Tori Jones
It all started when I was sitting at home and a Tori Amos video was on MTV. It was China. At the very end of the video, Tori stares right at you like its "you" she is looking at. I got the chills. I was hooked.
I was born and raised in Chicago. My first concert was Under The Pink. I was fifth row, center. She walked out barefoot, ponytail, no makeup and clothes that looked like she dug them out of the closet from high school. She literally played three (count 'em, three) notes and I began to ball my eyes out uncontrollably. I was embarrassed and sunk in my chair. It took me sometime to figure out what had happened that night, and then it hit me. That should have been me! I immediately connected with her in a bizarre way. This music IS my passion.
I have been to almost every concert since, all in Chicago except for American Doll Posse. I moved to Las Vegas in 2003 and had to travel to San Diego for that one. She has not been to Las Vegas since I moved here. We will have to do something about that.
Since 1998, I have been singing her songs along with her, studying ever note, breath and sound. I am constantly perfecting to carbon her voice. When I got to Las Vegas, I started going to open mic nights and sang as Almost Amos. I would use midi files on the computer (music without words). I could not play the piano or keyboards at that time. People didn't like that you could not play an instrument at open mic nights...so I rose to the occasion.
In 2004 I got a keyboard, a dummies for pianos book, Tori Amos sheet music books and painstakingly wrote out notes (I still read the letters not the notes - this is dedication man), and taught myself how to play my rendition of the queen herself. To date, I have completed approximately 11 songs, and her inspiration lead to two of my own originals, Tori style.
It is pure coincidence that we both have the name Tori, just another reason that pleases me. Tori Amos' real name is Myra Ellen and my full name is Victoria. Oddly enough, she changed her name when a fan yelled it out and I shortened my name when a friend yelled it out in high school, and in the same year.
I hope to one day have my own tribute band, as a lounge act here in Las Vegas. What better place than to have a Tori Amos tribute band, and with no competition.
I just began piano lessons in 2011. My teacher is David Bruely. Check out his website here. He has got me on a fasttrack to learning Tori Amos songs. He is an awesome teacher.
Welcome to yet another, Tori Amos portal.
Island.