Diva Taunia's Backstage Pass Official Blog

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING - PAWS DOG RESCUE SHELTER NEEDS HELP!

PAWS is the shelter where I adopted my dogSerena. They do wonderful work and really need help right now. A small donation from a lot of people adds up to big helpf. Please consider donating here:

PAWS Appeal from Kelly Parker on Vimeo.

10/26/09 NEW MUSIC FEATURE: SABRINA VARGAS

In the current world full of recession, chaos, and uncertainty, it’s nice to come upon a musician who’s like a ray of sunshine in your day, and that ray of sunshine is Sabrina Vargas.  As corny as it may sound, this woman’s voice evokes relaxation and happiness.

Sabrina’s self-titled debut album features songs like “How You Make Me Feel,” a latin-groove infused guitar-focused song penned by the artist herself.  You can’t help but close your eyes and relax.   “Dragonfly” is another original that reminds me of being younger and driving in my car in the summer with the windows down.  Her voice just brings you to a comforting place.

Sabrina’s newest single release, “Alright” has the funkiest groove and if this isn’t in the dance clubs soon, music just won’t make sense to me anymore.  I’m literally chair-dancing as I type this!   You can hear her new single on her site at myspace.com/sabrinavargas.

Sabrina is a Los Angeles native, and is an independent artist doing things on her own terms.  Straight from her website: “At the end of the day there is simply one thing that Sabrina will continue to accomplish; and that’s to bring the joy of music, lyrics, song, and sound into the lives of many and she hopes it will bring her fans…happiness!”   Well I’m here to tell you, Sabrina, it does.

To hear and read more about Sabrina Vargas, please visit:

www.myspace.com/sabrinavargas
www.sabrinavargas.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/sabrinamusic

WLS LOVELY FEATURE: MISSJANIEHERE - A WORK OF ART

 Ok, I admit it:  I gush way too much about how gorgeous Janie is, but gorgeous is gorgeous, and this girl is like a work of art.  Jane, otherwise known as MissJanieHere to the YouTube community is not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well.  Anyone who wants a healthy dose of inspiration should definitely check out her channel.

Jane is 42 years old (although she looks about 10 years younger, and I have to hate her a little bit for that), and had her surgery on June 4, 2008 at Methodist Specialty & Transplant Hospital.  At 5’5” her start weight was 273 lbs.  She currently weighs….drum roll please….151 lbs.  YEOWZA!  She’s lost 122 lbs with the help of gastric bypass and with a whole lot of gumption.

Jane lives in Texas and has a wonderful family with her husband and three sons.  She’s a teleworker for an insurance company and is going back to school to become an elementary school teacher.  Her hobbies include reading, writing, vlogging, and she just recently signed on to administer the YouTube WLS calendar (as if she doesn’t have enough to juggle already!).

Her videos are incredibly motivational:  she is uplifting, positive, an active part of the WLS community, and she even dances and gets her groove on in her videos.  She's also in the process of creating a blog that will be made public as soon as it's finished.

For anyone going through the weight loss surgery journey, check out the wonderful missjaniehere channel:  she’s gorgeous inside and out!  For more information about Jane, please visit:

www.youtube.com/missjaniehere

10/19/09 WLS LOVELY FEATURE: NIKKI / 3FOLDUTOPIANDREAM

Like most You-Tubers, I found Nikki when I was searching (and researching) gastric bypass. Nikki’s channel is refreshing:  she tells it like it is.  Sometimes that’s not pretty, but it’s always honest.   Known as 3folduptopiandream on YouTube, she’s a must-see if you’re looking for inspiration.

Nikki had her surgery on 8/22/07 with a start weight of 267 lbs.  She’s currently maintaining an average weight of 170 lbs, which is an impressive 95 lb weight loss.  Her surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Freeman at The Freeman & Co Center of Excellence in Anniston, AL.

What I love about Nikki’s videos is that she is real.  She talks about the emotional and physical struggles that post-op patients can go through and offers real and honest advice.  But don’t think she’s all about the struggles:  there’s lots of fun stuff too, including her love of music and product suggestions and reviews.

Nikki is in her senior year currently doing a double major in Biology and Pyschology.  Her career path goalis to graduate and work as a surgical physician’s assistant.

You can find out more information about Nikki/3folduptopian dream at the following sites:

www.youtube.com/3foldutopiandream
www.tattooedgirl.livejournal.com
www.twitter.com/nikkihay
myspace.com/spankadelic
www.facebook.com/nikkihay

NEW MUSIC FEATURE: KOTADAMA (10/19/09)

I like good pop music.  I like cute boys.  I like it even better when the two collide, and therein lies my new love of Kotadama. 

