L to R Jaime Moyer, Dail Croome, Bryden Tario, Patrick Croome, Liam, Croome,
Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech over a hundred years ago titled, Citizenship in a Republic, some of which states, “…The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who strives valiantly…and spends himself in a worthy cause…who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement and who, if he fails, at least he fails while Daring Greatly.” An inspiration to many for over a century, the speech has influenced artists, writers, sports figures, and the band Daring Greatly. They recently performed at a fundraiser for the Sky Alert foundation at The Flawless Bistro (now called The Meadows Restaurant and Tavern) in Escondido, Ca.
Patrick Croome
The Sky Alert Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Olivia Tosic, whose son Skylar went missing on August 30th, 2015, from San Pasqual Valley, California. Olivia started the foundation to help families find their loved ones and advocate for the families. I attended the event that featured the music of Daring Greatly. Originally from Calgary, Canada, the band was formed by a father, his two sons, and their childhood friend. Daring Greatly has a strong following in Canada and are gaining solid recognition in California, with their signature sound described as folk/rock highlighted by exceptional “blood harmonies.”
The show was my first experience hearing Daring Greatly, who performed a mix of cover songs along with a few of their originals. I was blown away by both the sons, Patrick Cromme and brother Liam Cromme’s vocals that were rich in tone with a disarming authenticity. I was also impressed by the band’s full sound and dynamic instrumentation.
Their original song “Leaving,” a single they released in 2020, was mesmerizing. It had a lofty yet mysterious quality with a haunting descending chord progression. Patrick Cromme’s sang lead, and his voice had delicate layers of vibrato that frankly gave me goosebumps. “Leaving” was written with extreme sophistication and emotion that is rare these days, and it reminded me of the singer/songwriter genre heard during the 1970s.
Liam Croome
Their masterfully blended harmonies shined on their performance of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s “Find the Cost of Freedom.” Dail Croome and his two sons’ vocal chemistry was a timeless reflection of the beloved 60’s era of folk/rock. I liked how the song ended and seamlessly melded into their original track, “The Otherside,” off their Cornerstone album. The song could easily have been written by CSN&Y with its heavy acoustic styling. Liam Croome’s vocals were soulful, accompanied by subtle runs that fit perfectly with the song. Drummer Brayden Tario laid down some intricate fills punctuated by David Mills’s bluesy electric guitar lines. I was once again utterly impressed with Daring Greatly’s highly developed songwriting and complex instrumentation.
The band kicked things up a notch by delving into the James Gang’s Funk #49.” Dail Croome sang lead, and his gritty tenor fit the bill perfectly. Liam got a little funky of the keys for this one, and bassist Jaime Moyer played some excellent bass tones on his N.S./Stick (headless eight-string bass/guitar hybrid). The band faithfully delivered covers of America’s “Tin Man” and “Sandman” with all the right ingredients, strong vocals, impeccable harmonies, and flawless articulation of the instrumentation. The Allman Brothers’ “Jessica” demonstrated Daring Greatly’s technical talent as they executed the high-spirited southern bluesy instrumental with precision and a whole lot of enthusiasm.
Brayden Tario
They also ventured beyond the ’60s and ’70s with some bands from the 21st century like Boy & Bear and Blackberry Smoke. While these guys did a great job on all their covers, it was the original material from Daring Greatly that I was most excited about. “Love Myself Again” off their most recent E.P., Give Myself To The World, released in 2021, is a fantastic song. This genre-blending gem has the fundamentals of southern blues-rock while at the same time is reflective of 70’s acoustic rock and, oddly enough, there was a hint of alternative metal.
Daring Greatly is a unique yet familiar band that manages to masterfully take past elements and transpose them into their unique brand of contemporary nostalgia. I will further explore their music and urge those who have not yet heard this band to check them out.
Carl Ling & Olivia Tosic
During one of the band’s breaks, I sat down with drummer Brayden Tario, who spent some time talking about the band’s journey. He spoke about their name and said, “Our name comes from a book written by Brene’ Brown, ( Daring Greatly.) In her book, she talks about courage and vulnerability, and that’s kind of the theme of our band and our music and where a lot of our songwriting lyrics come from.” He also mentioned that Brown’s book was inspired by the Theodore Roosevelt speech I referenced earlier, which also directly inspired the band. I asked Brayden about what brought them to California from their home in Calgary, Canada. He shared that they had some big shows up there, but they were ready to try something new, saying, “As a band, the whole point is to play in as many places as possible, trying to spread that love spread that music.” He elaborated a little more about performing live, “ The most important thing for us is the live connection, the eye to eye, it’s the hugs, the hellos, you know it’s all of those things that really we connect with on a very spiritual and human level.”
