Once upon a time . . . a mother and daughter started out on a journey together. They never realized how many places it would take them, how many songs they would share, or how many people they would share them with.
This CD is a collection of songs that we have played together over the years as a mother/daughter duo we call, Side By Side. Carmen began performing with me when she was about three years old. Since then we have traveled many miles on the road together, laughing and talking our way through her childhood, adolescence and transition into womanhood.
This diary of our musical journey together was recorded over a three year period of time.
These are some of our favorite songs, and we wish you happy listening!
ABOUT THE SONGS
Diane and Carmen perform all of the vocal and instrumental tracks for this recording. You'll hear the guitar, folk harp, banjo, mountain dulcimer, violin, Irish Whistle, cello, keyboard, bohdran, congas, Caribbean Steel Pan, mandolin, and more. Each song is stylized with it's own unique accompaniment. One listener put it this way, "I especially enjoyed the funky spontaneity, and the rich mix of styles - - a surprise at each turn."
See That Rainbow Shine - by Jean Ritchie - Wonderful upbeat, contemporary folk song.
A Thing Called Love - by Jerry Hubbard, a.k.a. Jerry Reed - Classic country tune.
Planxty Fanny Power - traditional - Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) - A "planxty," is a song composed for someone in particular, in this case, a woman named, Fanny Power.
Waltzing With Bears - by Dale Marxen - What most consider a children's song, but it is very popular with adults.
The Crocodile - Traditional children's song, humorous with an unexpected twist at the end. Grown ups love it, too!
The Spanish Lady - Traditional Irish song about a Spanish lady who lived in Dublin and was admired from afar.
Ashokan Farewell - by Jay Ungar - This beautiful melody for the violin was made popular by Ken Burns' series on the Civil War, on PBS.
Castle On A Cloud - from the musical, "Les Miserables."
The Frost Is All Over - Traditional Irish fiddle and whistle tune.
Nature Boy - by Eden Abba - Standard from 1948 made famous by Nat King Cole
My Singing Bird - Seldom heard traditional Irish song.
Rock-A-Bye On The Sea - by Diane Michaels - A Calypso lullaby that Diane wrote which received honorable mention in the 2000 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
It's Only A Paper Moon - by Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen - standard from 1933.
Side By Side - by Harry Woods - A standard from 1927 and the duo's theme song.
Sabonana Kusasa - A Zulu tribal chant. The words mean, "We will see each other tomorrow."
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
When singer/songwriter/storyteller, Diane Michaels, teams up with her daughter, Carmen Lasceski, the duo is known as, Side By Side. This twosome has been performing together for 17 years.
Diane Lasceski - Michaels also has a solo career as a singer/songwriter/storyteller. She has been playing for audiences across the U.S. and abroad for more than 25 years. She began by playing for church congregations on the weekend during a trans-America bicycle trip that she took with her college touring team in 1976. Since that time, her performing career has taken many interesting twists and turns, including opening as a solo act for Brenda Lee, John Berry and Janie Fricke, at the Crystal Grand Music Theater in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, during the mid 1990's. Diane offers many programs for both entertainment and education, and has a menagerie of instruments from all over the world that she often includes in her solo concerts. Her repertoire is as varied as the instruments she has collected. Diane performs traditional, multi-cultural, and contemporary folk, standards, pop, classic country, jazz, children's songs, as well as her own original work.
When daughter, Carmen, began taking violin lessons at the tender age of three, she joined Diane's shows playing fiddle tunes on a pint sized violin. An accomplished performer and composer in her own right, these days, Carmen spends most of her time at the University Of Wisconsin, in Platteville, Wisconsin. She is currently a junior and is studying theater, violin and voice performance. Her college theater roles to date include: Rizzo in Grease; Magdelon, in Moliere's, Two Precious Maidens Ridiculed; a leading role as the Nurse, in Edward Albee's, The Death Of Bessie Smith; Desdemona, in Shakespeare's Women; and in March of 2005, Laurey in Oklahoma. She is active in the University Orchestra program where she is concert master for both the symphony orchestra and symphonetta. She also plays first violin with the Carmina Quartet, string quartet.
Diane and Carmen are still making music together. Although the duo's appearances are becoming more limited since Carmen has gone on to college, they hope to keep entertaining audiences whenever their schedules allow, for many years to come.
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