Sisters musician wins music video contest

Sisters musician Anastacia took home top honors in the Source Weekly/Far From Earth Films Music Video contest.

Anastacia's submission, "Grains of Sand" was up against 16 other bands vying for a shot at winning a music video shoot from Bend filmmaker Tim Cash. Far From Earth Films is based out of Bend and co-hosted the contest.

A panel of judges evaluated 16 submissions on recording quality, song structure and the ability of the song to transfer to a music video. Seven finalists were chosen and then were voted on by the public.Two hundred and fifteen votes later the winners were announced; Anastacia came in first and Sisters High School student Austin Erlandson came in second with his song, "Frozen."

Erlandson won a $50 gift certificate from Steve's Drum Studio.

Anastacia has been perfecting her craft for many years, mining her life's experiences to create songs that go deeply into her spiritual truths.

"My music is truly my religion. It connects me to my true essence," she said.

Her winning song, "Grains of Sand" reflects her musical and spiritual journey.

"I wrote it last year and it took about six months to develop," she said. But it was during the recording process that the song was truly complete. "Because of the musicians I was working with, every take was beautiful. We were so connected; there was so much magic in it. The process really fired me up and the finished product just came out."

Singing helps her work out songs. When she is performing she is fully present. All of this soul-searching can be exhausting.

"I've tried to quit playing music, but I've learned through time that I have to do it," she said. Being up on the stage puts her right in the present moment and that's where she feels all her work comes together.

For Anastacia, writing is like a movie in her mind. She sees her songs as movies and uses imagery to interpret her feelings. Her odyssey into music began when she was a little girl in Southern California. She grew up being around her father, Joe Leonardi, playing in a band.

"When I was nine years old, I found a little guitar in an alley, lying in a dumpster," she recalled. "It had a string missing, but I sat down right there and started playing. The emotional relief I felt from the first strum hooked me."

Over the years, Anastacia has learned an important lesson: "We're all striving for harmony. I'm tuning myself through diet, exercise, music and meditation, to find that harmony. You have to tune your body like an instrument. When all our vibrations are tuned there's a harmony that makes us one."

Anastacia's CD, "Grains of Sand" will be released this spring. To check out Anastacia's music and her show dates go to her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/anastaciamusic3.