Tue 9/11 @8PM
Trailblazer Ani DiFranco, who released her self-titled debut album in 1990, has always been about doing things her own way and calling the shots in her own career.
At a time when “getting signed” was the goal of every music act, DiFranco said “no, thanks” and started her own label, Righteous Babe, based in her hometown of Buffalo, long before the Internet and the increasingly narrow focus of major labels made that common. Big shot record guys scoffed, but she demonstrated that you can build a career on your own terms if you are willing to do the hard work of identifying, creating and maintaining a fan base. She has always released the music she wants to release, when she wants to release it, and she promotes it how she chooses to.
Back in the ’90s, she was releasing albums of her deeply personal but politically astute singer/songwriter music on an annual basis. More recently, she’s married and had a couple of kids in her new hometown of New Orleans. With her 20th studio album, Binary, released last year, she’s back on the road, sharing the pointed commentary about feminism and women’s rights (she’s avidly pro-choice), non-violence, getting back to nature and more in her new music with her fans. She will demand that they vote November 6. (Her 2016 tour was called “Vote Dammit!”)
She’ll perform at the Kent Stage with Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey, whose career started about the same time as DiFranco’s, opening. Tickets are $45-$65.
Kent, OH 44240