Photograph by Lane Bickett
When Laurie Ray was 15, she was looking for something—she just didn’t know what. Her aunt, Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, helped her find Girls Rock Camp Atlanta, a weeklong event that helps girls and women learn about music, self-expression, and leadership. After a few days, Laurie’s life was forever changed. “I became addicted to the feeling of being onstage with a band,” she says.
Now 29, Ray is the founder of Equal Creatures, an alternative indie-rock band with something of a local cult following. Based in Sylvan Hills, she spends her days as a grad student studying social work at Georgia State University, but in her spare time, she’s strumming the guitar, writing songs, and touring. She’s cultivated strong friendships with other Atlanta musicians: “I actually just started a group chat with a bunch of songwriters in the area, and we’re having a meetup to talk songs and the love of it,” she says.
They go see each other play gigs, whether that’s at small residential venues (she names Railroad Earth Atl, Bon House, and the Last Resort as favorites) or more established spots, like The Earl. “I love the size of The Earl!” she says. “It’s just big enough, but it’s also still intimate.”
She’s grateful for the support of both her aunt and Emily Saliers, the other half of Indigo Girls. “They’re incredible role models and genuinely good people,” Laurie says. “They have been through a lot. They were out in a time when it was very different. They paved the way for people like Brandi Carlile.”
As her career grows, Laurie hopes to be a good role model too. She has served as a band coach, and she still goes to Eddie’s Attic to cheer for nervous teenagers stepping onstage at the venue’s open-mic nights. “I remember being 15 and getting up there and being humbled a bit,” she says. The experience checked her ego but not her drive. “I knew then, and I know now, that music was always going to be a part of my life.”
Listen
“Waylon” from Everything That Hurts (2024). The single was featured on a 2024 episode of Grey’s Anatomy: “It was kind of soft in a diner scene,” Ray says, “but it was there and so exciting.”
Favorite Indigo Girls song
“Blood and Fire” from Indigo Girls (1989). “It’s Amy’s song and she doesn’t like it. She says she sounds like an angsty teenager. But I love it. I love getting that snapshot of her.”
On being Amy Ray’s favorite new artist
“Amy makes me feel like there’s good in the world because she exists. I’m so honored she’s a fan of my music, because I’m such a fan of hers.”
Instagram
@equal.creatures
This article appears in our November 2026 issue.
