The 7th of June brought a live on air performance at the studios of 105.5 Triple M for the Food Pantry Network and Atwood Community Center. I played guitar and performed None O' Your Business and Across The Bridge. First time on guitar on the radio. I think I'll stick to piano.

On the 18th my business manager, Valerie Wulf and I attended a luncheon at the Madison Club in honor of Kelli Trumble, the new Secretary of Transportation for the State Of Wisconsin. Kelli and I go way back in and around the Dells and Through her tenure as the founder of Sundara Inn and Spa. We will do our best to write music for the state's advertising.

June 23rd found the Massey family heading into the sunset on our longest and most ambitious vacation adventure yet. We stopped the first night in Omaha to visit Robin's cousins Pat and Renee McDonald and their daughter Michelle. The second night found us in the shadow of Pike's Peak in Colorado Springs. And the third day we meandered through the mountains and into the desert of New Mexico and Arizona and arrived at our ultimate destination, Sedona AZ. One of the most breathtaking spots on earth. We stayed for four days taking in the sights. We spent one of the days going to the Grand Canyon and stopped at a tiny roadside chapel on the way home. We met The Prinz family from Michigan and had a wonderful time with them at the pool at our Sedona home. We busted ass on the way home and drove straight through with the exception of a three hour catnap just a little west of Oklahoma City. Beautiful going through downtown early in the morning. A memorable, fun, educational trip that will live on in our hearts forever.

May 15 I met with the director/choreographer and creative genius behind the Madison Ballet, W. Earle Smith, to discuss composing some music for an original Ballet in 2008. Very exciting! Something I've always wanted to do.

Francie Phelps and I have begun to play a weekly gig on Thursday nights at the Ivory Room. It's a piano bar just off Madison's Capitol Square on West Mifflin St. I look forward to having fun and developing that amazing natural instrument Miss Phelps has been gifted with.

On the 18th of April, the earnest team of Urban, Wulf and Massey marched into the Michael, Best and Friederich offices in the US Bank building to pitch our idea for Wisconsin to combat the insidious Happy Cows for California drivel. More on that later.

On the 22nd I was honored to play a benefit put together by Toni Schriver For the PAWWS group.

On the 24th I joined international jazz pianist/writer/producer, Ben Sidran on a panel at Madison West High School to talk about making a living in the music business. Hmm, guess they found out about both sides of it. Interestingly, Ben and I have a lot of the same daily habits. He's just at a little different level than I....so far.

I'm proud to announce the release of the compilation CD, "Live From Studio M Volume 6" from 105.5 Triple M. Proceeds go to the Nature Conservancy.
Artists include; Death Cab For Cutie, The Fray, KT Tunstall, Shawn Mullins, Trey Anastasio, Mat Kearney, Nickel Creek and yours truly, Michael Massey.

I am proud to be in the company of such accomplished and distinguished artists. The album consists of hit songs, recorded in an intimate, relaxed setting at the radio station. Some of the versions are soul stirring. Check it out at:
www.1055triplem.com

I was late on the 1st getting to 105.5 Triple M for my appearance with Jonathan and Kitty in the morning to promote the CD release show because of the first snow of the season and the resultant 2 mph traffic. Of course, it was the only day in memory that I left the cell phone at home. They were good to me and played "Silent Night" from the record anyway, just because I showed up.

The Present CD release show at the Cafe Montmartre sold out. There was a line down the street waiting for admission that included my father, heartless offspring that I am. A wonderful elegant time was had by all. I had champagne passed by the waitstaff and key lime and chocolate tarts placed on the tables.

Mary Gaines, Bobby Westfall, Emily, Anna and I did a holiday promo for 105.5 Triple M. We sang songs from their core playlist as if we were Christmas carolers. It was a fun holiday time.

The Mad Cabaret played to a sold out house at the King Club on the 14th and performed a raucous holiday show. The troupe is taking a short hiatus to revamp and add some new material. We're coming back with a vengeance in March.

It was delightful to have trouble keeping "The Present" stocked in record stores. The looks on the staff's faces were as incredulous as I felt. Thanks so much to Ron Roloff at Strictly Discs, Justin at Exclusive Co. West and all the others who were gracious and warmly received the CD's into their stores.

Played selections from the Present at Fyfe's on the 23rd for the last time this year. While I am truly proud of the work and the package, I have been working on it since June. It's time to let it rest until next Thanksgiving.

