Diane Michaels: News

If you haven't visited my calendar page in a while, be sure to stop by because there are a lot of new additions.  It's been a busy January catching up on projects around the office and preparing for the 2012 concert season.  I'm in the process of developing a new program for my children's concert lineup to coincide with the South Central Library System's summer reading program series.  Their theme this year is, 'Dream Big, Read!'  I've already got a list of songs and ideas shaping up for my new show called, 'Swing On A Star.'  Program development is a lengthy process, but it's a lot of fun to create something new.  I really enjoy working with children because they keep you on your toes.  They have the corner on the market when it comes to spontaneity.

I've also been working on updating my website for the upcoming year.  I'll let you know when it's up and running. 

It's a great time of the year to work on inside work.  Come spring . . . I'd rather be outside!  The days are already getting longer.  We have had an uncharacteristically warm winter for this part of the country; not much cross country skiing this year.  It won't be long before the Sandhill Cranes return, and when we hear their calls echoing across the valley, we'll know spring isn't far behind.

If you are in the Reedsburg, WI area this Sunday morning, be sure to stop by the First Presbyterian Church for their 9:30 service.  I'll be doing a little storytelling! 

Cheers,

Diane

If you are in the neighborhood on March 1, come out for an evening of Celtic music at the Baraboo Public Library.  There's still a little bit of winter left, so stop in, warm up, and enjoy some music.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Whew!  Long time, no entry . . . guess it's been a busy, busy summer.  Wisconsin has been sizzling in the heat all through July, and we have finally had the kind of weather week that makes our summers so wonderful; deep blue skies, fair weather, cotton clouds, perfect temperatures and low humidity.  About time!

Check out my calendar page for a couple of last minute additions that I hope you can take in this weekend. 

Cheers!

Diane

At long last here's a picture of the whole gang that was taken after our show on March 3.

Diane Michaels & Chasing The Sound

Starting in the back row from L to R: Clint Clingerman - bass & vocals; Scott Weber - mandolin, solo guitar & vocals; front row from L to R:  Michelle Bushweiller - violin, keyboard & vocals; center - Yours Truly; Ron Frye - rhythm 6 & 12 string guitars & vocals.

We had a great crowd the other night and had a lot of fun playing for everyone.  Keep checking the calendar page for our next gig together!

Cheers!

Diane

Be sure to check my calendar page for newly added performance dates.  Here is the poster for my next show with Chasing The Sound, on March 3.  We will be helping the audience chase away the winter blues with a few songs to help you, THINK SPRING! 

Did you know you can visit the 'show past dates' link on the calendar page to see pictures and commentary from past performances?

 

     Diane Michaels & Chasing The Sound

     Purveyors of Fine, Handmade Music!

Hope to see you there!

Peace,

Diane

Check out the calendar page for new performance dates for 2011.  Hope to see you there!

I'm very pleased to introduce the members of 'Chasing The Sound,' the band that will be playing back up for me at some of my future gigs!

Introducing Scott Weber. . .    

You'll be hearing Scott primarily on solo mandolin and guitar, but he might also throw in a little banjo, fiddle, and vocals now and then.

Ron Frye . . .

Ron plays rhythm on both the six and twelve string guitars.  He also sings solo and back up vocals.

Michelle Bushweiler, (picture coming soon) . . .

Michelle plays violin, keyboards and sings solo and back up vocals.

 . . . and Clint Clingerman.

Clint plays the bass and sings back up vocals.  You will also catch him noodling on a guitar from time to time.

These talented musicians have brought a whole new dimension to songs I've played on my own for many years.  It's been an new adventure and a joy to begin the process of building a repertoire together.  The converted attic space above our garage has been rockin' on Thursday nights.  'The studio' is now in it's second incarnation; it once served as a dance space where our daughter taught her ballet students.  The barres, ballet posters and mirrors are still there, but so far, the guys haven't objected! 

Be sure and check the calendar page for details on our November 5 concert!   

There are some new entries on my calendar page. The first is a new concert date in November, and on the past dates page, you'll find a diary entry along with a few pictures from my last gig on August 3. Another new addition to the site is a contact form so you can e-mail me directly.  

I'll be posting more information soon about the concert in November . . . you'll be able to meet the band!  

Cheers!

Check out my new blog page . . . you'll find it under 'Musings,' on the navigation bar.  In order to see the entries with their correct spacing along with a place to leave comments, click on the title of each entry, or the comment icon. Otherwise, they appear as a preview in a block of print.  The new webhosting format makes it easier to include images.  I enjoy taking pictures so you will find them scattered throughout my blogs and news items from time to time.    

Peace!

Diane

I finally took a deep breath and made the switch from my old website format to the new one.  You will especially notice changes to my gallery page.  As I mentioned in an earlier journal entry, photos will now appear as thumbnails.  If you click on the first one, you can view all of them in a slide show format.  There are also added security features, namely to my guestbook page.  Hopefully, it will cut down on spam entries.

