Whether it is samba, Polish, Javanese, Ukrainian, Ceolas, American, Peruvian, Turkish or Texan -- folk music is the earthy, warm sound that resonates through people of all cultures. In the next millennium, all types of folk music must be saved and savored. Folk music is usually accompanied by dance -- together it is a combination that can awaken the spirits of individuals, communities, and even nations.

 

 

AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC'S PHOENIX -- ANI DIFRANCO

by Jen Weiss

 
Ani DiFranco

 

". . . and god help you if you are a phoenix

and you dare to rise up from the ash

a thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy

while you are just flying past . . ."

 

Few people succeed in this world living on their own terms. Few people today capture the public's attention longer than they capture the media's. Few women "make it" by shunting patriarchy and the corporate establishment -- struggling on their own -- and rising defiantly above the play-by-the-rules conventions of American society.

During the cold-war-torn Reagan era of the 1980s, a 17-year-old singer/songwriter in New York City, Ani Difranco began singing out. She moved from playing local cafes and skanky bars to venues packing in 6,000 fans. She has produced 12 albums on her own independent label. Though she's been offered every tantalizing record deal known to woman, she refuses to sell out. She tours internationally year-round and continues to live in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, where her 17-person, multi-million dollar record company, Righteous Babe Records, contributes to the post-industrial town's local economy.

"Well, I'm a socialist and an anarchist. I'm kinda straddling the fence there. So I can't bring myself to work for Warners or any such entity. I won't fool myself for a second into thinking that people in the industry even give a shit about music, let alone society; that's totally not the point for them. I've been getting all sorts of offers for a long time, but I just don't find the music industry-- or any huge corporate capitalist system -- very interesting. And the growth of my career might be ultimately stunted by that, but I don't care. I'd rather be able to face myself in the bathroom mirror than to be rich and famous," says DiFranco.

Ani DiFranco's music is hard to categorize, though it's frequently described as some sort of punk-funk folk. Though her sound has evolved throughout her 15-year career as a musician, a blend of grizzly guitar, confrontational lyrics, and African-influenced percussion and bass are the mainstays of her music. She's a folksinger/feminist rocker who brings the intelligence of a poet and the wit of a philosopher to her art. She's a money maker, barrier breaker, a cynical dreamer and an artist committed to playing for fun and working hard. True to her folk-punk roots, she's a political songwriter singing out against right-wingers, religious fanatics, racist bigots, queer baiters and women haters. She's vocal about the injustices around and about her. Ani DiFranco is not afraid to tell her own truth, failing and succeeding at it. Forever trying:

" cuz i don't care if they eat me alive

i've got better things to do than survive

i've got the memory of your warm skin in my hands

and i've got a vision of blue sky and dry land"

There's much to write about Ani DiFranco and even more to read. Of late, she's making headlines as the ball-busting, recording industry bucking babe, having garnered a Grammy nomination this year. But to know and love Ani DiFranco is to listen to her, in her own words and on her own terms. Within her is the spirit of womanly survival -- real, raw and vital.

" . . . you got your whole life to do something

and that's not very long

so why don't you give me a call

when you decide you're willing to fight

for what you think is real

for what you think is right."

To find out more about Ani DiFranco's music, go to www.amazon.com.

Jen Weiss currently lives in New York City. You may contact her at: jenweiss98@yahoo.com.

For more information on folk music, go to http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/ and http://www.froots.demon.co.uk//.

 

| Home | Cultural | Environmental | Musical | Ordinary |

| Contact Us | About the Authors |

© Copyright 2007 fiftythings