Not So Live Music

It can boil down to the question on whether or not the distillation of the raw energy of sound in a open space competes well with that of the closed session. It may even determine the movement of the masses or the travel of the bits downstream to the many peer-to-peer network jackers. Jacked in and into the stream of consciousness that can be given and taken from the aural stimulants found breathing and pulsating on the shiny side of things to come. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, regrets and misgivings for the future to come.

Ani Difranco Double Live Album: “So much shouting So much laughter”

Jimmy Weasel - Friday, October 25, 2002

I'm not going to pretend to be the biggest Ani fan there is for the simple reason that I am not. I own a fraction of her releases all up, but this does not mean that have no perspective when listening and analysing her material. I hadn't even known about the album until a few days after its release when I was stumbling around a CD store under the guise of seeking out street publications, when it was brought to my attention by the Girl. On an impulse, I purchased the album without knowing anything about it, other than it was an Ani Difranco CD (and more than likely worth listening to). When I realized it was a live album, I initially balked and put something else on; I guess I wanted new songs. A day or three later, on a long car trip, I decided to listen to the whole thing uninterrupted and was astounded by the whole effect. It's been looping for ages since that point, bringing forth remarks from both "friends" and "family" as: "what are you listening to? This music isn't like you", "don't you normally listen to crap music" and "Ani Difranco has another album? That's some funky goddamn backup band*".

This particular album, though, is a series of recording from a particular tour in 2000 to 2002 with a six piece band that does nothing other than expand and enhance her already amazing sound. The songs are from prior albums and include some poetry she's written along the way, including a poem about many things entitled "Self Evident" which continues to rock my world every time I hear it.

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