Diane Postell: Life as a singer, songwriter, bandleader, mom.

We asked Postell about her CD and life as a rocker mom.

From penning the first song to the mastered CD, how long did it take to complete "What I Got To Say?"
Many of the songs have been in my heart and mind for many years. All of them are stories by themselves, like chapters of my life and very personal so the songs were a lifetime in the making. The actual production part took about six months. We did only three tracking sessions and then overdubs which moved overwhelmingly fast. There was such a cohesiveness between the studio musicians that created some magic moments. It was quite a learning experience on many levels for me.

How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as earthy – honest and raw, yet beautiful and sad sometimes. That's really life – not some canned sound or some coined phrase. I work hard on lyrics because it's what speaks to people. People who get my music really get it. They tell me it gets inside them and that's what I have longed to do. I really don't know what genre it is. I'm totally crossover. I hear that's in now. (laugh)

How does being a single parent influence your musical career choices?
My daughter is twelve and she is my main focus and always will be. I’ve had to be careful with my time and tried to balance career and being with my daughter. So, I’ve turned down things because she was at an age when she needed me. I believe that if it’s meant to be, the opportunities will come again at a better time. I have included her in my career – rehearsals, shows, hanging with the musicians. She has seen the ups and downs and the crazy thing is she’s enrolled in a performing arts school. She’s very talented and has helped me see life and my art with much deeper meaning. I’d like to write a song just for her but it would be so emotional and she’d be like, “Oh, mom!” (laughs)

There's a saying, "Music is a beautiful art but a wretched profession." Has there ever been a point in your career where you considered giving up music?
(big sigh) I did give it up. The whole money thing, being a mom and trying to pursue a performing career just didn’t jive. It’s hard to earn enough money to pay the bills. Society makes it harder since most people don’t see music as a “real job” until you make it big. So, I got a 9 to 5 day gig. I actually stopped listening to music. I tried not to even think about it. I was unhappy and depressed, like there was nothing to look forward to. After a few years, I realized that I could not give it up, put together my own show and started performing again. It was a huge deal and went better than I could have ever imagined. People ask me, "can you really make a living at this?" or "isn't this business hard?" as if there is a choice.

Describe your writing process?
What writing process? (laughs) I don't have formulas and I’m not that disciplined although I'd like to be. I know that a good song is like a meaningful conversation. It flows. And although simple, it's so hard to get right. I usually start with a topic then write lyrics. Or I'll start with a guitar riff, or a chord progression and then write a melody then lyrics. No set way. The lyrics are the hardest - rhyming or trying to say exactly what needs to be said but not trying to be clever.

Your role as singer/songwriter on the CD is evident. Did you have any input in the production, arranging and engineering?
I produced my CD. I've been in lots of studio situations before and have had bad experiences with engineers/producers trying to tell me what to do or that I did not know what I was doing. I decided to take charge of my own songs. Who else would really know what I was trying to say? Jay Turner (bassist) and Dick Rausch (engineer) helped me a great deal with production advice and arrangement suggestions. I learned a lot, like what to do and what not to do the next time around.

You help young girls at risk using music therapy. Tell us about that.
I have been very interested in music therapy for quite awhile now. The healing power that all expressive arts have is tremendous. Music has that kind of power. A song can reach down and alter something inside even if temporarily. I work with "at risk" teenage girls in a music therapy capacity. I teach them how to sing properly, expressively with their heart, mean it and find their own truth. The girls have been very wounded and have a lot of pain stored inside. When we work on performance, they are so scared – tough on the outside but so fragile on the inside. I offer the music and myself as a vehicle and some pretty amazing things happen. It's very powerful.
www.dianepostell.com