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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 10:36:00 AM
---- Updated 12/10/2015 10:41:59 AM
The Most Important performance Of Your Life
The music industry is all about great and not so great moments. We all have seen great artists have great moments that stick with us forever. I remember seeing Earth Wind & Fire in 1973 perform in Hawaii. It will go down as the absolute greatest concert I ever saw. But what about my own performance great moments?
Well, I have played a lot of venues in over 6 decades of performing. But the one that stands out was a gig I did in San Quentin Prison back in 1984. I was recently out of the seminary and had put together a Gospel band that travelled with me to San Quentin to play on the main yard.
The concert was going really great and the band was really cranking it up. I was the front man and as the minster I also delivered the word. But in the middle of the performance I looked into the crowd and I saw a very familiar face. His name was Terry and I had known him most of my life. In short, he had always been my arch enemy. We had had several fist fights in elementary school and I broke his jaw once in a street brawl between our two rival gangs. Another time he shot at me in a drive by. Terry was a Crip. I was a Brim (which later became the Bloods).
Anyway, as soon as I saw him I made the band stop playing and I said his name in the microphone. He looked up at me with total astonishment. He had not seen me in 20 years and I had changed quite a bit. I was now bald, much heavier and I was wearing a ministers collar. So, I had to remind him about who I was and as he began to recognize me I could see he was totally confused about the whole thing. But one thing I remembered about Terry was that he was also a very good singer. So, I looked at the band and asked them to play "Why Can't We Be Friends" by War. As they played it I sang and went down into the crowd towards Terry. I didn't know if I was going to get shanked or hugged. I only knew that it was high time that we got our life long feud over. I pulled out a second mic that I had stuffed in my back pocket and I beckoned to our mix man to turn it on. I walked up to him and I gave him the microphone not knowing what was going to happen. Then I looked him straight in the eye and said: I am so sorry for everything I ever did to you Terry. We have been enemies our entire lives but now is our chance to make a change. Will you forgive me and come up on stage and sing this song with me? With tears in his eyes he took the mic and we went up on the stage together. We began to sing the song, "Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends" etc. Man we when tore it up so much that when I looked out into the crowd all those gang bangers, robbers, murderers and other sorts of criminals had tears in their eyes. It was a moment in time that I will never forget. When you have your moment, it is almost overwhelming. Anyway, when the song was over we gave each other a big hug and the entire San Quentin yard erupted in huge applause. There were many in the crowd who remembered the big feud between me and Terry. It was one of the most talked about events in the California prison rumor mill for many years. In every facility I visited after that, they would ask me about that day. This went on for many years.
When the concert part was over I explained to everyone about my history with Terry. I explained that now we are both brothers in Christ. As our finale I asked that all Crips, Bloods and other gangs ( yeah I called them all out) reconsider their hatred for each other and come forward to sing with us. It was cool to see them all come forward. The Crips, Bloods, M13, M14, Mexican Mafia, Black Panthers, Aryan Brothers, Chain Gang, Devils Disciples, Hoover Groovers, Nazi's and even the Black Muslims. They all came forward and held hands while we sang "Why Can't We Be Friends".
The in house chaplain said it was one of the most important things to ever happen in the prison. As I left that day I was soaked in sweat and filled with joy. It had been the most important concert I had ever done. Still is even till to day. I have played in front crowds numbering in the thousands before. But nothing comes close to that day.
So, I was wondering. What is was your greatest performance to date? When I say greatest I mean the performance that gave you the most personal satisfaction. It doesn't have to have been something epic like what I went through. But just the one that stands out the most in your mind.
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Two Silo Complex
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12/10/2015 11:01:13 AM
I really love your stories Stoneman you have had quite a life. I don't have anything that compares just reading your story almost made me cry and I'm not the emotional type.
One time back in a band I was in we were an opening act. It was a local dive bar in a bowling alley for gosh sakes. Anyway the band we opened for had a good following and a really good sound man. The bar was packed out the door at least 150 people in a small space. Everyone was having a good time. We were pretty unknown at this point and it might have been if not our first show together it was certainly at the beginning of a multiple year stint. Well we had our shit together and we put on a hell of a show and the place was electric. When we got done playing the place went friggin nuts. We had several people come over and ask us for copies of our CD which we had just pressed.
