Present:
Anastasia is loving her return to the Ozark Mountains. She is teaching ZUMBA Gold, yoga and vocal lessons to private students and group classes and has built up her practice to include special modified classes for Senior Citizens and people suffering from Parkinson's Disease, PTSD, Heart Disease & Diabetes.
She's been performing with the Joe Giles Band since the 2009 & is thrilled with the new project.
Past:
Anastasia was voted 1st Runner Up as "Best Musician on Maui."
Her band the "VooDoo Suns" were voted "Best Rock & Roll Band on Maui 2005. Their debut album "Songs from the Haleakala Kitchen" was nominated for the prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano Award for "Best Rock Album" of 2006 by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts.
They were also recognized that year as:
"Most Promising New Artists"
"Best Producers"
"Best Songwriters"
"Best Song of the Year" for "Invisible"
They were also nominated as "Favorite Entertainers of the Year" by Borders Books & Music.
She followed up the VDS CD release of 2006 by recording and producing her debut solo album "Slip Beneath the Covers, Vol. 1" in the fall of 2007. A collection of some of her favorite cover tunes performed live with some of the best musicians on Maui.
In addition to performing & teaching, Anastasia volunteered her time to Mana'o Radio from 2003 - 2008. She was involved with supporting the station through various fund raisers & produced a four hour show for the first Saturday of each month that featured music from local artists, new international acts, comedy & interviews.
History:
Born in North Carolina, Anastasia was raised in the rural seclusion of the Ozark mountains in Northern Arkansas. She spent most of her childhood wandering through the wilderness exploring the sounds & rhythms of her natural surroundings. Thus, the beginning of her fascination with sound, voice, percussion, dance & communication.
She began performing at age 7 & continued throughout high school. She moved to Los Angeles at 19, where she collaborated on various recording projects before joining a rock band & toured throughout southern California & the southwest U.S.
In 1991, Anastasia moved to Maui & formed the highly-acclaimed alternative rock band "The Missionaries." They extensively toured the Hawaiian club circuit for 7 years. In that time they won recognition from MTV's Independent Band Contest & received mention in "Vanity Fair" magazine in an interview with screenwriter Joe Esterhaus. (Flashdance, Basic Instinct, etc.)
Appearing on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, Dennis Rodman talked about the time that he & Edder Vedder of "Pearl Jam" joined the Missionaries on stage at a Lahaina, Maui nightclub. Rodman wrote about that experience in his book, "As Bad as I Want to Be."
(See a photo on the "Gallery" page)
In the Summer of 1996, the Missionaries recorded & produced an all-original CD. That year they performed on stage with "Hootie & the Blowfish." (See photos on the "Gallery" page)
Anastasia landed in singer's heaven when she was invited on stage to sing a cappella with "Ladysmith Black Mombazo."
From 1998 to the present she has continued her session work and has recorded several independent CD projects. She's opened for a diverse range of shows including "Yes," "Randy Travis," "Collective Soul," "Pat Benetar" & after opening the show in 2008, was invited by Cyndi Lauper to sit in & finish the show.
