The Indigo Girls are winding down a summer tour coming through our area Aug. 11-13 before they head home to record a new album.
The out Grammy-winning folk-rock duo comprised of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers hasn’t done an album of new music since 2011’s “Beauty Queen Sister” but, after years of touring, side projects and pursuing interests outside of music, the two are ready to make another record.
“We just got really busy,” Saliers said about the long stretch between studio albums. “We did a lot of symphony shows in addition to the other touring and we also toured a bit in Canada. Amy has a daughter now and I have a daughter. We’ve written most of the songs for the record and we’re going to start recording it this fall. We’re really excited.”
The pair is working with producer Jordan Hamlin.
“She’s really into creating unusual sounds through interesting combinations of sounds,” Saliers said about Hamlin. “There’s a certain dreaminess to it. You may hear something you really love but you can’t figure out quite what it is. So that’s a clue. It’s a little more of a landscape that’s a bit dreamy compared to other Indigo records.”
Saliers said that being able to perform concerts with just the two of them on stage, as well as with a band and sometimes symphonies backing them up, keeps things fresh and fun.
“There are times when fans prefer to hear us stripped-down as a duo and other times where it’s fun to work with a band. People know what to expect with the symphony shows. For us it’s great because we can always be a duo if we want to, but we can also get to flesh out the sounds and make them sound more like the records. We can plug in and rock out and change it up to keep it interesting — not just for me and Amy, but also the fans.”
The Indigo Girls also have the artistic freedom to do what they want on their records because, for the last seven years, they have been putting out albums as independent artists — after spending almost 20 years on a major label.
Saliers said that they eventually outgrew the need for a big label to get things done as musicians.
“We started independent and as a bar band way, way back,” she said. “Then we got signed and we had a long run with them. By the time we became independent, we were ready. There wasn’t anything a major label could do for us. We’d just been around long enough to have all the relationships [with agents, promoters and managers], so we really didn’t need a record label. We are able to make our own decisions more quickly and don’t have to go through any middle people to make decisions. So it’s been prolific in terms of that. We really love it. It’s our natural state of being. We make recordings on our own. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We love it now. When we were signed to Epic Records they really helped. They got us on the radio and helped set up incredible tours and promotions. Those were different days for us. Now we’re quite settled into a steady following.”
Between the last few Indigo Girls albums, Ray has recorded her own solo albums and toured behind them. So, naturally, fans are wondering if Saliers, who has performed outside of the Indigo Girls on occasion, is going to do the same.
“I am going to do a solo record,” she said. “I’m either going to start late this fall or January. I’ve got stuff written for that but I’m definitely working on a solo record that is going to come out in 2015.”
It’s not like Saliers doesn’t keep herself busy between records and tours. She has authored a book about her father and opened a few restaurants near her home in Atlanta.
Saliers said she got into the restaurant business because of her love for food.
“I’ve been a foodie since I was born. The other day I was talking about chocolate chip cookies with someone and I got goosebumps on my arms. I don’t know where it came from but ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved all different kinds of foods from all over the world. And I love the way food brings people together. So when we had some time off, my girlfriend at the time and some friend decided we wanted to open a restaurant. I have a huge love for community, mom-and-pop restaurants and I’m a supporter of organic food and using local ingredients. It’s just another form of expression, bringing food to the table for people to share.”
The Indigo Girls love bringing together people with their music, but last year circumstances divided some of their fans.
In 2013, their transgender fans were at odds with the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, which instituted a “womyn born womyn” policy that excluded transgender attendees and participants. Saliers said that, while the Indigo Girls had positive experiences with the festival in the past and they were tapped to perform that year, they struggled with what to do.
“It was a painful time because Amy and I believe in complete inclusiveness,” she said. “In Michigan, there were people who had a history with the festival that provided a place for women back at a time when it was really new, and it added a lot of beauty to our lives over the years. We met with the head of the festival and they were very upset about where we stood. We played our concert and said we can’t come back to Michigan until that changes because we have deep concerns and love for our trans community. We’re all part of a queer movement and none of us should be left out. It’s wrong and it’s painful. We thanked Michigan for all they have given to us and, from this point moving forward, we hope that they are going to come together and make it inclusive, and until that day comes, we said, We’ll leave the festival to you. It was an easy decision to make in the sense of, yeah, we’re queer and we believe in inclusiveness. There’s no doubt about that. At the end of the day, there’s no reason to exclude anyone and we support 100-percent our trans fans.”
The Indigo Girls perform Aug. 11 at Ocean City Music Pier in Ocean City, N.J.; Aug. 12 at Sun Center in Aston; and Aug. 13 at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg. For more information or tickets, visit www.indigogirls.com.