ANAT TOUR, EAST COUNTY’S RENAISSANCE WOMAN
By Dennis Moore
June 20, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County resident Anat Tour, originally from Canada, is our community’s own Renaissance woman—a master of mathematics, art, music, writing and much more. By day, she is a mother of four and a math teacher at a local high school; by night, she is the lead singer for Possession, a local band. In between, she is a writer and illustrator of children’s books, as well as an animator. She has also been an international model, which is easily discernible by her stage presence and how she carries herself.
Somehow she finds time to juggle her responsibilities as a parent, going right out after my phone interview with her to take her children swimming. She definitely has her priorities straight. But her passion, outside of her devotion to her kids, is her writing of children’s books.
A case in point, would be Mama’s Shoe, a story about a precocious child helping his mother find her lost shoe. I recalled an initial interview with the author, in which she acted out and talked through the young child’s actions in finding the shoe. This book, published as an eBook with Barnes & Noble, is one of many in Tour’s treasure chest of material for children.
Another is The Rainbow Animals CD, which is a story of hope and acceptance. Seven animals get lost while being drawn towards the rainbow. Each animal comes from a different land and has a different story to tell. All are guided to RainbowLand by a guru (a long haired parrot) named Mishcaboggle. The 12 song CD tells the story of The Rainbow Animals through music. Songs include Ziggy Wiggy, the three toothed giraffe that loves to laugh, and Bubbles, the polar bear. The authors’ kids actually sing in The Rainbow Animals CD. Imagine the fun and joy in the Tour household, to have a mother that can provide that type of entertainment. Tour is almost finished with the animation of The Rainbow Animals which she will submit to a Children’s Film Festival.
The next priority for this Renaissance woman is her band, Possession, which provides an eclectic brand of music through songs such as Midnight Blue, Going Too Far, and Suspicion. Midnight Blue is a particularly mesmerizing song, which Tour performs with the sensual flair that she exhibited as an international model.
Beyond just being singers and musicians, each of the band members including Tour makes a contribution to society at large. Matthius Von Herrath, the lead guitar player, is a classically trained violinist, as well as a medical doctor and leading researcher in diabetes. Todd Graham, the drummer, is a correctional officer at RJ Donovan Prison here in San Diego County. Rob Cureton, the creator and founder of the band (Possession), is the keyboardist and main songwriter. He writes intelligent lyrics with deep meaning, which possibly stems from his being a psychologist and master of the mind.
Possession’s members view the group as an adventure band-- tour guides to the human imagination and soul. The musicians indicate that those who come to their shows are dedicated not just to a sonic adventure, but to the excitement of the adventure they call life.
I have a feeling that we are going to be hearing some big things from Anat Tour and her band. Of course, her kids are the main beneficiaries of this talented Renaissance woman. You have to admire a mother who can do all this, and do it well.
Dennis Moore is the Associate Editor for the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, along with being a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles. Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.