“Anyone who has heard ‘Maneater’ knows it comes from a deep place,” Daryl Hall, 71, says as he stretches out in the living room of his Charleston, SC, home, where he shoots the web series, “Live from Daryl’s House,” an acoustic jam session with musicians he has befriended over the decades. “John and I loved doing our harmonies, so the idea came from our obsession with harmony and a desire make our music without trying to compete with the New Wave musicians. And, the fact that without his mustache, John really looks like a woman.”

Hall pauses, “I love Emily Saliers. Initially, she was a vehicle for being able to share my music, my way, but now, I’m choosing to live full time as Emily Saliers.”

Look at a picture of the Indigo Girls. Squint your eyes. A little tighter. Tighter. Now, draw a wildly masculine mustache on Amy Ray. There. It seems so obvious now. Hall & Oates are the Indigo Girls.

via GIPHY

“We missed the clues because we wanted to miss the clues,” a lesbian comedian close to the Indigo Girls said. “I’ve hung out with Emily dozens of times. She’s pure love, but she really likes pool, like in a way that pushed the boundaries of the way lesbians feel about pool. Then there was her rendition of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ at the Christmas party in 2002.”

The biggest clue is the music and the careers. Hall & Oates moved away from the music scene in 1985 as the Indigo Girls started gaining traction. Both duos sing heartfelt harmonies about love, relationships and spirituality. Most tellingly, you’ve never seen them together.

“Look, the 1990 Grammy Awards were a nightmare. We were quick changing between Hall & Oates and the Indigo Girls all night,” Hall remembers. “It was really lucky that Milli Vanilli won best new artist that year because we were not in costume. But, the agonizing thing is that we did win a best folk album Grammy. At that point, Hall & Oates had 4 nominations and no wins, then ‘Nomads Indians and Saints’ wins.”

Hall said the competitive part of Hall & Oates made them continue to make music as both artists because they were clearly Grammy-worthy musicians and wanted to live openly as such. Now, Hall has lost at the Grammys 6 times as Daryl. He’s ready to let it go.

“In hindsight, we should have come out right then. We were so proud of our Grammy and our album,” he sighs, “But we were also afraid of losing all the love and community we found from being the Indigo Girls.”

Now, Hall is ready. “I made a life as Emily. A beautiful life with a fantastic restaurant (Watershed), wonderful friends and beautiful music, I’m ready to be that person full time.”

Somewhere Hall predicts, John Oates / Amy Ray is shaking his head. It is always this way between them. Hall / Saliers says too much, Oates / Ray says much less or nothing.

“John is probably saying to himself, ‘why can’t you just shut up and sing?'” Hall said. “But I’m more Dixie Chicks than he is.”

Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone!

The post Say it isn’t so: Indigo Girls’ secret revealed first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY HEATHER SMITH

You’ve filled your phone with the latest Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, Indigo Girls, Brandi Carlile, and Tegan and Sara. So that’s it? You think you’re all set in case there’s a spontaneous queer music party on the next block? Not even close. While those more mainstream artists certainly have their place in the lesbian music collective, the multitude of new artists is growing by the day and the level of talent isn’t lacking. Don’t get overwhelmed. I’m here to get you started with a look at five artists that are sure to expand your listening horizons. Whether you’ve got a broken heart or you want to dance around, there is something for everyone on this list. Your ears will thank you.

Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello has always pushed the envelope with her music. From blurring the lines of musical genres by incorporating rock, jazz, R&B, funk and hip-hop into her sound to writing songs about provocative topics like race, sex, politics, religion and feminism, Ndegeocello, over the course of the last 20 years has consistently put out some of the most authentic and honest songs possible.

She has a new album called, “Comet, Come To Me” coming out in June. Here is one of the new tracks, “Conviction.”

Mal Blum
With quirky, self deprecating lyrics along with perfect melodies, it’s easy to connect with Mal Blum’s music. Her 2013 release “Tempest In A Teacup” manages to show vulnerability and be funny at the same time. It’s this characteristic that has given this album earworm status for me. It also helps that she is friggin’ adorable.

