Thump Magazine

A Farewell Notice

2009-12-14T14:45:00.003-06:00

After three years in Second Life®, I’ve decided to take a break. There are many factors contributing to my decision, both real life and second life.

Without going in to a lot of detail, suffice to say that I have become disillusioned with Linden Lab® and the way they operate creating what I consider a difficult forum in which to operate a Second Life® business. I’ve also become more and more discouraged with the Second Life® platform as it stands. But I’ve blogged about my feelings toward Linden Lab®, so I’ll leave it at that.

My real life has become much busier and I have found lately that I just don’t have as much time to devote to operating within Second Life®. Real Life will always come first and as such, SL will have to be put on hold.

Second Life® has served its purpose for me. It was a welcome therapeutic adventure at a time I needed one. I learned so many things hear that can only help me in real life. I’ve also met so many wonderful people beginning with my life as a newbie right up to today. So many people have helped or encouraged me along my journey and I am appreciative of each one of them. I also like to think that I had some help in the lives of others.

I’ve been discouraged with a lot of things that make it frustrating and lately I’ve become bored with my Second Life®. I no longer spend the time I once did nor feel the creative juices and excitement that once encouraged me.

I am proud of everything I’ve done and accomplished and feel satisfaction that the goals I set for myself early on have been met. With no new goals that interest me, I leave with some satisfaction.

So over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’ll remove my items from XStreet, dismantle my stores and malls and store away my inventory.

At the present time I will keep my account active as I plan to log in once in a while and who knows, I may decide to become more active again in the future.

Thanks to everyone who has made my journey a pleasant one and good luck in your future endeavours.

Jenny

CATE LLEWELLYN "Cold Hand Cate"

2009-12-04T09:02:00.001-06:00

by tracy serra

I wandered over to the Drunken Drow the other night to listen to Cate Llewellyn. In real life, Cate Llewellyn is a singer-songwriter living and playing music in the Chicago area.

The evening started out with Cate welcoming everyone who was there (and yes, I was on time this night). She started her set with a cover of Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic”. I found myself thinking if this was a warm up song, we were in for a fantastic night. New arrivals were welcomed and Cate did a little promotion of the previous performer before covering the Beatles’ “Blackbird”. Before starting she let us know that whenever she sings a Beatles song, she asks everyone to tell her their favorite Beatle. It turns out that Cate and I share the same favorite Beatle: George.

Taking a small break from singing covers, Cate performed an original called "All I Think Of” or the “do-do-do-do song” (which reminded me of the SNL monologue of Taylor Swift. Not the song, the way it was introduced). Letting us all know she is a fan of the Apple line of computers (which I won’t hold against her :p), Cate sang what she called a fun song because it reminded her of Apples’ stuff called “New Soul”.

If you have read my reviews, by now you know I like it when the artist plays the crowd with more than requests to tip the venue. Cate certainly did that when she sang a quick happy birthday song for a friend in attendance after which she told us when she was looking for a man she would like to have created a note she could give to a guy with all the qualities she wanted so she wrote a song about it called “The Note”. Letting us know that a fan had requested she learn the song, “At Last”; tonight was the first time she performed it and was hoping it would turn out OK. I have to say, it went more than OK! Next up was another original she wrote for her sweetheart she found in-world called “Heart Song”. Thanking people for tips received she also reminded everyone to tip the venue with a “please, please, please”, and a “give, give, give”.

As Cate introduced her next song, she said she thought she sounded like she came from Minnesota. Cate told us she never thought she had an accent till she heard herself. The song was called “Cold Hands” and we were told to remind her to ask why it had that title. After the song, and being reminded to give us the song title explanation, Cate told us she has a circulation problem and always complained about having cold hands. I believe a trip to a museum that had a thermal camera proved it when she walked in front if it and her hands were blue on the monitor.

The night was winding down as Cate did a Weepies cover of “Gotta Have You”. More thanking people for tips and apologizing for messing up name pronunciation was followed by an original about feeling lazy called “Today” and “Key West” which was about getting away. A plug for her Subscribe-O-Matic led in to "Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. After thanking the venue for its support and asking for support for the venue, Cate performed her last song appropriately called “The End”

As her introduction states, Cate “…effortlessly shapes evocative and stirring melodies that capture moods and emotions in their dynamic simplicity!” Cate certainly created moods, and painted emotions this night.

WINTER WETHERBY "Intoxicating"

2009-11-30T22:02:00.011-06:00

by jenny heying

With a deep deep voice and a smashing guitar, Winter Wetherby opened his set at the Drunken Drow with “Dublin Blues”. His guitar sounds like he’s ready to launch into something wild any second yet his voice leads you through the drama of the song. He is telling stories that his guitar just wants to whip through. It’s a strange yet intoxicating combination that makes you more inquisitive about the singer-songwriter.

Following with a self penned number called “Headlights In My Heart” gave proof to what Winter is all about. He is dramatic but his stories are appealing. The thrashing sound of his guitar just makes it so much more powerful. I just love the sound of an electric guitar especially when it’s put to the test. Changing to an acoustic he gave us another original song “Far Away Trains” that had just a touch of country feel to it. Sometimes you think he’s a good ole boy, other times you’re sure he’s a rocker. But either way he continues to offer his versions of his life and times through song.

His deep voice is enchanting yet provocative sometimes coming across on the verge of Tom Waits but never quite crossing the line to the other side. His voice is clear with the raspiness you’d expect and with a little bit of a boozed filled feel to it. Okay, it’s intoxicating.