I always remember that show it was at that time I actually realized holy shit people actually like us. It was also the first show my then girlfriend now wife came too. I had told her I was in a band and she thought it was cool but after the show she had stars in her eyes and she was like wow you were not kidding you guys are really good.
I think at least one person asked for my autograph it was pretty amazing. We went on and played together a long time on rock and roll years and had some other really good shows with good turn outs where people actually did come to see us but this show was special because no one expected us to do anything more than be a filler until it was late enough for the main act to go on.
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Hop On Pop
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12/10/2015 11:04:00 AM
I would like to think that I haven't given mine yet.
But, as far as so far…
Opening for Freedy Johnston. Sold out room, but the crowd that came to see me was just a few people at most.
For my last song of my set, I chose to play "Happy Days" and for the "na-na" outro, I asked the crowd of 300 to sing along with me. And they did!
A crowd or 300 total strangers singing my own song back to me… it felt like magic.
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/10/2015 11:20:04 AM
---- Updated 12/10/2015 11:20:04 AM
Performing with an Icon-Bo Diddley was it
I guess the most amazing opportunity came along when my brother called me up and said how about sitting in doing piano and keys with Bo Diddley at a concert up in Mission BC in March 2007 . real fun man, it was a gas. great turnout of course and people loved the whole show.
The blue voodoo duo (Rick Dalgarno and Ted Tosoff) got hired by a promoter and they need some keys, I jumped at the challenge and sat in and had a blast!!
Details here in our local newspaper
http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=56c50fdc-386a-4371-9385-4a0319c56a35
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Larree
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12/10/2015 11:29:36 AM
That was beautiful.
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Noah Spaceship
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12/10/2015 12:09:59 PM
---- Updated 12/10/2015 12:25:44 PM
2001 - I was living in Aqua Dulce, CA - trippy place, a very small town that hosts Vasquez Rocks (you have all seen the famous rock formation in every movie ever made). I was there for work and staying at a friends house. The job was being a babysitter, essentially for a kid who was working as a stunt double for an orangutang on the movie, 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'. I was also working utility stunts for the same production when the kid wasn't on call. I hadn't been on the job more than a month when a stunt coordinator took notice of me and my size. I pass for a 12 year old kid when I am clean shaven, and Dreamworks needed a stunt double for a kid in a Gangster movie that was in pre production and about to start filming. The coordinator invited me over to his house one evening to interview me and see if I fit the bill. He heard I was a musician, and the movie was to be filmed in Chicago, and he wanted to hire a musician because he was a musician and he wanted for the job, which was to last several months, someone who shared his interest in music, because of course, Fucking Chicago! Fucking Jazz up the Azz Windy City, right? Well, i get to his house, and walk into this massive castle and right there in the front main corridor was a really nice set of drums. Turns out they were the newest V-Drums on the market by Roland, and he had the ultimate setup. He invited me to play them. I sat down, hit one of the drum triggers, which looked and felt like real acoustic drums, and through a built in PA in his house, I hear the tom accompanied by a crowd roar. I play more and the crowdd roar turns into a Dave Matthews concert. Basically these V-Drums were set up to do drum karaoke, and by the time I get my bearings, I am 5 minutes into playing along with DMB live through the PA. Fucking great sounding system, soo fun! - I finish the song, and The stunt coordinator, (Doug) and his wife and a couple other people there, burst into applause. At that point Doug mentions something about how happy he was I could actually play like I claimed, and invites me to sit down next to is collection of badass guitars. He says, "pick one out, let's jam" - so, me being the scrounge I am, go for the crippled old scratched up archtop acoustic. Doug smiles, and tells me how that was his first guitar and that he had it since he was a kid. It looked like hell, but was set up perfectly. Doug picks up a guitar and starts playing this really cool chordy strummy tune with a really unique sounding harmonic chord at the end of a rather elaborate riff. I immediately picked up on the chord changes and began playing along with him the rhythm he motioned me to carry, and he goes off on a lead harmony on top of my rhythm. I realize the harmonic chord is approaching and as we get to that point, I slide up and hit the chord at the same time he descends down into the chord to end the song. He looks up as the perfectly tuned guitars are ringing together, smiles and says to me, "It's going to be a pleasure working with you in Chicago"
We went on to film one of the most beautiful gangster movies in history with Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig and Stanley Tuchi. Conrad Hall, (RIP), received an Oscar for cinematography.