I'm busy preparing for a couple of school programs this week and next.  I always enjoy performing for children . . . love the energy and spontaneity of young audiences.  Keeping all of that energy focused on the program is a challenge, but a happy one.  

February is nearly over . . . hard to believe, but spring is around the corner!

Cheers!

Diane 

My webhosting service has made some major changes over the last few months, so I am trying to catch up with everything new!  One thing you will notice is that the photo gallery has been completely redone to include thumbnails of all the pictures in a group.  If you click on the first picture of a group, it will show up as a slide show now.  I wanted to be sure there was time to read all the picture captions, especially since I want my site to provide educational material for anyone interested in some of the instruments I play.  So after each picture loads, you can manually go forward or back by directing your cursor to the edge of the picture about three quarters of the way up. That's where the forward and back commands will appear.  They don't always show up unless you direct the cursor.  Hope that makes sense. The automatic slide show option didn't allow enough time to read the captions, so I have it disabled for now.  

I have had to go back and reformat a lot of pages to accommodate all the changes.  I didn't want to publish any new additions until I had everything figured out.  That's why you haven't heard from me for a while.  

Stay tuned!

Diane

By this time tomorrow, we will probably be shoveling out from under more that a foot of snow .... at least that is what's predicted. We'll have a white Christmas this year. All the winter sports enthusiasts are just waiting for the snow to pile up.

Check out my calendar page for diary entries after my December shows are completed. Just click where it says, 'Show Past Dates.' This past Sunday I played for the South Central Wisconsin Shamrock Club, at their annual Christmas party. What a wonderful audience .... we had a ball! I have also been rehearsing regularly with a talented group of musicians. I'm hoping my back-up band will be ready for prime time in the not too distant future. We are finding a nice acoustic sound that will be wonderful for larger venues. I have been a solo artist for a long time, so making the transition to working with a group is a challenge, but also a lot of fun. I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,

Diane

It's been a while since I have added anything new to my site. Yikes! Where did the year go? Here we are with the Holiday Season knocking at the door. Time to get those Christmas cards mailed, and see if I remember how to bake cookies.

The summer was very hectic. We helped our daughter, Carmen, move up to Ontario in August to begin work on her Master's Degree in violin performance. It's a wonderful opportunity for her, and will give us a good reason to do some travelling in the next two years to take in some concerts and recitals north of the border.

It was a bumper year for garden produce as well. We got a lot of sunshine put up in canning jars in the pantry.

I've begun collaborating with some musicians to form a back-up group for larger venues, so hopefully we will have a couple of solid sets ready to go sometime early next year.

Check out my calendar page for December show dates. Also take a look at the links page for some really interesting new additions.

We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with family and friends this year. It's one of my favorite holidays ... it's so easy to rush right by it into Christmas. Even in these tough times, there is always something to be thankful for. Make out a 'Things To Be Thankful For List,' along with your Christmas list this year. You might find little gifts you forgot you had.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Diane

Hello Everyone!

I posted some pictures of the spring flowers in our woods and backyard on my gallery page under the 'spring' heading. I'll try to add more flowers as they come into bloom.

I hope you find the spring ephemerals as beautiful as I do. They come and go so quickly, blooming soon after the frost is out of the ground. Some of the wild flowers are tiny in real life, so I've photographed them up close. The best things in life really are free . . . don't forget to pause and look at flowers now and then.

Enjoy!
Diane

A most welcome and long-awaited guest has finally arrived.

Spring . . . annual promise of renewal, new beginning and growth. Whispers of green and ephemeral blooms . . . first measures in the chorus of a new season.

I've recently posted additional promotional pictures from the March photo shoot with Amandalynn Jones. You can find them on my gallery page.

Peace,
Diane

So much for the old saying, 'April showers bring May flowers.' There are a few crocus blooming here and there, and my buttercups are poking above the ground, but by tomorrow, they will be covered with snow! We can't seem to shake winter this year. Spring is sweet when it finally does come for real. I guess we will have to wait a while longer. In the meantime, we'll have to make sure the bird feeder is full. A lot of our summer birds have started to return.

My guestbook page is up and running, so please stop by and post a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Cheers!
Diane

At long last my website is up and running! I look forward to keeping all of you up to date with what's going on in my music world. It's great to have a way to stay in touch with the folks who have supported my performing and recording career over the years.

Thanks for stopping by. Check back once in a while for new additions to the site. There is much more to come; look for audio clips and more pictures of my instrument collection. I finally realized that a website is a 'work in progress,' and needed to make the first step of getting it out there into the big wide world of cyberspace. It has been an adventure to go back through the 'archives,' and pull pictures, and material together for this project. During this process I realized I have been doing this crazy, wonderful music thing for a LONG time! Happily, I might add.

I hope to have a guestbook page up and running soon, so I'll look forward to hearing from all of you.

Enjoy your visit!

Peace.
Your friend in song,
Diane