1S>~OnlineHost: "My relationship to my audience"--it's a phrase often heard from performing artists. It can mean anything from the net sales of tour T-shirts to a crowd of obsessed fans camped outside the door. OnlineHost: But the relationship that Indigo Girls Emily Saliers and Amy Ray have established with their audience is like a river that nourishes the land through which it flows and is replenished in turn. It's a deep wellspring of mutual inspiration which has propelled the Georgia duo through a recording career now entering its seventh year. Since the release of the Epic debut album "Indigo Girls" in 1989, their live performances--rather than saturation radio play or video overkill--have sparked sales of some six million Indigo Girls albums in the US alone. OnlineHost: Since 1987, Amy and Emily have played over 1200 shows across the USA and around the world, including landmark tours with R.E.M., Neil Young, and the Grateful Dead. They've come a long way from Atlanta's Little Five Points Pub, yet they've held on to the one-to-one intensity and impassioned spirit which fueled their earliest gigs. Maintaining that spirit over years of touring takes a special kind of dedication. "Our shows are not a blur to me," says Amy Ray. OnlineHost: Now the inspirations and emotions of an Indigo Girls concert are captured in the grooves of "1200 CURFEWS," their new live album on Epic Records. The group's first new live recordings since "Back On The Bus, Y'All" in 1991, "1200 CURFEWS" was created to feel and flow like an actual Indigo Girls concert--which is why it had to be a two-disc (or two-cassette) package containing over two hours of music. OnlineHost: "During our whole career, we've always made tapes of our shows," Amy explains. "It started out on cassette machines, then 4-track, then 8-track." In compiling the new album, "we went back as far as 1990, and "1200 CURFEWS" is the culmination of those five years of growth...It's indicative of our touring life since we got signed. It's not that the record label changed us--we were just very young when we started, and we got better." OnlineHost: After the May '94 release of their Grammy- nominated "Swamp Ophelia" album, Indigo Girls were on the road for over a year, including a tour of Australia and the ground-breaking "Honor The Earth" tour in support of Native American environmental rights. "We knew that after that, we were gonna take a break, a long break," says Emily Saliers. "We decided, as much for the sake of our fans as anything, that it would be cool to do something live. So that's where the idea for '1200 CURFEWS' came up." OnlineHost: "1200 Curfews" features live renditions of many all-time Indigo Girls concert favorites. There's the breakthrough hit "Closer To Fine" and the classic "Land Of Canaan" (which Amy Ray introduces by noting that "when I first wrote this song, it was a ballad. Then I heard the Replacements, and it wasn't anymore.") There's a beautiful version of "Power Of Two," taken from a radio station acoustic performance; and a touchingly naive (and previously unreleased) song called "Back Together Again," recorded in Amy's basement in 1982. OnlineHost: Simultaneous with the new album, Epic Home Video has released "Watershed: 10 Years Underground Videos." This new home video collection compiles every Indigo Girls music video, along with interview and performance footage from both recent and vintage sources. The power of faith...the power of song...the power of two: Indigo Girls and "1200 CURFEWS." Welcome to America Online! CSEMCEE8: Welcome, Indigo Girls! IndigoLive: Emily: I would like to say hello to all the people surfing the Internet. IndigoLive: Amy: Hope everyone is doing well tonight. Thanks for joining us. CSEMCEE8: Here is our first question: Question: You have performed some of your songs literally hundreds of times - how do you keep the performances fresh? IndigoLive: Emily: Well, we change our set list every night. Each night before we play, we carefully pick the songs that we will be excited to play that night, and we feel free to change the songs musically or otherwise during the performance. IndigoLive: Amy: Also, we tour as a duo sometimes, and we tour as a band. And we change instrumentation throughout the year. Question: What was your favorite concert of the "Honor the Earth tour"? IndigoLive: Emily: We did a concert at the Hopi Civic Center, and there were a lot of little kids there dancing around freely. We played a stripped-down version with the band on a tiny stage. And it was beautiful. IndigoLive: Amy: We played a fishing village in Alaska called Cordova. Valdez Oil Spill Council came to see us after we testified at a public hearing in support of the Eyak Rain Forest Preservation Fund. Question: IG: Have either of you taken voice lessons? E's singing technique has changed-sometime between "Rites" and "Swamp Oh"--was this due to voice teaching/coaching? What warm-up exercises do you both use before concerts? IndigoLive: Emily: No voice lessons. I think in an effort to expand myself, musically, I try to experiment with writing songs in a broader vocal range. And also it can always be something like the fact that we had a different engineer for "Swamp Ophelia." You never know. IndigoLive: Amy: Amy warms