Shades of Indigo/ 'Girls' produce brand of mellow folk music that

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Oct 31, 2003 | by BILL REED

The Indigo Girls were chosen to close the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons this summer.

As night fell and the stars popped out, the Girls brought everyone down for an easy landing. The women in the audience quietly sang along to "Galileo," splitting off into the simple harmonies the duo specializes in.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers didn't even look at each other during the show - fans are familiar with their friction - but the music itself was mellow and easy-going, with thoughtful lyrics resting on a bed of acoustic instruments. Colorado has been one of the Indigo Girls' most faithful markets for almost 15 years now. In 1989, while opening for 10,000 Maniacs at Red Rocks, they paused in the middle of a song, amazed to hear their lyrics echoed back by the fans.

"You know our songs?" Ray asked the crowd, and she was answered with applause.

Colorado fans helped turn "Closer to Fine" and "Galileo" into instant classics.

Since then, the Indigo Girls have made Denver and Boulder regular tour stops; they will venture farther south on Monday for a concert at the Pikes Peak Center.

The success of the Indigo Girls was unlikely at best: two lesbians strapping on guitars and blending folk melodies with intelligent, spiritual lyrics.

"It's never really a good time in the mainstream music industry to be a queer girl with a guitar," Ray recently wrote. "I can look at the trajectory of my own career and see that the more political the Indigo Girls have become, the less radio play and press we have received."

Nevertheless, the Indigo Girls have received plenty of mainstream exposure. Their 1989 debut won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album and did well on the charts. The duo's audience never deserted them, even after most of the new folkies of the late '80s faded away.

The Indigo Girls' 2002 album, "Become You," reached No. 30 on the Billboard 200 album chart, a feat for any acoustic band.

The Indigo Girls kept a loyal gay audience, true. But they are also accepted by folk music lovers, which is a far less fickle crowd than young pop fans.

They attract the kind of fans who know every word, can sing along to every note, and will love their Girls forever.

THE DETAILS

Indigo Girls in concert

Opener: Michelle Malone

Where: Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday

Tickets: $29.50-$41.50; 520-7469, 520-9090