Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Going 'stag': Amy Ray Releases Solo CD
by Gregg Shapiro
2001-01-24

This article shared 1704 times since Wed Jan 24, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Amy Ray plays at the Metro April 12.

On Stag ( Daemon ) , the dazzling solo debut album by Amy Ray ( of the Indigo Girls ) , the singer/songwriter has taken a unique approach to going it alone. She has assembled a lineup of guest musicians that reads like a cutting-edge who's who of queer and queer-friendly performers, including The Butchies, Danielle Howle, Kate Schellenbach ( formerly of Luscious Jackson ) , Josephine Wiggs ( Dusty Trails and formerly of The Breeders ) , Joan Jett, Kelly Hogan ( reunited with her band the Rock*A*Teens ) , to name a few. From the insurgent country of the mandolin-driven "Johnny Rottentail" to the poignant Matthew Shepard tribute in "Laramie" to the woman-empowering sneer of "Lucystoners" ( with the unforgettable chorus "Janny Wenner, Janny Wenner/Rolling Stone's most fearless leader/Gave the boys what they deserve/But with the girls he lost his nerve" ) , Ray's bright light rips through the darkness, and that's just on the first three songs.

"Hey Castrator" features a remarkable tinkling keyboard propelled by a ferocious guitar and drum combo that recalls Husker Du. While "Black Heart Today" comes the closest to resembling her Indigo Girls work, it's different enough not to be confused with anything Ray has done before—Southern punk for the 21st century. Stag is a "Ray of light" in these uncertain times.

Gregg Shapiro: First of all, I want to congratulate you on Daemon Records' tenth anniversary. How did you celebrate?

Amy Ray: We had a really great tour that we arranged in the Southeast. We played about six shows with different bands every night from the labels past and present in the south. I did the whole tour and hosted it and played some of the shows. Every night was kind of a party and sort of celebrating with all the musicians. It was very communal. We played in little punk clubs and the cover charge was real cheap. It was a lot of fun.

GS: By releasing Stag, your solo debut disc, on Daemon, did you have more artistic freedom?

AR: I never felt, technically, that I was limited artistically on Epic. They didn't say to me, "You have to do this, you have to do that," but I think there's these subconscious, unspoken pressures about the kind of record that you're going to turn in and what your budget's going to be. I think the more corporate that you get, it's more implied that you're going to do things in a certain way and when you try to go against the grain, I think people sort of discourage you from it. Doing stuff on an indie, it's just a lot different, because it doesn't ever occur to you … you don't have the budget to think in that way. Your budget's really small and you have to be more creative. It's got a parameter that forces creativity in a way that works for me. So for me, it was just a freeing up. It taught me something. I think I can go back to making records on Epic with a new sense of creativity and know how to push the boundaries a little bit and have more confidence in it.

GS: Do you think that Amy Ray fans are ready for this album?

AR: ( laughs ) I have no idea. I don't think it's that radical. It's mostly electric. There are a couple of acoustic songs on it that are different. Yeah, I guess. I don't know. It depends. The lyrics are very frank and pretty graphic. It's just me, and I think sometimes with the Indigo Girls it's great, because Emily and me balance each other out. I haven't thought about it and honestly I didn't think about it when I made it because I really did this project as sort of just for me. It's something that I've always wanted to do. It was challenging and I feel good that I did it.

GS: I'm glad that you brought up the lyrics, "Lucystoners," which is my favorite song on the album, is a sizzling indictment of the male-dominated music media. What do you think Jann Wenner, of Rolling Stone, who takes the brunt of the ribbing in the song, will think of the track?

AR: ( laughs ) He probably won't even give it a second thought. His world is so much bigger than that. I think I'm so like a peon to him, so I'm not sure it will even matter to him. I don't feel personally dissed by Rolling Stone. I think he's definitely a symbol of an industry that is male dominated and sexist and I think that magazine has become very much more like a Maxim more than a music magazine. I think there was a time when Rolling Stone was this incredible nurturer of journalism and music and it was more of a taste maker and I think that's changed, and I hope that more people will point that out. I think magazines need to be more courageous. They're very much under the influence of advertisers and demographics and they use that as a scapegoat. I think it's unfortunate and I think Jann Wenner is a symbol of that for me. There are so many other people doing just as bad a thing, it's just that he's sort of the kingpin, for music people. I think being the kingpin bares its own weight, which is the responsibility of trying to be brave in the face of an industry that's pretty screwed up.

GS: What can you tell me about the song "Laramie," which sounds like your response to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard?

