Count Five: Indigo Girls' Amy Ray's Favorite Punk Anthems

Posted on May 2nd 2007 5:00PM by Jessica Robertson
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Amy Ray -- half of Grammy-winning duo the Indigo Girls -- may have folk in her heart, but she wears her punk on her sleeve. Each of her solo albums, 2001's 'Stag' and 2005's 'Prom,' are equal parts Tom Petty and the Clash, infused with three-chord chugs, defiant politics and a DIY ethos that her forebears would applaud. To that end, Spinner caught up with Ray, who's currently gearing up for a summer tour with fellow Indigo Girl Emily Saliers, to find out which five punk anthems get her fists pumping.

1. 'Seneca Falls,' The Distillers: It's like a feminist lesson within a punk song, but it's so well done it doesn't hit you over the head. It's not too dogmatic or preachy. I love Brody Dalle's voice so much, and I think she's been totally overlooked.

2. 'Clampdown,' The Clash: It's a classic, and unfortunately it's timeless and always relevant, 'cause there's always gonna be fascism in our world.

3. 'Fake Fight,' Team Dresch: There's a moment in the bridge of the song where Jody, the singer, goes to this place melodically and lyrically that you have to keep pressing repeat just to hear those eight bars. I love it when that happens in a song. I think that band was short-lived and didn't get the recognition they deserved. That's important in punk music -- to give proper recognition.

4. 'The Latin Social,' The Rock-A-Teens: A great pop-punk song, almost like Roy Orbison doing punk music. The songwriter in that band, Chris Lopez, I think he's one of the best songwriters of our time -- up there with Kurt Cobain. He's a permanent underdog, and I love that about him.

5. 'The Kids That Call Us Clowns,' Tami Hart: It's sort of like a Columbine song, which is a little disturbing. But I think it really captures teenage alienation in a way that doesn't endorse the action but empathizes with it. It's important to have compassion, and I think Tami was able to go there because she could relate. She wrote this great anthem that you can sing in a moment of alienation, and you don't have to get your gun out.