On “Me And That Train”, his guitar took over center stage. Nothing overdone, it just drove us out so that he could sing. He’s an accomplished guitar player and no matter what he does, his guitar is either a perfect accompaniment or the lead performer when called upon. His axe does the driving while his voice shouts out the directions.

He changes guitars often giving you a different sound each time he does but his voice never falters. On “Stolen Moments”, his guitar wails behind a voice filled with sorrow yet hopeful. He gives you the blues the way only he can and his guitars whether electric or not provide the atmosphere to be filled. He takes you down to depressing sorrowful times that his guitar is only to happy to provide.

Winter is a rarity in Second Life®, playing a variety of guitars throughout his performance while singing to a few covers but mostly to songs his written about life, mostly his. The dark place he takes you to is not so scary, actually it’s kind of fun. “The River Song” fills the void making the journey somewhat pleasant, but alas, you don’t mind the feeling because it’s good no matter where you end up.

It’s hard to tell what he does best. While I just love the way he attacks his guitar, I also find his voice soothing and eerie at the same time. Normally I would be taken aback, but not with Winter, he seems to want to protect you providing the comfort you need on a musical journey through life’s hardships.

Treating us to a song he wrote just last week “Ride” was a ride alright. With his electrified instrument at his side, he strummed and sang us down a highway we’ve probably ventured on a few times but never with Winter leading the way. He likes to lead and you like to follow enjoying the whole adventure.

Telling stories is in his blood; not only in his songs, but between them he fills the silence with compelling versions of his songs and history. He knows you’re there and he doesn’t want you to leave so he keeps you tied with his songs and stories. I’ll bet he’s the life of any party, sitting in the middle telling his yarns, but really, to music his stories are best. Like “Shades Of December” which gives us a deep look in to lost love and the heartache that stays with you a long long time.

Entertainment can be many things, especially in Second Life®. Winter Wetherby provides it in any way you may want it. You can sit back, listen and dream, you can become entranced in the music, or you can wail away at a marvelous compilation of guitars. No matter which journey you take, it’s a marvelous time that you don’t want ending any time soon. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

Winter brought us home with “Cold Northern Rain” and a raucous version of “Midnight Special” leaving us wanting to take another journey with him very soon. You’ll want to as well.

TAUNTER GOODNIGHT "Has Talent"

2009-11-25T09:14:00.001-06:00

by jenny heying

With the finals of “Lil Egypt Has Talent”, I felt it only fitting to review the one finalist we haven’t gotten around to yet. So off to Lil Egypt to take in Taunter Goodnight performing the second of the two finalists’ shows. It’s fitting to mention that Tracy Serra had previously reviewed the other finalist Skye Galaxy.

Opening with a raucous version of “When You’re Good To Mama” and an apology for not playing an instrument, you quickly realized that Taunter’s voice is her instrument. It’s strong, clear and doesn’t miss a beat. Her voice suited that song and you can’t help but pay attention. She holds the notes and mixes her tempo perfectly.

Between songs she’s just as powerful and tends to like to talk, almost as much as she likes to sing. Following with a little blues “It Hurts So Bad” showed the range that Taunter has. As much as she is a powerful singer, she doesn’t let the emotions fall by the wayside. The emotion never got in the way though, especially with “Me And Bobby McGee”.

Using backing tracks that were never overbearing, actually just enough of a compliment, she moved those in attendance with a voice that could handle the raspiness of heartbreak to the smoothness of love. Regardless of the kind of song, it’s the fervor of emotion that she embraces each number with that knocks you over. She takes them seriously and is sure to win you over or at least let you know she’s intent on trying.

This lady knows how to deliver. Changing tempos doesn’t stop her excellence. Moving into “LA Song” she proved that to no end she can handle it all. She’s an accomplished vocalist who knows how to work her art. She gives her all and doesn’t leave anything behind.

Best of all, Taunter seems to be having so much fun on stage. Whether improvising or doing requests like “I’m A Blonde” she takes it all to a new level. The fun is contagious and that just makes the whole event more enjoyable. She has an energy that must require re energizing between tracks. The energy was most noticeable on a stellar version of “I’m Guilty”.

Taunter must have been born on a stage because she seems so comfortable that she doesn’t seem anxious to leave it. She can stay all night performing the way she does. With “Son Of A Preacher Man” she left the blues behind but not the emotion. She sings it with desire. She’s willing to try anything and will if you ask her no matter what the genre.

Winding down her show, Taunter launched into an amazing cover of “Walking In Memphis”. I know, I’ve heard this song a thousand times, but I never get tired of it especially when it’s performed so well. Followed by a special dedication of “At Last” to the venue owners, Taunter sang in timeless fashion.

Taunter Goodnight is powerful yet wonderful. She’s talented yet deliberate. She makes a wonderful performance great. She finished her incredible performance with “I’m Yours”, “Bitch” and “Angel Of The Morning”.

“Lil Egypt Has Talent” featured some amazing talented performers over the weeks and the two finalists are definitely the cream of the crop. Drawing between 50-60 people for the finale showed the interest in “Live” music in Second Life®. The choice for the winner is a tough one.

CHANDRA DEED "Romance In The Air"

2009-11-21T10:02:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Relatively new to Second Life® (July 2009) Chandra Deed is definitely not new to performing having performed since the age of three. In the elegant setting of Midnight Romance Ballroom Chandra led off with “Our Day Will Come” followed by “Wishing And Hoping” to a receptive crowd of just under 30.

