FABULOUS FOUR "Music History"

by jenny heying

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Something that is rare in Second Life® is duos, more of a rarity is a trio and next to impossible is a quartet. It’s not that artists won’t perform together; it’s just that limitations within this virtual world don’t make it a practical reality. But Sunday night at Lil Egypt, that’s exactly what happened. Yes four performers, together, performing together. I’m not sure if it’s a first, but it was for me.

The Fabulous Four, as they were billed, were none other than Erin68 Frog, ZDiva Sorbet, Satin Galli and Diesel Karillion. The four took the stage after some extreme difficulty getting to the sim in front of a packed house of over 75 people.


Opening with ZDiva/Satin performing “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” set the pace for an hour of duos and solos from these incredible artists. This was to be an evening like no other in Second Life®. Erin/Diesel followed with “It’s Your Love” and then an Erin solo of “Songbird”.

Streaming from their living room in Wisconsin, the four made music history putting on a show that hopefully will be the start of many more to come. The vocals and backing tracks came through clearly and with the incredible lag we were suffering from, that was amazing. It took over half the show for the grey to disappear, but it was worth it.

I had never seen Diesel perform before, so when he launched into “Nothing Left To Lose”, my jaw dropped. Diesel’s voice was incredible and he did the song perfectly. It seemed to get quiet when he sang. And just as I was getting over his singing, ZDiva jumped in with “I Didn’t Come Here” and I was mesmerized. These were incredible performances.

Not to be outdone, Satin did a great cover of “Cruel To Be Kind” while Erin and ZDiva sang together on “Tell Him”. But really, no matter who sang, it was simply put, beautiful.

Second Life® performers have come a long way since the early days. They began simply with vocals to backing tracks and since then have added their own music, duets, and now groups performing together. It’s a marvelous thing for residents to enjoy. Let’s hope it continues. It’s one of the things in this virtual world that does seem to work properly.

The evening continued with choice memorable songs like “Wayfaring Stranger”, “SOS”, “Miss Me Baby” and ZDiva closing the show with an earth shattering “I Feel The Earth Move”.

New and exiting things happen in Second Life® and I’m glad I got to witness one of them. While each of these performers is amazing on their own or in duets, putting all four together was genius. It was more than an event, it was a happening. Now if we could just get Linden Lab® to deal with all the other issues, things would be perfect. But I dream.

Sadly the show ended far too quickly and the Fabulous Four were off to do another of their three concert performance this night. I know the next crowd won’t know what they’re in store for but they’ll find out. We need more of this. Way to go.

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YIP JANNINGS "Tribute To MJ"

by jenny heying

I’m not usually fond of tributes, but when I heard Yip Jannings was doing a LIVE tribute to Michael Jackson at the White Eagle, my curiosity got the better of me. I’m glad I went. Uncanny; as the opening number “I Want You Back” sounded almost exactly like Michael. I had to double check to make sure it wasn’t recorded. And it wasn’t. Yip’s voice cloned Michaels. With strong backing tracks, it was hard not to imagine you were listening to MJ. It carried on with “I’ll Be There” and part way through I could finally hear that it wasn’t the original but was in fact Yip singing.

It’s hard to do a tribute to someone like Michael, as his voice is quite unique. But Yip did him justice. She was nailing all the earlier songs like “Ben” and I was anxious to hear how she would handle the more recent songs.


Yip handled the tribute with grace. You could tell by the way she performed that she respected the songs and never over did them or added too much. She honored the legend by singing the songs as they were originally performed. But by the time she moved in to “Ain’t No Sunshine”, you could hear Yip’s influence. Her voice is slightly deeper and maybe a little more forceful but still amazingly similar. She followed with “Blame It On The Boogie” and the amazement continued.

Aside from the incredible lag which made it difficult to move and to take pictures, the performance was exceptional. Maybe it had something to do with having roughly 50 people in attendance. But nonetheless Yip Jannings continued and with “Ease On Down The Road” the place livened up somewhat.

Between songs, Yip Jannings introduced each song with the year it was released and a few anecdotes about where Michael was in his career. But she left most of the tribute to her singing. No matter what era or song, she handled every song capably, well more than capably.

A string of great renditions followed including “Off The Wall”, “Rock With You”, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” and “Can You Feel It” before she launched into “Thriller”. I was a little worried about how she would deal with the later songs but I should not have worried. Although not as much a replica as the earlier songs, she still sparkled by impersonating slightly the MJ most of us remember. She continued that with “Wanna Be Starting Something” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”.

