The Lemonade Stand for December 15, 2022
From “Lockdown” to “Stand”
By Diane Hubka & The Sun Canyon Band
After playing during the lockdown with friends on live-stream Facebook and YouTube “shows” every week, by 2021 we were ready to play in front of a live audience! But Covid was still a presence in LA, so two of us decided to take the show “outside.” We bought battery powered amps and thought to ourselves, “where would we like to play music for a few hours?”
The answer: Santa Monica’s Palisades Park! With its fresh ocean air, glorious views, beautiful sunsets, and lots of people (and dogs), it really has been like setting up a Lemonade Stand! My longtime friend and musical partner, Rick Mayock, and I began playing every Sunday afternoon, and “The Sun Canyon Band” was born!
In the fall of 2021, we decided to record some of our songs so we hired the great Chad Watson (Ronnie Milsap, Janis Ian, Burrito Brothers) to co-produce, and he brought Lynn Coulter on board (Rita Coolidge, Leon Russell). Then he invited the very special Albert Lee to guest on the recording! I’m a huge fan of Emmylou Harris, so having her guitarist on the album meant so much. Our LP, “You Never Can Tell” will be out on January 20, 2023, with three “single” releases dropping before then.
Meanwhile, back at the park, in January 2022 we were lucky to meet bassist Joe Caccavo who lives nearby. He joined our band, and we got him to play a few tunes on the CD (on bass and also banjo!). We’ve had such a wonderful response from everyone, people have been so appreciative and we love playing there. Playing every week has enabled us to have a cohesive sound as a band – 15 months later, our Lemonade Stand is still open! We’re excited about 2023!
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Diane Hubka has been known across the country as a jazz artist. She recorded three albums in the Big Apple, one with legendary saxophonist Lee Konitz, before moving to Los Angeles in 2005, where she recorded three more jazz albums. But growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland, she was a child of the ‘60s folk revival, and a big fan of Peter, Paul & Mary, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. In 2017, she tapped into those roots, bought an acoustic guitar and began performing her new Americana repertoire. Diane Hubka & The Sun Canyon Band dances from ’60s folk, delta blues, lilting ballads, to Texas swing and heartland country rock. www.suncanyonband.com