STRUMMER VULTEE "Giving Inspiration"

by julieanne rau

I had internet trouble getting on to Second Life®. When you hear advertisements of amazing and awesome you’re expecting to see something truly amazing and awesome. When I arrived the first think I noticed was the place had about 23 avatars in it and almost all were women. I got there just in time but unfortunately someone already had my favorite dancing spot. I tried to dance as close to it as I could but it wasn’t the same. Okay, enough about me.

I heard that Strummer does it all, plays country, soul, rock and even blues. His opening number was “Put a Little Love in your Heart” by Annie Lennox. Nothing special there except his back drop music. It seemed like he had a full band playing behind him. Later on, I asked him a “quick question”, “You playing any of those instruments?” His reply “Yes Guitar harp. I use a holder. I run two different drum machines with my left foot and my vocal harmony with my right and play the keyboard when I use it.” Ok, I was sure he was teasing me so I had to ask if he was, “No that’s what I use.”

I think he plays a mix of all types as advertised. His second song was titled “Wing Ding Doodle”. I think it was an original as I can’t find a reference for it anywhere. I guess I should have asked. He did mention we were going to have a Wing Ding Doodle night so I shouldn’t have expected less. By now the joint had increased to an average of 37 avatars. Songs like “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” by John Mellencamp, “She’s a Good Girl” and “Free Fallin’” both by Tom Petty followed. Not quite the awesome and amazing performance I wanted to hear. His voice did crack on one of the Tom Petty songs but I noticed he also did his own backup voice and I asked him about it. “It’s a digitech vocalist live 4”, he commented. I was starting to understand that he took his Second Life® performances serious. That’s good to know, for someone like me who is expecting to hear what is advertised or at least someone that is trying.

No play sheet to choose from though but someone did shout out play some Bowie and was treated with “Space Oddity”. What I liked was how comfortable he felt with the microphone. Saying “Hi” to people he knew and didn’t know. Thanking the venue and sponsors and basically reading every line that everyone writes. I can appreciate his multi-tasking skills. Trust me, from someone that can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. At one point the SIM hit 43 people and that’s a respectable turn out. He even recognized a few other musicians that had come to “get inspiration” he said.

As a side note, I like to find out what the musician’s real name is. I think that if you’re really worth seeing in Second Life® and you take it seriously, you would want people to know who you really are. Robert Combs (aka Strummer Vultee), fits nicely into that category. I have been toying with the idea of a 5 star rating system and if I had one, Strummer would get 3.5 to 4 stars. I believe he is very professional and I like how versatile he is with his music and general performance. His voice is a bit pitchy but since this is the first time I have seen him, my criticism of it, isn’t that harsh. Worth a second look is what I’m saying.

At the end of our small conversation, he told me he’ll get me free tickets to his next show. I think I'll take him up on that offer.

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"Author's Note: After a conversation with Strummer's manager, I was later informed that Strummer did have a throat problem and being the professional he is, rather than canceling he performed. I also understood, he later did lose his voice completely and was forced to cancel several SL performances after that. I count myself lucky then! Definitely will review again so that I can get the whole story to you."