It was an incredible evening listening to Yip cover Michael’s songs. She did it professionally and never let her talent interfere. She is talented and with her closing numbers “Black or White” and “One Day In Your Life” she left the crowd in awe of two amazing performers. Michael and Yip.

Wearing a gorgeous lavender beaded dress and violet highlights in her hair, she was a definite presence on the stage. She’s an attractive woman with a wonderful voice and someday I’ll have to see what she’s like doing other than MJ songs.

It was a fitting tribute to a legend by a marvelous performer. And the best part, it was LIVE!

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RENO SEGALL "Contagious Fun"

by jenny heying

By chance I dropped in to The Old Barn to catch Reno Segall, a musician I knew very little about. Okay nothing.

Reno took the stage with authority and from that point on the stage belonged to him. Leading off with “I’m A Good Man” was impressive but I’m not so sure he his. Just kidding. Okay so maybe he is a good man, I don’t know but he is a good performer. Using backing tracks, but also his own guitar, Reno puts on quite a show accompanied on stage with the Whiskey Band. The Whiskey Band is his Second Life band with Rhiannon Hanfoi on drums, Baby Pacer and, Illusion Parks on guitars and Merrick Robonaught on bass.

Reno certainly gives you the impression he loves to perform. Next up with “Baby Got Her Blue Jeans On”, he showed that he loves to play to his fans. He’s a crowd pleaser and it was evident by the crowd’s reaction. He’s fun, lively and full of enthusiasm.


He has a softer side too and on “Me and You”; he slowed things down and proved he can handle ballads. He has a lovely voice that can handle different tempos. He doesn’t limit himself to one style, he covers it all. From classic rock to country and just about everything in between, Reno entertains. He even comments that he’ll play whatever you want.

It’s hard to pick out his guitar playing from the backing tracks, but no matter it all blended nicely. It wasn't interfering with his voice and you could hear all the words clearly which is the way he delivers them.

Reno Segall is a whole lot of fun and that’s the way he presents himself. He has energy and puts that into every song he sings. “Who’s Cheating Who” gave us a good look at that and listening to Reno puts you in that fun zone. How much fun? Does “Tequila Makes Your Clothes Fall Off” answer that question? Fun is contagious and at a Reno Segall show, you catch it all, every bit.

Between songs he continues his humor and ensures that everyone is acknowledged. He has a comment about every song and conveys his thoughts. Okay not really thoughts, but he does talk, which is good.

Fun aside, Reno does have a romantic air about him. With “When You Say Nothing At All”, he showed that he can put you in that mood too.

On the lively (and oh so much fun side) his set list included “What Was I Thinkin”, “She’s a Hottie”, “Whiskey Girls” and “Black Magic Woman”.

While everything Reno does is awesome, I don’t think you would go to his show just to hear his voice, hear him play, or watch The Whisky Band. That’s because that isn’t really what Reno is all about. He’s a performer first and foremost and he puts on a show for you. You come to take it all in and be entertained. Reno makes your hour with him memorable and you wish the whole day could last that way.

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CREE CYBERTAR "Taking It In Stride"

by jenny heying

Sometimes you have to reach a long way to gain an audience. It seems like so far in real life but in Second Life® it’s just a moment away. Streaming from Manitoba, Canada, Cree Cybertar took the stage at The Lost Continent for a performance after a week away.

After dealing with some opening stream technical issues, Cree finally gave us his rendition of “Wonderful Tonight” before rocking into “Lodi” and mellowing with “Blind Faith”.

As I said, Cree is from Manitoba, and is a Cree Indian, hence the name. He plays guitar and uses it as his only accompaniment. He’s marvelous on the guitar and doesn’t need any backing tracks to help. He does a great job on his own.


Cree loves to wail away and his voice reaches out with abandon. He’s better on up tempo songs and showed it when he threw out “Stuck In The Middle With You”. But that being said, the slower stuff grows on you. Cree does a lot of older songs, the kind you know most of the words too and probably haven’t heard in a good long time. Well he digs them out for you and you just have to sing along.

I don’t know where he streams from exactly, but I can imagine him sitting back with his feet up strumming his guitar. He seems that relaxed and without a care in the world. It’s kind of contagious. With “Desperado”, you felt like you were sitting around someone’s house listening to him strum away.

