NEWS YOU CAN USE
2024
Blisteringly August August!
I hope these mid-summer days find you at peace and chill, though, given the heat around the U.S. this season, I think the only chill folk on the planet are in the Southern hemisphere!
Some of you may have noticed the scarcity of shows posted on my website for the remainder of 2024. That is because over a year ago I made the decision to have Total Knee Replacement surgery on my left leg which was done on June 17th. Since everyone’s recovery journey is different, I couldn’t predict how soon I could count on returning to my touring schedule so I decided to forgo commitments for the remainder of the year. The surgery was successful and my recovery is going extremely well. Pickleball is still aspirational at this point but hope springs eternal!
I will get back on the road in 2025.Â
This time home is an opportunity to focus on recovery, woodshedding, decluttering, and booking. Joe Jencks and I are already looking at shows together in the Northeast in early Spring 2025. One thing I have learned in the past few years is that social media stats matter to many venue presenters especially the festivals. They are interested in seeing an artist’s reach. You could really help me out in two easy, concrete ways; subscribe to my Deidre McCalla YouTube Channel, and also consider signing up for my email newsletter which can be done by scrolling to the bottom of almost any page on this website. It is not a major data point but it certainly seems to be one of them so your help is greatly appreciated.Â
That being said, I am not totally off the radar which is good as I’m going a bit stir crazy. The Alexandria Museum of Art in Louisiana approached me last winter about performing in their concert series and they have been patiently waiting for me to determine if they could present me at the end of September. That’s a big YES now and the show is listed on my Concerts page. Also I have been selected as an Official Showcase Artist for the October 2024 FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest) Conference in Lisle, IL. I am very much looking forward to attending FARM and being in community with friends and colleagues.Â
As Quakers say please hold me in the Light especially on physical therapy days as those people don’t play! Keep an eye out for my return to touring. Presenters working on your 2025 schedule please hit me up if you think you’d like to explore adding me or me and Joe Jencks to your 2025 or beyond season.
In case you missed it, earlier this year I did a show in Berkeley, CAÂ with the multi-talented Julie Wolf and below is a video from one of the songs. The evening was memorable in a number of ways. First of all, the sound system in the club, The Back Room, Â was not working so Julie and I did the entire two-set show acoustically. Julie played piano, accordion, and GUITAR that night and as you can hear in the video was a lot more prominent vocally than she usually is onstage. And, discovering we are both Joan Armatrading fans, we decided to try our hands at her classic tune The Weakness In Me. Not perfect but definitely heartfelt. All things considered it was a fun night. Two additional videos from that show are posted on my Deidre McCalla YouTube Channel. Big thanks to videographer Irene Young for capturing the evening for us!