The Oscars - continued from "Airport Preview"

Whew! Sorry for the delay in catching up... I finally unpacked my suitcases from the last month, paid my bills, ate a home cooked meal (thanks Russ), and took a nap! :)

Singing background vocals behind Lady Gaga at The Grammys for the David Bowie tribute was so amazing. I wondered what experience could ever come close to that level of awesome. Then came  another opportunity to sing behind her at The Oscars...

Outside the Dolby Theater

It was announced that Vice President Joe Biden would introduce Lady Gaga's performance of "Til It Happens to You" (nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song). The song was featured in the documentary "The Hunting Ground," a film about sexual assault on college campuses. Her performance proved to be a very powerful and moving statement about standing up against sexual assault.

click here for NBC's article, "Joe Biden to Introduce Lady Gaga..."

I am still at a loss for words about how incredible it was for me to be a part of that performance. In case you missed it...

(And now here I sit staring at the blog page, the same way I did when I first posted from the airport... I don't know what to say next. It seems entirely inappropriate to post happy pictures and tell about the amazing experience of being backstage at the Oscars... Isn't it something how this performance and the story it tells, makes the experience of singing live on The Oscars seem utterly insignificant?)

The fact is - it is beyond what words can describe to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself. "Amazing" and "incredible" hardly capture the sense of fulfillment and purpose that comes from working collectively toward understanding and love. To be able to do that - in front of an audience of millions - is extraordinarily precious. 

I'm so grateful to have had some outstanding and remarkable moments in my professional musical life, with audiences large and small alike. I began this journey in a reggae group called "Positive Force." That is precisely what this Oscars performance felt like, a positive force. Something truly magical happens when we stand together with our brothers and sisters in unity for positive change. What is REALLY amazing is the power we have when we unite. 

Endless thanks to Lady Gaga and to all those creative souls who unite us through music and art. It was such an honor to be a part of that night's family of musicians...

BGVs, Musicians, and Conductor/Orchestrator

BGVs

BGVs

With Instrument Techs Mark and Raegan

As the big lights dim and I return to the quiet of my own thoughts, I'm reminded of the incredible power that can ignite when human spirits join together. We can do amazing things in the world, and connecting with one other soul can be just as meaningful as connecting with many. We often forget our own strength.

Namaste,

T

#OFFICIALMUSICVIDEO - Only Way Home

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!!!

Thank you first to God for making all things possible...

I am absolutely filled with gratitude and love for everyone whose support and encouragement made this song, this video, and this album possible; and to all of you who click, like, tweet, post, share and leave heartwarming comments. Your kindness and love make my heart sing! My deepest thanks to all of you. It is a most amazing Blessing to be able to do what I love - and feel so good about being an artist. Here's wishing all the positive energy you give out comes back to you tenfold and that all you do, in pursuit of your heart's dream, be touched with the magic, power and strength of love...
Namaste!
T

Official Music Video: Only Way Home

"Only Way Home"

On my own in New York City

Missing home for far too long

It ain't how I thought it would be

Still I keep on pressin' on

Longing for the days gone by

Times I lay down and I cry

Thinking back on how it used to be

But I ain't gettin' nowhere

Wishin' for what's not there

Now I think I finally see

**Chorus**

Keep on taking on a new day

Don't look back upon the old way

That old place is lost

It's gone, gone, gone

Next phase, bring it on, ya got me

Steep pace, only way that I see

Boldly forward is the way back home

It's the only way to get back home

Back home, back home

It's the only way to get back home

Back home, back home

It's the only way to get back home

Everybody's got a story

But everybody's all the same

Gotta get to where we're going

But don't nobody know the way

Home is where you just can be

Friends are true and you are free

Overflowing with a sense of peace

But we ain't gettin' nowhere

Actin' like we don't care

When home is where we wanna be

**Chorus**

Somewhere along the way I swear I lost my mind

Panic-stricken in my haste I tried and tried to find

(Only empty places, unfamiliar faces)

Can't catch my breath, look right to left

(Runnin', runnin', searchin', searchin', searchin', runnin')

