With a career spanning more than two decades, it’d be difficult to find someone who hasn’t heard of the Indigo Girls. The duo has released 13 studio albums with a new release scheduled to be available this fall and have toured the country numerous times.
The Indigo Girls will bring their folk rock-infused songs to San Diego as part of Humphreys Concerts by the bay. The pair is no strangers to this concert series; this will be their 14th appearance at Humphreys.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers created the Indigo Girls more than 20 years ago. The longtime friends, who met in elementary school, reconnected while attending Emory University in the mid-’80s and began playing together.
“That’s when we started to become more serious about it,” said Ray. “We started making records and touring a lot. We toured up and down the East Coast and the Southeast and in Texas. We just learned little by little, opened for friends, traded gigs, whatever we could do”
After being signed to Epic Records in 1988, the Indigo Girls began touring with big names, such as REM, Neil Young and Joan Baez. Over the years, it has changed from who are they touring with to who is touring with them. In recent years, the pair has toured extensively with newcomer Brandi Carlile.
In addition to making music, the Indigo Girls are known for their political and environmental activism. They founded and are active in Honor the Earth, a non-profit organization that focuses on indigenous environmental issues. In the past, they also worked to help rebuild the lives of New Orleans’ musicians after Hurricane Katrina.
“We’ve worked a lot on queer issues, from local community groups to national things,” said Ray, who is a lesbian. “It’s kind of an ongoing thing for us.”
While their activism is an important part of their identity, the music and touring is what makes it all possible.
Although both Ray and Saliers regularly write songs, they don’t collaborate on the lyrics. Instead, after the songs are written, they reconvene and arrange the music together.
With so many records out, the Indigo Girls have a wide selection of songs to fill their concerts.
“We know what songs people want to hear all the time, the songs that touched them,” Ray said. “But a lot of the time, the things that touched us are maybe the more obscure songs that people don’t know as well.”
When the Indigo Girls return to Humphreys on July 27, they plan to play the classics as well as some of their new songs, including songs that have yet to be released.
“It will be just me and Emily playing acoustic,” Ray said. “It won’t be a full band. It will be a more minimalist approach. We tour a lot like that so it’s probably what people expect to hear.”
Ray also encourages people to arrive at the show early to see the opening act, Mount Moriah. After hearing a demo, Ray loved the Americana sound and is excited to have the band on tour.
Returning to Humphreys will be almost like returning home for the pair.
“It feels like a neighborhood community crowd where everybody sings,” explained Ray. “When we first started playing there, it was a new gig and we weren’t sure how to handle it as far as it being in the middle of the hotel and outside and a party scene. But over time, we’ve figured it out and the audience has been amazing.”
For tickets to the Indigo Girls or more information, log on to humphreysconcerts.com.
