If you stop to think about it, Ani Di Franco has really done it all, and on her own terms. The one-time campfire song leader has blossomed into a one-of-a-kind independent songwriter & performer who stands above the rest — seamlessly crossing genres (Folk, Pop and Jazz), influencing two generations of up-and-coming artists, and running a successful independent label, Righteous Babe Records. In the middle of all that, she has found time to be a loving mother to her daughter Petah Lucia and wife to producer Mike Napolitano. She was just in Memphis back in April & I had the pleasure of catching her performance at the New Daisy. Throughout her career, Ani has rightly been heralded as one of the most consistently impassioned and brave live performers.

Tonight, thanks to Creative Allies and Ustream, she’s also part of the growing list of artists participating in live webcasting.

Tonight’s performance, featuring a cavalcade of songs which span her 20+ years of songwriting, marks a rare live web appearance by Ms. DiFranco. She will be performing live from the campus of the Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA and, some of you probably already know, she was busy giving away tickets to that show the last few days on her Facebook page. Did you get some?

Tonight’s (24 June 2010) webcast begins at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET and can be viewed at creativeallies.com.