One of my favorites off the album is “Valentine’s Day (Let’s Stop Cheating On Each Other),” which highlights Blum’s sense of humor.

Allison Weiss
Allison Weiss’ “Say What You Mean” is full of songs that say the things you wish you could say, but you just can’t find the words. Weiss does this without an overabundance of analogies and platitudes. The songs lament about broken hearts, but over a catchy beat with completely relatable scenarios.

The skill with which Allison Weiss is able to articulate the angst over a broken relationship without sounding depressed is quite a feat and even if you’re not in the midst of a breakup, the album says something and remains fresh. This album has been in a constant rotation for me since it came out last spring, even though I was not suffering from a broken heart. Weiss is, however, saying some of the things I wish I had during my last breakup.

Check out this acoustic version of her song “Making It Up” from her latest album “Say What You Mean”.

Hannah Thomas
Georgia girl Hannah Thomas can’t be pigeonholed. Part rock and part country, she brings an energy to her music that cannot be contained. She’s been touring and writing relentlessly since she was 16, kicking ass and taking names along the way. I think that her talent truly shines when she performs live, so if you get a chance to see her perform, take advantage of it.

One of the highlights from her last release, “Goodbye On Wasted Time” is “Watch Out For the Deer,” a fan favorite that makes hanging out in a parking lot sound like a hell of a lot of fun.

CocoRosie
Sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady, form the core of this group whose music has been described as “freak folk” and “New American Weird.” Their sound, at first listen can sound a bit baffling, but the more you listen, the more haunting and lush it sounds.

What I love about CocoRosie is that they pay no mind to what they think others might want to hear and are doing this for themselves and seemingly, loving every minute of it. I had the chance to see them in New York knowing very little about them. My first thought was that it was a cacophonous spectacle. Then I really listened to them and paid attention to the layers of their sound and saw it for it’s beauty.

Check out “After the Afterlife” from their latest release, Tales of a GrassWidow.

Heather Smith is the creator and producer of Rubyfruit Radio, a podcast featuring the best in female artists.

The post Five musicians you need to know first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER

Spring is in the air and so begins the season of love. What better time to unveil our love-themed lesbian playlist?

These five tunes are must-haves for a weekend road trip out of town with that special someone.

Be sure to tell us your favorite love songs in the “Leave a Reply” section below. And don’t forget to check out our passion and break-up playlists, too!

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” — Ingrid Michaelson

“Radical” — Catie Curtis

“Falling is Like This” — Ani DiFranco

“Power of Two” — Indigo Girls

“The Weakness in Me” — Joan Armatrading

The post Lesbian love playlist: 5 songs to set your heart aflutter first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY LESBIAN.COM

Label eschewing singer-Songwriter Hannah Thomas has been called country, punk, rock, Americana and more. She’s a genre-jumping outlaw, so it is no surprise that Thomas has enlisted power pop producer extraordinaire Don Dixon (R.E.M., the Smithereens, Marti Jones) to work on her next release.

The EP, tentatively called “The Truth About an Outlaw,” will feature an all-star ensemble, including Dixon on bass, Jim Brock (Indigo Girls, Joe Walsh, John Melencamp) on percussion, Tomi Martin (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber) on guitar and Cooper Carter (Solo-A-Week) guesting on lead guitar.

Once again, Hannah will be playing across genres with songs ranging from classic country with a twist like fan favorites “(God Help My Mama), I Turned Out Like My Dad” and “The Truth About Outlaws,” rocking licks like “Lie to Me” and “Ain’t Got Nothing to Do with Love’ and even an updated version of the Classic IV and Atlanta Rhythm Section hit “Spooky.”

In order to raise the loot to record the eight-song CD in four days, Hannah is launching a Kickstarter campaign. Supporters get all kinds of goodies, like a pre-order of the CD, house concert or a day in the studio.

Check out Hannah’s Kickstarter heist, which runs through April 24, 2014. Yeehaw. You can’t keep a good outlaw down.