If you ever watch the movie, Road to Perdition, That is me riding the bike through the opening sequences of the movie and in the Driver seat for the bank robbery scenes.
Chicago changed my life forever and over the Winter of 2001, I spent 6 weeks falling deeply in love with The Windy City and Jazz.
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 12:37:03 PM
Two Silo,
Man, I really enjoyed reading abut that show you had. It was like reliving some of my own stuff. When a band is well rehearsed, primed, ready and in front of a really cool audience, special things truly do happen. So glad you had the opportunity to experience that. It is a great feeling for sure. Oh, and the autograph thing. Man, that always makes me feel so good inside that someone wants my autograph. Great Story!
Much Respect,
Stoneman
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/10/2015 12:37:54 PM
some really cool reads happening here, thx Stoneman for your post and for those piping up. keep it coming. learning a lot more about others and their background and a bit of insight into who you are a bit more. very nice thread building here.
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 12:39:39 PM
Todd,
Yeah, sounds like magic to. There is no greater show of acceptance than a sing along.
Very Cool!
Much Respect,
Stoneman
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 12:42:26 PM
Bryon,
Man oh man!!!! You can actually say you played with Bo Diddly? What a great blessing that must have been. Yeah! That is a biggie for sure!
Much Respect,
Stoneman
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 12:47:48 PM
Noah,
That is an awesome story to. I will have to find that movie "On Demand" and check you out. Loved that story man!
Much Respect,
Stoneman
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/10/2015 12:49:31 PM
---- Updated 12/10/2015 12:59:17 PM
The photo was way too big. gotta resize it
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 12:54:53 PM
Bryon,
Yeah, it is a nice change of direction for the Pipeline. Hope it keeps going.
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Two Silo Complex
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12/10/2015 12:59:25 PM
I had to come back and say Noah and Byron that is just damn amazing I think if I ever had something like that happen I would crap my pants and not even care or probably even take notice WOW just awesome.
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Noah Spaceship
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12/10/2015 1:10:32 PM
I enjoyed reading all of your stories as well. Music is Magic and binds us all. We are all very blessed to share a universal language that I believe enriches our lives and makes the world a better place.
Cheers!
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/10/2015 1:15:26 PM
Ah crap, here is me and Bo in the Green room at intermission, I used to know how to do all this jpg insert picture stuff, but my brain died and left me. going soft in the head here is me and the INNOVATOR at this link, if you are interested, I have shots during the concert somewhere, but it is in the story in the paper and that is enough, big whoop. right.
Bo Diddley and Bryon in Green Room
cheers
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Stoneman
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12/10/2015 2:42:14 PM
Great Pic Bryon! Must have been an awesome night for you!
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/10/2015 2:49:01 PM
It was, electrifying. too much fun. energy galore and playing with The blue voodoo duo and Bo's drummer TOO COOL, the crowd went wild as Bo came on, we started with his theme. shave and a haircut rhythm groove and then the people exploded with cheers and whistlin and huge applause, roars of delight. exhilarating
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Two Silo Complex
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12/10/2015 8:23:17 PM
Byron I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Playing with Bi Diddley is a Big whoop now maybe you meant the article big whoop but man what a show that must have been I am in awe of it.
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Shoe City Sound
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12/11/2015 8:40:30 AM
Damn! I am in awe of all you guys - I got nothing to top or even come anywhere near these stories! That picture of you and Bo Didley, Bryon!! what?! so cool. Such cool people at IMP :)
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12/11/2015 8:41:59 AM
It was ten minutes ago. See ya. God Bless You All. Well, most of you.
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/11/2015 10:00:50 AM
I have a number of other pictures of bo etc, I can link up if anyone is interested. Fixing B's guitar, group picture at end of concert some others live in action on stage.
Anyways. it was fun indeed, although some of the most amazing times was with my brother Ted;s band. the bluevoodoo. did a ton of playing and recording with them over the years (as well as promoting the crap out of their music, getting them fests and submitting their music for awards) and they were quite successful in getting their music out in the blues scene radio TV and so on here in Canada and did tour Europe a few times. and the BV have been together now going on 16 years as a duo, sometimes trio and for bigger shows 6-7 people laying down a wall a sound. That too was fun times.
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