'Til I'm frozen still in time

Home is where you just can be

Friends are true and you are free

Overflowing with a sense of peace

But we ain't gettin' nowhere

Actin' like we don't care

When home is where we wanna be

**Chorus**

From: Nothing To Prove... Something To Say
Written by: Tanya Diona (BMI) and Russell Graham (ASCAP) / Produced by Russell Graham and Tanya Diona for Red Queen Productions / Lead and background vocals: Tanya Diona / All instruments and programming: Russell Graham / Recorded by: Russell Graham at Red Queen Studios, NY and Audio Magic, Buffalo, NY / Mixed by: Russell Graham at Red Queen Studios, NY / Mastered by: Gary Tole for Chelsea Sound Labs

Special thanks:
To Russ: My best friend, love and partner in everything - we did it! :) To Vincent Buccitelli, Meg, Qina and the New York Global Marketing Solutions team: for your continual encouragement to make things better and then even better, and for your swift and reliable ability to get it done! To Jim Bush: for your keen eye, photographic talents and warm spirit. To Chris Tringali and Leon Studio One: for always doing such a great job (and landing me so many hair compliments) - you're the best. To my most amazing band of musicians, vocalists and dancers whose talents make the live shows positively magical... Kenny Hawkins, Big Mike Porter, Richii Valentino, Russell Graham, Joey Diggs, Sharon Banks, Shelly Hirsch, Jenna Beth Stockman, Meghan Hinton - love you all! To Joey Diggs (Unka Doey): for your incredible talent, tireless dedication, awesome humor and true friendship. To Robbie Konikoff: for your constant encouragement and kindness. To all my family and extended family of most incredible supporters: you truly do make my heart sing and inspire me to reach higher heights! My most sincere thanks to you all...

Love, T

Hot Flashes... Can You Blame the Dog?

Yes.  Here's how...

Bentley

Step 1: Leave a roll of packing tape on the floor, well within reach of your dog who sometimes has separation anxiety.
Step 2: Go to church.
Step 3: Come home to find that dog has eaten much of the roll of tape.
Step 4: Travel by car for eight hours with said dog in the back seat.
Step 5: When dog throws up in back seat, stop at an exit ramp to let him out and clean up the car.
Step 6: Arrive at destination several hours later to discover that you've been bitten up by mosquitos while walking around on a strange exit ramp with dog. Apply Hydrocortisone cream and deal with it.
Step 7: When symptoms don't go away four days later, go to a clinic where you discover that you do not have mosquito bites, but poison ivy (from the dog tramping through it on that exit ramp and transferring it to you).
Step 8: Go to the pharmacy and fill the prescription they gave you for Prednisone.
Step 9: Accept the fact that a potential side effect of the steroid medication is hot flashes.

Did this actually happen?  Yes, except I didn't want to start the oral medication until I arrived back home from the gig in West Virginia, where the clinic diagnosed me.  So, I have the hot flashes to look forward to this week.  :)

The week prior had been a long one - with rehearsals, meetings and a flat tire incident that had me wandering through Jersey looking for a gas station with a working air pump.  Then there was VERY EARLY morning travel and a serious lack of sleep.  By the time I arrived at the airport, got on and off two planes, ran (about five miles) from one end of the airport to the other to make the connecting flight, and rode two hours in the van to the hotel (where the room wasn't ready yet, so we went to eat lunch before finally checking in), the last thing I wanted to deal with was bright red itchy spots on my arms when I took off my sweatshirt to take a much needed nap.

Classic band shot - en route to hotel

As I looked down at my arms and said, "This doesn't look right," I could hear the voice of my friend Paul Anthony echoing (from his TV episode of "Unsung") in my head.  He said, "You MUST be proactive.  You don't wait."  I considered waiting until Monday when I would be back in NY and could see my own doctor.  "You MUST be proactive.  You don't wait."  OK FINE!  I looked up health care facilities and spoke to a lovely hospital nurse who guided me to a clinic that was less than a mile from the hotel, and walked there.  Poison ivy.  I'm glad I listened.  Thanks Paul Anthony.

