Ani Di Franco - Trust (2004)

If you’ve never been introduced to the music of Ani DiFranco, let her be the first to say "Hello, and thank you for coming" in this 90 minute live concert DVD of her Washington, DC shows in May, 2004. Joined for the occasional song by noted New York guitarist and sideman Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Sex Mob), Ani and upright bassist Todd Sickafoose take you on a musical journey there and back again.

Unlike Ani’s 2002 Render release, this DVD is a complete concert experience, shot over two days and seamlessly integrated by Danny Clinch, renowned photographer (Rolling Stone, Spin, The New York Times Magazine) and filmmaker (Ben Harper’s "Pleasure and Pain," 2003 Bonnaroo documentary "270 Miles From Graceland." With the help of cinematographers JoJo Pennebaker, Paul Greenhouse, and Elia Lyssy, Clinch captures the experience of these two days from all sides with a visual style as eclectic as Ani’s guitar tunings.

This live DVD features four new songs Callous, Manhole, Modulation, and title track, Knuckledown, all from Ani’s new studio album scheduled for release in January 2005.

Including over twenty songs from the days of Not So Soft to her most recent Educated Guess, this film evokes the community and intimacy of your favorite Ani show. With words from Congressman Dennis Kucinich and an eye on the recent Vote Dammit! tour, Trust illustrates Ani DiFranco’s belief that the political is personal while she deftly draws you into a world of sound and substance.

Ani ... Intense Concert DVD; Excellent Performances

When Ani DiFranco released her 1st DVD "Render" a few years ago, it was criticized by some for too little music and too much extraneous "behind the scenes" footage. This DVD goes to the other extreme, and is 95% concert footage. There is little of Ani's famous between-song banter or audience interaction. The behind-the-scenes footage consists mainly of rehearsals with Todd Sickafoose (Bassist) and Tony Scherr (guest guitarist), and one scene with politician Dennis Kucinich. This DVD (in stereo & 5.1 surround) excels as a straightforward concert film, although I would quibble with the director's use of "grainy" shots.

Ani looks as buff as I've ever seen her, with rippling biceps and a very intense demeanor. As such, some reviewers have complained that they miss the bubbly persona evident on her famous live album Living In Clip. I disagree -- Intense Ani is just different, but not worse, than Bubbly Ani in my opinion. True, she doesn't look like she's having much fun for most of her performance (shot over 2 days) but her actual performance was crisp, sharp and on target. Her rapport with bassist Sickafoose was evident, although I miss her performing with drums.

Some reviewers say they listen to the DVD but don't watch it because it's boring. However, when this concert was filmed, many of the songs were new to the audience (from the album Knuckle Down which was released the following year) or had just been released on her Educated Guess album. In spite of the unfamiliar material, the audience's attention was literally transfixed and hanging on every note, just as mine is everytime I watch this DVD. It's worth the price just for her performance of the fantastic poem Grand Canyon. December 25, 2007

disappointed.....again!

I'm a really big fan of Ani Dr Franco. She's an awesome musician and obviously a great live performer. So I keep wanting a dvd of her in a live performance. I bought "Render" first and now "Trust" and unfortunately got the same thing both times. I got "ART"...instead of art. Trust (like Render before it) is much less a real performance tape than some kind of self-indulgent excercise by someone (Danny Clinch and Ani I guess) in "filmmaking". Trust might be a little better that Render in this regard..but not much. After one viewing I'm now like the other reviewer of Trust who just listens to the music playing without watching. It's too frustrating to watch because what I really want to see is Ani Di Franco singing and playing the guitar...not politics...not "ART"...and not "CINEMA". Ani, Please try again and just PLAY! December 9, 2006

Not the best...

I am a die hard Ani fan, the woman is like a light to my life and I learn so much from her music... I often watch the DVD and feel connected to her, but I want more of a connection. I find that music DVD's often provide a way for the fan to connect on a new level with the artist, hear them speak or see what they look like when they wake up, etc. So, it was nice to see the background of an Ani concert... but I have to say I've seen better concerts. In the end, it was worth it and I love this woman, but it could have been done better. October 12, 2005

If you like Ani..............

Then this is the disk for you. The 5.1 surround makes it worth the purchace if you have the setup. The disk is a nice fabric woven from animated shorts, live conert footage, and backstage rehersals. Very well done, and a must have if you love Ani. September 25, 2005

A Goddess stripped to bare beauty with a fantastic bassist

I went to graduate school in Rochester, N.Y. (a neighbor 80 miles to the east of Ani's home city of Buffalo) in 1994 and majored in music performance. Rochester was already very plugged in to this independent poetic princess and her passionate, percussive guitar playing. I was handed a copy of "Puddle Dive" from a neighbor weeks after arriving and "TRUST" me, I have ALL of her stuff. I became a fan right way and I am a true Ani fanatic. This DVD is absolutey wonderful. I highly recommend it!As well as a treat for the eyes, this DVD is a treat for the ears. It is a fantastic playlist, the staging/instrumental simplicity and the creative filming is what makes it so incredibly beautiful to me. The addition of the bassist Todd Sickefoose added greatly to the richness and energy of this performance also. Listening to Ani reaches me in many ways, but seeing her perform like this (which I prefer) touches me in ways that seeing her with my ears can never reach. July 26, 2005

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