By Kristi Casey Sanders
Lifelong Decatur resident and perennial Indigo Girl Emily Saliers took a moment out of her busy touring schedule to talk with Encore Atlanta about life in Atlanta, her love of food and working with childhood friend Amy Ray. Next month, catch them both in concert when the Indigo Girls perform at Chastain Amphitheater.
You’re playing Chastain on Sept. 13. What sets that venue apart from others?
Chastain has always been one of my favorite venues. I know a lot of people complain about the chatter, but I think it’s got a great vibe; it’s just exciting. It’s thrilling to play there. I’ve always liked seeing concerts there personally, so to be able to stand up on that stage – I never get used to it.
What are some of the best concerts you’ve seen there?
I saw Earth Wind and Fire, Karen Carpenter [and] Etta James. It seems like every concert I’ve seen there was memorable, but I have to say Heart and Mary J. Blige were the top two.
You co-own Watershed and were an initial investor in the Flying Biscuit Café – how did you get into the restaurant business?
I’ve always been a foodie – ever since I was a kid – I don’t know why. It’s one of my favorite things to do … to try other restaurants. There was a period of time when my partners [and I] were all at a juncture in our lives, and we sat down and talked about what kind of business we wanted to open together. We said, “Well, what do we like the best?” and we all said “restaurant,” so we decided to open a restaurant. And we were blessed to have [Chef] Scott Peacock on board.
Where else in town do you like to eat?
I love Bones. [I love] all of Kevin Rathbun’s places: The Krog Bar, Rathbun’s Steak and Rathbun’s. I’m a huge fan of his. Floataway Café (I love Star Provisions; I think Anne Quatrano is a genius). MF Sushi. We’ve been to Ecco many, many times.
Any other favorite haunts?
I love Piedmont Park … for people watching. And I love the Park Tavern – you can bring your dogs and, on a pretty day, there’s just tons of people there and the vibe is so great. I have to say, that’s one of my favorite places. I like Lullwater Park. I graduated from Emory, so I spent a lot of time running and walking around that park. I like to ride my bike on the Stone Mountain Trail and the Silver Comet Trail. And I love the Dekalb Farmers Market; I love shopping there and at Whole Foods and Rainbow Grocery.
You’ve known Amy Ray since elementary school. What’s your earliest memory of her?
She was the other girl who played guitar – that’s my first memory of her. She was maybe 9 years old. I always remember being aware of her for that reason, which is strange or just ironic, I guess … to [still] be performing all these years later, together.
The two of you have been through a lot of changes in your lives together: adolescence, coming out to your families, going to college, becoming famous. … How has your friendship changed?
I think we’re more like family. Our families know each other; we’ve been through each other’s life milestones. And so, our friendship and our relationship has deepened over time, and we have faith in each other and we trust our creative process. I think when you’re younger, you spin a little bit more in your head and in what you want to do. We have a very steady course in life now. And we do lots of things separately from each other; we don’t really hang out together, but it’s a very, very deep bond, and we still love being Indigo Girls together. We like our fans, we like making music together, making records and touring. We’ve matured over time and found a very comfortable place to be.
How has your method of musical collaboration evolved over the years?
It’s stayed primarily the same in that she writes her songs, I write mine, and we get together and we arrange them. We decide what instruments we’re going to play and where we’re going to put the harmonies and talk about the structure of the song. So in that sense, it hasn’t really changed very much at all. I mean we’ve gone through different people playing with us and different producers and making records in different cities and things like that, but the process remains virtually the same.
What is characteristic of an Amy song versus an Emily song?
Amy’s more of a rocker; she’s got an intensity to her songs. And I’m more influenced by groove. My songs tend to be softer, and I have a higher voice. I can’t belt it out the way that she can.
As far as songs people may have heard on the radio, what are examples of an Emily song versus an Amy song?
As far as the radio goes, for me, the biggest one was “Closer to Fine,” and for Amy it would be “Shame on You.”
Which one of your songs (old or new) is the nearest to your heart?
I couldn’t answer that because – I could pick one or two, I guess – but at different times in your life, songs mean different things. There’s a song called “Power of Two” that I’m very close to; it’s fun to sing, and people seem to relate to it easily. And there’s a song of mine called “She’s Saving Me” … it’s just an obscure ballad, but it means a lot to me personally. And then, “Closer to Fine” is kind of like my baby, you know? It’s still fun to sing and I appreciate it’s out there.
What music are you loving now?
I like Sia. I love her record [Some People Have Real Problems]. And I always buy Mary J. Blige’s records, no matter what. And I like a band called the Weepies, to name a few.
You recently wrote a book [A Song To Sing, A Life To Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice] with your father, Don Saliers, on the importance of music in worship and daily life. How did that project come about?
We wrote an article together for a collection of different [essays] on spirituality and on life, and ours was on music, obviously. And then, the people who were involved in that project asked us to write a book, so, the publishing company and the editor all got involved and asked if we’d be interested in doing that. We both thought that sounded like a good idea. And, we actually had a wonderful time writing it together.
It was an exploration of music as a spiritual practice in life. I was coming from the bar band perspective, and dad was going to come from a church perspective [He teaches at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University – Ed.], asking questions like: “How is a night at the [now closed] Little Five Points Pub different from a morning in church in terms of how we experience music and what it means to our lives? And, in the end, we found out there wasn’t much of a difference at all.
Can you tell us what’s next for you?
Amy and I just finished our latest studio record; that’s going to come out in February 2009. We’re on the road until October 2008. And Amy has a solo record coming out this fall. There’s always something going on …
The Indigo Girls play Classic Chastain on Sept. 13.