Guitarist David Mills
I asked Brayden Tario about the significance of the dream catcher. I noticed a small one dangling from Patrick Croome’s guitar, and I also saw a tattoo on Brayden’s forearm. He revealed that all the band members had the dream catcher along with the words “quiet your mind.” The dream catcher relates to Bayden’s aboriginal heritage. He is Metis which is the Cree tribe mixed with the French Canadians. Brayden went on to say, “ Patch and Lee and their father Dail are from the eastern Canadian Mohawk tribe.” As far as the words “quiet your mind,” he said, “it came about because Zac Brown was our favorite artist and it was the reason this whole band started, we loved his music, and he has a song called “quiet your mind,” that was a song that kinda bonded us.”
Speaking more about the band’s name and their beginning, Brayden said, “You have to dare greatly to really find success. It relates to six years ago. We left Canada, and we sold everything we had. We didn’t know what our steps were. We came down here without any kind of agency or manager…and literally just kind of dared greatly. Our story now is what’s ahead and what’s to come.” They have since become popular among locals in the San Diego area. They also opened up for Bon Jovi at the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena and recently opened up for Midland and Devin Dawson. As far as the band’s future, they will be heading out for a fall tour up the coast to northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. They currently have a couple of full-length albums and E.P.’s that they have released over the last six years. The newest is an E.P. titled Give Myself To The World.” You can find their music on most of the usual platforms, Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and they are also on the newer membership-based platform Patreon.
Jaime Moyer
Olivia Tosic, the founder of the Sky Alert Foundation, took some time to speak with me. Olivia talked about the devastation of having her son, who is her only child, go missing. “Having my son go missing has been a horrifying experience. It’s so surreal that it’s hard to comprehend. It’s very difficult.” I could see the deep sadness and pain in her eyes, but I also could see and hear an incredible strength and determination. She started her foundation in 2018 that advocates for the missing and their loved ones. She said that there is a shock and panic among family members when this happens, and often they don’t know where to turn or what to do. “I guide families and help them make flyers. Many times I speak with the police on their behalf. We help them to file the missing person’s report if need be.” She said that she uses social media platforms such as Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tic Toc, etc., to get the information out and help with the search. On a few occasions, her efforts have led to finding some missing loved ones. Currently, Olivia is working on getting drones in the air to help with the missing persons effort. The idea was well received and she has spent some time discussing it with the media. Hopefully, soon she will get sponsors and be able to develop this much-needed tool.
Singer-songwriter Joshua Michael
Olivia has worked in the music industry as an entertainment journalist in the L.A. and Orange County area since 1982 and has many connections. She is also a musician and plays the drums and keyboards. Her son Skylar played guitar and was at one time in a youth rock band called Axxys. Local singer-songwriter Joshua Michael knew her son Skylar from recording at the same studio, and he wrote a beautiful heartfelt song for Skylar called “The Truth is out There” which he sang at the fundraiser. Young actor, Carl Ling who starred in the I.D. discovery show Disappeared (about Skylar and another boy who went missing a day apart), was also at the fundraiser and took to the stage with Olivia, to say a few words. It appeared the evening was a great success, with many in attendance enjoying great music and delicious food. Daring Greatly drummer Brayden summed it up, saying, “We sold a lot of tickets to our fans, and Olivia sold to her supporters, and it was a good collective. We brought both communities together, and now we have some new friends. We have people that felt like they were contributing to a greater cause, and it was just a great overall experience for everyone.”
Not only does it take a lot of hard work to put together a fundraiser event, but it takes a certain type of individual to give of themselves for the greater good. The members of Daring Greatly and Olivia Tosic are precisely those types of selfless people who exemplify the “man in the arena” with their courage and valiant efforts for a just and worthy cause.
BackStage360 would like to thank Olivia Tosic for the invitation to the fundraiser. You can learn more about the Sky Alert foundation online at Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out Daring Greatly at www.daring-greatly.com
Jen B@BackStage360