Unfortunately half way thru his set, SL decided to send me into oblivion. It took me a while, but I did manage to get back for the last part of Cree’s show. I got back just in time to hear him put the finishing touches on “Dixieland Delight”.

A Cree Cybertar show is a joy to be part of. He’s a fun loving guy and ensures the crowd is part of his show. He interacts between songs and makes sure you know what he’s playing. He likes to lead into his material with a little story about the song or artist. His voice is soft when he speaks and sometimes it’s tough to hear him, but I strained and managed. When singing however, you can’t miss his voice.

The crowd this night was quite receptive to Cree’s renditions. The chat log was constantly moving and all were of the appreciative type. Cree reads them and does make the odd comment. He’s very aware of his supporters.

Cree crosses genre lines nicely. While playing mostly older rock songs of the CCR type, he did do “Always Somewhere” by the Scorpions and it was awesome.

Patience is definitely an asset when it comes to Second Life® and the constant borkiness. Cree must have learned that because no matter what, he seems to take it in stride. Nice to have. He’s a very patient man and it shows in his music. It’s not laid back, but he certainly won’t be putting out any fires. Mind you with his performance, he can probably start a few.

He ended his hour long set with “Shooting Star” and a lively version of “Midnight Special” putting the finishing touches on a marvelous show.

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DOUGIE MOONITES "Badonkadonk"

by jenny heying

Okay so I’m not a big fan of country music but I’d read that Dougie Moonites did Southern Fried country rock and since I was in the mood for some Skynard I thought I’d take him in. I was shocked when I tp’d in to legenda antica to find a huge crowd of about sixty people waiting for Dougie to take the stage. What was I in store for?

Dougie opened with "Folsom Prison Blues" and while he’s no Johnny Cash, he did the song justice. His voice is not as deep as Cash’s but it suited the song and he did have that twang. It’s suited for country and he uses it well.

Well I had a couple problems here. First, since I’m not up on country music, I didn’t know the name of many songs. While Dougie did mention the artists, he seldom said the name of the song so I was kind of lost. Oh well it was fun since I did recognize many of the songs. Second, the chat was mostly in Italian since it’s an Italian sim and again I was lost. But you know what? I had a lot of fun.


Dougie has a very tight professional set. While his bio says he plays guitar, I couldn’t really notice it, for if he was playing it blended in with the backing tracks. Maybe that is a compliment. He moved from one song to the next without abandon, pausing slightly between to talk briefly to the crowd.

While his set is tight, it doesn’t lack of fun. Dougie makes sure of that. The songs he chooses are full of fun even if the content might be a bit on the serious side. His energy on the stage keeps the party going. He makes sadness happy. Or at least tolerable.

Dougie shines no matter what the speed. Even the few ballads he did were done well. His voice drops a little deeper but he keeps it fun. He’s much better with the up tempo songs but he gives you a nice feeling no matter what he sings.

Ever the good old boy, Dougie seems to like a party. You can imagine him being the life of one. His voice is sexy, powerful but not overbearing. He delivers each note with gusto and leaves you beckoning for more.

All right, halfway through his set, I finally knew the name of a song. He picked up the tempo and with a little electric guitar thrown in he launched into “Swing”. Now that got me going. And if it’s not his theme song, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” should be. It draws a huge response from the crowd and it’s the kind of song that parties are made with. Hmmm, I have to find that honky tonk.

Dougie mixes the tempo quite frequently. He seems to follow every up tempo song with a slower one. While I would have liked the tempo maintained, he knows what he’s doing. “Stupid Boy” was a good choice to follow with. It gives you a chance to catch your breath (and I guess his as well).

Okay, so I didn’t here the Southern Fried Country Rock but then again, I’m happy I didn’t. A Dougie Moonites show is fun and to tell you the truth, it didn’t matter what he played. He’s a professional through and through and he makes sure his fans are entertained. I was.

My apologies to Dougie Moonites for not being up on country music, but a big thank you Dougie for making country music enjoyable. /me tips her hat.

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ALTHEA BAXTON "Sparkling Voice"

by jenny heying

There are many incredible voices to be found in Second Life® and there is always room for more. Taking in Althea Baxton at Eons Ballroom reminded me of this. You can add her to the list.

