Ani DiFranco tour closes ‘Red Letter Year’ in preparation for new album

Singer-songwriter and feminist icon Ani DiFranco has been touring hard since the September 2008 release of “Red Letter Year,” but she hasn’t reached the end of the road yet. The musician recently unveiled plans to tour through summer before beginning work on a new studio album.

DiFranco’s next performance is lined up for April 14 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH, with more spring dates following through April 29 at Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis, IN. From there, she’ll close out the season with two special performances: a 100th anniversary concert for Progressive magazine on May 30 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, and a May 3 benefit celebrating Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.

After a brief break, DiFranco will return to the summer circuit for a series of headline concerts and festival appearances, beginning with a June 12 set at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN, and ending with a July 19 show at Belly Up in Aspen, CO. Other festival stops include a July 5 gig at Rothbury in Rothbury, MI, and a July 18 performance at Mile High in Commerce City, CO.

DiFranco launched her first U.S. tour leg for 2009 early last month with a March 3 concert at Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE. She’s been touring behind “Red Letter Year” since the launch of her fall 2008 tour. The album peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 and hit No. 8 on the independent album charts.

In a recent interview with Billboard, DiFranco explained that she’s been using her time on the road as a way to workshop songs for her next album. However, she noted that touring has become her main option for beating the rough economy and carrying her Righteous Babe label through the storm.

“That’s one thing I have to bring home the bacon because nobody buys records anymore,” DiFranco explained in the interview. “I have to play like I’m 21 and just get out there and play shows to sort of try to keep Righteous Babe afloat. So that’s what I’m doing a lot of.”

Ani DiFranco itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)