I laughed out loud at the pharmacy counter wondering if life could get more ridiculous.  I should've known not to ask that question.  As soon as I did, the pharmacist told me my prescription coverage had expired.  I laughed harder, waited while they looked up my coverage another way, and eventually bought the medicine.  I walked back through the rain to the hotel, applied the topical cream they gave me, wondered if makeup would conceal the red marks on my arms, thanked God that I'd thrown a long-sleeved dress in my suitcase as an option for the gig, and tried not to scratch.

The gig was great and the band was awesome!  I was one of five singers on the bandstand and they are all amazing performers!  I wore my long-sleeved dress and put a little makeup on my splotchy arms.

with the super-talented singers:  Brian, Chevonne, John and Charles

I recalled the chain of events and realized the humor in the fact that because Bentley had eaten a roll of packing tape, I had poison ivy and was facing hot flashes.  When I rewind the tape of my memory further though, I remember that I was the one who had left that roll of tape on the floor.  There was that brief moment when I saw it there and thought of picking it up, but I had been in a rush to get out the door and left it there instead.  If I had made a different choice in THAT moment, poison ivy may never have entered my life.

It looked like Heaven outside my airplane window on the way home

On the way home, when people asked how I was doing with regard to the poison ivy, I responded that it was a real exercise in mental discipline not to scratch like crazy.  (It really is too!)  It reminds me of the "blame game."  Oftentimes it's easy to place blame.  We do it all the time.  Sometimes it's hilarious!  Sometimes it's not.  While it might be funny to blame hot flashes on the dog, sometimes it's a real "exercise in mental discipline" to take responsibility for our own actions, consequences, happiness or unhappiness.

I'll remember that this week.  I may play the blame game from time to time (we're all human) and sometimes it's all just too funny, but I'll take responsibility for my own happiness and create my own destiny accordingly.

Today's calendar page from Louise Hay

Let's make it a GREAT week!

Namaste
T

Walk the Weed Walk

The first thing last Monday morning, I became aware that the weeds around the house were out of control.  I felt bad because I had been meaning to "pretty up" the place for awhile, but hadn't gotten around to actually doing it.  (Alright fine.  I'll take care of it.)

Before

After

A few days and fourteen leaf bags later, I had made a significant dent.  I had made several trips to pick up borrowed garden tools, two trips to Home Depot, and been to the nursery and to the town dump.

Russ after we unloaded bags at the town heap

I became a weed pulling machine.  I spent a few hours each day getting rid of weeds, pruning overgrown bushes and ivy and tilling up soil.  I was determined to remove all of the old, unnecessary and unsightly things that were choking out the new and healthy growth.  (Hmm... How could THIS be a metaphor for life???)

I started looking around the house for other possible weeds.  I weeded out my songlist, my closet, my computer desktop, my actual desktop, my purse, my car and the refrigerator.  It was endless.

The gig on Saturday was GREAT!  I met wonderful singers and musicians who were all very nice and sounded fantastic.  The food was delicious and the staff at the gala event was friendly.  I had my updated song list and my newly cleaned out gig bag and was feeling good.  I was pretty sure I knew what this blog would be about.

John, Primadonna, Me, Tony

THEN came church on Sunday.  The minister started talking about "earthing" and harvest and composting.  (C'mon!!!  Really?  I was totally going to blog about this type of thing already!)

Then she said, "You don't want to focus on the weeds."  (HUH?  WHAT?  I was going to blog about the weeds!)  She went on to explain that it's a metaphysical law that what we focus on expands, so we need to focus on the Blessings, the harvest - not the weeds.  We need to clear what exists inside of ourselves that resists prosperity.

OKAY...

I went back home and did some more weed pulling and clipping, but found it somewhat unsatisfying. When it was almost time to wrap it up for the day, I knew what had to be done.  I had to plant.  (This must be what she was talking about.)  Pulling the weeds was not enough.  I had to plant that half flat of Vinca Minor that I bought at the nursery just like I have to plant new ideas.  I couldn't just THINK about doing it.  I had to actually dig a hole, mix in some fertilized soil, place them in the ground, cover their roots and water them.  I have to get the new idea, make room for it, then take the action of planting it and nurturing it.  Action is required.  I have to walk the walk.

