VANNY WILDER "Rockability"

by jenny heying

Sometimes it's not about the voice, the song or many other things. Sometimes its about the axe. And when you find that perfect riff, you know you found your place. So it is with Vanny Wilder. Before I heard him sing, talk or anything else, he let loose on his guitar to “I’m A Fool For Your Stockings” and I was instantly mesmorized. I may be in love with his Stratocaster but then the licks just do that to me. With Vanny, you have to love guitar and if you don’t, you will not long into his set.

Before I get in to anything else, I’m gonna run his guitar playing to the limit, like he does. Vanny can rock, and he lets you know that. His guitar is his show and he makes no excuses for it. Front and center, his axe steals the night and you are captured by it. With every note and chord, you fall deeply into his southern charm and rock the night away with him.


Before a small but appreciative crowd at Blues Fabrik, Vanny Wilder brought his rockabilly, rockability or whatever you want to call it, but I call it Texas rock to the house. With “Stoop Down”, he showed his prowess with his Fender. He never let it drop from there.

Now on to his voice. Okay so he’s not an American Idol finalist, but then who is. He can hold his own and gets the point across in every song. Slightly raspy, he delivers the goods and if you are a fan of ZZ Top type of rock, he nails it. Mind you, you probably don’t’ come to hear him sing, but when you do come, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Vanny Wilder is all about the guitar. His Texas, southern, rockabilly or whatever it is contains you. From the first lick, you are into him and leaving is not an option. He covers every great guitarist from Hendrix to Clapton and everything in between. Cover is meant lightly as his really does make it his own.

I get the feeling that Vanny doesn’t need to have an audience, he is that in to what he does. While he does an admirable job of acknowledging the crowd, he does seem to be enthralled in his art and I don’t’ know where he is when he’s playing but it probably doesn’t matter because I’m sure he’s lost in the music, like we all should be.

Vanny is Second Life’s Stevie Ray and he earns the honor honestly. He knows what to do with his guitar and no matter what genre he plays, he makes it his. He even does a song about Second Life® and turns it into a blues rocking guitar rendition.

Vanny loves the greats and I’m sure they would have loved him. On “Red House” he takes a Jimi Hendrix tune and turns it in to a Vanny Wilder rock house extravaganza. He adds his own intro, nails the Hendrix riffs and wails away while you sway to the beat. I even thought he sounded a bit like Jimi, but that could be my imagination. Following up with “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, I know but he makes it bluesy, with a twist, Vanny knows no limit.

Moving through time, Vanny covered Buffalo Springfield, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and finishing with Boney Maroney ala Sha Na Na, Johnny Winter and ultimately Vanny Wilder.

If you love Blues, okay if you love Rock, ummm or Rockabilly or well if you just love to have fun and listen to some fine guitar, you gotta check out Vanny Wilder. Tell him I sent you, not that it will make a difference, but what the hell. I guarantee you’ll love him, his guitar and you’ll be entranced by the magic he makes with his Fender Strat. Make no mistake, he his a guitarist like no other in Second Life®. He ends with a flourish and you know you can’t wait to see him again.