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Purple Pork Lovelight lands the Indigo Girls to top off a star-studded Fat Fry lineup By David Espinoza LET'S HEAR A BIG sooey! for the folks at Lovelight Productions-- they've really outdone themselves. This year's Fat Fry features none other than singer-songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, a.k.a. the Indigo Girls, headlining Saturday, July 29, at Aptos Village Park. Yes, you read that correctly: the Indigo Girls. To bring everyone up to speed, the Indigo Girls have been a premier force in femme folk-rock for well over a decade, earning six Grammy nominations and laying the groundwork for artists like Ani Di Franco. The duo's seventh and latest, Come on Social, is another testament to the fact that music and political activism can still go together. Tickets for this year's Fat Fry go on sale locally May 20, so mark your calendars. Rest of the lineup so far: John Hiatt, Bruce Cockburn and Southern Culture on the Skids all on Sunday. Call 425-0212 for more information. Oh Mercy! Oh Boy! Prine on Time If fans expected a long set from veteran country-folk-rocker and quick-wit king John Prine at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium May 7, it's exactly what they got. For roughly two hours, Prine treated the near-capacity audience to new material as well as old classics like "Dear Abby." It was a night that moved from mellow moments with Prine riding solo, just a guitar and his whimsical poetry, to the upbeat closing numbers featuring singer Iris DeMent on some sweet country & western harmonies. Prine has always been sort of a funnier version of Bob Dylan, minus the horrible voice. As one fan explained, "Dylan is about saying, 'You're a shmuck,' Prine is about saying, 'I'm a shmuck.' " Prine's merchandise sales booth said it all: instead of "Highway 61" CD wallets and duffel bags, Prine merchandise included fly swatters and bottle openers. Splitting Up Artwork on the Lonely Kings' latest release, Feel It, an eight-song split with pals Divit looks strangely like something Celtic new-age goddess Loreena McKennitt might put out. Perhaps it's a ploy to draw in a new demographic, which is pretty damn funny when you think of the reactions some easy-listeners might have to the Lonely Kings. The band on this release again throws down a set of well-polished songs with a penchant for melodic guitar leads. The most radio-friendly song has to be "Did I Say I'm Sorry?" with it's catchy intro and well-timed stops. Also of interest, the new effort includes an insight into the origins of the Lonely Kings' name, which apparently comes from a Curtis Mayfield song. Random Notes Longtime local musician Rick Walker seems to be everywhere these days, from his recent cameo with Sin in Space at the Catalyst, to an upcoming gig with famed frame drummer Layne Redmond and percussionist Tommy Brujes Sunday at the Pacific Cultural Center. According to Walker, this will be a very rare performance by Redmond, as she usually sticks to teaching workshops and such. Showtime is 8pm, and bring mom, as it's a special Mother's Day show. [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]