The Show Must Go On
I’ve worked as a musician all my adult life, albeit subsidized by part-time “other” work. Since 2017, after 30+ years performing as a jazz vocalist & guitarist, I’ve been exploring Americana/Folk and Country music, and in 2019 I went to my first “FAR-West” Conference in Woodland Hills, which was so inspiring!
Six months later, in March 2020, the “lockdown” happened. It was a very stressful, scary time, and the only thing that kept me going was making Gratitude Lists and playing and listing to music. I learned how to Zoom and Facebook, so I could play open mics and round-robins, and listen to online concerts. I started taking online lessons with Susie Glaze, and joined a few virtual song writing “camps” – Yosemite Songwriting Retreat, California Songwriting Camp, and Joe Craven’s (Rivertunes) Vocal camp. All of these programs were fantastic.
Just before the shutdown, I had made plans to play in person with two other friends, Rick Mayock and Wendysue Rosloff. We waited for several months, and then we started meeting to “jam” outside in Hancock Park for much-needed fellowship and music. Those early days were so wonderful. We felt it, and the passersby all seemed so grateful, too!
After another month, my “trio” decided it was safe to call ourselves a “pod”, and we started hanging out and playing indoors. I bought a 16-track mixer and a better camera, and we started live-streaming weekly “shows” on Facebook and YouTube. Yes, it is weird to play without an in-person audience, and we don’t get a reaction until we go read the comments. Engineering the sound is challenging, (WHAT THE TECH?!?) But playing every week helped us enormously, keeping our chops up, solidifying our arrangements, and keeping us sane during crazy times.
I am so grateful to the healing power of music and the fellowship of the music community. My dream was to put an Americana/Folk/Swing band together and out of necessity and the need to play music and stay connected, I did! – I’m thrilled to announce we’ll be going into the studio next month to record a CD.
~Diane Hubka
Diane Hubka is a singer/guitarist who grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Western Maryland. She learned violin, trombone and guitar from an early age, and in college developed a passion for jazz that took her to New York and later Los Angeles. She released six internationally acclaimed CDs, and performed throughout the US as well as Turkey and Japan. No matter the genre, “she wraps her clear-as-mountain-stream sound around the songs with consistently winning results.” (JAZZTIMES)
www.dianehubka.com – www.facebook.com/dianehubkamusic – www.youtube.com/dianehubka
Lockdown Lemonade is FAR-West’s response to the dramatic and drastic shifts of 2020’s global health and economic crises. For
many, this cultural reckoning and political upheaval spurred a period of personal reflection and the discovery of coping mechanisms some of us didn’t even know we had. Lockdown Lemonade is a look at the bright side. With this collection of flash creative nonfiction, brief personal essays, recollections, and musings from members of our community, we hope to shine a light on the best things that can and have come out of the most challenging of times. This column will continue on a weekly basis and postings will be released at 10 AM Pacific every Monday, so watch for them! For guidelines and submission details, please contact Julie Zipperer at julieZ@far-west.org or Marlynn Block at marlynn@far-west.org Submissions will be posted based on approval from the Lockdown Lemonade Committee.
many, this cultural reckoning and political upheaval spurred a period of personal reflection and the discovery of coping mechanisms some of us didn’t even know we had. Lockdown Lemonade is a look at the bright side. With this collection of flash creative nonfiction, brief personal essays, recollections, and musings from members of our community, we hope to shine a light on the best things that can and have come out of the most challenging of times. This column will continue on a weekly basis and postings will be released at 10 AM Pacific every Monday, so watch for them! For guidelines and submission details, please contact Julie Zipperer at