To all my friends and fans who have been so supportive I wish an inspiring and meaningful Holiday Season.
If we could imagine that you are the collective shareholders in my little musical endeavors that would make this our end of the year progress report. Or if we imagine that you are the teachers who give me the benefit of your insight and wisdom, this might be the year end report card. Or if you were the IRS this would be your disappointing tax return. Or if you were the outgoing administration . . . sorry, going too far.

It’s been quite a sleigh ride down the mountain this year and I’m happy to recall many encouraging moments along the way.

This year I was able to finish and officially release my seventh CD, “Just A Guitar”.  It’s available at CD Baby at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/hazlett3 where you can also log in and write a review.  This is your chance to get me back. They can also be ordered by sending a check for $15 directly to me at:

Dan Hazlett
PO Box 300332
Waterford, MI 48330
I’m proud to announce that four of the songs found on the CD have received songwriting awards including 2nd and 3rd place in the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest http://www.greatlakessongs.com/ and finalist in the Big Top Chatauqua Songwriting Contest http://www.bigtop.org/.
Judy Insley’s fine CD, “Leaving Home” on which I acted as co-producer, etc. was nominated for a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Acoustic/Folk Recording.  Yeah Judy!  http://www.judyinsley.com/
A number of other recording projects were completed here at Home Street Studio this year including Bob Marshall’s CD “As Good As My Dog Thinks I Am” which I was proud to produce  http://www.bobmarshallmusic.com/, four songs on Tom and Robin Moore’s CD http://www.mooretunes.net/contact.html, and a version of “Tide and the River Rising” performed by Foxfire (Maggie Ferguson and Denise Marie Stein) that will be included on an important compilation to raise money for cancer research.  I’m currently working on projects for Alan Sturt, and Art Cameron who’s CD project is nearly complete.
In other studio news, I’ve upgraded my equipment to include a massive computer and a pro tools set up which will make it possible to email files back and forth to anywhere the internet can reach.  There will soon be an informational page about the studio on my updated website.
If you’ve had the occasion to visit my website you may have noticed that it has not been updated in a very long time.  This is because the lovely and talented Annie Capps and her equally lovely and talented spouse Rod are in the process of completely redesigning it from front to back.  It should be up and visible in a very short time and will be visually appealing, more easily navigated and full of more useful and informative features.  And I’ll finally be able to disconnect the two tin cans joined together with string.
I’d like to send out a special thanks to my very dear friend Rob Kneisler who so patiently and generously volunteered to keep my website going all these long years.   Without your help I would not have achieved a single thing and I owe more than I can ever repay.  You have my deep gratitude.
I just learned that one of my songs has been included in yet another radio muse program that can be found by visiting the following link: http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse-19.html
e I’ve written a musical play called Tumbledown Town which will be presented in a concert format which we hope to take on the road beginning sometime in the spring of next year.  I’m working with my friend Bob Marshall.  There will eventually be more information available about this on my website.
e I’ve got a few more gigs lined up for this year and then it’s onward into the vast and mystifying future of 2009.   Hope to see your lovely faces down the trail.
May your days be full of meaningful moments, your evenings sweet as a spring rain, your nights as tender as a newly opened blossom.  May you run naked and screaming through your house with all the curtains open and have a good excuse when the local law enforcement officers arrive.  May your chili turn out as spicy as your romances and your coffee be as bold as your dreams.  Remember to hold each other in the highest esteem, honor your visions and those of your neighbors, become the person you’ve always wanted to be, kiss your kids, pet your pets unless they are fish . . .  and please, please attend live musical performances whenever possible.  Real art is all that stands between us and the flatscreens of the world.