Chandra has a lovely voice, one that embraces the songs she sings and puts them out for you to embrace as well. It soothes the soul but it’s on songs like “Ooh Baby Baby” that you really get its full impact. Neither overbearing or harsh, her voice is openly sweet but consistent with the tone of what she performs. She hits each note with pinpoint accuracy with backing tracks that complement her target.

Her backing tracks suit her well. Again they are not out in the open but do their job supplementing a singer who leads out with melodic vocals. She sings classic love songs like “Walk On By” with the grace held by only seasoned performers. With every note on every song she holds true to the original performer but elevates it to a new level. She makes the love obvious on “My Valentine” keeping it real and forgiving.

Between songs she is professionally sweet. She converses with her audience, not only acknowledging them with is a prerequisite in Second Life® but her spoken voice is as soft and enduring as her singing voice. Okay, her singing voice is a bit stronger, but it ought to be. Her version of “Till You Come Back To Me” was a little more forceful but maintained the composure of Aretha in days gone by.

Chandra also looked exquisite sporting a formal mauve gown perfect for the ballroom atmosphere. Her look fit perfectly with her voice and the décor.

A Chandra Deed show is all about the sentiment of love songs. There are not a lot of women who would tackle some of the songs she does as evident on “This Masquerade”. With a slightly deepened voice, she made it a memorable performance.

Performing, she is professional as much as she is graceful. She does each song with confidence and her tracks take nothing away, sounding more like a backup band should. With “What You Won’t Do For Love” she let the professionalism carry her albeit in a good way. Letting the lyrics carry the mood, she complimented the mood.

Chandra Deed suited the atmosphere but maybe more appropriately the atmosphere suited her. Her show is mellow yet fun, and made for romance. She sings everything you wish you could say to that special person in your life. You appreciate her doing that for you. “You Are Everything” is a case in point. If you hadn’t risen a few degrees by this point, you probably never will.

The nice thing about a Chandra Deed show is that you make you forget about what’s going on in your life and you fall in to a dream state. Even on more up tempo songs like “Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher” puts you in to a glassy eyed state. It’s all from the heart and that’s where it stays.

An hour long set flew by very quickly but not before stellar performances of “Close To You”, “A Love Song”, “Magic” and finishing with an astonishing version of “You Raise Me Up”.

A Chandra Deed show is made for romance. If you feel the love or if you’d like to, you just might want to venture out to find where she’s performing next.

MAXIMILLION KLEENE "Better Late Than Never"

2009-11-17T10:12:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Having been around Second Life® since mid 2006, I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to get around to reviewing Maximillion Kleene. But I guess better late than never. Having said that I popped over to Chichen Itza, Mexico to have a listen to him.

Opening with a short slightly Mexican guitar intro he led into a strong version of “The Way” that showcased his ability on the guitar. He plays brilliantly with his guitar setting the melody that his vocals pleasantly follow. He continued with “Only Hope” and while I know it as Mandy Moore, Max made it his own momentarily making me forget the original.

His voice is soothing, carrying the song through its story making you relax and listen to his tales. No matter what he sings, he does so with passion but adds a little flair and fun as noted on “1,2,3,4”. He’s entertaining and while he does have a voice that is easy to listen to, he’s not afraid to venture out and throw in a few wrinkles now and then.

Although Maximillion has an enchanting voice, his guitar playing is without equal. He strums and picks his way through each song setting a roadmap for his voice to follow. It’s an easy roadmap to follow and you try to keep up as he strolls through his set list. His take on “Smooth” was simply astonishing and the 47 or so in attendance were as stunned as I was. He kept it up through “Galaxy” hitting mid set stride and appearing more and more comfortable and loose.

He does like to talk between songs and is sure to acknowledge those in attendance and just about whatever else jumps in to his mind at the time. He ensures you know the songs he’s playing but it wasn’t necessary as most of what he does you can recognize instantly.

Relaxed and comfortable or maybe it’s just confidence that makes you feel easy at Max’s show. He is definitely enjoyable no matter how he feels with his guitar sliding in and out of the forefront. He keeps that easy feeling going with “We Can Work It Out” with the strumming moving you off your chair and then back again. He appears to be having fun on stage with his guitar having just as much fun. It filters back to you but on songs like “A Beautiful Mess” you just kind of melt, but it’s an enjoyable melt.

Maximillion is definitely a musician for the soul. He sets the mood, the tone and makes sure you’re comfortable there. You appreciate the sentiment and just sit back and enjoy. That mood contains highs and lows but you don’t seem to care which way you go.

Max also takes you back in time but he made “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” a bit more refreshing while “Hold You In My Arms” was mellow yet lovable. You love listening to his voice and you marvel at his guitar playing. But together, they are simply miraculous.

He closed his set with a cute and lively “I’m Yours” and an equally dashing “It’s Only A Paper Moon” leaving you completely at ease. Again I’m not sure what took me so long to review him, but I’m glad I finally had the chance.

KOMUSO TOKUGAWA "Cutting Loose"

2009-11-13T22:04:00.013-06:00

by jenny heying

Leading off his acoustic set at Le Chat Tavern complete with harmonica, Komuso Tokugawa delivered “King Bee” with a lot of force and some incredible blues guitar. He’s a got a deep voice suited for the blues with a little rasp and a slightly hard edge. He teased us with the mouth harp but just enough to keep us wanting. He continued the blues with “Someday Baby” with a fine little guitar intro smoothing into some wailing away with the harmonica tagging along for the ride. Komuso is made for the blues or rather the blues were made for him. His voice tells a story whether you listen to the lyrics or not.

