Incredibly thankful to Mike Boyle of MB Studio Services!

INCREDIBLY thankful to Mike Boyle of MB Studio Services for the audio support and technical advice, so I could do remote radio interviews for OC Talk Radio at my first TED-x Event last night! You ROCK Mike! And Michelle Patterson - what an event you put together - thanks for allowing me to do the media coverage!

Director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins and Producer Cristan Reilly of The Other F Word will be on the Momz Rock the House Show!

Director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins and Producer Cristan Reilly of The Other F Word just called into the Momz Rock the House Show to record a segment for my show airing on Thursday on OC Talk Radio...more info coming soon!

Singer/Songwriter/Author...and Cancer BUTT Kicker...Laura Roppe!

It was my pleasure to interview San Diego singer, songwriter, author and breast cancer survivor Laura Roppe!

Here's more about Laura and be sure to check out her great videos on Youtube:

Laura Roppé Bio: www.lauraroppe.com

Back in 2008, Laura abandoned a successful legal career and rocketed onto the San Diego music scene with the release of her first album, "Girl Like This,” finding critical acclaim and a home in her local radio market. Within weeks of Laura’s music debut, however, she learned she had triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease, and immediately underwent surgery and seven months of grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Laura thought her musical dreams, and perhaps her very life, were over.

When Laura's cancer treatments finally ended in 2009, Laura’s song, "Float Away," won Americana Single the Year at the Los Angeles Music Awards in Hollywood, California. She launched a tour of the UK to promote "Girl Like This" and her music found a home in multiple major BBC radio markets, landing as high as No. 5 on the Amazon UK charts.

Throughout her cancer treatments, Laura continued to write music, but with a new sense of purpose and clarity. Throughout 2010, Laura recorded those songs, and she also wrote a memoir about her musical/life/cancer adventures.
In early 2011, Laura released her sophomore album, "I'm Still Here," including the songs written during her cancer treatments. The album was produced by Matthew Embree, the frontman and lead guitarist of indie rock sensation, Rx Bandits. When Laura released her new album, she was eager to find out if the world would embrace her new clarity. It wasn't long before Laura received her answer: For twenty-three consecutive weeks in 2011, Laura was ranked in the Top 10 by Billboard Magazine as one of the Top 50 emerging artists in the world (peaking at Number 3). Respected UK music magazine, Maverick Magazine, raved that "I'm Still Here" is a five-star, "must-have" album. Influential music blogger Wildy's World called it a "brilliant and emotionally naked artistic turn."

Laura has become somewhat of a Youtube sensation, as well. The video for her bucket list song, "George Clooney," garnered Youtube Honors in Canada, Australia, Spain, India, Japan, France, Germany, and more as a most-watched video. Her video for "Heart Inside Your Palm" amassed 250,000+ views in five days. And her video for “I’m Still Here,” released in late September 2011, already has over 650,000 views and several Youtube Honors, including Top 12 most watched video in entertainment and 31st most watched overall.
Meanwhile, Laura's book has also found success. Her funny and poignant memoir, Rocking the Pink, will be released as a “lead title” in Spring 2012 through Seal Press, a division of U.S. publishing powerhouse Perseus Books (Publisher of the Year in 2007). The book has already been endorsed by actor Jack Black, Grammy-winning music producer, Mark Hudson, and best-selling author, Joni Rodgers.

Tina deVaron featured on the MOMz Rock the House Show with Host Janeane Bernstein on OC Talk Radio and 90.1fm KBPK

Tina deVaron featured on The MOMz Rock the House Show Thursday September 1 on OC Talk Radio with host Janeane Bernstein and also on Janeane's Saturday show on 90.1fm KBPK.

The multi-talented Tina deVaron is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, and jazz pianist whose scintillating combination of jazz for kids and original songs about motherhood have made her a favorite with audiences around the country.

Tina is launching a fresh, interactive family jazz event, "Tunes with Tina" at Manhattan's chic new Setai Hotel. She's also going into her seventh smash year as resident entertainer at the world-famous Carlyle Hotel’s Bemelmans Bar where she established the popular “Madeline’s Tea” for children, Tina has reached a diverse array of audiences from coast to coast with her talents as both composer and performer, and has earned invitations to perform with stars ranging from Frank Sinatra to Tom Waits.

