HEY FOLKS! We’ve said it before, and after the many pleasant surprises of November 6 we’re happily sayin’ it again: Woo hoo! Yee ha! Hallelujah! And also: Whew!
Yep, the people have spoken, in a multitude of voices seldom heard so clearly as they
are now. Obama is back in the White House, the craziest of the right-wing crazies did not get (re-)elected, we’ve got an open lesbian in the Senate for the first time, and same-sex marriage and marijuana are now legal in multiple states. It all adds up to some pretty exciting changes in the political landscape. We’re celebrating, but we’re also working away. Our friends in the Occupy movement—still out there, less visible but active on a thousand fronts at once—have shown that the time is right for grassroots action and for new ways of organizing and protesting. And don’t forget the groups who table at Ani’s concerts: perfect sources of info and coalition-building. If we all build on this momentum, push further, and raise our voices louder, we can create lasting change.
Here at RBR Central we’ve got plenty to celebrate, too. Ani’s latest album, ¿Which Side
Are You On?, continues to thrill journalists and mere mortals alike with its rich gumbo of musical styles, political insights, and personal a-ha moments. It, like a bunch of our earlier releases (including Dilate and Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown), is now available on that hot new format, shiny black 33 rpm vinyl just like your parents’ Led Zeppelin albums. And back in CD-land, our “official bootleg” series is back with another live Ani recording, Buffalo—April 22,2012.
This past year we welcomed yet another of our longtime favorite artists into the
Righteous Babe stable. You may not think you recognize the name Nona Hendryx, but you definitely know her smash hit “Lady Marmalade” from her days in the 1970s with the pioneering all-female R&B group LaBelle, and you may even be lucky enough to have heard—and danced to!—her acclaimed solo albums of the 1980s. (If not, seek ’em out; you’re in for some major treats.) On her RBR debut, Mutatis Mutandis, you’ll learn just how righteous a babe she really is as she takes aim at the Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh, and black-on-black violence among other targets with soulful swagger and ferocious funkiness. Crank this one up and don’t spare the low end.
You can find out about most of the other stuff we’ve been up to in these pages, but
to be sure you’re completely up to date, don’t forget to visit righteousbabe.com as often as possible—maybe not as often as you brush your teeth, but at least as often as you floss. While there, you can get the very latest of Latest News and find some suggestions for ways you can take Action to make the world a better, more equitable, and just plain more interesting place to live. Then we’ll all have even more to celebrate! Peace out, Your friends at RBR PS. Speaking of celebrating, behold this additional tidbit direct from Ani herself: Righteous Baby Number Two (working title) is on the way! We don’t have a release date yet for Petah’s new brother or sister, but once again the website will fill you in when there is more news to be had.
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN. ANI DIFRANCO’S DILATE ON VINYL! ITEM# RBR008V price: $24.98
ON SALE! $20 One of Ani’s most powerful albums, available for the first time on vinyl. This 2-record set contains a lyric poster, download card, and black slip sleeves, all in a gatefold jacket. Dilate features some fan favorites “Untouchable Face”, “Napoleon” and “Shameless,” to name a few. Re-mastered for vinyl, the sound is as warm and luscious as Ani intended when she first mastered these tracks in 1996. Look for more classic Ani releases on vinyl in the coming year.
DILATE TEE ITEM# T003 price: $20 style: Unisex (Slate Grey) front: Righteous Babe Logo back: so i’ll walk the plank / and i’ll jump with a smile / if i’m gonna go down / i’m gonna do it with style / and you won’t see me surrender / you won’t hear me confess / cuz you left me with nothing / but i’ve worked with less — a.d. sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
FRESH TEES.