up before every show for fifteen minutes, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. CSEMCEE8: This is from Syl95: Question: You both seem so grounded. What are some of the negative effects of celebrity, and how do you manage to stay sane in such a high profile life? IndigoLive: Emily: One thing that's hard for me is, if I'm in public, especially in my hometown, and I feel like I'm being scrutinized, and I don't know if I'm actually being scrutinized or if it's the effect of being in the public eye so much. You have to make a conscious effort to stay in touch with the things in life that keep you grounded. IndigoLive: Amy: The things about being a celebrity I don't like are: I get embarrassed when I'm shopping. And I don't like to change clothes in front of people at the Y. The things I do to stay grounded: I spend a lot of time with my family. I try to always remember to be myself, no matter what the situation is. CSEMCEE8: Courtchea asks this question: Question: Do y'all have favorite songs? (Well, obviously...) Which ones? Why? IndigoLive: Emily: Well, for Indigo songs, it can change from time to time, and usually it's based how much I enjoy performing a particular song. And it changes. And a lot of my favorite songs in life were written by Joni Mitchell. IndigoLive: Amy: Some of my favorite songs are: "Strange Fruit," Billie Holiday. "Down by the River" by Neil Young. A song called "Lodi" - Credence Clearwater Revival. CSEMCEE8: Fizbanhat wants to know... Question: What CD's do you like to listen to when you jump in your car? IndigoLive: Emily: Right now I'm really liking Ani DiFranco. TLC IndigoLive: Amy: There's a group from Atlanta called Smoke. Another Atlanta group whose album has not come out yet called Rock A Teens. CSEMCEE8: This is from Raven4luc: Question: Love your music, do you prefer doing live work or studio recordings? IndigoLive: Emily: The two experiences are so different that I can't choose one over the other. I love them both. IndigoLive: Amy: Right now, I prefer live. CSEMCEE8: TBONEBTON asks this question... Question: Sometimes I spend hours trying to interpret your songs. Do the two of you write your songs with specific meanings, or is the meaning up to the individual? IndigoLive: Emily: I usually write my songs with a specific meaning, but it's always a pleasure when someone tells me that they got something different from it than what I intended when I wrote the song. IndigoLive: Amy: Sometimes I don't even know what my songs mean, and they change as the years go by. So I welcome any interpretation. CSEMCEE8: This question is from INXSIVE: Question: Re: Bury my Heart.. Have you spent time with Buffy St. Marie? What is she like, and what does she think of your version? (IT ROCKS) IndigoLive: Emily: We've never met Buffy St. Marie. We invited her to do a show at the end of the "Honor the Earth" tour, but she had other commitments. I love her voice. I find her spirit extremely intense, and I don't know what she thinks of our version. But for me, it was one of the most satisfying experiences for both live and in the studio. Both Amy and I would love to meet her, and I feel sure that we will. CSEMCEE8: This question comes from SknO4: Question: I heard the Indigo Girls recorded a Bob Dylan tune...Is that true and if so which one? IndigoLive: Emily: We recorded "Tangled Up in Blue" and also with Joan Baez on her latest CD, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." CSEMCEE8: From BLAAAAAAS: Question: I went to your concert in Berkeley about 2 years ago and was very happy to find a primarily gay crowd. Would you say that we are a majority of your listeners? IndigoLive: Amy: It depends on the city that you're in. Some cities are mostly gay or mostly straight. We appreciate the support the gay population has given us and want everyone to feel welcome at our shows and to leave all prejudices behind when they walk in the door. IndigoLive: Emily: Don't forget to vote. CSEMCEE8: Syl95 asks... Question: I've read about your "Honor the Earth" tour which raised a lot of money for Native American activist groups. What are some of the other causes you believe in and support? IndigoLive: Amy: AIDS research and AIDS caretaking. Education, Inner City Resource Development and general environmental issues. CSEMCEE8: From CortezR: Question: Emily, do you feel like you are the Girl w/the weight of the World in your hands? I really relate to that girl! IndigoLive: Emily: I have felt that way at times but I also, for the most part, count my many blessings, and I have a fierce spirit of hope. CSEMCEE8: From KREBY: Question: Should we schedule our annual Newport,RI road trip in August? Will you play the Folk Festival? IndigoLive: Amy: YES. IndigoLive: Emily: I love that festival. IndigoLive: Amy: That will be one of three shows that we might do for the whole year. CSEMCEE8: Also from SubcityII: Question: I belong to an Indigo Girls Internet group---Do you ever read the notes that are left on them? If so, what do you think? IndigoLive: Amy: I'm not online yet. I don't have Internet. But when I do I will be checking up on everyone. We appreciate the support that the computer people have given us. CSEMCEE8: JSSlow sends this question: Question: Do you ever argue when arranging