NEWBAWN EASTERWOOD "Lively and Controlled"

by jenny heying

With the amazing influences listed in the event posting, I just had to tp down to Pier’s Paradise to catch Newbawn Easterwood to find out what he was all about. Metallica, Motley Crue to Beatles and the Stones. I couldn’t miss it could I?

The London musician led off his set with “Every Breath You Take” performing it brilliantly yet laid back. His guitar seemed to take center stage while his voice followed it along. His voice is soft at times and a little more gruff at others. The guitar playing was superb and I couldn’t wait to see what he did with more lively songs.

But for now he seemed to be in a slightly mellow mood following with “Creep”. And while the brilliant guitar playing continued, it kind of overshadowed his voice at times, but not always. It seemed to jump from being predominant to not but nonetheless I could hear both quite well.


I loved listening to him play. He’s a fine guitar player and probably up there with the best of them. He mixes the strumming and riffs well and they do suit the type of music he plays. As with most musicians playing this genre, you tend to be less interested in the voice than you are in the instruments. Mind you, Newbawn has a pretty good voice. Okay it’s not perfect, but what the hell, it is perfect for the songs he does and with his guitar leading the way, his voice tags along for the ride.

Covers of the Goo Goo Dolls and Tears For Fears followed done exceptionally well, but still at the same pace. Then speeding things up somewhat, he jumped into “Mr. Jones” and wow, I’m glad I came. This was the best Newbawn had done so far and things seemed to blend so well. His voice and guitar meshed and the song came through perfectly. Lively and controlled, he nailed it.

He mixes the timeline well, falling into “Wild World” keeping the tempo more upbeat and you know what? I like it when he’s up-tempo. He blends well at that speed and is a pleasure to listen to.

And since I’m a huge Bowie fan, he wonderfully agreed to do “Ziggy Stardust”. I’ve heard this song covered many times and his version is near the top. Okay not at the top, but very close. He did it justice.

Slowing things down again, he ventured into Zeppelin territory. Not many artists can perform “Stairway to Heaven” but Newbawn was simply amazing. He carried the song and this time, his guitar although brilliant, let his voice lead. His was kewl.

Pier’s Paradise is a gorgeous venue located above Midnight Forest. It has a huge dance floor and a lot of vines throughout the room. The stage area, complete with fireplace and rose bushes makes for a great atmosphere for watching Second Life® live performers.

Newbawn is very entertaining, not only with his guitar and voice but also in chat. He chats frequently with the crowd and reads what they type. He lets you know he appreciates you being there and you appreciate him.

He wound up his show with “State Street Of Mind”, “Revolution”, “Time Of Your Life” and “Everybody Hurts”. He finished amazingly strong and left you longing for more. I’ll have to venture out to see him again.

Okay, so I didn’t hear any Metallica or Motley Crue, but then I don’t think I really wanted to.