Concertwire.com

Many artists, musical and otherwise, use their craft to provide a visible platform for the issues they believe in. Their activism becomes interwoven with their art. Amy Ray, best known for her role in the Indigo Girls, founded the not-for-profit Daemon Records in 1990. Her mission was to support local artists at a grassroots level, to teach young artists how to further their own careers and to keep the independent spirit alive- not only in the Atlanta music community, but in herself as well. Rose Polenzani, ph Balance, Three Finger Cowboy and the Rock-a-Teens among others, have all passed through the school of Daemon. Inspired by the music of these bands and southern punk/indie-rock, Ray embarked on a solo adventure in 2000. Traveling around the southeast with guitar and amp in tow, she wrote, rehearsed and recorded Stag, which hit the streets in March 2001. The depths and intensity of her artistry and emotions are revealed in awe-inspiring performances on its ten songs, giving Ray a forum to more fully express her political stances and questions of self in a voice and style not quite suited for an Indigo Girls album. Stag was followed by the similarly themed Prom in 2005.