Emily Saliers can’t quite believe her eyes when she looks at the Indigo Girls’ website. Although she and her musical partner Amy Ray formed the duo almost 30 years ago, the number of album covers on the group’s discography still gives her pause. On Oct. 4 the discography grew by one with the release of their latest recording, “Beauty Queen Sister,” a mix of folk, pop and rock and featuring many Nashville players including Brandi Carlile.
“I think the songs are reflective of what we are going through in life, in middle age,” said Saliers. “The one thing we wanted to do was get a group of songs that felt really good together.”
| Onstage |
| Indigo Girls |
| When: 7 p.m. Sunday |
| Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| Details: $45 to $55; strathmore.org; 301-581-5100 |
Fans won’t be surprised by that goal. After all, the two first bonded over guitars as sixth-grade students at a Georgia elementary school and then went on to write and play songs that reflected their lives.
Although their repertoire has grown through the years, Saliers said the duo still seek fresh sounds when they’re writing and playing.
“Every night is different,” she said. “We make a new set list every night. We don’t play songs we don’t want to play so we aren’t bored. We mix it up and are always trying to learn new instruments and techniques. Getting to play music live is a great privilege professionally. We don’t want to take it for granted.”
Perhaps that’s why the duo consistently pluck music from their own lives.
Consider the title of the new album, which came out of a conversation about how sisters could be very different and how anyone can have a “Beauty Queen Sister.”
Or what about the song “Making Promises,” written by Ray, who included references to springtime, self-confidence and teenage hoodlums.
“I love that and musically it is so fun to play,” said Saliers. “It’s very pop-y, very toe-tapping.”
Although the duo is touring behind a new album, you can expect them to play the fan favorites, too.
“The songs kind of come along with you in life,” she said. “They sort of morph themselves and take on new meanings and they do stick with you and still speak to your life. … Personally, I find it exciting to play for [many of the] same fans.”
