xcel
10-08-2006, 01:36 PM
'I drive a hybrid car and our tour bus runs on bio-diesel'. (http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/all-indigogirlsoct08,0,1065172.story?track=rss)
Diana Morse - The Morning Call - Oct. 8, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Indigo_Girls.jpg
Indigo Girls - making a difference with social and environmental activism.
Amy Ray's car is idling. ''Don't be surprised, it might get a little loud,'' she warns an interviewer on the other end of the telephone connection. ''I'm driving up to a rehearsal and there's a truck unloading some stuff.''
Same old, same old for the 42-year-old brunette with the soft Southern drawl who, with 43-year-old fair-haired Emily Saliers, makes up folk-pop duo The Indigo Girls.
Though Ray's car may be idling on this fall morning, the Indigo Girls' career is in high gear. The twosome, who recently clocked their 20th year recording together after starting out in the early 1980s doing high school shows and fundraisers, have already started work on a follow-up to their 10th studio album, ''Despite Our Differences,'' which was released only a month ago.
Ray and Saliers recently hit the road to promote the new album, and on Tuesday they will perform at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Arts. Half of the show will feature Ray and Saliers' acoustic music. They will be joined by a drummer, bassist, keyboardist and accordion player for the other half.
Though the duo regularly plays more intimate venues, Ray says the size of the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall (2,500 capacity) won't be an obstacle.
''There's always lots of singing along - we love it! As long as the audience is hanging in there with us, [Kimmel] can feel smaller than it is.''
The Indigo Girls ended their 17-year association with Epic Records after the release of 2004's ''All That We Let In,'' signing a two-album deal with Hollywood Records that includes an option for a third.
''We were ready to do something new and Hollywood was really enthusiastic about working with us, and that was the key,'' Ray says.
With the new label came a chance to work with Mitchell Froom, whose producer's credits include Suzanne Vega (his former wife), Los Lobos, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Pearl Jam. He also worked on Daniel Powter's self-titled CD.
''[Recording] with Mitchell was really different. He was a little intimidating; he's one of our idols,'' Ray enthuses.
''We recorded [the new album] together in a really small space, which we loved, in a period of about six weeks, which we really loved,'' she says. In the past, band members recorded tracks separately, and the results were mixed over several months. ''This was shorter and sweeter.''
And sweet it is. The duo, whose previous albums are generally prefixed by platinum, gold or Grammy-winning, are enjoying good reviews (''one of their best albums in years,'' said the Atlanta Journal Constitution) and cracked the Top 50 of Billboard's album chart. Not that they have checked recently.
''Sales?'' Ray says, seemingly surprised. ''I'm not really up on that stuff.''
What the Indigo Girls are ''up'' on, besides close harmony, is social activism. The two weave charity fundraisers into their tour schedule.
Last Sunday, for example, the duo performed at the Carolina Hope Festival. Proceeds benefitted Beacon of Hope, a nonprofit in Nairobi, Kenya, that addresses the effects of HIV/AIDS among women in poor communities.
The Indigos also place a high priority on being green. ''I do the basics, like using recycled materials - I have recycled wood floors in my house,'' Ray says. ''I drive a hybrid car and our tour bus runs on bio-diesel.
''We try to see everything we do through that lens,'' she adds. ''We have someone on tour with us who specializes in green touring. It's all practical stuff, like where are the gas stations that sell the right kind of fuel for the bus. We don't have a lot of time while touring to make sure our politics are reflected the way we like, so this person is there to help out.''
Musically and otherwise, politics loom large on the Indigo Girls' roster. Ray and Saliers are strong supporters of Honor the Earth, an organization that fights to protect the lands of Native Americans in the U.S.
And on ''Differences,'' the two have included several politically themed tracks, including ''Rock And Roll Heaven's Gate,'' a vibrant and punky collaboration with Pink, who in 2004 called on the Indigo Girls to chime in on her pointed political missive ''Dear Mr. President.''
''I definitely think we'll work together again,'' says Ray of Pink (Doylestown native Alecia Moore). ''I have a lot of respect for her - her voice and who she is.''
Through the years, the Indigo Girls have touched many lives not only with music but employment. ''There are people we have met in our audience that we have watched over the years,'' says Ray. ''Some of them now work for us.
''I met one girl during a war protest. She was in college and we were discussing the Patriot Act and she just really impressed me. I asked for her e-mail [address] and we kept in touch. After she finished school she worked for us for a while. We've watched people grow up through their social activism with us, and I enjoy keeping in touch to see how they are doing.''
Despite a seemingly packed schedule - this month alone, the Indigo Girls will perform in 21 different cities - Ray and Saliers are intent on keeping the pedal to the metal.