This week I will not get distracted by the weeds.  I'll pull them away to make room for the new.  Then I'll focus on the new, on the nurturing, the building, the action.

Have a great week cultivating your new ideas!  Enjoy the harvest.

Namaste,
T

Keep Going Angel Face

Happy Monday everybody!

I started off last week in the studio in Buffalo.  It's always such a joy to work on new music with my dream team!

with Joey and Russ

Tuesday, I saw an Angel in the sky.  :)  There were guys working on the house when a friend texted to ask how I was doing.  I took this picture of the ladder and responded that I was "Movin' on up."  Do you see the Angel face in the clouds - just to the left of the ladder?

raw photo - no retouches

When Russ left for Milan, I thought I might have a minute to relax, but no.  I received a confirmation for a pending Saturday show and the rush was on to get hair done, update website, learn songs and get back to the NYC area.

At the gig in the Hamptons, I was pleasantly surprised to see old friends!

with Wes (drums)

And I always love working with this amazing group of singers!  :)

with John, Chevonne, Brian

By the time I got home, I was too tired to get out of the car.  (Hey singers - does this happen to any of you too?)

So on Sunday, I didn't want to do ANYTHING.  A day of rest... Aaahh... (If only this were one of the commandments or something.)  ;)  

Seriously though, it is SOOOOOO good for us to just sit and breathe.  We all really need to do this more often.  I had the Blessed opportunity to rest and reflect and let the thoughts flow freely on Sunday.

As I thought about what I might write here today and looked for a common thread that ran throughout the week, I recalled many conversations, comments and Facebook posts about love, relationships, personal boundaries and standing up for one's self.  All week long these topics kept coming up.  They were in the love song we worked on in the beginning of the week, in the songs I learned for the gig, in the casual conversations, in the funny stories I heard from friends and in the serious stories on the news.  

I remembered someone's story about how a friend of theirs had been afraid to stand up for themselves in a work situation, and someone else's story about how they HAD spoken up for themselves and how things had changed for the better after that.  I recalled a time when I had spoken up for myself.  I recalled a time that I didn't, but wished I had.  I remembered that oftentimes it seems easiest to ignore an issue and pretend that it's not that bad or offensive.  Sometimes it's hard to face the possibility of letting go and easier to let wishful thinking blind us to the truth.  I thought of someone last week who said, "It is what it ain't!" - rather than "It is what it is."

I saw these posts on Facebook:

"Sometimes on your way up

you have to stop and

let some people off"

- from Enchanted Minds

"You will never get what you truly deserve

if you remain attached

to what you're supposed to let go of"

- from Enchanted Minds

Then I saw this post:

click here for: "The Difference Between Healthy Love & Unhealthy Love" - by Joe Martino

I thought of all the positive affirmations and quotes that I see so often on social media.  While we are encouraged to be positive and love each other, sometimes we forget to love ourselves first.  Setting boundaries doesn't have to mean conflict.  We don't need to get someone else to act in any particular way - but we DO need to be honest with ourselves about the decisions WE make about how we will or will not allow ourselves to be treated, or who we choose to be around.  Loving someone does not mean allowing ourselves to compromise what we believe is right for ourselves.  We can set our own limits and respect the choices of others while we take responsibility for our own.  

Then Steve Harvey came on TV with Oprah, giving advice and talking about his book "Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success."  (I bought it as an eBook.)  He talked about how he doesn't have time for people's negativity and how "You cannot pull everyone along in your wagon of success.  You have to know when it's time to cut certain people loose."

click here for: Steve Harvey on "Oprah's Lifeclass"

I remembered the Angel's face in the clouds and thought of "movin' on up" and wrote these words:

"I take responsibility for presenting myself to you 

as someone you could take advantage of...  

That's all over with now.

- My Higher Self"

In case you didn't see the Angel before...

