Good-Pass Filter
AMY RAY
Punk-Rock mandolin can do no wrong
If someone told me 15 years ago that half of the Folk-Rock duo Indigo Girls would be making proud, angry, and relevant indie-punk music at 47 years of age, I’m not sure what my reaction would’ve been. Well, that is what Amy Ray is doing these days.
Ms. Ray is currently on tour promoting her 4th solo record, Lung of Love, with a 2 month tour around some great small clubs around the country. With a band of very talented female musicians including former members of Team Dretsch and The Butchies, she is letting her punk roots come to the forefront. While this may not surprise the dedicated fans who know her as the founder of indie label Daemon Records, it is a far cry from her early folky music with fellow Indigo Girl, Emily Saliers.
I was lucky enough to see one of the early shows on this tour and it was a kickass affair. Opening for Amy’s band was a Southern Gothic singer songwriter from Seattle named Lindsay Fuller. Her full-sounding alto voice reminded me of a younger Amy Ray, and her songs had heart and passion, and featured a very talented Jeff Fielder on guitar. Her opening set was inspired and Amy joined her onstage for a couple songs with fantastic harmonies.
When Amy came onstage for her full set, her band brought great energy and a versatile rockin’ sound. With the Riot Grrl contingent backing her up, the sound was nothing like what you might expect from an Indigo Girls show. While I am a huge Indigo Girls fan, I rather enjoyed the badass-ery of their great electric live performance.
Here are a couple youtube videos of the show I attended, the first of which is the song I Didn’t, which is one of the less aggressive tunes which I’ve found myself singing to myself many times since the show, and the latter comes from a point in the set when the band left the stage and Amy brought back Fuller and Fielder for a change in vibe.
I’ve got a link to a free collection of music culled from the 4 Amy Ray solo albums. Her music is at times political, raw and indignant, and at other times full of heart and genuinely relatable human emotion. Please take a few moments to download it and enjoy her versatile styles.
Amy Ray – The NoiseTrade Sampler
| 1 | Black Heart Today | 2:10 | |
| 2 | Late Bloom | 2:25 | |
| 3 | I Didn’t | 4:06 | |
| 4 | Put It Out for Good | 3:51 | |
| 5 | More Pills | 3:31 | |
| 6 | Sober Girl | 3:03 | |
| 7 | Bus Bus | 2:56 | |
| 8 | She’s Got to Be | 5:25 | |
| 9 | Blame Is a Killer | 2:38 | |
| 10 | Give It a Go | 2:47 | |
| 11 | Pennies on the Track | 3:59 | |
| 12 | Who Sold the Gun (Acoustic Demo) | 3:45 |
Also, here are the remaining dates for Amy Ray’s awesome tour. If you can see this band, you will not be disappointed.
| 04/11/12 | Baltimore, MD | Ram’s Head On Stage | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/13/12 | Arlington, VA | IOTA Club and Cafe | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/14/12 | Brooklyn, NY | The Bell House | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/15/12 | New York City, NY | The City Winery | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/17/12 | Philadelphia, PA | World Cafe Live Downstairs | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/18/12 | Cambridge, MA | Brighton Music Hall | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/19/12 | Boston, MA | Newbury Comics – Faneuil Hall Store | 1:00pm In-store appearance |
| 04/20/12 | Asbury Park, NJ | The Saint | with Kaia Wilson |
| 04/21/12 | Durham, NC | The Casbah | with Kaia Wilson |
| 05/03/12 | Greenville, SC | The Handlebar | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/04/12 | Charlotte, NC | Visulite | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/05/12 | Savannah, GA | Live Wire | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/08/12 | Nashville, TN | 3rd and Lindsley | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/10/12 | Ann Arbor, MI | The Blind Pig | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/11/12 | Indianapolis, IN | Radio Radio | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/12/12 | St. Louis, MO | The Old Rock House | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/14/12 | Milwaukee, WI | Shank Hall | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/15/12 | Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/17/12 | Madison, WI | The Frequency | The Shadowboxers |
| 05/18/12 | St. Paul, MN | The Turf Club | The Shadowboxers |
And finally, I could not resist giving you my favorite Amy Ray-penned song from the Indigo Girls. Kid Fears is beautiful, timeless, and heartbreaking, and you can feel it more than 20 years after it was released.