.ucla.edu

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 15:07:33 -0400
from: nancy lambert <nlambert@inter-science.com>
subject: [ig-news] orlando listmeet

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

alright i am stepping forward now and taking the bull --er cow-- by the
horns -- er -- ears.  well whatever.  my gf and i are going to the show.  i
have heard from a few random people that will be going also so -- i will
organize a listmeet in orlando.  i live in tampa but we will be staying at a
hostel or campground in kissimmee.  all those interested please e-mail me
privately and i will come up with a location for breakfast or lunch.
breakfast for those that want to stake out the hr for a bus, lunch for those
just wanting to get there early.  i am gen. admis. so i plan on getting
there early.  not too early tho, since my gf is not as big an ig freak as i
am and this is her birthday present and all.  anywho  for those familiar
with orlando i was thinking maybe a restaurant in crossroads near disney's
lake buena vista.  it's easy to find (you can see it from i-4) and it's
pretty well centrally located.

let me know,

nancy

support ride 4 chiapas!!!!

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 14:09:55 -0400
from: michael cunningham <mcunningham@pbp1.com>
subject: [ig-news] tour info update (igc!)

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hkf's,
here's some new tour info that i found:

12/04/99 minneapolis, mn u. of minnesota - northrup auditorium
onsale: 10/23 - 10:00am (651)989-5151 (local tm)

12/07/99 indianapolis, in murat theatre
onsale: 10/30 (317)239-5151 (local tm)

[although these aren't up on tm yet]

plus there's a whole bunch of more phone numbers & links on my site so you
can keep checking on info and keep bugging the box office peoples...

thanks & let us know of any more onsale info!
a+e=ig

mcunningham5@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~mcunningham5/indigotour.html
"...what a blessed sky"

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 14:22:25 -0400
from: michael cunningham <mcunningham@pbp1.com>
subject: [ig-news] ooops - 1 more onsale info.

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hkf's,
as soon as i hit that dang-um send button, i realize i forgot something that
is onsale as of now!!!

11/18/99 - laramie, wy:

thursday, nov. 18, 8 p.m. -- indigo girls in performance, a&s auditorium.
tickets are available at the wyoming union asuw ticket office at
307-766-3327: $20 (uw students), $22.50 (seniors and children under 18, and
$25 (general public).

go, go, go!!!
a+e=ig

mcunningham5@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~mcunningham5/indigotour.html
"...what a blessed sky"

------------------------------

date: fri, 22 oct 1999 01:20:25 gmt
from: jen meklenburg <jenmek@hotmail.com>
subject: [ig-news] article from gfn.com

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

indigo girls join lilith fair before tour
by fz kitt
online: sep 27, 1999

boulder, colo. - the indigo girls joined monica, the dixie chicks, sheryl
crow and sarah mclachlan in denver recently for the colorado lilith fair
shows, but don't expect the dynamic duo to slow down. the girls, comprised
of amy ray and emily saliers, plan to be on the road entertaining throughout
the coming year.

the indigo girls have a new album, which just hit stores, plan to kick off a
"full force" tour on their own after lilith, then may head over to australia
before embarking on a suffragette sessions club tour and a second honor the
earth tour. they plan to continue with their political activism and personal
projects, as well.

as a result of last year's lilith fair, the indigo girls have incorporated a
whole new band and producer on this new record, due out the third week of
september and titled "come on now social." john reynolds, drummer and
producer for sinead o'connor, came on board for the new cd and brought along
the members of his -- and o'connor's -- band, ghost land. both girls were
quick to credit reynolds with the interesting additions on "come on now
social."

"he brings a whole different life to the songs," saliers said. "they're very
focused around the rhythm sections, with drum loops and a lot of driving
force."

"gone again," one of ray's new songs, has an appalachian vibe, saliers said.
ray plays mandolin and saliers picked up the banjo on this record. saliers
described another of ray's cuts, "faye tucker," as having a celtic drumbeat
and a jig played on the cello and accordion together. the end of "tucker"
features an arabic singer wailing away, she said.

saliers said that horns were brought in on one of her songs, another thing
the girls hadn't done before.