EVE
POLAR BEAR
SPLINTER
ITEM# T167 price: $20
ITEM# T168 price: $20
ITEM# T169 price: $20
style: Girly (Seafoam)
style: Unisex (Organic Natural)
style: Unisex (Pebble Brown)
front: Eve illustration with— i just happen to like apples / and i am not afraid of snakes
front: Polar Bear woodcut with— I don’t need anyone to hold me / I can hold my own
back: Ani DiFranco & babe logo
back: Ani DiFranco & babe logo
front: TV woodcut with— watch out for that tv it’s full of splinters / and remember you can always go outside
sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
back: Ani DiFranco & babe logo sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
FOR MORE COOL TEES VISIT THE STORE AT RIGHTEOUSBABE.COM
JELLYFISH
AMENDMENT
ITEM# T170 price: $20
ITEM# T171 price: $20
style: Girly (Heather Grey)
style: Unisex (Heather Grey)
front: Jellyfish woodcut
front: Banner design with— if you don’t like abortion / don’t have an abortion / and teach your children / how they can avoid them
sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
back: Ani DiFranco & babe logo sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
BABEFLAKES SCARF ITEM# SC3 price: $15 color: Heather Coffee scarf ends: Printed with cream babeflakes design
OFFICIAL BOOTS. OFFICIAL BOOTLEG COMBO ITEM# CP15 price: $120 For the past 8 years or so, we’ve been releasing official bootlegs of Ani’s live shows. This first series included 12 albums, capturing performances from Boston to Rome to Carnegie Hall. Buy the full series and will throw in the first release in the second series, Buffalo—April 22, 2012 (featured just to the left on this page).
ANI DIFRANCO BUFFALO APRIL 22 2012 ITEM# RBR076D cd: $10 mp3: $7.99 Recorded this past April at little folk singer’s very own Babeville, the newest bootleg kicks off a brand new series of live releases in the coming year. This particular show features two—that’s right, two!!—never before released songs, along with a brand new poem. There is also a killer encore featuring our pals, Pearl and the Beard, joining Ani on “Every State Line” and “¿Which Side Are You On?” Perhaps we’re biased, but this boot brings the ruckus.
MORE LIVE WARES Visit the Righteous Babe Online Store to check out a full selection of limited edition and silk screened posters that have come back from the road.
RECENT RELEASES AND TOTES TO TOTE ’EM. NONA HENDRYX—MUTATIS MUTANDIS ITEM# RBR075D price: $15 Nona Hendryx, the legendary funk-rock singer, is back and bolder than ever on her latest—Mutatis Mutandis. The 10-track album is Nona’s first full-length in twenty years and has both politically and socially relevant lyrics wrapped in funky grooves and soulful vocals, and driven by rock-charged rhythms. Quite simply, Nona Hendryx is the quintessential “mother” of contemporary artists such as Erykah Badu, Emeli Sandé, and Janelle Monáe, to name a few... and she still rocks!
ANAÏS MITCHELL HADESTOWN NOW ON VINYL! ITEM# RBR070V price: $24.98 One of the best folk album’s of 2010! Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera, based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, is set in dark, post-apocalyptic times. The album features guest singers Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown, Ben Knox Miller (Low Anthem), and the Haden triplets, bringing the story’s various characters to life. And now, for the first time, it’s available on limited edition vinyl. Included with the two-record set are six art prints and an MP3 download card of the entire album.
ANI COFFEE TOTE ITEM# GB5 price: $15 Made in the USA. Printed with soy based inks.
RIGHTEOUS TOTE ITEM# GB4BK price: $15 Made in the USA. Printed with soy based inks.
SWEET SWEET MUSIC. Over the course of more than 20 albums, Ani has never stopped evolving, experimenting, testing the limits of what can be said and sung. This catalog is not nearly big enough to include every vibrant chapter of DiFranco’s discography, but we thought we’d shine a light on some of the highlights. Want more? Click over to RighteousBabe.com for a deeper dive.
NEW SCHOOL ¿WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
ITEM# RBR073D cd: $15 mp3: $9.99
RED LETTER YEAR
ITEM# RBR063D cd: $15 mp3: $9.99
OLD SCHOOL LITTLE PLASTIC CASTLE
ITEM# RBR012D cd: $15 mp3: $9.99
NO SO SOFT
ITEM# RBR002D cd: $15 mp3: $7.99
DOUBLE DIPS LIVING IN CLIP
ITEM# RBR011D cd: $25 mp3: $19.99
CANON
ITEM# RBR055D cd: $20 mp3: $16.99
FOR THE WHOLE SHEBANG VISIT THE STORE AT RIGHTEOUSBABE.COM