lifeblood: listlogs: 2010v12n035-news

ig-news-digest       thursday, october 21 2010       volume 12 : number 035

today's subjects:
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  [ig-news] amy interview from the weekender  [sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopo]

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date: thu, 21 oct 2010 10:42:28 +1100
from: sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>
subject: [ig-news] amy interview from the weekender

hi folks,

here's an amy interview from the weekender in wilkes-barre pa.  you can
read it online at
http://www.theweekender.com/music/indigo_girls_still_in_harmony_10-19-2010.html

cheers,
sherlyn

- ---begin forwarded article---
indigo girls still in harmony
by michael lello
weekender editor

singing together since elementary school, amy ray and emily saliers began
sharing their love for music well before they became known to legions of
fans as indigo girls.

the musical relationship progressed as the two first went to separate
colleges, then met back up at emory university near atlanta. open-mic
nights, paid bar and club gigs and eventually record deals followed.

"hopefully the songwriting has evolved since that time," says ray, asked
how indigo girls have changed since those early days. "as far as the live
format, hopefully our harmonies got even tighter. ... the live experience?
i don't think that's changed much. it's always been kind of raucous and
people singing along and feeling very free."

ray, speaking from her georgia home before a tour that will bring the
group to the mellow theater in scranton friday, oct. 22, chatted about the
duo's fanbase, the recent ill-fated lilith fair comeback and how she and
saliers have managed to stay together for so long.

at the scranton show, ray and saliers will be backed by keyboard player
julie wolf and the band coyote grace, which will also open the show.
earlier this year, the band released the double-disc set "staring down the
brilliant dream," its first live album in 15 years. last week, it released
a holiday album, "holly happy days."

weekender: after all these years working together, how have you and emily
avoided killing each other?

ray: (laughs) well, i think the main thing is we give each other a lot of
space. honestly, that's the main big thing. we respect each other's music.
we give each other the space to write. we each write separately from each
other, so that gives a lot of creative space. and when we're kind of at
home and not touring, we don't really hang out that much, so there's a lot
of space there. and we do our own thing.

we have little rules. you don't tour for more than three of four weeks at
a time. you go home between things. whoever wrote the song has sort of say
over what happens to that song, and that kind of enables each person to
have some control, which you need to feel. everyone i know that's in a band
that breaks up, they feel they kind of don't have any control, or feel
their voice hasn't been heard.

weekender: your fanbase is known for being very loyal. how do you feel
that fanbase has evolved over the years?

ray: there's a core of people that hand the music down. but it's a core of
people that are sort of connected to each other that way. when we have a
little radio play -- which is rare -- it expands, and you can tell what
it's expanding like, because the newer people are not as familiar with the
older material.

weekender: from 1997-1999, lilith fair was a massive success. founder
sarah mclachlan brought it back this summer, and it didn't do nearly as
well. indigo girls played a few shows on this year's tour, what did you
think of it?

ray: i think that they did some miscalculations in the planning and had to
cancel a few shows. i think they took it as a learning experience. it's not
a perfect machine, and we're going to keep trying.

weekender: will it be back?

ray: they think it will be. it was really fun; musically speaking, it was
a blast. cat power played the nights we played, and really just to be able
to see her from the side of a stage a few nights in a row, that's pretty
much worth the whole experience for me. it was good to see sarah, and we
did a bunch of stuff together.

weekender: did you and emily have to work hard at creating your trademark
vocal harmonies?

ray: no, it was pretty immediate. emily was already a very good harmony
singer, from singing with her sisters and her dad. ... so she became the
one that sang most of the harmonies. i learned by really picking up on what
she did.

weekender: indigo girls are very politically active. you have to be one of
the few bands with an activism link on its website. what issues are
important to you guys these days?

ray: oh, god. so many. it's ever-evolving. we continually work on issues
of energy justice with our group honor the earth. ... sweet home new
orleans, which is still working on katrina aftermath. work on issues around
getting licenses for small community radio. ... i could keep going. it's
endless. i probably left out a million things.

indigo girls w/ coyote grace, fri. oct. 22, 8 p.m., mellow theater, 501
vine st. scranton. tickets: $25-$35 by calling 570-955-1455 or visiting
www.etix.com

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