"there's a lot of interesting flavors going on," ray added. there's also a
variety of special guests. "joan osbourne's on this record. sheryl crow
sings on it. me'shell ndegeocello plays some bass on it. garth hudson from
the band plays organ, rick danko from the band plays some bass, and the rest
of the players are from sinead's camp," ray said. hailing from london
(though he's irish), reynolds gave the new record a world beat feeling, but
ray said it's not that different from previous indigo girl projects.

for fans eager to hear a sample of the new record, one cut was recorded live
for the "no boundaries" cd, a compilation epic records put out to benefit
kosovar refugees that features pearl jam, rage against the machine, korn,
sarah mclachlan and a host of other artists. "go" is a hard-thumping rock
song, which saliers described as "more complex in the production, more
studio-constructed" on the "come on now social" studio version.

"it runs the gamut as far as style goes," ray said of the new cd. a couple
of songs are appalachian-sounding, a couple are beautiful ballads, and
there's a couple of songs that have a punk vibe, "fast and loud," according
to ray. and there's a rock ballad.

music bridges over troubled waters

before going into the studio for the new album, the indigo girls joined
forces with a host of musicians from the united states, to travel to cuba in
order to participate in a musical and cultural exchange with cuban
musicians. the u.s. delegation, which included bonnie raitt, me'shell
ndegeocello, peter buck from rem, woody harrelson, jimmy buffet and others,
were matched up with cuban artists to workshop, write songs and collaborate
on compositions, which culminated in a concert at the karl marx theatre in
havana.
the historic trip, known as music bridges over troubled waters, was very
moving for saliers and ray.

"cuba has a mystique about it that's hard to articulate," saliers said.
"they didn't have all the luxury trappings of our culture, you know, no
billboards or choice of sodas. there's a lot of poverty so all the character
of the people goes into their art, their expression. the musicians are just
mind-blowingly talented and full of life.

"money is not an issue in the relationship to music down there," saliers
said. "so it was refreshing to be with people who just play for the love of
music. it's the lifeblood of their culture.

"it's also really wild because the capitalist world is just sort of frozen
in time from when fidel (castro) took power. you have the old american cars
from the 1950s that are just parked or used as taxis. it was really a
meeting of two ideologies," saliers said.

ray said she started crying when she met cuban president fidel castro. "he's
just got this charisma about him that's impossible to describe," ray said.
"your mind just forgets the negative things. i agree with fidel as an ideal,
in the romanticized picture of him and the mythos of socialism. i mean, i
love that. it's right down my alley.

"but war is war, and violence is violence," ray said. "and he's been
involved with some things that i don't have an appreciation for. but i'm not
in his shoes, and i don't know what it's like to live in cuba. i don't know
what it's like to have everyone knocking on your door trying to get you to
become capitalist. he's in a really hard position and i can appreciate all
the different sides of it.

"but meeting him is monumental to me. i've never felt that way about meeting
anybody," ray said.

ray said that u.s. citizens should know that despite its poverty, cuba is
very rich culturally and has a lot to offer.

"and they've been really hurt by the u.s. policy, the economic sanctions and
the boycott. i mean, it's only 90 miles from florida. that's ridiculous. "

current projects

the indigo girls have never been shy about their political beliefs and are
currently working on a boycott of the phillip morris company, best known for
its marlboro cigarettes, as well as virginia slims and others. ray said that
tobacco companies have lost so many of their advertising avenues that
they've started doing things like giving money to local charities to improve
their community profiles. "it's kind of like you're donating money to an
aids organization, or a gay-oriented organization even, and at the same time
you're giving money to the campaigns of right-wing political candidates who
are gutting welfare and aids research and medicare.

"virginia slims has been sponsoring these dueling divas rock-off contests
with women's bands and the winners get some money and some local charities
get some money," ray said. "and so basically, we're trying to say to these
bands, 'don't do these contests, they're buying you.' we're trying to
influence organizations to reapproach who they take money from. because it's
dirty money."

so the indigo girls have made some connections and written up some fact
sheets and are talking to the winners of these contests and trying to get
them not to take the money. in many instances, the indigo girls are coughing
up the prize moneys to pay the bands and organizations instead. the artists
who win also have to sign contracts that prevent them from ever saying
anything bad about tobacco, ray said. the indigo plan is to go to the cities
where these contests are happening and try to drum up support for a boycott.