The post Yeehaw, Hannah Thomas stages Kickstarter hold up to fund ‘The Truth about an Outlaw’ EP first appeared on Lesbian.com.

When you think Amy Ray, you think bold, brash punk rock. But the singer/songwriter’s fifth solo studio album is more than a little bit country. In fact, “Goodnight Tender” delivers all the rough passion fans have come to expect of the sometime-Indigo Girl but within a perhaps gentler genre.

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post Going country with Amy Ray on ‘Goodnight Tender’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund announced Monday the 3rd annual Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays benefit concert on Saturday, December 7 at New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre to help raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth homelessness and funds for the organization’s Forty to None Project.

Cyndi Lauper will be joined on stage this year by P!nk, Josh Groban, Susan Sarandon, Nelly Furtado, the Indigo Girls, Rosie O’Donnell, Ingrid Michaelson, The Hives, Matt & Kim, Hunter Valentine, The Cliks, and returning host Carson Kressley. Additional guests will be announced soon. Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster.com starting Friday, October 25.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post True Colors Fund announces ‘Home for the Holidays’ line-up first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Indigo Girls (Photo: Robert Windel)

BY JASON MACNEIL
Huffington Post Gay Voices

Indigo Girls singer-guitarist Emily Saliers announced during a Vancouver show Saturday night that she tied the knot with her Canadian partner (now wife) Tristin Chipman. “I got married in New York because we would’ve got married in Canada if it counted in the U.S. but you all know what I mean. We got married in New York so that she could get her green card so we could be free. We waited such a long time.”

Earlier this year Saliers penned a letter posted on the Immigration Equality Action Fund asking laws be changed regarding same-sex couples. Saliers also explained her situation in Washington, D.C. at a briefing before Congressional staffers.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Indigo Girl Emily Saliers gets hitched first appeared on Lesbian.com.

One response to the WBW policy. Lorraine Donaldson, Camp Trans organizers, and Yellow Armbands, 2006

The backstory: The infamous Michigan Womyn’s Musical Festival is a much beloved multi-day festival that has been held for decades in Hart, Michigan. It also has a controversial “womyn-born-womyn” (WBW) policy that excludes transgender women from entering “the land.” Trans allies actively protest and many major acts, including Andrea Gibson and the Indigo Girls, have started distancing themselves from the event due to the policy. But festival founder Lisa Vogel claims that the exclusion of transwomen is not inherently transphobic and attendees are vocally divided on the issues. What do you think?

Our goal in sharing these perspectives is to encourage conversation within the community that might help heal our differences. The views expressed herein are that of the author and not necessarily that of Lesbian.com

BY SARAH TEREZ ROSENBLUM
AfterEllen.com

Trigger warning: This discussion includes varying viewpoints on gender, anatomy and sexuality that might be triggering for some readers.

My introduction to the Michigan Womyn’s festival came via the LGBTQ section at Barnes and Noble. At 19, I felt compelled to learn all I could about lesbianism before committing. I can’t recall the name of the book which explained everything from what The Lesbian Avengers were to why lesbians made jokes about U-Hauls, but it boasted a whole section on the festival.

Created in 1976 as a safe space for women, the annual event offered camping and nudity and tofu and drum circles and I knew right away I would never attend. Still, I understood its import, the significance of women only space. But even in 1999 as I slouched in the bookstore’s overstuffed chair, the word woman was coming to mean something more complicated than many second wave feminists understood.

Remember when lesbianism was a psychiatrically defined disorder? A lavender menace at the corner of the feminist movement? I don’t. But women like Lisa Vogel, founder of The Michigan Womyn’s Festival must. The word transgender is on a similar journey now. Moving slowly, slowly from the embodiment of freakish difference to a normalized identity, trans* as a designation is just as fraught as lesbianism used to be (and in many small towns and narrow minded families, still is).

Over the years, Vogel has come under fire by trans* activists and allies for her refusal to welcome transwomen onto the land. To explain her desire that the festival remain a “womyn-born-womyn” only space, Vogel appeals to its place in the feminist movement’s history. “We started Festival,” she writes, “to make a home where we could grow our own definition of female identity. At the time, the mere idea of a female identity autonomous of male identity was revolutionary.”

