From pressherepublicity.com AMY RAY East Coast Fall 2009 Tour Dates Announced! Support bands include Bellefea, Jennifer O’Connor, Toshi Reagon & more
“As half of the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray has excelled in confessional folk with its heart and mind in the right place. But her solo work, especially last year's Didn't It Feel Kinder, has mastered the art of burning rock. Released on her own label, Daemon Records, and flipping expectation the finger, Didn't It Feel Kinder proved Ray is no one-trick pony. Her live show should seal the deal.” – LA Weekly
“Amy Ray cuts loose with her third solo outing, opting for a sound that favors insurgence or reassurance.” – Performing Songwriter
“A roaring blend of queer politics and exhilarating playing.” – Village Voice
New York, NY: Songwriter, activist and erstwhile Indigo Girl Amy Ray, fresh off months of touring as part of the iconic folk duo, trades in her acoustic guitar for a Les Paul for a special series of East Coast solo dates in August for her recent release, Didn’t It Feel Kinder. While Amy is known for her folk harmonies, the consummate rock fan’s solo material reflects similar artists who’ve come out of a punk mindset, such as the Clash, the Replacements, the Pretenders and Patti Smith. Ray's Rock tour will include some fabulous guests and friends: NC punk rockers Bellafea (www.myspace.com/bellfea ), Choo Choo LaRouge, who’ve got a new record just out on Kiam Records (www.choochoolarouge.com), Matador recording artist, Jennifer O' Connor (www.jenniferoconnor.net), and the provocative, bad-to-the-bone Toshi Reagon (www.toshireagon.com).
Performing songs from Didn’t It Feel Kinder and her solo catalog, Ray’s band will include former Butchies Melissa York (drums) and Kaia Wilson (guitar) along with the album’s producer, Greg Griffith (bass). Multi-instrumentalist Julie Wolf, who’s been touring with the Indigo Girls, will be playing keyboards.
Didn’t It Feel Kinder is a thoughtful, timely batch of songs that not only show Ray’s depth as a songwriter and vocalist but work as a plea for understanding and compassion. She’s the rare artist who’s intertwined activism and social consciousness into her music and remained fresh and relevant over a career spanning two decades. Ray has a knack for tapping into the universal human experience and bringing an empathy and call for understanding to even her most confrontational material. Her honest, fearless songwriting and riveting live shows have drawn comparisons to Patti Smith (New York Times) and prompted Paste magazine to describe her as “a female Joe Strummer.”
Ray says it best: "What ties the record together for me is this human yearning to be understood and the yearning to become empathetic with other people - how to love each other and be kind even when we're brutally angry." Check out live clips and music here:
Amy Ray TV: www.kyte.tv/ch/76232-amy-ray-tv Amy Ray YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/amyraymusic 2009 Dates and Cities for AMY RAY tour are as follows: Fri 8/14-Athens, GA @ 40 Watt * with special guests Bellafea and The Holland Dutch
Sat 8/15-Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle with special guests Bellafea and Humble Tripe
Sun 8/16-DC @ Black Cat *with special guest Bellafea
Tues 8/18-Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *with special guest Choo Choo La Rouge
Thurs 8/20-NYC @ Mercury Lounge *with special guests Jennifer O’Connor and Joemca & The Poets
Fri 8/21-Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House *with special guest Toshi Reagon
Sat 8/22-Wellfleet, MA @ Beachcomber *with special guest Toshi Reagon |
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