your songs or deciding which of you gets the single? IndigoLive: Emily: (Laughing) No, we don't argue about arranging the songs. We write our songs separately, and the one who wrote the song gets the final word if there's a serious dispute. But I find the creative process remarkably equitable for us. CSEMCEE8: Dkplayer sent this question in: Question: Do you feel as if you've grown as writers? And what does that mean exactly? I hear critics say that often, so I'm just wondering what it means to either of you. IndigoLive: Amy: I hope I've grown as a writer. I think one indication of growth are the images used in the song. As your song writing matures, your images hopefully become more unique and have more depth. IndigoLive: Emily: I feel I've grown somewhat as a songwriter, but I haven't obtained what I want to obtain as a songwriter, and there are some songs I wrote years ago I feel still stand as some of my best works. So it makes me worried. CSEMCEE8: From Indigohed: Question: Do you get/keep the mementos (journals, necklaces, etc.) that fans give you while you're on stage? Do you think it's an effective way of showing our appreciation? Erica IndigoLive: Emily: I always find it very touching...all the gifts that we receive. But we can't keep all of it, so some of it we give away (the less personal items), and some of it we keep. And some of it probably gets lost in the shuffle. But we never forget, and we always appreciate a gift. IndigoLive: Amy: I appreciate the gifts. It's just as effective to write a note telling a little bit about yourself and what you think about life. I especially like artwork or something that you make. CSEMCEE8: Many are asking about any tour plans - can you tell us about the next few months? IndigoLive: Amy: We are not touring until after we finish a new record, which will not be until '97, but we are tentatively set to play Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz Festival. CSEMCEE8: From LisaSky1: Question: We saw every show on your west coast tour last summer. Y'all are amazing! We met your crew along the way. Red, Nile and Belvedere were always very nice to us and would stop to talk to us. How do you find your people? Can anyone work for you? IndigoLive: Emily: We've been really fortunate, especially with this last crew which includes those guys. Not just anybody can work with us. We have to have the same spirit with our crew about why we're all there. Those guys work really hard. IndigoLive: Amy: Besides being nice, our crew is extremely technically proficient. CSEMCEE8: For our final question of the evening, ROBLI02 asks this question: Question: Thought "Fugitive" in London was cool-- why isn't it (or any other version) on "1200 CURFEWS"? And where's "Love Will Come to You"? IndigoLive: Amy: I decided not to put "Fugitive" on the record 'cause I felt that the studio version was more definitive and had more spirit than any of the live recordings. IndigoLive: Emily: We really wanted to put "Love Will Come to You" on the record, but the versions we had were awful. Lots of pitch problems. So we passed it up. CSEMCEE8: We will answer two more questions. From Blkjoy: Question: Assuming you both have always enjoyed performing live...(?)...how has it changed in terms of your experiences at shows? I like the fact that you speak to the audience in a sort of personal way. IndigoLive: Emily: I think that the band we have right now is really an outstanding band. And they're great to play with. And so we can be spontaneous during the shows. But as far as speaking to the audience, sometimes I don't know what in the world to say. And sometimes the conversation just flows. CSEMCEE8: ThelmaCa asks our really and truly last question of the evening. Question: How did you decide to sign with Epic? From what I understand, you were doing pretty well with your own label. IndigoLive: Amy: We were doing well, but the work load of managing, booking, and radio promotion was too much for us to handle. Epic made an agreement to let us do what we wanted to do and run things the way we wanted to run them. IndigoLive: Emily: They were the only major label really interested in us at that time. There was no bidding war. CSEMCEE8: Thank you Amy and Emily for taking time to answer some really great questions from the audience. IndigoLive: Amy: I want to say "Live long and prosper." IndigoLive: Emily: I want to say thank you. You all mean a lot to us. OnlineHost: Our thanks to Indigo Girls Emily Saliers and Amy Ray for joining us this evening. For your own transcript of this event, please check back about this time tomorrow when it will be available at keyword: CENTER STAGE. Thank you and good night. OnlineHost: Copyright 1995 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Transmitted: 11/17/95 9:08 PMyou're on stage? Do you think it's an effectiS>w0Z7eZMe T!,Z .tD.0gphbTZ3oh4 WheZ WZ,RTjl WYxzqsXZmoo@BmoZ\ oqq( * a"c"""""}####I$K$]%_%_%%%%%b&d&&&''''((1(3((((((((D)F)g)i)))****3+5+1,3,`,b,-----....//001122222233344;5=5556!666y7{7778899 : : :::s;u;;;Z<\<<<<<==0>2>4>6>U> : B"*T6ally proficient. CSEMCEE8: For our final question of the evening, ROBLI02 asks this Arial Question: Thought "Fugitive" in London was cool-- why isn't it (or any other version) on "1200 CURFEWS"? And wher