So here's what I got for this week (to remind myself):

1)  Take the time to rest and breathe and let your innermost thoughts and revelations bubble up to the surface.  Don't get too busy for yourself.  Don't drown yourself out with busywork.

2)  Keep climbing.  Keep making everything better.  Keep raising your own bar.  Blessings await.  Don't be afraid to let go of the old.  Trust that the new Blessings will come.  Keep going!

3)  Hey!  I should write a song about this stuff!  ;)

click here for: Tanya Diona's song "Stand"

Namaste,

T

#Proud

What an awesome week!!!

#proud...

First of all, words can not express how proud I am to be a member of SAG-AFTRA.  Through that affiliation, I stand with some of THE MOST AMAZING AND TALENTED PERFORMERS IN THE WORLD!

I began the week attending SAG-AFTRA meetings/events in NYC.  There, I felt absolutely privileged and Blessed to be present among some truly wonderful Angels who walk around masquerading as people.  I am blown away by the incredible talent of fellow members, but even more so by their incredible spirit.  This week, I've reconnected with familiar friends and met new friends who share a drive and dedication to the art and business of music and entertainment that I find beyond inspirational.  To be a part of this family of performers is a most amazing honor.

click here for SAGAFTRA.org - "About Us"

(Highlights from SAG-AFTRA's 2013 Inaugural National Convention)

#ilovesingers...

The camaraderie and family spirit among performers, entertainers and those who share a passion for the arts truly warms my heart.  Over the years I've often felt that way, with so many groups of people with whom I've worked.  There's just something magical about the bonds that you forge working side by side on stage (AND off) to make a show, a recording, and/or a performance into something special.  There's such a feeling of community and team spirit.

I had the opportunity to spend time with some extraordinary and very accomplished singers and entertainment professionals this week.  There were moments when I was overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for all of them - and for countless others who paved the way for us to be able to do what we love for a living.  At one point, I looked around the dinner table and it occurred to me that the the talent, the résumés and accomplishments of those present was staggering, but even more impressive than that was the feeling of family, the kinship, the warmth, the laughter and spirit of love in the air.

L to R front: Janice, Dennis, Felicia, Me
L to R back: Sidney, John, Antonio, Louis, Carlos, Randy, Noah, Dan

L to R: Ada, Dennis, Me, John, Keith, Felicia, Carlos

#nostalgic...

By Friday it was time to make my way to Buffalo, where I had a gig with some very special singers from NYC who traveled all the way to my hometown to perform for a gala event there.  Nostalgia was running high as we remembered the "good ol' days."  Gordon and Wondress were the singers in the very first club date band I played with in NYC - and it was Gordon who introduced me to this band of performers and to Russell Graham (their keyboard player) who would become my husband.  (That first show was at "The Greatest Bar On Earth" - part of Windows on the World at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center - where the band played regularly until our last scheduled show there on September 11th, 2001, when the tower fell many hours before any of us were scheduled to arrive.)

There they both were, in my hometown of Buffalo, and Russ and I were both on the gig.  Joining us would be musicians from NYC and fellow Buffalonian Ken Witman on saxophone.  The show was great and we all expressed how wonderful it was to work together again.

with Gordon and Wondress

with Russ, Gordon and Wondress

with Ken

with Wondress

with Russ

Russ and Gordon

#gratitude...

As I write this on Sunday, finally relaxing for the first time this week, I recall all the events of the week and smile - thinking of the spirit of family, pride, nostalgia and gratitude that seemed to follow me around.  They were such profound and lovely feelings.  As I begin this week working on new music with my beautiful family of entertainment, music and studio professionals, I'll carry with me the spirit of last week.  I'll remember all of the amazing performers in history who fought for performers' rights and wages.  I'll remember the passionate spirit, friendly warmth and incredible talent of today's industry veterans.  I'll carry the memories of those first gigs in NYC, and reverence for those musicians who welcomed me, and for the journey itself.

This week, I'll walk with confidence and pride.  This week I'll carry all those exquisite people in my heart - with warmth and gratitude.  

Amen.

Namaste, 

T