THE BEAT
Ani DiFranco comes alive; the Commitments -- life imitates "art"
by Seth Rogovoy(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., March 13, 1997) -- Until now, listeners who have only heard Ani DiFranco on recordings have been missing out on a crucial aspect of her performance. It is somewhat understandable, given the righteous indignation that permeates much of her music, that those who have not experienced DiFranco in concert might mistake her for a fire-breathing, man-hating dragon. But as anyone who has seen her can tell you, DiFranco is in fact a compelling mass of contradictions in concert, laughing and poking fun at herself and her audience in between her tirades of emotional and political outrage. It's what makes her one of the most intriguing performers of any sort in contemporary music.
This little-known but essential part of DiFranco has finally been documented on "Living In Clip," DiFranco's long-awaited, two-disc live album, due out on April 22 on her own Righteous Babe label. An advance listen to the disk, her ninth solo album, reveals it to be more than merely a document of what her fans already know -- it presents DiFranco in her full regalia as the funkmeister of phat folk, a chilling and chillin' singer, songwriter and guitarist whose visceral impact is simply unparalleled in pop. The disk boasts over 30 tunes and more than two hours of music, with superb trio accompaniment from longtime drummer Andy Stochansky and bassist Sara Lee. It features some new songs and also includes two heavenly tracks performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Doc Severinsen. Really.
While there is no substitute for seeing DiFranco in concert -- she's at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday night -- "Living In Clip" will go a long way toward introducing the uninitiated, convincing the skeptics, and confirming for the already-converted that DiFranco is daGoddess of folk-funk.
Spotlight -- The Commitments
The 1991 movie "The Commitments" told the contemporaneous story of a fictional group of downtrodden musicians in Dublin, who against all odds -- economic, cultural, musical -- enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight for their impassioned versions of classic '60s soul music. In fact, so good were those performances of tunes by the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, that -- in a case of life imitating art -- a few of the musician/actors from the film continued on after the film was released as a real band. For legal reasons they couldn't call themselves The Commitments. Hence, they go under the clunky moniker of "The Committed: Stars from the Commitments." A few of the actual performers from the original film -- not including lead singer Andrew Strong -- will presumably be a part of the group performing under that name on Monday, March 17, at the Studio in Pittsfield, where The Committed will help Berkshirites celebrate St. Patrick's Day with its own brand of "Dublin soul."
Spotlight -- Linee Perroncel Band
Northampton seems to be churning out women-fronted folk-rock bands these days, what with the Nields, the Amy Fairchild Band, Jaime Morton's Ginger's Island, the Lisaband and the Ellen Cross Band. Another up-and- coming group in the genre is the Linee Perroncel Band, which plays at the Old Egremont Club in South Egremont on Wed., March 19 at 9. On the basis of a demo tape, Perroncel's self-described "big beat folk-rock" recalls the Indigo Girls. The Connecticut native by way of Southern Maine will be joined by Frank Rozelle on bass and Paul Interlande on drums.
Backstage bits
With programs such as Mountain Stage, E-Town, Hudson River Sampler, Afropop Worldwide, JazzSet and Jazz From Lincoln Center, public radio station WAMC's Northeast Network has become a vital resource of live and recorded jazz, folk, roots and acoustic music in our area. What isn't as well known about WAMC is that its indefatigable leader, Eagle columnist Alan Chartock, is a fine musician himself -- a banjo player who at his best resembles Bela Fleck, Pete Seeger and Seamus Egan, in that they all play banjo, too. Perhaps Chartock will unleash his secret weapon on the air this Saturday, March 15, when WAMC kicks off a $350,000 fund drive it hopes to complete in one day. Call 1-800-323-9262 to make your pledge in support of popular music -- banjos included -- on WAMC. It's the right thing to do....No word yet on what -- if any -- performers are slated for the National Music Foundation's "Berkshire Music Festival" on May 2-4....
The show by The Suits at the Studio originally slated for next week has been postponed until April....
[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on March 13, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
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