''We're going to keep touring, and doing activism as long as our audience keeps coming back,'' says Ray. '' We want people to have fun.''
Diana Morse - The Morning Call - Oct. 8, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Indigo_Girls.jpg
Indigo Girls - making a difference with social and environmental activism.
Amy Ray's car is idling. ''Don't be surprised, it might get a little loud,'' she warns an interviewer on the other end of the telephone connection. ''I'm driving up to a rehearsal and there's a truck unloading some stuff.''
Same old, same old for the 42-year-old brunette with the soft Southern drawl who, with 43-year-old fair-haired Emily Saliers, makes up folk-pop duo The Indigo Girls.
Though Ray's car may be idling on this fall morning, the Indigo Girls' career is in high gear. The twosome, who recently clocked their 20th year recording together after starting out in the early 1980s doing high school shows and fundraisers, have already started work on a follow-up to their 10th studio album, ''Despite Our Differences,'' which was released only a month ago.
Ray and Saliers recently hit the road to promote the new album, and on Tuesday they will perform at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Arts. Half of the show will feature Ray and Saliers' acoustic music. They will be joined by a drummer, bassist, keyboardist and accordion player for the other half.
Though the duo regularly plays more intimate venues, Ray says the size of the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall (2,500 capacity) won't be an obstacle.
''There's always lots of singing along - we love it! As long as the audience is hanging in there with us, [Kimmel] can feel smaller than it is.''
The Indigo Girls ended their 17-year association with Epic Records after the release of 2004's ''All That We Let In,'' signing a two-album deal with Hollywood Records that includes an option for a third.
''We were ready to do something new and Hollywood was really enthusiastic about working with us, and that was the key,'' Ray says.
With the new label came a chance to work with Mitchell Froom, whose producer's credits include Suzanne Vega (his former wife), Los Lobos, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Pearl Jam. He also worked on Daniel Powter's self-titled CD.
''[Recording] with Mitchell was really different. He was a little intimidating; he's one of our idols,'' Ray enthuses.
''We recorded [the new album] together in a really small space, which we loved, in a period of about six weeks, which we really loved,'' she says. In the past, band members recorded tracks separately, and the results were mixed over several months. ''This was shorter and sweeter.''
And sweet it is. The duo, whose previous albums are generally prefixed by platinum, gold or Grammy-winning, are enjoying good reviews (''one of their best albums in years,'' said the Atlanta Journal Constitution) and cracked the Top 50 of Billboard's album chart. Not that they have checked recently.
''Sales?'' Ray says, seemingly surprised. ''I'm not really up on that stuff.''
What the Indigo Girls are ''up'' on, besides close harmony, is social activism. The two weave charity fundraisers into their tour schedule.
Last Sunday, for example, the duo performed at the Carolina Hope Festival. Proceeds benefitted Beacon of Hope, a nonprofit in Nairobi, Kenya, that addresses the effects of HIV/AIDS among women in poor communities.
The Indigos also place a high priority on being green. ''I do the basics, like using recycled materials - I have recycled wood floors in my house,'' Ray says. ''I drive a hybrid car and our tour bus runs on bio-diesel.
''We try to see everything we do through that lens,'' she adds. ''We have someone on tour with us who specializes in green touring. It's all practical stuff, like where are the gas stations that sell the right kind of fuel for the bus. We don't have a lot of time while touring to make sure our politics are reflected the way we like, so this person is there to help out.''
Musically and otherwise, politics loom large on the Indigo Girls' roster. Ray and Saliers are strong supporters of Honor the Earth, an organization that fights to protect the lands of Native Americans in the U.S.
And on ''Differences,'' the two have included several politically themed tracks, including ''Rock And Roll Heaven's Gate,'' a vibrant and punky collaboration with Pink, who in 2004 called on the Indigo Girls to chime in on her pointed political missive ''Dear Mr. President.''
''I definitely think we'll work together again,'' says Ray of Pink (Doylestown native Alecia Moore). ''I have a lot of respect for her - her voice and who she is.''
Through the years, the Indigo Girls have touched many lives not only with music but employment. ''There are people we have met in our audience that we have watched over the years,'' says Ray. ''Some of them now work for us.
''I met one girl during a war protest. She was in college and we were discussing the Patriot Act and she just really impressed me. I asked for her e-mail [address] and we kept in touch. After she finished school she worked for us for a while. We've watched people grow up through their social activism with us, and I enjoy keeping in touch to see how they are doing.''
Despite a seemingly packed schedule - this month alone, the Indigo Girls will perform in 21 different cities - Ray and Saliers are intent on keeping the pedal to the metal.
''We're going to keep touring, and doing activism as long as our audience keeps coming back,'' says Ray. '' We want people to have fun.''