Ani DiFranco Australian Tour 2009

Adrian Bohm is proud to present the return of one of Americaa€™s most inspirational and prolific singer songwriters. Ani DiFranco - well known for her forthright, pullno- punches lyrical style - will tour Australia in January/February 2009

Ani DiFranco has written hundreds of songs, played thousands of shows, captured the imaginations of legions of fans and jammed with folkies, orchestras, rappers, rock and roll hall-of-famers, jazz musicians, pets, pop superstars, storytellers and a martial arts legend. She fixed up a few old buildings and minimized her carbon footprints before it was trendy a€“ from installing a geothermal heating and cooling system in the renovated church that her label calls home, to using organic inks on all the t-shirts she sells. But nothing shea€™s done in her 18 year career has garnered more attention than a business decision.

The most important thing about Ani DiFranco is that she did it on her own. Hailing from Buffalo, New York and a graduate of a performing arts school, Ani moved to New York City whilst still in her teens. She had been on the performance trail for years with major record labels keen to sign her up.

Ani had different ideas. She registered her own company, Righteous Babe Records, which operates from its HQ in Buffalo. In the beginning, so the story goes, she sold tapes and CDs from the back of a van after gigs.

Still a New York local, DiFranco has earned a solid reputation as one of the heroines of confessional singer-song writing. Her music making career has been phenomenal - with a strong D.I.Y. ethos, she built up a grass-roots following by word of mouth, selling her own demos and eventually starting up her own steadfastly independent record label, a€˜Righteous Babea€™. She has released 20 albums on a€˜Righteous Babea€™ including the masterful a€œNot A Pretty Girla€ (1995), a€œLiving in Clipa€ (1997), a€œLittle Plastic Castlea€ (1998) and a€œEvolvea€ (2003) each of which garnered rave reviews from both the underground and mainstream media.

Her latest album RED LETTER YEAR was released in September. RED LETTER YEAR was sculpted over the course of two years, a period in which Ani continued to hone her song writing, performing and recording skills, all while balancing her new role as a mum with her one year old daughter Petah Lucia. a€œI think I sorely needed to be slowed down, and finally a little person came along powerful enough to do thata€ Ani reflects.

With an inspired, reinvigorated Ani, the uncanny production skills of her partner and co-producer Mike Napolitano, the otherworldly string arrangements and inspired playing of the band and youa€™ve got the makings of a DiFranco classic.

And Ania€™s song writing is up to the challenge, reflecting her place in life with warmth and clarity. Highlights include a€œSmiling Underneath,a€ rumination on lovea€™s power to make everything better, the achingly beautiful ballad a€œWay Tighta€ and a€œAlla Thisa€ a quintessential Ani anthem full of brave statements like a€œI wona€™t pray to a male god/cuz that would be insanea€. Ani DiFrancoa€™s feeling good, and shea€™s in a giving mood. Love, family and home are three of the albuma€™s most prominent muses, resulting in a dozen songs that exude warmth and renewed vigour. RED LETTER DAY isna€™t just a party, ita€™s a music lovera€™s gift.

Ani DiFranco is an influential musician lauded for her energetic, acerbic and earthy performances of songs that tackle issues like rape, abortion and sexism with insight and compassion. And she has that uncanny ability to break every rule and still manage to attract an extremely loyal fan following.

Her intense song writing skills are matched by intense touring efforts. A literate, ebullient and untouchable live performer, she makes music that delights both folk and rock audiences. With a voice that can rock the house one minute and bare its soul the next, DiFrancoa€™s live show produces a juxtaposition of brutal, firey performance and gentle intimacies and has a sound like no other. She continues to stun audiences and touch all who come into contact with her music.