______________________________________________________
get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

date: thu, 21 oct 1999 10:11:24 -0400
from: catherine spinale <catherine.spinale@pmn.com>
subject: [ig-news] fwd: mix lounge - 10/6/99 - soooo sorry for being late

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hi everyone:

please except my apologies for not posting this earlier.  i don't know
if you remember, but i was the one who posted the message about
getting a ride to amhearst.  i got a couple of messages - but it was too
late and i've been reeeeally depressed ever since.  but i promised i
would tell y'all about it so here is what i remember:

first of all, i missed the interview that was broadcasted at 5:00 because
it was done in the studio, not the lounge and stupid me, i forgot to put
it on while driving to lowell that night.

the performance started at about 4:00. it was supposed to be at 2:00 but
the girls had to take a cab from lowell and the cab got lost in boston. (how
awful) anyway,when the finally got there, they were rushed into the lounge
first for a quick sound check, then to the studio for the interview, then back
to the lounge. when they came in, emily said something like, thanks for
waiting, we were "site seeing" in boston, via towne taxi (lowell cab)

greg daniels, dj interviewed them. he started talking about the new album and
all the artists who were on it. amy named them and said they were excited to
have
a new band with them. greg mentioned how many albums they have sold so far
(i forget the number) and amy said "that's nothing, ricky martin has sold
another
15m today, and emily said, "oh, he is so cute" and she mentioned how she liked
his music as well as marc anthony. i can't remember everything, but the just
chatted
a little first then they did peace tonight (naturally).

then greg asked them how long they had been friends, they said 25 years.  greg
asked
if they had any secrets about each other and amy said "we have no secrets,
they
(meaning
fans) know everything about us".  he asked if they ever fight and emily said
something like "no, we havn't had a fight in a really long time, we just know
eachother so well, and we give eachother lot's
of space, we don't hang out together when we're off or when we're on tour (i
noticed that in newport,
they were never together).  amy then did go accoustically (it was so awesome)
after it was over,
she kinda staggered a little and said "oh, now i need a nap after that one"

after that greg, said they would take a reguest. guess what it was, yup,
galileo!  well, the
audience took the song over completely and greg said he had never seen
anything
like it
in all his experience at the mixlounge.  amy said, "you don't even need us
(yes
we do), all
you need is our picture up there and you can do the rest".  then greg thanked
them for coming
and they packed up and left.  they couldn't sign autographs because they were
really late but
it such a thrill just being there that it didn't really matter.

that's all i remember - hope this helps.

cathy

------------------------------

date: wed, 20 oct 1999 22:50:52 edt
from: lyndsay agans <eccemus@hotmail.com>
subject: [ig-news] cons--title from amy...discussion...

[sherlyn's note: this is an excerpt of a message which was
originally sent to the indigo girls mailing list at
netspace.org. i know these have been posted before, but
for those of you who haven't seen them and are wondering
about where "come on now social" comes from, here it is.
this song is called "measure of me"...]

the boy, he thinks i'm damaged goods
i guess he does and i knew he would
i dress like him and i'll take him down
he gets embarrassed when his friends come around
i can get the girl, but the boy just laughs
i can get the girl, but the boy just laughs
guess all this is a measure of me
even though it shouldn't be
the lion lays down with the lamb
but i can't do it so i ain't worth a damn
i can get the girls, but the boys just laugh
i can get the girls, but the boys just laugh at me>
come on now angel, i said i want you to be
come on now special, i said i want you to be
*come on now social, you know i want you to be
you know i want you...
am i the virgin in your woods?
are you all that's strong and all that's good?
i'll be the needle for your skin.
ask me now and i will push it in.
i can - get the girls, but the boys just laugh
i can get the girls but the boys just laugh at me
i can get the girls, oh but the boys just laugh
you know this is a measure of me
and even though it shouldn't be
the lion lays down with the lamb
but i can't do it, so i ain't worth a damn...

it was damn moving live...amazing. so, who knows, anyone have answer for
this one? maybe i should just ask amy next time we do lunch...haha!

ogidni,

lyndsay

______________________________________________________
get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

date: fri, 22 oct 1999 19:41:36 -0500
from: estelle getty <wendell01@earthlink.net>
subject: [ig-news] attn. bay area listees

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hey all,

i just got proof positive evidence that the girls will be at the sf
tower records on market street in the castro.  the date is nov 7th at
noon.  they had a bunch of fliers there with the picture of a & e in the
cornfield.  so i think that's great news.  i can walk there!  mark your
calendars!

wendell

------------------------------

end of ig-news-digest v2 #187
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