Ani DiFranco’s voice as strong as ever
Performance enhanced by acoustics, killer backing trio
When she came raging out of Buffalo in the 1990s, Ani DiFranco carved an immediate niche in the international DIY punk/ folk circuit.
Anyone who was around the year that she debuted at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival will remember the effect the singer had on the scene.
With her beat- up acoustic guitar, army boots, shaved head, thrash-picking style and well- named self- run label Righteous Babe records, she was just what the apparatchiks ordered.
Empowering personal songs about sexism, feminism, gender and environmental politics and more turned up on yearly albums from the prolific musician. While the output has continued, it seems she became less immediate to all but devoted fans. She kept on doing her thing regardless.
Adding in material about being a mother after the birth of her daughter and other aspects of American politics when she made New Orleans her de facto home, she remains quite active in environmental and class struggle issues. Last night, at the Chan Centre there were plenty of available seats.
Opening with the title track to Little Plastic Castles, DiFranco sounded fantastic in the Chan’s brilliant acoustics. Apparently, she had a cousin in the audience who helped design it and she was feeling completely overwhelmed by the room.
Be that as it may, tunes like I Am Not A Pretty Girl and the rest of the career- spanning set were a treat in such a great hall. She has a killer backing trio of bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Terrence Higgins who really know how to fill in the space around her direct voice. It is one aspect of her that has not changed since she was in her 20s — strong as ever.
The numbers being smaller than what one might usually expect from her could also have something to do with a snowy Sunday night, a venue far from the usual downtown spots she plays and that her 2012 album Which Side Are You On? hasn’t got the same kind of exposure that something like Living In Clip did back in the day.
Whatever the case, she is still one of the more engaging talkers and singers around. One who matters.
Opening act Daniel Champagne proved once again that all the world loves technical prowess. The young singer/ guitarist from New South Wales has developed quite a complex playing style using his acoustic guitar as a hand drum, chordal instrument and loop builder for his foot pedals.
Whether performing his originals or a version of the blues standard Spoonful, he never failed to pull out all the flash. Never a bad move in the absence of memorable songs as many a note- cramming metal head has known forever.
Champagne did have a wonderful wit whenever he addressed the house. That ease and confidence may hold him while the actual writing catches up.