Indigo Girls return to Buskirk-Chumley

Folk duo The Indigo Girls will return to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday to another sold-out crowd.

“The last time they played in 2004, it was a wonderful sold-out show that left a lasting impression on attendees,” Theater Marketing Director Maarten Bout said.

Bout said a few more available tickets opened up Thursday, but he expects them to go quickly.

“The show will pack Kirkwood for a few hours on Saturday,” Bout said.

The IDS had the opportunity to talk with half of The Indigo Girls duo, Emily Saliers.

 IDS: You were a part of the college rock scene in Georgia when you first started. How do you feel about college music now?

SALIERS: It is interesting to think new music is coming from younger people. I only listen to college radio stations. I heard The Dead Weather the other day, and I thought I discovered a young band, but I just wouldn’t have heard them on mainstream, so I follow college radio to find new music.

IDS: If you look at the contemporary folk album category winners opposed to the pop category winners for the Grammys, the contemporary winners tend to have repeating artists, while the pop artists are so easily traded in for new artists. Why is this?

SALIERS: I think it may have to do with the age demographic of the singer-songwriter world. Older-demographic fans tend to be loyal. It’s like having a favorite author: You wait for that book to come out. If you listen to pop for a while, it all sounds the same. Taylor Swift is not going to be 18 forever. Indigo Girls’ fans are the kinds of people who want to hear songs and relate to lyrics to take as the soundtracks to their lives.

IDS: Bloomington has a large GLBT community, and you are very vocal activists for GLBT rights. How do you link art and activism together?

SALIERS: When you go to college, the world opens up and you start asking questions. We love to play college towns because we are so inspired by the youth, energy and activism. We work with an Amnesty International group that sets up at our concerts, so fans can find information and spread the word. People won’t be active if they don’t know how.

IDS: You were featured in Pink’s 2006 song, “Dear Mr. President,” regarding Bush’s thoughts on war, poverty, GLBT rights and abortion. What would the difference be if you were directing this song to current President Barack Obama?

SALIERS: When the president came into office, I cried. I was so disappointed over politics for the past eight years, and I don’t buy the polls or trust the media. I would write a song about how he’s so bright, the complexity of the issues, the hopefulness he has in his heart on these issues. (With regard to the Bush song) It wouldn’t be “How do you sleep at night” with the current administration, but it would be “I sleep at night knowing your eyes are on the prize of health care.” A lot of people in the gay community are angry with him, but if he gets the time, he would focus more on these issues.