Poseidon and the Bitter Bug

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:50:00 +0000

For more than twenty years, the Indigo Girls have been known for their gorgeous, close harmonies and riveting, emotional lyrics. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are both exquisite singers and talented guitarists. Poseidon and the Bitter Bug is sure to delight fans with ten tracks of mostly-folk songs with pop, rock, and soul influences. The songwriting is top-notch and the award-winning duo has never sounded better.

The album starts strong with “Digging For Your Dream,” a heartbreaking, determined ballad with a chorus you’ll find yourself chanting along: "Every day that you get up and force your cards/ You’re playing your story in fits and starts/ You take your prospects and your pick axe and you trudge down to the stream/ And you bloody your hands digging for your dream."

“Driver Education” opens with the line, “I fell for guys who tried to commit suicide” and takes the listener for a compelling and quick-witted ride through high school nostalgia, crooning, “Where were you back when I had something to prove?” The naked self-criticism of “I’ll Change” makes it one of the album’s most stirring tracks. The singer compares herself to a snake that “bites the hand that feeds it,” and claims, “I’ve been running long before I learned to crawl.”

The most political track is probably “Sugar Tongue,” a hectic indictment of colonialism sung in vulnerable tones. Poseidon is not an overtly political album, even though the Indigo Girls are well known for their political activism on behalf of gay rights organizations and the environment, the rights of Native Americans, and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

A second disc is included which features acoustic versions of all the songs, plus a bonus track, “Salty South.” The band versions and acoustic versions aren’t radically different, but especially hardcore fans will enjoy comparing them, anyway. Every song on Poseidon is beautiful and you’ll want to listen to them again and again.

Written by: Kellie Powell, April 24th 2009

Amy Ray and Friends: Benefit for NOA’s Battered Women’s Shelter (3/2/2007)

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:38:00 +0000

Dahlonega Reservoir

Dahlonega, Georgia

It was a packed crowd for two shows at the listening room on Dahlonega’s town square for two great shows to raise and awareness for an important social problem. An evening with Amy Ray, who was named the 13th most influential lesbian by AfterEllen.com for her solo albums that do not shy away from controversial topics such as the Christian right, homophobia and violence against gays raised money for the local battered women’s shelter in town. Ray brought along her touring pals Tommi and Trina and her good friend Danielle Howle, as well as poet activist Cara Page to perform spoken word.

South Carolina’s Danielle Howle stole the show with her open hearted stage presence, funny stories, and field songs that kept fingers snapping and voices laughing. There’s a lot going on in Howle’s head, and it’s all interesting. Her lyrics are poetry and her talent is her personality. The highlight of the evening was a cover by Howle, "What a Bitch it is being Poor," that garnered loud applause.

Trina and Tommi were great, as usual. This talented duo from rock band Three5Human did a jazzy, breathy cover of the Beatles, "Revolution" with Tommi providing harmony vocals, and the Police’s "Message in a Bottle," as well as several of their own original songs including "Yesterday’s Girl." All of this duo’s original songs are great, melodic rock. Trina’s presence is strong and infectious and her enthusiasm inspires.

Amy Ray sang her confrontational Rolling Stones bashing "Lucy Stoners." The shy Ray kept her eyes closed most of the time she sang and tended to lurk back of the stage when not playing. Ray’s "Dirt Roads and Dead Ends," about lives disrupted by the methamphetamine epidemic was timely to the night’s cause. "Dirt Roads" includes the chorus, “Silly man…” Her voice dropped to a lower register for “I got your dog… you’re a good guy deep down inside.” Some got up and danced to ‘Let It Ring’ with Ray, on mandolin, singing about people who love Jesus, too. “I get down on my knees and I pray the same as you…” Ray played a new song, "Sugar Tongue" with Flamenco style guitar playing. Her voice sounded in top form, soft, high, and low. She shared another new song, "Stand and Deliver."

Cara Page is an artist who would be better used in another setting. Her strong words tended to clash with the party atmosphere and by the end of the night a drunken woman was repeating Ms. Page. The event raised over $3,000 for a worthy cause.

Written by: Katie Klemenchich, April 17th 2007