Songwriter Amy Ray Brings New Album 'Holler' To The Ramkat

As one half of the Grammy-winning folk duo Indigo Girls, songwriter Amy Ray has been releasing music for over 30 years. She's been making solo records as well, with a more of an Americana and honky tonk sound. Her latest album, Holler, was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina.

Amy Ray will be playing at The Ramkat in Winston-Salem on Tuesday, October 30. Ray spoke with WFDD's Eddie Garcia from the tour van.

Interview Highlights

On Living In A Small Northen Georgia Community

You know it reveals itself through aesthetic choices of instrumentation because I'm around a lot of people that play mountain-type traditional music and bluegrass and country. Topically, I'm immersed in a world now where I'm very different from the people around me and I had to really learn how to not judge a book by its cover and not be judgmental of people just because they're different from me. People around me had to learn that about me too. That kind of dialogue has been an ongoing thing from my songs, and it's really made me search myself to. Being in a place like that, it's so far out of the bubble you're able to think about yourself more honestly as well.

On Being Liberal And Gay In The South

A lot of my family - my extended family - still is much more conservative than I am. I was always in that environment in a familial way. So I almost feel uncomfortable in an environment where everybody is thinking exactly like I am, because that feels weird. I'm not used to it. So it actually was kind of a comfort zone in some ways, and in some ways I just had to learn. You know like, this guy that you assume is going to be a right wing person who's going to hate you...you just can't make that assumption, you know? You just don't know that about people. It's a lot to navigate sometimes, but I also wouldn't trade it because I have learned a lot from it, and I've also learned a lot of empathy for where people are coming from and why they feel a certain way.

On Keeping The Indigo Girls Together

We've known each other since we were 10. We've known each other for 45 years. It's like family. And I guess you just give each other a lot of space. She does her own projects. I've been doing solo records for a long time, and we kind of have our own friendship circles. But we truly enjoy each other's company, you know? And when we get together to make a record and to practice, and tour, we have a good time still. When we get tired of each other, we sort of just sense it, and we give each other space. I mean 'tired' the way you do with your siblings or something. When we were really young we were like the most important thing to us is to become better songwriters and to never stagnate. And if we feel like that's happening we've got to quit. You know and give it a break. And that's what we do when we feel stagnant and we just take a break. And we're able to be honest with each other about it and with ourselves, and that's why it works.