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08/2005
Hey
Everyone-
Summers coming to a close and I am gearing up for some fall activities.
It’s been a couple of months filled with politics and music.
I traveled to Chiapas to get the low down on the latest organizing
down there. I‘ve been to Capitol Hill twice this summer,
once for Low Power FM and once to lobby against the new energy
bill. One win and one loss, but that’s a whole separate
letter. I do plan to write about it all when I figure out how
it’s all connected. Meanwhile Garth Brooks just signed an
exclusive deal with Wal Mart to sell his music. Get this folks-
that means Wal Mart is the only place to buy it. At the same time,
it’s obvious that Starbucks is gearing up to be an exclusive
music distributor as well. I can’t figure out why this doesn’t
sit with me. I mean, I can’t articulate it. It’s something
about lifestyle demographics being pushed on us. We’re being
divided over and over again into blue state and red state populations.
It’s a Wal Mart vs. Starbucks world, and music should really
transcend this.
September
will be an Indigo
Girls touring month-our last round of shows until January
and February. We’re researching our options for new recording
situations and plan to make a record in March 2006. Hopefully,
our songwriting will be done in time and we can have a record
out by next summer
I
have one solo show in September in Chicago. I will be playing
on
September 22nd at The Bottom Lounge as part of Estrojam.
Estrojam
2005 will benefit world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize
recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma.
Estrojam,
a burgeoning musical forum forwarding the voice of female leaders
of social change is honoring her life of non-violent social change
with event proceeds going to The US Campaign for Burma, a group
dedicated to empowering Aung San Suu Kyi and bringing about an
end to the military dictatorship. Through public education, leadership
development initiatives, conferences, and advocacy campaigns at
local, national and international levels, USCB works to empower
Americans and exiles to promote freedom.
 Aung
Sang Suu Kyi won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought and
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her courageous work fighting
for Democracy in Burma. She is the most renound female leader
active in the international political scene today. She is internationally
respected and recognized by such dignitaries as the Dalai Lama,
Oscar Arias, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Betty Williams all of whom
tried to visit her in prison in 1992 and were barred from entering
the country. Human rights activists around the world organized
media campaigns and demonstrations to observe her fiftieth birthday
on June 19th, 1995 and to call for her release. Ten years later
she is about to spend her 60th birthday in prison.
Amy
Ray and the Volunteers will be heading out after the Indigo
Girl tour for our Rocktober tour starting in the South and heading
through the Midwest.
Our
bass player Jody Bleyle just had a baby with her partner, so we
have a new bass player coming on board to relieve her. I feel
a whole new world coming on with the addition of Tara Jane O’Neil
on bass and vocals. She hails from Louisville, KY and Portland,
OR. TJO has her own thing going and has been part of a lot of
bands including Rodan, Retsin, and The Sonora Pine. She’s
also played with Danielle Howle and Come. You can learn a lot
about Tara at her website-www.tarajaneoneil.com.
Will
Lochamy and Les Nuby are still with me. In case you aren’t
familiar with Les and Will... Les is playing guitar and singing
with me. He is from Alabama and was actually the drummer in the
band Verbena. Les has been in Europe and the UK all summer on
the REM tour, drumming with their opening band, Idlewild. Will
is also from Alabama and was in the killer garage band, 1945.
He plays drums in Amy Ray and the Volunteers and recorded half
of the new record, Prom. We spent some spring months on the road
together on the East and West coasts.
Will,
Les, Tara, and I met up in Atlanta and had a couple of rehearsals
in August. It felt great to be back in the saddle with the band.
Tour dates will be posted as they get confirmed. I am trying hard
to get as many 18+ or All Ages shows as possible. If it doesn’t
happen in your neck of the woods, I am sorry, I am still learning
the ropes as the scene keeps changing. Also, I am doing my best
to keep prices down. There will be some significant bands on the
road with us; I am still sorting out all the details, so stay
tuned for that too.
Here
are some, sometimes blurry photos of our latest practice session.
AR
8/23/05
Past
"Notes from Amy"
November
2004
January
2005
June 2005
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