 Chris and Evan Brown were raised (and home-schooled) on a rural property on the Central Coast of NSW Australia (what a shame for all the Australian public-school girls).  They took up instruments, started writing, then started traveling, and their music took off.  They named the band Kotadama, a Japanese term which means “Spirit of words” representative of what their music was about.

“See You Tonight” and “Three Simple Words” could easily be featured on any of the new younger-generation television shows like Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill (not that I, as a 37 yr old musician watch that…ahem), with memorable lyrics, boppy groves, and the spirit of love that tugs at any young heart.  The boys clearly work well together and been winning songwriting awards and making the charts all over Europe and the US.

When I featured them on the Backstage Pass Radio Program, there was immediate chat conversation about how adorable they were, and even better, people really liked their music and went to visit their URL immediately.  The one drawback to the band right now is their website – which looks amateur compared to their impressive resume.  But as with any band trying to break into the business, I’m sure that will evolve with time and be as solid as their music.

If you like catchy tunes (and cute boys), you really should check out Kotadama at www.kotadama.com.  Their music will remind you of why girls swoon over cute pop stars.

NEED A LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUME?

CHECK OUT THE NEW STORE! We can ship overnight, or Priority Mail (2-3 business days) and you'll get it in time for Halloween!

OCTOBER CONTEST: HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!

RESOURCES & LINKS FROM TONIGHT'S RADIO SHOW

Hello, Lovelies!

Thanks so much for tuning in tonight.  I think this was a topic that really hit home with a lot of us, and it was great to hear from you all.   I threw out a TON of URLs tonight, so I wanted to follow-up with those for you all here.  (Please note the New Music Feature and WLS Feature reviews will be up within in the next few days.)  Everything you need:

• DIVA TAUNIA WEBSITE
• DIVA TAUNIA "VIRTUAL VOICE LESSONS" INFO PAGE (also, use the dropdown menu for more info)
• NASHUA ELECTROLYSIS
  
• RADIO SHOW RSS FEED (to hear archived info)
• NEW MUSIC FEATURE:  KOTADAMA WEBSITE
• WLS LOVELY FEATURE:  NIKKI / 3FOLDUTOPIANDREAM
• WLS CHANNEL'S CHEF DAVE (wls friendly recipes)
  
• THE WORLD ACCORDING TO EGGFACE BLOG (wls friendly recipes)
• POUCH FRIENDLY (wls friendly recipes - AJ & Rebecca)
• MANDY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL (maddsmarie)

THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY: NEGATIVE COMMENTS DURING THE WLS PROCESS

Would LOVE for folks to comment or call-in tonight about this topic. Airs tonight, from 6-7pm EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/divatauniamusic. Call-in at (357) 847-2052. Thanks for listening!

NEW MUSIC FEATURE: Kotadama

WLS LOVELY FEATURE: Nikki/3foldutopiandream

NEW MUSIC FEATURE: STACIE ROSE

Every so often, I get struck by a voice that's really pure and it takes me by surprise.  As a singer myself, I've heard a LOT of voices, so when I hear a sound that's unique and inspiring, I want other people to know about.  And that's how I came to showcase this week's New Music Feature:  Stacie Rose.

Stacie is a NJ based singer-songwriter that Maverick Magazine calls "a warm and sympathetic singer, bless with the imagination to make the most of her gifts."  Sentimentalist Magazine described her as "feminine gentility with gusty honesty...sweet hooks and soulful voice...the real deal."  And Backstage Pass Radio?  Well, my gushing on-air was probably statement enough, but I absolutely adore her voice.

Her 2008 release, "Shotgun Daisy," features one of the songs played on the show:  Run Out featuring Shawn Mullins.  This song is a really nice country-pop feel song that could easily be featured on a soundtrack, and I still have this lovely melody and arrangement stuck in my head.

She also has two new EP's being released in 2010.  Here's a description of both in Stacie's own words:

"Stiletto" - This will be an amalgamation of gritty & pretty! Perhaps, a little rougher around the edges than my previous recordings. Think.. Neil Young meets PJ Harvey, meets, Linda Ronstadt, meets early Tom Petty, meets The Pretenders, meets Pat Benatar meets Blondie.

"Raw Sugar" - Will be a bit more sparkly, glam, and dancey…(did she just say dancey?) YES! Why the hell not? Life is too short to just stand around when u could be swinging your hips. This will be sorta like a mix tape of songs to kiss, sun and sway to.

Stiletto? Raw sugar?  Yes, please!  It's like she's tapped into my brain and picked two of my favorite things to entice me to buy her music.  But you know what?  She doesn't need to entice me, because she had me the moment she opened her mouth.  Just like raw sugar, Stacie Rose is as pure as it gets.