PRINTDiFranco's red-letter day
Vox sits down with folk rock's Jill-of-all-trades
COURTESY OF WOLF TRAP
Columbia will get a twin taste of Ani DiFranco Sept. 30. In addition to playing at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, she will release her latest album, Red Letter Year.
September 25, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Ani DiFranco is many things: a musician, a poet, a feminist, a mother and an activist. She has been working nonstop since 1990, and her 18th studio album, Red Letter Year, will be released Tuesday. That same day, she will perform at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts. “One thing with Ani DiFranco, she has a very loyal fanbase,” says Pete McDevitt, booking agent at The Blue Note. “Certainly there is a level of excitement whenever she comes.” The Blue Note partnered with the 1,200-seat Missouri Theatre to accommodate a larger crowd for her performance. This will be the fifth time DiFranco has come to Columbia, and Vox talks to DiFranco about the red-letter days of her life and how they have made her into the woman she is today.
On music:
What: Ani DiFranco
When: Tues., Sept. 30. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: The Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts
Cost: $30 in advance, $35 the day of the show. Tickets on sale at The Blue Note and Ticketmaster
DiFranco might be considered one of the hardest working and most inspired musicians around. Opting to start her own record label at 19, she refused to sign with an outside partner, so that she would never be constricted as to what she could sing about (and she will sing about anything).
Righteous Babe Records took off in 1990 and has produced albums for 13 other artists such as Michael Meldrum, Andrew Bird and Sara Lee. When it comes to Red Letter Year, DiFranco says the recent changes in her life have left major footprints on her newest album. “It’s somewhat more lush and expensive production-wise than a lot of my other records, a lot of which are kind of bare bones,” she says. “I have a lot of newness going on.” That newness includes a new band, family and New Orleans home. She’s been on tour every year since 1990 and has spoiled her fans with a new album almost annually. “It definitely doesn’t get any easier as I get older to find new things to write about and new ways to write about old things,” she says. A versatile artist, DiFranco also dabbles in poetry.
On motherhood:
Red Letter Year is highly anticipated because it took DiFranco nearly twice as long as usual to make it — a whopping two years. Is she slacking? Far from it. She’s simply a new mother who has enjoyed slowing down a little for her daughter, Petah, who is now 18 months old. “It’s great for me, and I think it’s great for my work, too, to have more time away and to have more time for something equally as important in my life,” she says of her daughter. “I just want to be an example for her of somebody who is truly and unabashedly and happily themselves, and I hope that she could do the same in her life and in her way.”
On politics:
DiFranco’s music is both political and personal. She states that politics directly influences her day-to-day life. “I don’t care what McCain is focusing on whatsoever,” she says. “I think that he’s focusing on making rich people richer and the rest of us sadder. I think Obama represents a real alternative.” She has spoken out about several issues, including war and abortion rights in her lyrics and in interviews and has inspired others to form their own opinions independent from the media. In August, she performed “Your Next Bold Move” at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Her presidential preferences have never been a secret as she previously supported Dennis Kucinich during the 2004 primaries and Ralph Nader in 2000.
On Ani:
She has established herself as a fiercely independent and motivated artist. She’s not afraid to speak her mind with lyrics from Red Letter Year such as the Bush-bashing line “representing the white race / a man with a monkey for a face.” She is an atheist who renovated an old church to create Babeville, the headquarters for her label, and incorporated an environmentally friendly cooling system in the building. With her personal touch going into each of her songs, it’s like we already know everything about DiFranco. One thing you might not know about this Buffalo, N.Y., native is that she always thought she would be a dancer. “I used to dance a lot, and I love it,” she says. “Maybe in a parallel universe, I’m dancing right now.”
Ani DiFranco has been categorized as many things throughout her long career, but she explains that her motivation is nothing special. “I think it’s mainly about staying interested and inspired with your own life.” So far, we are interested and inspired by her life, too.
