lifeblood: listlogs: 2007-010

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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:17:56 +1100
From: Sherlyn Koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>
Subject: Orlando Sentinel article

Hi folks,

Here's an article from the Orlando Sentinel - you can read it online at:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/music/orl-indigo2507jan25,0,546=
407.
story?coll=3Dorl-calmusictop

Cheers,
sherlyn

---begin forwarded article---
Nuance colors Indigo Girls' songwriting
The duo's articulate folk-pop has connected with fans for 25 years.
Jim Abbott
Sentinel Pop Music Critic

January 25, 2007

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have been playing music together for 25 years,=
before
the world knew them as Indigo Girls, but the process of making music hasn't=

really become any easier, at least for Ray.

And that's OK.

"I don't really want it to get easier," says Ray, out on an Indigo Girls=
tour
that stops tonight at Carr Performing Arts Centre. "I don't want to settle=
into
a certain groove that keeps me in place, one way of writing. Songwriting is=

where I try to completely challenge myself all the time, to stretch and get=

better."

Though it's hard to control the forces that summon a good idea for a song,=
Ray
has learned to provide an environment that might help increase the odds.

"I find I'm better at creating the time for it, doing it every day and=
having a
process around it. I found that my writing got better when I started the
discipline about it, but it's still hard to sit at a table and write a=
song."

The hard work has paid off on the Indigo Girls' latest album, Despite Our
Differences. Both members contribute articulate folk-pop, ranging from=
Saliers'
politically tinged "Pendulum Swinger" to "Three County Highway," "Dirt and=
Dead
Ends" and "They Won't Have Me," a trio of Ray songs steeped in rural=
imagery.

Although the Indigo Girls are known for political and social activism, Ray's=
new
songs deliver messages through more subtle human stories.

"I'll write an overtly political song every now and then, but these are not=
that
black-and-white for me," she says. "There's so much nuance to be had from
people's stories, what they go through in the trajectory of their lives.

"I've learned from living where I live," in a rural area, "that people come=
from
a lot of conditions you may not understand. You just have to be open to that=

dialogue, and you really start to hear people's stories. I'm just blown away=
by
certain things."

On this leg of the tour, Ray and Saliers are mostly playing as a duo,=
although
opening band Three5- Human does join them for a handful of songs.

"We sort of would like to tour with a band more than we get to," Ray says.=
"It's
really fun to play the songs with full backing, but we can't really afford=
to do
it all the time. And I know there's something intimate about performing as a=
duo
that is special."

Much about the music business has changed since the Indigo Girls began. In=
some
ways, Ray and Saliers are still adjusting, with one foot in the old world of=

radio and record stores, the other in the Internet.

"Eventually, we'll have to jump all the way into that," Ray says of the=
online
world. "But there are some people out there doing some great work through=
radio.
There are still good record stores with a community presence, giving=
information
to people about what's good and appealing to a diverse age-range.

"When you still find that, I think it's really important to support that.=
It's
really important to have a place to go and gather in person, whether it's a=
live
show, a record store or a cafe. People need a physical interaction around
music."

Jim Abbott can be reached at jabbott@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6213.

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