Album Notes

Since forming in 2008 around pianist/singer/songwriter, Diana Lawrence, the Diana & the Dishes have been spicing up the Chicago music scene with their eclectic, sharp-as-a-knife shows at top-tear local venues including Subterranean and The Green Mill. While the band has become know for their fun-loving onstage vibe, they also consistently deliver a powerful, polished sound, and it’s no wonder… their pedigree is anything but amateur: Diana Lawrence is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and has toured Europe as a pianist/music director for The Second City. Guitarist Dave Saenger, a veteran of many Chicago rock and jazz projects, has also become a mainstay in Chicagoland theater pits. Bassist Dan Thatcher is a regular presence in the city’s jazz and avant scenes. Cellist David Keller has played for theaters companies such as Quest and Bailiwick and is also an active improvising musician and composer. Drummer Joe Chellman has played with jazz legend, Von Freeman, as well as the alt-folk band, Girlyman.

Producer Mike Przygoda (The Pawns, Rego, composer/music director for The Hypocrites and Strawdog Theatre) proved to be a perfect fit for this crowd’s first record, “Take A Picture”, adding lush orchestrations and a smart, quirky touch to the band’s existing arrangements. The album moves swiftly through many stylistic realms, all the while staying tightly tied together by sharp songwriting and the band’s core live sound. An exciting first release from an exciting new Chicago band.

“Diana Lawrence… has worked her way around the Chicago music scene… and she's got an eclectic style to show for it. Her songs mix flavors of jazz, blues, cabaret, folk, pop, and even her classical music roots. As comfortable jamming out on the piano as she is busting out her voice, Diana makes herself into a one-woman wall of sound.”
–Kat Fitzgerald, host of Four Women Only and the Windy City Open Mic

"Diana and The Dishes is a group that has found a legitimate way to straddle jazz and rock so effortlessly that genres rightfully cease importance.”
– Mike Przygoda, producer, “Take A Picture”