Indigo Girls Live!

Dear Muse,

Monday night, I watched the Indigo Girls perform at a live radio show. And It. Was. AWE-SOOOOOOOME!!!!!

Maybe I should explain my background with this duo. To be frank, there isn't much to tell: I first heard about them last week, and started listening to their stuff this past weekend. The following scenario ensued when my mom said:

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The first Indigo Girls albums I heard were Indigo Girls and Rarities. After that, I started doing more research into this seemingly low-profile independent group. The following is what I gathered from Internet searches and the interviews I heard at the live radio show.
                                            



Indigo Girls consists of Amy Ray (from Georgia) and Emily Saliers (from Connecticut), who met in high school in 1980 and began performing together in bars and coffeehouses.

"We had fake IDs," Ray laughingly informed her audience Monday night. (Is it bad that I thought of McLovin?)

When both ended up at Emory University in 1985, they formed the band Indigo Girls. According to Saliers, they chose the name "indigo" randomly out of the dictionary because they thought it "sounded cool."

(What I found ironic was their manager's initial response to their first full-length album, Strange Fire. According to their wikipedia article, he told them their songs were too "immature" for them to get a record deal. How could anyone think those songs are immature, given all the Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne teenage angst we're barraged by today?!?....not that I have a problem with them, mind you. Still, it's an eye-opening example of how differently people respond to music today as opposed to 20 years ago.)



Ever since their first hit single "Closer to Fine" came out (1988), they've been a duo for over 20 years. And from what I saw last night, they don't look or sound much different from how they were back in the '80s. What could be more awesome than that? I'll tell you what: they're political activists who've spoken out against the Death Penalty and for the environment, Native American rights, and gay rights.




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Oh, and speaking of gay rights, they're both lesbians. Coolness factor now over 100. I am in lesbians with this band.

More specifically, I think Amy Ray totally rocks. Granted, my favorite Indigo Girls song is "Never Stop" by Emily Saliers. But Amy Ray is an alto (like me), so I familiarize more with her moody, throaty voice. Plus, her performance Monday night was electrifying. (My mom, who went to see the show with me, agrees on this.) When she strummed that guitar, she did it so fiercely that you could see the energy rippling in currents through her body. I almost thought I saw sparks fly from her.

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Such a sight makes me think, "Oh my golly Moses, the woman is a maitre d'expression."

In conclusion, the Indigo Girls show was a great experience for both me and my mom. After all, I have her to thank for introducing me to the band in the first place. But I could have expected folksy fandom to prevail with her. As she says, "Folk is a (Baby) Boomer thing."

The Youtube video below is of the Indigo Girls' first hit single, "Closer to Fine." It was also one of the songs my mom and I heard performed Monday night (lucky us). See if you like this duo as much as I do!

                                                                                Peace out,
                                                                                         Ariel