While the guitar and harmonica provide the focal point, he’s accompanied by a non intrusive drum beat that adds to the bluesy feel making the 50 or so in attendance kick back and enjoy. A rather large crowd these days in Second Life® that packed the small venue requiring (or rather by choice) some to dance on the bar and anywhere else they could find some room.

Between songs, he’s a personable guy with the obligatory acknowledgement of those in attendance and the tippers, but Komuso seems to be truly appreciative albeit you get the feeling he prefers to jump back to his first love, playing and singing the blues. With “Frankie and Johnny” he continued the nostalgic part of his set allowing his guitar to continue to set the pace.

Switching acoustic guitars he transitioned to an instrumental song that was kind of dreamy and had us longing for something we were missing, what I’m not sure. One thing is for sure, he’s a master on the instrument. He makes the slide guitar seem tireless as well as entertaining. Komuso picked up a notch with some boogie woogie in “Cut you Loose” using the slide, harp and the drum beat making difficult for anyone to sit still.

Komuso plays the blues the way it oughta be played, with an edge and a throatiness that tells its own tales. You get the feeling he lived it and can now tell the story and that he does, amazingly. He plays through an amazing show telling his stories through his guitar and you get a little teary eyed at times but he always brings to back to the sunny side. On “It Hurts Me Too”, he takes you to the teary place and shows you around letting your emotions come to the forefront as he means for you to do.

There are some incredible blues artists in Second Life® each with their pluses. Kosumo is one that also leads you to believe he is the blues. You sway, swagger, drink and do whatever it is you do when you get the blues. He facilitates it.

Ending his hour in an frenzied upbeat fashion with “Walkin’ Blues” got us feeling less blue and a little appreciative for a wonderful journey. If you enjoy the blues, hell even if you don’t, take in Kosumo Tokugawa as soon as you can.

STEELY DECOSTA "Letting Loose"

2009-11-09T19:57:00.009-06:00

by jenny heying

Steely Decosta is the kind of name suited for a rock star and judging by the intro guitar he played, he would live up to the moniker. Even his opening monologue was rockstarish. Opening at Tranquil Café with “Romeo’s Tune” gave a good indication of what was to come, a great voice and some awesome guitar. His guitar was inspiring and his fingers led the way through a great opening number. He followed with “In The Colors” letting his guitar lead his voice through an inspiring song.

It’s hard to tell whether Steely is a better guitar player or better singer. Actually it doesn’t matter; he does both so amazingly well. They compliment each other and you find yourself at times listening to the lyrics and at other times concentrating on his guitar. On “Hey There Delilah”, he carried the song with his guitar but his voice wasn’t far behind. He let both do their part brilliantly.

Hi voice is clear, loud enough to hear every word and very much in sync. It’s soft and he carries the notes effectively and roughens it a bit when he needs to. He’s a pleasure to hear. And when he lets loose on his guitar, your mouth kind of drops. Mine did on “Free Falling” when he added a marvelous intro and then slid into the vocals equaling the picking.

Steely is fun loving or so he seems between and during his songs. When not singing, he is upbeat and carefree. Kind of like a friend playing guitar in your living room.

Steely covers a wide range of material, most of which are songs I enjoy listening too. He did a kick ass version of “Your Song” then followed with a simply knock em down rendition of “Little Wing” probably making Jimi do a little turning in his grave. It was brilliant, from the guitar to well everything he did.

No matter what Steely performs, he does it incredibly well. He knocked us out on “Dirty Work” then with a few pre-recorded riffs he wowed us with his prowess and some incredible guitar licks that he called “Train Wreck”. He’s not only good but seems to love playing which I suppose is why most play, but with Steely it’s infectious. You love it too.

He continued a fantastic show performing covers of “Something So Strong”, “Worries” and “Don’t Let Me Down” with a few dancing licks thrown in between. Okay, sometimes he seemed to drift off to guitar heaven, but hey, he’s allowed. Not to let us settle down, Steely steered us to a “Mad World” before leaving us with “Make It Real”.

I could listen to Steely all night, but thankfully he doesn’t play all night otherwise I’d never get anything done. The hour flew and I’m glad I popped in to see him. If he does play all night, I’ll be there.

SAFFRON ALBATROS "Singing For Our Entertainment"

2009-11-05T07:01:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Singing for your own entertainment is how a lot of Second Life® artists begin and Saffron Albatros claims to be no different. Singing professionally or at least in front of a live audience is something else. Opening with “Come Away With Me” at the Syl Darcy Art Gallery, Saffron proved that the transition seems to be easier than we might think. She performed the song brilliantly with a voice that held true not missing a note and delivering it with softness and reverence. Following with “Passionate Kisses” gave us a glimpse at her range. Whether mellow or not, the delivery is equally as good.

Saffron Albatros is a covers artist so expect to hear a variety of tunes and while she claims to do mostly country, it didn’t appear that way at the beginning. With “Son Of A Preacher Man” she continued with a strong voice accompanied by backing tracks that were definitely not overbearing and subtly provided the platform for her to showcase her vocal talent.

She crosses the genre lines providing you with an abundance of fun listening. She did a subtle and sweet yet deliberate version of “Mustang Sally” sending a few little goose bumps down my arm.

