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ENLARGE
Ani DiFranco performs tonight at Mesa Theater and Club.
GRAND JUNCTION — On tour to promote her new album “Red Letter Year,” Ani DiFranco stops in Grand Junction tonight for a show at Mesa Theater and Club.
DiFranco crafted “Red Letter Year” over the course of two years, during which she also gave birth — at home — to a daughter, Petah Lucia. Love, home and family are three of the album’s most prominent themes, according to a press release/newsletter from Righteous Babe records.
The album’s dozen tunes “celebrate existence, profess love and tackle thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee.”
DiFranco’s band includes upright bassist Todd Sickafoose, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Killon and drummer Allison Miller, and guest Jon Hassel on trumpet.
DiFranco has sold more than 4.5 million records, produced 29 albums and been nominated for eight Grammys. She also formed her own record label.
The newsletter talks about the new album, her powerful homebirth experience — “the minute my child was born, I was reborn as a feminist,” and includes questions from Venus Zine readers, including one regarding talented female artists who lack funding or connections.
DiFranco can relate.
“I started out as a little girl from Buffalo with no money or connections, but after many years of hauling my butt bar to bar, the word slowly got even as far as a booking agent, some record company A&R types, and an independent distribution company.
“Just don’t forget why you do it — what inspires you about making music for people. Never stop working on your craft,” said DiFranco.
DiFranco said she aspired to be like the “genius jazz musicians who never received fame or fortune but worked night after night in whatever bar, making the music they were compelled to make.”
“I eventually found a place of financial security,” DiFranco said. “But even if your music does not pay your bills, it can enrich your life and bring you a lot of unexpected joy.
“Art is art after all, not a means to an end.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
DiFranco crafted “Red Letter Year” over the course of two years, during which she also gave birth — at home — to a daughter, Petah Lucia. Love, home and family are three of the album’s most prominent themes, according to a press release/newsletter from Righteous Babe records.
The album’s dozen tunes “celebrate existence, profess love and tackle thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee.”
DiFranco’s band includes upright bassist Todd Sickafoose, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Killon and drummer Allison Miller, and guest Jon Hassel on trumpet.
DiFranco has sold more than 4.5 million records, produced 29 albums and been nominated for eight Grammys. She also formed her own record label.
The newsletter talks about the new album, her powerful homebirth experience — “the minute my child was born, I was reborn as a feminist,” and includes questions from Venus Zine readers, including one regarding talented female artists who lack funding or connections.
DiFranco can relate.
“I started out as a little girl from Buffalo with no money or connections, but after many years of hauling my butt bar to bar, the word slowly got even as far as a booking agent, some record company A&R types, and an independent distribution company.
“Just don’t forget why you do it — what inspires you about making music for people. Never stop working on your craft,” said DiFranco.
DiFranco said she aspired to be like the “genius jazz musicians who never received fame or fortune but worked night after night in whatever bar, making the music they were compelled to make.”
“I eventually found a place of financial security,” DiFranco said. “But even if your music does not pay your bills, it can enrich your life and bring you a lot of unexpected joy.
“Art is art after all, not a means to an end.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Go & Do
What: Ani DiFranco and band with guest
When: Tonight; doors open 7 p.m., show at 8 Where: Mesa Theater and Club, 538 Main St. Cost: $35 Information: 241-1717 |