Her very first major label cover, “Adore You,” was performed by the Grammy-nominated group Anointed and reached #1 on the Gospel charts, and her dance track “If I Close My Eyes” reached number two on the dance radio charts. She is currently developing a Broadway musical built around her songs; a recent workshop performance featured Tony winner Adriane Lenox and Tony nominees Liz Larsen and Sally Mayes, along with film and TV star Tracie Thoms, performing her music.

Tina’s first solo CD, If Mama Ain’t Happy, released on her own label and featuring Tina performing her own warm and sassy songs about motherhood, has earned her a fan base of mothers from California to Maine, and she followed up with two more releases, Who Loves the Children? and the most recent success, Water Over Stones, hailed by New York Times columnist Lisa Belkin as “the soundtrack of my life.”

Since beginning her engagement at the Carlyle Hotel, she has been the subject of much media attention in New York. She was the subject of a segment on CBS TV’s Family Matters, which dubbed her The First Mother of Songwriting and on NBC, where her music was called “The perfect Mother’s Day gift — just for Mom.”

Tina was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the daughter of world-renowned choral conductor, Lorna Cooke deVaron. She began her career as an undergraduate at Princeton University, and after moving to New York upon graduation, secured a long-running engagement as pianist at the Waldorf Hotel performing on Cole Porter’s piano. She lives in New York City with her main inspirations: her sons, Nicholas and Joseph, and their father and her husband, noted author Peter Lerangis.

Dina Clapinski, Co-Founder, www.befoodsmart.com

Just interviewed Dina Clapinski, Co-Founder of BeFoodSmart.com. Such a cool biz and a fantastic resource for all of your food questions! Be Food Smart is a food additive database for the hundreds of ingredients, sweeteners, preservatives, and colorings in today’s foods. Tune in @12n PST Thursday on OC TALK RADIO - www.octalkradio.net to hear the interview or you can also catch the show right here.


Be sure to check out: www.befoodsmart.com.

Peace out!

Orange County music teacher, gifted singer and multi-talented pianist Patricia Shanks!

On my Thursday show on OC TALK RADIO, Orange County music teacher, gifted singer and multi-talented pianist Patricia Shanks, sharing lots of inspiring back story on how she got started in music and all the ways she continues to inspire and create music in so many students' lives...TUNE IN Thursday @ 12noon PST on www.octalkradio.net...peace out!

Check out Patricia on www.studioshanks.com and www.patriciashanks.com

Get the Funk Out...really!

This recession has kicked our butts. I really don't know anyone who hasn't been affected by the economy over the past few years. One thing is very clear to me though. You can let hard times drag you down or you can fight back and be your strongest self, your biggest cheerleader, and get your funk out.

I have been a fighter all of my life. I have never been afraid to be alone, live alone and face a challenge head on. In fact, when someone turns me down, rejects me, and tells me I'm just not good enough (or implies it), I have learned to come back stronger. When someone insults me or is rude, I refuse to take it. And as a child, I faced all kinds of personal issues with two parents who were never meant to marry in the first place, and I was left with a very controlling mother who had me riding an emotional rollercoaster. I learned so much about juggling my emotions and staying strong and believing in myself. I have no idea how, but it was just some kind of inner strength, while living alone with my mother in NYC at age 8, finger painting and listening to music.

At age 10, I received one of the greatest gifts my mother ever gave me (beside the gift of life, of course)...my first guitar. I can picture her walking down the corridor of our apartment building holding that little Yamaha guitar she had bought that night with her boyfriend. And that gift would be my companion for years to come, keeping me amused and filled with creative energy in a childhood that was less than happy and peaceful. That gift helped me on numerous occasions to get my funk out and I continue my creative journey in so many other aspects of my life. Because finding your own creative outlet is so important on this rollercoaster ride.
Find something that inspires you, intrigues you, keeps finding its way into your dreams and nags you, because it is never too late to get your own funk out and find out more about who you and what you are capable of. You just might be surprised.