Between songs, Saffron is a charming as when she’s performing. Not shy but not aggressive she seems to prefer to let her singing voice do the communicating. She’s brief between songs and with her performance you don’t mind so much. Her range is many as evident on “Black Velvet”

The types of artists, genres they perform and styles they deliver are vast in Second Life®. You have a choice no matter what your preference. Saffron delivers her songs exquisitely with drive and provides an atmosphere for you to enjoy what she does. Speaking of genres and her claim to country, she offered us a magnificent choice in “Jolene” and followed that with “Strawberry Wine” proving her self more than capable in that genre.

Her trademark song “These Boots Were Made For Walking” was done as a cross between the original and Jessica’s version but with more pizazz but in a fun and definitely sexy way. This is where the singing for your own entertainment comes in handy as it makes the performer comfortable when performing in a fun and cute way.

The fun was turned up a notch with “Sin Wagon” and level kept high with “It Happens” making Saffron show the kind where you just can’t sit still. The country portion of her show carried on with “Leave The Pieces” before venturing into “Sunrise” but never leaving the fun and lightness behind.

Saffron closed an hour’s worth of joyous entertainment with “Morning Song”, “Fever” and “Foolish Games”.

After seeing Saffron Albatros, I’m kind of glad that she doesn’t just sing for her own entertainment anymore.

SIN RAE "Diva In The Making"

2009-11-01T08:43:00.001-06:00

by jenny heying

Looking ever the Diva in her pink and black gown, Sin Rae took the stage at TwoKats Koffee House; the audience in anticipation of the singer billed as a younger version of Whitney. Looking like a Diva is one thing; sounding like a Diva is another. Well put that to rest because with her opening Amy Winehouse number “Back To Black”, she came across strong, vibrant and her voice drifted through an incredible range. Okay this girl has talent.

Following that she let her voice loose on “Fallin” and the comparison to Whitney is evident. Actually I think Sin’s voice is a little stronger and with a slightly hollow background, it made it more unique. On “Rehab”, she continued an amazing vocal presentation imitating Amy enough to get the message but with her own style to it.

Her backing tracks were adequate but slightly tinny however that didn’t matter as her voice was the reason for being here. She also had a slight problem with the endings fading out but she makes up for that starting and during each number. With “Mercy”, she took the song to new depths adding some higher notes but keeping with the melody.

Sin seems poised and reserved between songs, but that adds to the Diva persona. Actually she kind of seems shy or maybe its confidence that needs to be built but that will come. She can certainly belt out the tunes like “Warwick Avenue” and “Syrup and Honey” moving from upbeat to ballad with grace and ease but keeping a voice range that will amaze you.

In between songs, she gets a little repetitious in her comments and at times seems to struggle with what to say. Whether that’s the confidence that comes with performing or not I’m not sure. But confidence aside, her voice is incredible and soothes your ears as you perk them to listen. As seems more the case in Second Life® these days, stream communication problems started up during “I’ll Stand By You” making it difficult at that point but between cuts you could still make out her marvelous voice. Thankfully that lasted for only two songs.

I tend to like Sin’s voice more on the ballads not to take anything away from the more upbeat songs she performs, it’s just my preference.

Unfortunately Sin had another gig to get to and surprisingly she ended her set 40 minutes in and vanished very quickly. Hopefully that can be rectified next time along with her confidence level.

The comparison to Whitney is valid and as a Diva, well maybe Diva in the making, but in all a great voice that over time will be a voice to be coveted.

KIARANNE FLANAGAN "Roller Coaster of Emotion"

2009-10-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

by tracy serra

My dance partner and I arrived at Tranquil Café before the first song as Kiaranne Flanagan was warming up her fingers for her performance. When she was ready, she started her warm-up song, “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks leading me to believe we were in for a good show. After a brief welcome to everyone at the venue Kiaranne performed “I Will Remember You” by Sara McLachlan. She then welcomed the newcomers and began talking about her song list as well as her new original song she was hoping to get to this night. As a prelude to her next song, Kiaranne told those assembled that she promised to sing Tracy Chapman’s “The Promise” which she sings at every show. Her acoustic guitar playing complemented her singing with an almost perfect balance.

We could tell that Kiaranne’s voice was now fully warmed up as her voice was much stronger singing “You’re The Power” by Kathy Mattea. She followed with an Irish folk tune called “Wild Mountain Thyme”. My dance partner found out the song was written by William McPeake. Kiaranne said she was happy to finger-pick this song and it showed with her lovely singing and great picking. Up next was an original called “What Does It Matter”.

Kiaranne then interacted with the crowd talking about trying to pick her songs to mix up the emotions they expressed as if we were on a roller coaster of emotions. She asked everyone to tip the venue and you could sense her humor as she encouraged her fingers to get going. Her fingers responded as she played “Underneath The Stars” by Kate Rusby. Playfully interacting with the crowd, she then gave us “Caledonia” by Celtic Woman.

Saying hello to a few newcomers and a little more playful crowd interaction preceded John Denver’s “Annie’s Song”. Kiaranne talked about in-world days being 4 hours to in-world nights being 1 hour and we realized the time had flown. She performed “Days Are Never Long Enough” by Steve Earle, which was right on topic, before ending with “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

With her set ended, I felt Kiaranne had expressed each song’s emotion and had given us a night to enjoy.

RAPTURE DAMONE "Proving Herself"

2009-10-24T10:03:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

Being a woman, I’m always on the lookout for great female performers in Second Life® and when I notice someone I haven’t seen before, I just have to find the time to check them out. Heading down to Z’s Music Club to take in Rapture Damone’s performance was just the cure for the hump day blues.

