Press Kit | Diane Battistello

Short Bio

Diane Battistello

Influenced by early works of Joni Mitchell, Diane's vocals and lyrics came together in the 1970s behind her finger-picking guitar style. During the 1980s, Diane’s ear was bent by the writing of Greg Brown, who is her second main musical influence. Diane often uses her music to raise awareness of social issues. ‘Words Not War’ and ‘In This Darkened Day” address current wars. The song, ‘Gold, Diamonds, Tin Ore’ draws a connection between our use of computer technology/rare minerals and the Congo’s child soldier human rights atrocities. ‘Big Fat Lie’ addresses why politicians don’t control gun sales, and ‘Winslow Farm’ was written as a fund raiser for Debra White, a high school friend who owns and operates a stay-for-life animal rescue sanctuary in Norton. Diane served as Rhode Island Songwriter Association (RISA) Board of Directors secretary from 2017 - 2021, and currently serves as membership coordinator.

You can find out more about Diane’s schedule at: www.dianebattistello.com.

Long Bio

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Diane Battistello

"I grew up on the Wading River, in Norton, MA and we had a swimming hole there. When I was young I would go to the end of the diving board and sing to the trees, and I wrote for many years after that but I kept my words private”, says Massachusetts native and acoustic folk singer/songwriter Diane Battistello.

Years later Diane would escape to Lake Champlain and Burlington, VT, where she bought her first guitar. The vocals and lyrics would start to come together as she embraced a finger-picking guitar style. The spell cast from the graceful shores of that glacial lake and the neighboring Adirondack Mountains never left her. “Green Mountain Blue” is a 2012 song that wrote itself years after she returned to life in Massachusetts. The Green Mountains show up again in her 2026 autobiography song, ‘Simple Life’.

Diane often uses her music to raise awareness of social issues. The song, “Gold, Diamonds, Tin Ore” draws a connection between our demands for computer technology and the Congo’s child soldier human rights atrocities. ‘Words Not War’ and ‘In This Darkened Day” address current wars. ‘Big Fat Lie’ addresses why politicians don’t control gun sales. “Winslow Farm” was written as a fund raiser for Debra White, a high school friend who owns and operates a stay-for-life animal rescue sanctuary in Norton.

Diane, as many of us do, encountered many twists and turns in life and she stopped writing and singing for nearly 25 years. One day in 2010 a spark from words by Carolyn Myss, “Everyone needs to have harmony in their life”, reignited Diane’s musical flame. On that day she pulled her guitar out of the closet, put some new strings on it, and got back to music.

Diane currently lives back on the Wading River and she grows most of her own food. She performs at coffeehouses and art centers from Boston to Providence. She served as secretary for the Rhode Island Songwriter Association (RISA) from 2017 - 2021 and currently serves as membership coordinator. You can find out more about Diane’s schedule at: www.dianebattistello.com.