It was a crazy week filled with my favorite things - recording, new music, home, and people I love!
After a long (too long) road trip we finally made it home to work on what might be the final song on my next album! I LOVED IT - even though I was completely exhausted. We got it done and I am so excited about it! I've been quietly working on this album and not saying much because it is a very long and involved process that everyone would keep asking about long before it was ready to be released. We still have a long way to go in tracking the final vocals, mixing, mastering, etc., but it's really taking shape.
I MIGHT have recuperated enough now to function this week (really, that remains to be seen - lol). I suppose you could say I had help driving back, but it wouldn't be altogether accurate.
Here's to a week celebrating progress, even if it's just a little. :)
Even though he's a little too young for the youth fishing tournament, I think this guy's got the right idea. :)
Time to clean off the grill, find a bathing suit that fits,
and get out in the sun! Chaos will descend on my household as family arrives
and the good times start rolling. It’s just what I signed up for, and a
perfectly wonderful thing to complain about too. :)
Aquatic Weed Harvester - in action
When things get a little too crazy for me this year – I’ll
go fishing. By “fishing” I mean take a walk, steal some alone time, get quiet,
or momentarily disappear. Some deep breaths in nature are like a miracle cure
for anything! That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. (I’ll let you know how it
works out.)
You know you're back in Buffalo when the airport shuttle driver says, "Oh. I'll call maintenance to come shovel you out."
:)
Sigh... So far away from the California sunshine...
It had been a long journey. I missed my flight out of Los Angeles the morning after The Grammys and couldn't get rescheduled until the redeye that night. My connecting flight was delayed by over an hour and a half. Airport maintenance was called to shovel out my car and my tires needed air from being in extreme cold weather. I nearly slid off the road to avoid hitting the car in front of me on the drive home.
But the instant I finally pulled in my driveway I received two separate texts from neighbors before I even shut off the engine... "Hi T!" and "Hey T." :) (There's no place like home.) I texted other friends to let them know I had safely arrived home, adding "I love it here."
I picked up the dogs, who wasted no time at all getting back into the swing of things...
I saw my friends at Leon's...
With Leon of Leon Studio One
I ordered dinner from a saloon where the snowmobile helmets of patrons lined the wall shelves...
...and went with my cousin to something called a "Sportsman's Show" where I bought a ring made from a bent spoon and saw a live Snowy Owl who very much resembled Hedwig (from the Harry Potter books).
I'm exhausted. I haven't even been online since The Grammys and I still have pics from the after party to share. I'll catch up this week as much as possible.
Thank you all so much for your kind words and support and encouragement! I had an amazing and fantastic experience at The Grammys! It may top the list as Best Gig Ever! #Incredible
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
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...
In one week, we will be releasing our first official music video!!! It's for the song "Only Way Home." All week, we'll be posting video snippets, photos and quotes having to do with the song, beginning with this short clip from a live show, talking about how the song / album concept was born...
This past week, as we've been preparing the promotional material, the song's concept has been at the forefront of my mind.
Home is referred to in the song as a place of peace, a place where we all strive to be. We don't always know how to get there, but with faith, if we keep pushing forward, we will find it.
So many things fit this theme over the last week. Whether it was friends traveling to their hometowns for family reunions, heartwarming conversations with loved ones, the sense of celebration and pride that filled so many hearts after the Supreme Court decision on Friday, the magic of sharing the stage with a special family of musicians, the glow in the eyes of a newly married couple, the young couple I know who purchased their first house together, or challenges overcome in the relentless pursuit of health and happiness; there seemed to be a feeling of "home" everywhere I looked. (How cool is THAT?)
The song says that the way to get home is by moving forward - as opposed to giving up or retreating into fear. It says that the way to get back home is by persevering in our dreams and hearts' desires, and pushing through in challenging or uncertain times. If we keep going, we will eventually get home to that sense of peace, that place where we truly belong, that place where happiness lives.
At "Home" on the gig - with Russ and Apollo Joe
As I post about "Only Way Home" this week, I'll continue to think about all the wonderful people, places and things that feel like home - and I'll be grateful for them. :)
Ahhh… home. Family
reunion time… summer heat… barbeque and homemade sausage… good friends… water
balloon launches… laughter… children playing… smiling faces… salad fresh from
the garden… (I could go on for a good long while here).
Anyway, I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time at our lovely
event this weekend at The Book Nook!
There was something so perfectly right about singing “Only Way Home”
here at home – like comfort food. Like a
bowl of hot chili on a cold fall night – or a cool glass of lemonade on a hot
day – or that blast of cool air that hits you when you open the fridge to get
it (I’m going on again). It was just
great. Family was there, neighbors, good
people, and new friends. It was a
beautiful day with wonderful folks and a benefit for a great cause.
Richard Donovan, Andreanna Dolce, Mark Balzer, Mary Beth Dolce, A.J. Dolce, Frank Zaccari, Tanya Diona, Russell Graham
Want to know my favorite part?
How could there possibly be a favorite moment in a sea of
precious moments? There were really a few
“stand out” moments for me. One was when
my little, nine year old cousin was amazed that my youngest sister was younger
than me! She thought for sure that I
must be the youngest one – a statement for which I proclaimed her to be “my
favorite kid” - but there were a couple of others that were tops too.
One was when a very nice lady was telling me about how she
loved the song “Spend My Life” and that she planned on playing it for her
special guy and how it could be “their song.”
LOVED THAT! (You all know who you are) xoxo!
But how about when during the song “Only Way Home” a
gentleman smiled and made a phone call, talked hurriedly then held the phone up
for the other on the line to hear… He
told me afterwards that the song spoke to him, mainly because
it was exactly suited for a friend of his, who had recently returned
home. He bought a copy for her and I
signed it with a quote from the song… “Boldly forward is the way back
home.”
There is something simply amazing that happens when a song
does its job. When people hear it and
relate, when the pieces all come together and clarity shines down. This is what a song is supposed to do. This is why we write and record. This is why we sing and perform – to touch
people. I am reminded of the reason for
EVERYTHING.
Music has (obviously) had a profound and deeply moving
effect on my life. For me, those feelings are all too familiar - when the music we hear inspires us, makes us cry, gets
us in touch with our own feelings, helps us understand others, provides an
emotional release, or just inspires great fun and laughter, or love. It’s just perfect when these things happen. It’s even more perfect when you can see those
things in action - when you can actually
see a song come to life in the hearts of others.
Thank you to all who came and supported the event. Thanks for all who listen and allow the music
to somehow move you. It’s my favorite
thing in the world…