Jetting in to a guitar intro and a unique version of “The Tide Is High” set me off for an interesting set of music. Sounding a little distant but also with a LIVE feel, she gave us a voice that was smooth but also a little deep. It was perfect for an entrance. She comes across professionally and confidently delivery her songs with energy. Following with “Gold Dust Woman”, Rapture sings with her own version of emotion, fittingly from a female point of view but with enough forcefulness to make the song noticeable.

Rapture delivers her show well rehearsed and with little room for error. She covers with her own flair accompanied by some incredible acoustic guitar that fits perfectly behind a unique voice. With “What’s Going On”, she not only nailed the original but added enough originality to give you her take on the song.

While a lot of performers in Second Life® give you that laid back, I’m playing in my bedroom feel, Rapture does something a little special. You get the feeling that you are actually listening to her in a club or maybe even at a concert. She doesn’t sound like she’s sitting at home singing to her monitor. No, she comes across as she might in a real life setting with you and your friends enjoy her music while sipping a few drinks. It’s a nice feeling. Even between songs, her rapping with the crowd sounds more like she’s doing it during a live show. Well I guess it is live.

Rapture does an incredible slow version of “I’ll Stop The World and Melt With You”. It’s sweet, sexy and again, she does with conviction. With her guitar faithfully following, she makes you melt listening to her. On “Who Will Save Your Soul” she gave us her best Jewel impression. Close, but with more drive, she comes across as a bit more of an extroverted Jewel. But it’s good. It’s what you want in a live setting.

As with all of her songs in her repertoire, she imitates the artists she covers, but only slightly, not to copy them completely. She adds her own flair and makes each song a little more unique. The guitar confidently slides with her from cover to cover. She’s as diverse as she is talented and it shows in a cross section of songs not limiting her to one particular style or genre.

My only complaint, if I have to find one, is that Rapture does sound a bit hurried. I’m not sure if it’s because she came directly from another venue or if it’s her style, but it doesn’t really matter, again it adds to that live feel she puts across so well.

Whether she’s performing “Not An Addict” or “Zombie”, she does it with a no nonsense attitude giving you the feeling she’s a woman who won’t take any crap. That’s a compliment believe me. You know she’s good and she probably does too and with that goes a little, well a lot of latitude. She doesn’t need to promise anything as she gives it all to you on the stage and lives nothing behind.

Confidently she continues her amazing set with “Lightning Crashes”, “Joey” and “Our Lips Are Sealed” each performed with the same professionalism and certitude as the others. I know I’m not alone saying I appreciate someone who not only appears to know what they’re doing on stage but proves it over and over again.

“Landslide” was soft and comfortable, “Hand In My Pocket” with breathless abandon, and “Everything” with flare and finesse led to the end of a performance I won’t soon forget.

Rapture Damone makes an hour fly pretty quickly but to her benefit, it makes you want to venture out to see her again. The first time you get initiated is unbelievable; I can only imagine what the second time feels like.

ONSTER MERLIN “SL Idol”

2009-10-20T08:17:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

Winning awards and contests isn’t something that usually impresses me, but checking Onster Merlin’s profile and noting she won the second edition of SL Idol got me curious. Curious as to how good someone must be to win SL Idol and is if for real. With word open on my computer, I forayed on to the BackPorch to take in the woman who claims she is a “Swedish Bathroom Singer”.

She opened her show with her warm up song “What If God Was One Of Us” and for a warm up, it was pretty good. She seemed a little tentative or maybe it was quiet, but I strained a bit to hear her. Nonetheless her voice was clear and fit perfectly to the song. She followed with “Little Lies” in much the same vain, loosening up a little part way through. I wasn’t sure if it was a usual thing or not, but it almost seemed like she was nervous or shy.

Now don’t get me wrong, Onster does have a wonderful voice and she can sing. She seemed to loosen up somewhat on “Sweet About Me” that was enjoyable to listen to. And by the end of the song, she seemed to have a little more of a dynamic presence. She gave us an awesome version “First Cut Is The Deepest” and with the tempo slightly more, it seemed like she livened up a bit.

Her backing tracks were pretty standard but were adequate, not too loud or soft, giving her voice a chance to carry her show.

By the time she was singing “Power Of Good-Bye, Onster was back to her less dynamic self. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe it’s just her nature and personality showing through. Onster does have a charming personality or so it seems between songs. Soft spoken, she does introduce each song so you know what you’re about to hear, but she probably needs to converse a little more and show off more of her charm.

With the incredible voice she does have, it’d be nice to have it thrown out a bit more. With the number of great voices in Second Life®, she really needs something to set her apart. Like on “My Favorite Game”, which is up tempo and can be a lot of fun, she just seemed to sing it without putting a whole lot more into it. It was well done, but again, it was just missing some oomph.

She continued with “Turn Me On” which was done with a little less hesitation and it was her best to this point. When she adds a little forcefulness, it improves so much. I’m a big Katie Melua fan and when Onster slid into “The Closest Thing To Crazy”, I was impressed. She did it wonderfully and with some drive, it would have been great.

With “Pride and Joy”, she seemed to get a little of that gumbo we have down here. It’s a great song and can really liven up a place. She found a bit of that here and there were signs of energy. She kept some of the momentum with “My Aphrodisiac Is You” and I felt at this point, this is the Onster I wanted to see and hear. She excels on Katie Melua songs.

