Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A Righteous Babe--

"She is trying to evolve."
I remember the first time I heard Ani DiFranco, clearly as if it were yesterday.

(what a horrible cliche')

January 1999, picture it--Knoxville--and every time I ran past a certain room in my dorm I heard music...

Some of it I knew, some of it I didn't know...and some of it I knew I was supposed to know based on what I was listening to at the time...

"She's just trying to evolve."

I remember the girl who lived in that tiny dorm room. The blonde hair. The nose ring. She's one of my "oldest" friends now (hiya Sarah).

I remember my first album (Little Plastic Castle) and then my second (Up x6) and buying the next one when it was released at midnight at a little record shop (To The Teeth)...

You get the picture. I was obsessed. "I am trying to evolve."

There was the show in Knoxville, followed by the summer tour in Memphis. Add a couple more shows in Memphis followed by the "next day" trip to Nashville. She doesn't make the rounds here too frequently.

So I am beyond joyous to know we'll have the "lil' folksinger" (what she calls herself) downtown tonight.

"I'm just trying to evolve."

People ask me to describe her music, and I can't. Twenty albums in twenty years on your very own record label (RBR)...and you say what you feel and you sing your own words--while playing your own instruments as loud or as soft as you want.

"I got more and more to do, I got less and less to prove."

She is Ani DiFranco. She sounds like..."Ani DiFranco." She plays like..."Ani DiFranco." "You just have to see her live." That's how I answer the questions.

Or you can listen to one of her albums--with so many to chose from it's easy to find a song or two or 240 that move(s) you.

Her politics may scare you. Her openess may make you uncomfortable. The lyrical poetry may wrap around your heart and not let go. It is what it is. She is what she is.

Origami, multi-faceted and complex.

Expect pictures tomorrow.

~~J

6 comments:

Kelly said...

Jealous! Love Ani, but have never seen her in concert. Her songs were coming up on shuffle all over my ipod today. Enjoy!

janet said...

She was quite spectacular Kelly. I can't believe you've never seen her--you live in prime Ani viewing territory (she hasn't been here since 2004).

~~J

Alyssa said...

Both Hands is my absolute, absolute favorite. SO emotional.

janet said...

I can't pick just ONE Alyssa...but if I had a top ten...twenty list of Favorites by Ani...Both Hands would be on it!

~~J

Ashley said...

Nice. I'd love to see or read a setlist from that show.

janet said...

Setlist (although I don't know what she opened with):

OPENER (what was it? Maybe "Lagtime"?)

Manhole
78% H2O
Fuel (with talk about Civil Rights Museum)
Swandive
Your Next Bold Move
Alla This
Yes We Can
Which Side Are You On
Sunday Morning
Present/Infant (with talk about her "song" being born 3 years ago and now how her song always like to tell her "no!"--cute Ani mad face)
Amendment
As Is
'If You're Not"
Untouchable Face (restart on second verse)
Shameless

(encore)
Evolve
Overlap

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