it was beautiful

i promise not to post about ani again for at least a month, but i feel obligated to report on the show to my loyal readership. my plan for the event was to sit quietly and connect with the woman i've been listening to since i was 14. and that's exactly what i did. i paid my $112 for a beer, found a solitary spot in the balcony and wrapped myself up in her eloquence. her beauty is simple and clear. just ani with a guitar and a guy with a classical bass, showing us the deepest realms of her soul without ever seeming trite. she sings with such honesty and passion that i've felt like i've known her for almost 10 years without ever having met.

i realize that my passion for her music seems a bit odd to a lot of you. i think if everyone knew my story of life and boys they would understand better. but that's a completely different post. let me just say that i don't expect any other person to be so passionate about my causes. but i do hope that you have something in your life that makes you come alive when you hear it or do it, something that, as cheesy as it may sound, pulls on the heartstrings of your soul. without that, what's the point in living.

and finally, some words from the woman herself about the music:

"and me. i'm just a folksinger, not an entrepreneur. my hope is that my music and poetry will be enjoyable and/or meaningful to someone, somewhere, not that i maximize my profit margins. it was 15 years and 11 albums getting to this place of notoriety and, if anything, i think i was happier way back when. not that i regret any of my decisions, mind you. i'm glad i didn't sign on to the corporate army. i mourn the commodification and homogenization of music by the music industry, and i fear the manufacture of consent by the corporately-controlled media. last thing i want to do is feed the machine.

i was recently mortified while waiting in the dressing room before one of my own shows. some putz suddenly takes the stage to announce me and exclaim excitedly that this was my "largest sold-out crowd to date!" "oh, really?," i'm thinking to myself, "that's interesting...too bad it's not the point." all of my achievements are
artistic, as are all of my failures.

that's just the way i see it. statistical plateau or no. i'll bust ass for 60 people, or 6,000, watch me."