Onster’s set list included “Still Got The Blues”, “Time After Time” and “Besame Mucho”. Onster Merlin is a wonderful singer with a great voice and worth checking out. Maybe I should stop taking in Saturday afternoon shows.

As for SL Idol? Well she is a very very good singer and if that’s what decided it, then I completely agree.

JELLYJELLYJELLY BENELLI "Blues Can Be Fun"

2009-10-16T08:04:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

Having reviewed a lot of rock and pop artists lately I thought it might be refreshing to pop over to Nitida Ridge to hear the folksy/bluesy sound of JellyJellyJelly Benelli and I’m happy I did. The first thing you notice about JJJ is that she has a sweet speaking voice and is extremely pleasant. Not great for the blues, but great for folk songs. She led off with “God’s Gonna Trouble The Water” and followed with “Keepin Time” and “Sorry”. All three songs were a pleasure to my ears. Her singing voice is deeper and fits perfectly. She delivers the songs with force and promise; you have no trouble hearing what she’s singing.

For the most part, the songs she performs are light and fun covering the gamut of issues but not deeply intense. She takes the problems and emotions and throws them out in a humorous way letting them run off your shoulders never to appear again.

Following with “Sorry” and “I Let My Daddy Do That” kept the mood going. With a strong acoustic guitar accompaniment, she professionally delivered the blues in an easy way. With “Can’t Afford To Lose My Man” and “Oreo Cookie Blues”, the humor continued and your ears perked up even more. You don’t get depressed at a Jelly show, she makes sure of that.

Most of all, Jelly is a story teller. She does that through her songs but also between songs. She has a number of anecdotes and ensures we know about the artist or song she covers. It’s a nice little history lesson.

Although Jelly does do the blues, like I said, it’s not depressing. She performs airy kind of blues like “Don’t Advertise Your Man” and “Thinking Blues” giving us a dose of the blues that we can sing along to. This Canadian singer gives her all but has a whole lot of pleasantness thrown in.

Jelly is a marvelous musician. Aside from a more than capable acoustic guitar, she also let us experience her flute during “I Had A Dream”. It added so much more diversity to her show making you wonder if she had something else up her sleeve. I won’t tell you that part.

She covers the standards, blues, folk and soul. She gives it all to us wrapped up in a nice bow and you want so much to untie it. Ah but she does that for you like on “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” which had energy and wittiness tied up in a package. You revel in the way she offers classic songs. Her voice deepened for “Bring It On Home To Me” and “Give Me One Reason” giving her more of a blues feel but no matter, whether deep or airy, you enjoy what you hear.

Her set continued with more engaging songs such as “Middle Aged Blues”, “It Might Be Love” before closing with a stellar version of “Ain’t Misbehavin”.

While JellyJellyJelly Benelli may be billed as a blues singer, she seems to take your blues away and replaces them with humor and just a plain good feeling all over. If you need some, check her out soon.

OWEN RUBY "Crooner at Heart"

2009-10-12T10:03:00.002-05:00

by jenny heying

Owen Ruby’s interest list Stevie Ray Vaughn to Kings of Leon. Enough to spark my interest; I flew on down to the Overlook to check him out.

The first thing you notice about Owen is that his avatar doesn’t have an instrument or use the microphone. He prefers to dance and have his avatar put on a bit of a show, and it’s refreshing from standing behind the microphone with repetitive moves. Opening with Coldplay’s “Trouble” set the mood for listening to a great smooth voice. It was a great opening number allowing his voice to soothe us in to his world. While sliding across the stage, he followed with “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”; his voice in fine form. It’s a strong voice with sexy overtones and he doesn’t miss a note. He got even better with “Lost” and his mellow set list won me over.

Moving away from his mellow side, Owen jumped in to “Creep” and he didn’t lose a step and into “Hey There Delilah’. His voice suits every song and while his voice is controlled, it does convey emotion.

Owen uses backing tracks and while I’ve seen a lot of performers lately that don’t, there’s something refreshing about hearing them. While it doesn’t give you the ability to vary too much from the original, it certainly makes the song noticeable and identifiable. The tracks fit well not taking anything away from Owen’s incredible voice.

The Overlook Lounge is an open air venue that overlooks, well, Second Life®. It’s a cozy place but with ample room to dance and enjoy the show.

Definitely a favorite in any crowd is “Stairway To Heaven” and Owen nailed it, beautifully. A little reminiscent of Robert Plant, but with enough originality to make it his own. He’s a crooner at heart and in the best sense of the word.

Owen carries the usual performer traits, acknowledging the crowd and venue and while he doesn’t offer a whole lot more in the way of chat, his on stage antics keep your eyes glued to the stage.

The best way I can think of to describe an Owen Ruby show is that it’s for the romantic in all of us. He sings the standards from across the generations keeping them on the mellow side and it’s a perfect date performance. Dancing with your best man (woman) is the only option here. (Or a glass of red wine in my case).

Livening things up, Owen fed us “La Bamba” proving he can up the tempo, keep the beat and his voice continues the foray. That set up “The House Is Rocking” and Owen was on fire. You just had to jump up and dance or at least sway a bit. Sitting at the piano which constantly jumped about again added to the visual. Not wanting to change pace, Owen settled on “Born To Be Wild” and that’s just what the Overlook started to do. It was fun and continued that way through his set. “Straycat Strut” continued the fun and whether you danced, listened or whatever, you couldn’t help but catch his fever.

Whether mellow or up tempo, Owen Ruby wants you to have fun and inevitably you do.