AR: It is a response to that, it's a response to the tone of our times, which is this move towards tolerance sometimes, but in a way that doesn't necessarily solve the problems. I'm speaking also to classism, and the idea that there are so many people—the wealthy classes of people who sort of remain silent about these issues and are supposedly progressive, but they actually don't say anything. In a way, there's all these other people doing their dirty work, because there's so much homophobia, subconsciously and subliminally, in our world, and we just let it go. If you live in San Francisco or Atlanta or Chicago, it's a little easier. Things have changed rapidly and Clinton really helped set a tone that was more tolerant in general. But, I think, in rural areas or not as cosmopolitan, it's still real dangerous to be gay. I think people snub their noses and say, "Well, in those areas it's just ignorance that causes that." What it is is we're not out there speaking out enough and educating in those areas. We think, "Oh, well we live in our little pristine cosmopolitan New York world, where everybody's accepted, and those people just haven't caught up with the times." It's not a catching up with the times. It's humanity. I live in a rural area, and I think you have to get out there and help people out and help understand each other.

GS: You have a genuinely amazing assortment of guest artists on this album, including Danielle Howle, Joan Jett, Kate Schellenbach, The Butchies, Josephine Wiggs, Kelly Hogan and the Rock*A*Teens.

AR: It's really like my dream team, my wish list that I've been keeping for the past few years of, "If I was doing a solo record, who would I like to have?" I'm friends with all of them and definitely a very big fan. Some of them were on my label ( Daemon ) . The Rock*A*Teens were on Daemon before they moved over to Merge. Kelly ( Hogan ) was in the band and originally from Atlanta, and just a very good friend. I'm a huge fan, she's been influential on my trying to learn how to sing better ( laughs ) . Basically, as I was writing these songs I was thinking which band would be appropriate. What I did was … I don't want to force a band into a situation where they have to play something that's not in their instinct. So, I just tried to mold the album in a way that every band would be performing something that was really them. It effected my writing. Also, it just came very natural to me because these are bands that I listen to all the time and I study the way they play, so I knew what they would be good at and what they wouldn't be good at. The Butchies, for instance, surprised me because there were a few songs that I did with them that I thought were not, stylistically, something that they'd be into playing. But they were and they did a brilliant job. So I had these moments of surprise like that. A band like the Rock*A*Teens, and Kelly, I know exactly what they're gonna be good at for me.

So that way we can go in, learn the song, have a good time together, and it wouldn't have to be one of these "Can you play it differently" and laboring over something that wasn't gonna work out.

GS: That's incredibly thoughtful. I'm glad that you mentioned influences and the way the songs are performed. The influence of these artists can be felt strongly on a couple of tracks. For instance, "Measure Of Me" sounds like it would fit in on a Kaia record.

AR: I started that song a long time ago and I could never quite get it right. It's gone through a lot of different changes. When I took it into the Butchies I was thinking a lot about her ( Kaia ) and her solo records and her melodies and how I thought this was a kind of soft song. At first it had this punk break in it, where it got really fast and loud. As we were trying to play it, it just didn't feel right. She helped me change the lyrics around and the band helped me arrange it. We decided to play it as a slow song, and never go into the punk groove. It works better that way, and it was really fitting for the Butchies and for Kaia. Then Danielle ( Howle ) came in, and she's like the golden voice, and she came in and totally took the song to a different level for me. I kept thinking that I want to have this other voice in there. Kaia was singing it with me sometimes, and that influenced the melody some, but it didn't do the same thing that I wanted it to do. Then Danielle came in and it was like, "Oh, my God." She'd never heard the song, so she could approach it really freshly. We had been through five different versions of it together, the Butchies and I.

GS: There's another song with this tinkling toy piano keyboards that made me think of Husker Du.

AR: That's Kaia playing all that stuff. I'm sure we're all influenced by Husker Du.

GS: What would you say to the Indigo Girls fans who might be scratching their heads in confusion about this album?

AR: Well, I would probably tell them that Emily and I are going to go into the studio ( laughs ) this summer and make a simple, more acoustic-based record and they don't have to play this one if they don't want to.

GS: As someone who is both an out lesbian musician and who owns and operates her own record label—what do you think of the Grammy nominations that Eminem received for The Marshall Mathers LP?

AR: Oh God, I don't know. He has right to be doing what he's doing—to be a jerk, I guess, basically. The Grammys, I don't really pay much attention to them anymore because I think the industry is so fucked up right now. There are so many people that are never honored by Grammys and never mentioned. Eminem ... he's the best example of sexism that we have out there ( laughs ) and misogyny. He's also the best example of anticensorship, you know? I hate what he does, honestly. I think he's probably pretty talented as far as his phrasing and beats and all that kind of stuff, but who cares? I mean, he's wasting it on hate.


This article shared 1704 times since Wed Jan 24, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground
2024-03-24
At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman
2024-03-21
Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar'
2024-03-21
Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners
2024-03-19
Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance
2024-03-18
Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it
2024-03-13
The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy
2024-03-08
COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer
2024-03-08
Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure
2024-03-06
Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
2024-03-06
From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.