But revolution is ongoing, and just as lesbians played a key role in the feminist movement, trans* activists have advanced the LGBTQ movement. At least according to The Indigo Girls. “We are in a time of struggle and rapid changes in our movement,” they write on their website, “and we would be remiss to not recognize that many of the strides that have been made are a result of Trans Activism and the strength and perspective they have brought to the queer and feminist revolutions.” This statement is particularly noteworthy from a folk/rock duo known as much for their activism as their music. Whereas another celebrity might slap her name on whatever organization her agent thinks will advance her career, the Indigo Girls have proved themselves genuine, making informed choices about which causes to endorse. Maybe that’s why their statement regarding The Michigan Womyns Festival has caused such a stir.

Although they will play the festival this year, they believe “the time is long overdue for a change of [The Festival’s] intention, to one that states very plainly the inclusion of Trans Womyn. We feel that if someone identifies as a womyn [sic], they are a womyn [sic] and should be welcomed into our community with open arms. We will only be stronger for it.” With this in mind, they plan to donate any money they make playing the festival towards trans* activism. They write: “We have made it clear that this will be our last time at the Festival until MWMF shows visible and concrete signs of changing their intention.”

Perhaps the musicians’ response elevated news of the controversy; however, their message actually came in the aftermath of a 2013 petition posted on Change.org by trans* comedian and activist Red Durkin. Durkin’s petition calls out the Indigo Girls specifically, requesting that they and other scheduled performers “stand in solidarity with transgender women and our allies and not perform at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival until Lisa Vogel and the other organizers fully and openly welcome all self-identified women.” Durkin asks that trans* allies boycott the festival, stating that the “Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival is not safe for any women until it is welcoming for all women.”

A provocative statement given the festival’s raison d’être and one that has given rise to explosive reactions. While most fans support The Indigo Girls’ decision, calling it “brave” and “on the right side of history,” as news spread about their announcement, their Facebook page flooded with hyperbolic protests.

“Very disappointing to see you cave to the trans-gimme people,” one commenter writes, characterizing the struggle to make the festival a trans-inclusive space as “a male power grab and invasion of space. Men have been trying to get into Moon Lodge for centuries. There is no intention to participate and share and nourish,” she continues, “only to invade and destroy and desecrate. And once ‘conquered’ they will move on to some new distraction. How sad that The Indigo Girls, thought wise by so many women over the years have now proven themselves easily fooled by men in women’s clothing (or re-arranged body parts).”

While the idea that men are plotting to weasel their way onto the land seems far-fetched, many attendees have voiced more nuanced thoughts about the controversy. “I’m so, so sick of Fest being framed as transphobic,” says an anonymous eight-year veteran, “as if that’s the only possible explanation for women-born-women gathering exclusively. I also reject the idea that Fest somehow views transwomen as not-really-women. Rather, transwomen are women — just different from WBW. Not better, not worse, just different, and that’s OK. For example, people who were born Jewish have a different experience than those who converted to Judaism. People who converted are not any less Jewish. But, their experience is different, and I would support born-Jewish space, converts-only Jewish space, and all-Jewish space. All of those spaces would be different. And this one week in the woods focuses on the experience of WBW.”

In contrast, another anonymous, loyal fest-goer plans not to attend this year, citing the Indigo Girls as influences. “They said that welcoming transgendered people is ‘the only path to a truly “safe space” for womyn.’ I want to stand in solidarity with my sisters, no matter what their biological origin.”

But is a boycott the best method to get this message across? Many think it isn’t, and Vogel is among their number. She writes: “There is no doubt that complex political debate is healthy and necessary within our communities; however, a boycott, within this context, fails to advance resolution and only seeks to exact damage.”

