lifeblood: listlogs: 2007v10n005-news

ig-news-digest saturday, january 27 2007 volume 10 : number 005

today's subjects:
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[ig-news] orlando sentinel article [sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>]

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date: fri, 26 jan 2007 20:17:56 +1100
from: sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>
subject: [ig-news] 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-indigo2507jan25,0,546407.
story?coll=orl-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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