Ani Difranco

 

 

Ani DiFranco (born Angela Marie Difranco on September 23, 1970) is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter.  She is known as a prolific artist (having released at least one album every year since 1990, with the exception of 2000) with a devoted cult following, and is seen by many as a women's rights and feminist icon.  Her guitar playing is often characterized by a signature staccato style, rapid fingerpicking and use of a plethora of alternate tunings.  She delivers many of her lines in a speaking style notable for its rhythmic variation. Her lyrics, which often include alliteration, metaphor, word play and a more or less gentle irony, have also received praise for their sophistication.  The song "Talkin' Mrs. DiFranco Blues," by Dan Bern, strings together some of the most memorable lines from her early career for comic effects.  Although her music has been classified as both folk rock and alternative rock, she has reached across genres since her earliest albums.  Ani DiFranco has collaborated with a wide range of artists including pop musician Prince, folk musician Utah Phillips, funk and soul jazz musician Maceo Parker and rapper Corey Parker.  She has used a variety of instruments and styles: brass instrumentation was prevalent in 1998's Little Plastic Castle, strings on the 1997 live album Living in Clip and 2004's Knuckle Down, and electronics and synths in 1999's To the Teeth and her latest studio recording, Reprieve.  She herself noted that "folk music is not an acoustic guitar--that's not where the heart of it is. I use the word 'folk' in reference to punk music and rap music. It's an attitude, it's an awareness of one's heritage, and it's a community". It's subcorporate music that gives voice to different communities and their struggle against authority.  Her newest album, Reprieve, was released on August 8, 2006.  It was previously leaked on iTunes for several hours around July 1, 2006, due to an error saying it was released in 2002.  She performed with Cyndi Lauper on "Sisters of Avalon", a track from Lauper's 2005 collection The Body Acoustic.She also performed with fellow folk singer Dar Williams on "Comfortably Numb", a Pink Floyd cover song from Williams' 2005 album, My Better Self.  See Ani DeFranco LIVE!  Purchase your Ani DeFranco tickets today!