Other Michigan performers concur: Ubaka Hill for example, writes that as an “adult-child of the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Rights Movement, Anti-War Movement, Anti-Apartheid Movement, Native People’s Rights Movement, Gender Equality Movement, Student Rights Movement, Environmental Protection Movement, Animal Rights Movement, Worker Rights Movement, my response to your courageous request that I cancel my Drumsong Workshop and the Drumsong Performance by participating in a strategy of a boycott against my own employment, my fans, my students, my peers, my musical, spiritual and cultural community of womyn and against the collective MWMF community, this is not the method of change that I want to participate in.”

Both Hill and Vogel believe that wanting a separate space for womyn-born-womyn is not inherently transphobic. Vogel writes that “this false dichotomy prevents progress and understanding. I believe in the integrity of autonomous space used to gather and celebrate for any group, whether that autonomous space is defined by age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, gender, class or any other identity. Whatever spaces we carve out in our community to encourage healing and rejuvenation should be accepted, and we should support each other in this endeavor. Nobody should be asked to erase the need for autonomous spaces to demonstrate that they are sisters in struggle.”

One wonders how Vogel feels about country clubs which refuse entry to women or African-Americans. Does she believe in their integrity as well? By no means has the feminist movement achieved all of our goals. And arguably, women still benefit from a space apart from men. But no one is advocating inviting men onto the land, but rather inviting transwomen into the definition of woman. Vogel has said that transwomen have benefitted from male privilege, and in some cases that’s true; however, it’s hard to picture a child desperate to shed the body she was born into benefitting from a penis she never wanted.

Still, that penis is a sticking-point for some attendees.

“Fest is a clothing-optional space,” another anonymous attendee says. “Even though transwomen who have not had surgery don’t identify with having a penis, penises have deep cultural meaning to many women, particularly survivors of sexual assault. I don’t think that some women’s identity should get to trump others’ lived experience. And, it wouldn’t be fair to say that WBW get to take their clothes off, but transwomen don’t (showers are open-air, with one curtained one). It also wouldn’t be fair to say that only transwomen who have had surgery get to come, because that’s so expensive that it would be classist to only invite those who are able to afford surgery.”

In a way this is the crux of the issue, or rather proof that there is no crux, no single issue. In debating the inclusion of transwomen in The Michigan Womyn’s Festival, there are no easily arrived at solutions. Nor should there be. Questions of classism, sexism, separatism, differing concepts of power and purpose all come into play. Debates like this have enriched the feminist movement which, by the way, is not merely about equality for women. It’s about equality period, about acknowledging the interlocking systems of domination effecting society as a whole.

bell hooks writes that women are not “outside the practice of domination in the exclusive role of victim.” In fact, women can be “agents of domination.” It bears considering who exactly is dominant in this scenario. Is it womyn-born-womyn, desperately in need of a festival of their own? Is it transwomen, determined to be accepted on their own terms? As someone who’s already set to boycott the festival because I reflexively boycott anything involving a tent, I can’t authoritatively speak to the complexities of the issue. Truly, I can see it from both sides. Still, I’m not sure what harm it would do to hundreds of blissful attendees if transwomen who grew up feeling isolated, displaced, and different got the chance to see what it’s like to fit in.

Originally published by AfterEllen.com

In considering the amount of vitriol seen on discussion boards about MichFest, we are moderating comments in hopes of enabling dialogue without attacks. Hate speech of any kind, including misgendering of transwomen, will not be tolerated. Please civilly discuss your ideas, freely but kindly, in the comments below or on our message boards.

The post The fight about MichFest: Revolution is ongoing first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Indigo Girls harmonize with Pink on her song “Dear Mr. President.”

The post Pink and The Indigo Girls’ “Dear Mr. President” first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Earlier this week the Indigo Girls announced that they’ll be embarking on six-city symphony tour. Shows are scheduled from July through November in Chattanooga, Dallas, Seattle, Birmingham, Buffalo and Portland.

Each two-hour performance will be unique. The show wil linclude the duo playing with the orchestra, an intermission and then Ray and Saliers returning to the stage without the orchestra for a one- or two-song encore.

The post News: Indigo Girls announce first-ever symphony tour first appeared on Lesbian.com.