Hailing from Belgium with a French background, Althea opened with “Angel” and her voice permeated throughout the venue with a slight hint of her accent. More noticeable when she talks, but it adds a little sparkle to her voice. While the opening number was good, her voice seemed to suit the second number “New Soul”. It’s a cute song and Althea’s voice lends itself to cuteness. It’s sweet and playful and inspires fun.

Althea is playful between songs and on some songs, but when it needs to be serious, it gets there. When called upon, her voice takes center stage and envelopes the crowd. You drop what your doing and focus. She’s that good. Being a sucker for accents and foreign languages, I cringed when she sang in French. A good cringe. While her English is phenomenal, French songs give her an edge. They make her exotic and even though I didn’t understand the words, it didn’t matter. She made you feel you understood.

The backing tracks were adequate and not too domineering and although she occasionally lost her place, she giggled and carried on, adding to the humor. She keeps in touch with her audience and doesn’t lose sight of who she’s performing for. She interacts between songs and does follow the chat.

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Hearing “When You Say Nothing At All” with her French accent actually made me like the song. Weird. She performed it well and most of the covers she does, while close to the original are done just a tad differently adding to the uniqueness Althea brings to the stage. I don’t know if it’s deliberate but it works well.

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Althea probably falls through the cracks a lot. She’s not flashing and doesn’t do anything unusual on stage. She just sings. While that may not garner her a lot of attention, she’s worth seeing and hearing. Unusual in this day and age to take the stage and sing without the antics and gimmicks but it’s refreshing.

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She covers a wide range from Katie Melua to the Beatles but always keeps it on the softer side. I can imagine listening to her while I’m sipping wine on my patio. Maybe I will. Her show is light, fun and gratifying. This lady can sing but isn’t pretentious about it. She’s having as much fun as you are.

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Also on her set list this night were "Baby Don't You Break My Heart", "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" and an awesome version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow".

Anytime you can catch a wonderful singer, do it. Real Life or Second Life® it doesn’t matter. Althea Baxton is worth catching in either place. You’ll not only enjoy her singing but you’ll come away knowing you touched a little greatness. Do it soon.

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KATIA KERES "The Voice"

by jenny heying

Described as having an amazing voice, Katia Keres didn’t disappoint those in attendance at Silk Stockings. Jumping in to “Dreams” to open her show, her voice led the way. And following with ‘Runaway”, it was clear her voice is more than amazing. It’s simply awesome. Her voice leads us through every song and it resonates throughout the venue. She’s the ultimate professional and it’s clear that she has vocal training and if not, wow. With backing tracks subtly supporting, her voice dominates the show as she covers songs from every genre.

With “Feel like Making Love”, her voice is soft yet powerful. With “Fever” her voice is sexy and dominant. Her voice is always predominant and the focal point, but it moves with each and every song.


Between songs, she banters with her audience and you can’t help but fall in love with the Brazilian accent. The Miami resident knows how to please.

Her show is diverse and professional. Katia moves delicately from one song to the next, each providing a moment before passing to the next. You don’t want a song to end, but you want to hear the next.

Katia has what most performers want, a voice that suits any song. It’s crystal clear and while her voice is center stage, it is not overbearing. It clears the way for your ears to be soothed and your mind stroked.

Her set list is diverse with songs ranging from Celine Dion to Sheryl Crowe to Sade and everything along the way. In fact, if there’s a great vocalist, she’s on Katia’s playlist. The mood is set and Katia floats along with it.

Performing “I Still Love You More”, “Nobody Does It Better” and “Cry Me A River” Katia showcases an incredible voice that is suited for Second Life® and real life.

If I seem to be talking a lot about Katia Keres’ voice, I am. When you take in her performance, it’s the first and foremost thing you notice and what you will remember long after you’ve left. She hits and holds every note she attempts and her range is beyond what most singers would hope for. She’s entertaining and does so unobtrusively. She puts her voice on the line for you and with it; you sink in to a warm place you’ve never visited before. That is Katia performing.

Among her songs tonight, she did a breathtaking version of “By Your Side”, a lovely version of “Besame Mucho”, an inspiring cover of “Valentine” and a simply put, incredible version of “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”. Each time she lets a note out, it’s breathtaking. She finished with “The Woman In Me”, “Restless” and “I’ll Stand By You”.

If you want to hear someone sing in Second Life®, there are many to choose from, if you want to hear an incredible voice, choose Katia Keres.

And by the way, the dress she wore was gorgeous.

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