I played a birthday party for my friend Kim Sponem on the 30th. I've had that on my calendar since February 2006. Well worth waiting for.

Onward! 2007 here we come! I look forward to a new calendar on the wall.

November 1st my Mom passed away with the funeral on the 5th. Although it wasn't unexpected, it is still a devastating loss. She was a very loved woman.

November also brought a whirlwind of activity. 13 live shows and finishing touches on the album and manufacture. Two benefits, both close to my heart always round out November. The Arthritis Foundation Benefit at the Madison Club and the March Of Dimes Chef's Auction at Chula Vista Resort in the Dells are causes that I believe very strongly in.

On the 16th I taped "Urban Theater" and brought in a grand piano to promote the Christmas album. It aired the weekend of the 17th to good reviews. It is the source of the video found here. 152 CD's arrived from manufacture on November 30. I had them overnighted to make sure I had some to sell at the release party. The balance arrived Dec 1st. Everything was pushed back 2-3 weeks because of my mom's passing. But I didn't stress that factor. it couldn't be helped. It turned out alright anyway. On to December!

October 6th found my good friend John Urban getting one year older. We're (actually John is) plugging away at finishing the artwork and liner notes for the Christmas CD.

It was a busy live show month and amidst playing the numerous gigs, my mom became very ill. she was admitted to the hospital on the 21st.

Music Fest '06 was my 4th year of performing at the best venue in the world. Once again Margie had the barn spotless and beautiful and Tim "Cheese" Ringgenberg provided impeccable audio. Two major occurances for me were seeing the wonderful virtuosity of Cliff Frederikson on guitar with Emily, who totally appreciated it. It is so priceless to see a child realize that through music, people are ageless. AND Emily played "Star" from Attack with me. She performed like a pro and then later, Pat McConnell talked her into jamming. After some initial trepidation, she stepped up and played power chords very loudly to the Who's, "Join Together With The Band." It was one of the proudest moments of my life. For those of you who don't know, Emily is my daughter and she's 10. Watch out for that one.
The other daughter Anna performed as well but it's nothing to her. She's improvised in front of hundreds. Oh did I say Anna's 7? The month also brought travel to Minneapolis and New York City. My good friend Harvey Briggs was generous enough to let me tag along and introduced me to some of his business associates and production companies. Also while in NY, rekindled my friendship with Marc Coppola, DJ at 104.3 the classic rock station in the big apple. Marc's also a filmmaker and I'm going to score a couple for him. September also brings the finality to the Christmas album. What Child Is This is the final piece. John Urban is shooting the cover and doing the layout. I'm working on the liner notes as I write. Stay tuned.

My good friend Mare and I had quite a few good times playing together in August. We did Giada's, Mexicali Rose, Springbrook, and Fyfe's. Made some money, had many musical moments and a lot of laughs. I love performing with her. You can't help but smile. Billy Anderson released a CD with a party at the House of Embers in the Dells. It became a jam session and a good time was had by all. Played another 105.5 WMMM outdoor show at Greenway Station, this time with the inimitable Michael John Ripp accompanying on guitar.
Scored a short film for Denver filmmaker, Julie Pearson. A very funny movie, it will be screened and then we will perfect the score for future release. As the Summer comes to a close, so does another idyllic chapter of life. Time can never be reclaimed. Let's make the most of it while we can.

July brought sunshine and happiness to the world in 2006. Emily, Anna and I spent a good deal of time at the home of a friend with a beautiful pool. Yours truly actually performed some of the best one and a half tucks ever. You had to start to spin pretty early and fast but you could get around. Started work on the Christmas piano instrumental album. It is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, to arrange and perform original versions of traditional holiday carols when it's 85 degrees and sunny outside. Life is busy. Here's an example of a particularly hectic stretch: 7-20, Mad Cabaret at the Slipper Club, perform until 1, up until dawn, drive to 105.5 WMMM and do the 7-21 morning show with Jonathan and Kitty. Drive to LaCrosse for my lifelong friend Mark Davini's wedding, Play an outdoor Triple M show 7-22 at Greenway Station from 5-7 and drive to Giada's for 10-1. That's what being a musician for a living feels like. I'm not a rock star like I aspired to be in my youth but I am one of the luckiest people on the planet to be doing what I love.