Michael Diamond was born and raised in Philadelphia, and later lived in New York, Boston, Denver, and Boulder, Colorado, before settling in Northern California in 1987. He picked up the electric guitar while in college in the late 60"s where he studied psychology, continuing on to recieve a Master's degree. He was deeply influenced by the great guitarists of the era such as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, and others, and has played in many rock bands over the years.
Although guitar has been his main instrument, he has become fully immersed in the world of synthesizers and electronics, and often combines the two by playing the guitar-synthesizer, Sustainer guitar, and Ebow. In addition to being a musician, he is also a music producer and owns a recording studio where he lives in Marin County, California, just 10 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. While still maintaining a love for rock, blues, jazz, etc. his musical focus has shifted more towards ambient New Age music. Years of study in metaphysics and holistic health have given him an appreciation of the healing effects of music and sound. He is currently recording and performing with one of the pioneers in this field, Steven Halpern.
In addition to playing music, Michael Diamond has had a 20 year career as a music journalist and monthly columnist for a variety of nationally-published New Age magazines. In that time he has written numerous articles and reviews of artists as diverse as Enya, Tangerine Dream, and Kitaro, to name but a few, as well as conducting interviews with well-known musicians such as sitarist Ravi Shankar, Jon Anderson (of the rock group "Yes"), and many others.
He is currently working on a variety of recording projects including albums and soundtracks for video and DVD, as well as specializing in pre-production consultation. "Atlantis Rising", with special guest Steven Halpern, showcases Michael's talents, not only as a musician, but also as a sound designer, featuring intricate layers of synthesizer textures and sonic atmospheres.
A sample of media reviews:
"Although this is Michael Diamond's debut release, it is a conceptually mature work that signals the arrival of an important new artist you'll want to add to your personal library. With intricately detailed compositions and lush electronic textures that evolve, morph and move around the soundfield, the listener will experience a delightful journey to magical realms."
Leading Edge Review Magazine
"I love your CD so much I'm going to feature it on the front page of CD Baby. We're REALLY picky about what goes on the front page. We get about 75 new albums a DAY coming in here now, (about 30,000 total), and yours is one of the best I've ever heard."
Derek Sivers - CD Baby
The compositions of veteran guitarist, writer, and producer Michael Diamond have backbone and depth; the aural air of his music resonates with color and texture; the themes range from meditative to playful. Take a journey through his universe; yours will be expanded.
Matt Kramer, SongPeddler
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