He continued with “Arms Wide Open”, “When I’m Gone”, and “Turn The Page” before finishing with a perfect rendition of “The End of Innocence”. He makes you wish hours were longer.

SKYE GALAXY "The Experiment"

2009-10-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

Beau's Original Gaslight had Skye Galaxy performing the other night and it was an experiment for Skye. He had a new guitar setup and did not have time to really test it so he was “winging it”. It was also the first time Skye had performed playing the guitar instead of the piano so he thought it was going to be an “exciting and fun testing experience”.

Skye needn’t have worried as his setup worked flawlessly with his practice song “Head over Heels” by Tears for Fears. His voice a perfect blend with his instrument as he strode into his Cold Play set featuring “Shiver” and “Green Eyes” leading in to "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. Skye informed us that his song selection was different when playing the guitar than when performing on the piano. I have not heard him play the piano but you could tell he knew how to play the guitar. He occasionally interacted with the crowd but more so to encourage venue tips and also to apologize for his guitar strings going out of tune.

Skye did a unique version of “Come Together” by the Beatles. During this song he felt he was about to crash but as the true professional he his, continued playing. It turned out the problem corrected itself and he was able to continue with “How Soon Is Now” by the Smiths without any additional problems. Skye wanted everyone to sing along with him as he performed “Every Day is Exactly The Same” by Nine Inch Nails.

After performing the Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes”, Skye thanked the venue and the audience for supporting him in his guitar experiment before finishing his set with “Take a Picture” by Filter.

His experiment was a success and I for one can not wait for him to perfect it! That won’t be hard as it was an excellent show. I need to thank my dance partner for keeping track of the songs this evening. I hope to hear Skye again when he performs only on the piano and again in a mix of the two instruments. Check for a Skye Galaxy performance the next time you are in-world. I have been dying to say this: Skye Galaxy’s performance was out of the world! I wonder if that will get passed the editor. Ed Note: It Did.

PAUL NOWLES "Fun Is His Middle Name"

2009-10-03T13:09:00.014-05:00

by jenny heying

I’m not normally in for a rocking time on Saturday mornings, but what they hey, I’ll try anything once. Strolling over to Crystal Gardens for a Paul Nowles show, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I needed have worried. Paul was in a giddy mood and his opening warm up song was a stellar rendition of “Walking In Memphis”. It’s a great song that I’ve heard a lot and for some reason never tire of. It’s also a great opening number and really set the mood for Paul’s set. He followed that with “Whiter Shade Of Pale” and believe me for first thing Saturday morning, his voice was in fine shape.

His voice is slightly raspy, but that’s attractive to me, especially for rock songs, but when he had to hit the high notes, he was right on. No fuss no muss. He handled songs with ease, keeping his voice clear, loud enough and hitting every note. On mellow songs, his voice softened only slightly but made the song that much more original.

Paul seems like a fun loving guy, maybe partly due to the early morning hours, but no so much. He talks and talks, but it’s enjoyable and he has fun with it. His avatar moves around the stage and even off it then on again give you a little visual show to go with the vocals. He wants his crowd to be a part of his show and he ensures they are. I think he might enjoy performing more than we enjoy watching but I’m not quite sure.

“Desperado” was done with Paul’s voice in perfect pitch. The slower songs at this point were an awesome showcase for it. That led to “When September Ends” and although Paul claimed it wasn’t his best, it was definitely more than adequate and I don’t think anyone wasn’t impressed.

Between songs, Paul is all over the place. As I said he likes to chat and takes every opportunity to do so with his audience. He also roams and roams, hugging, dancing and just about anything else he can think of making full use of the venue’s stage and dance floor.

Crystal Garden’s owner Sandi Benelli and her staff do a great job making sure the crowd has a great time but with Paul, he kind of does that on his own. Half the time I’m not sure what he was going on about, but that’s okay, I pretended to. He reads the chat and is always up on what’s being said around him or about him.

Paul continued with “We Just Disagree” and “It’s Not Easy Being Me” letting our ears take in his wonderful sound with his backing tracks blending nicely behind his voice. His tracks (speak ipod speak) fit well with his set list. They were unobtrusive and gave enough accompaniments to allow his voice to headline the show.

He’s a hard fellow to follow, be prepared to keep turning and moving your camera to stay up with him, but that’s so refreshing from some shows where you can set your view and never move.

The time flew as there is so much happening and to pay attention to at a Paul Nowles show. It’s hard to keep track of everything but I did with the songs. Forging ahead with “You Want To Make A Memory” and then into an original song “Won’t You Stay”. His talents never cease. He closed his set with “Walk Away” and “True Companion” leaving us all to frantically search his schedule for more show times.

He’s a wonderful singer and an amazing entertainer. If fun isn’t on your agenda, it should be and just jot down Paul Nowles for clarification. I bet he is wonderful to see at any time of the day, but he was a perfect cure for a listless Saturday morning.

ELVISARONPRESLEY LISA "Viva The King"

2009-09-27T20:11:00.009-05:00

by jenny heying

For all this time I thought there was only one Elvis in Second Life®. Boy was I wrong. So off I went to Mustang Sally to find out what the other Elvis was all about.

Ever the showman, ElvisAronPresley Lisa built up quite an entrance complete with fanfare and leaping on stage in an awesome red jumpsuit. With an intro The King would have been jealous of, EAP led off with “C.C. Ryder” sounding and looking the part. And without having to ask, he sang my favorite song “Viva La Vegas” instantly making me a fan. EAP has awesome backing tracks giving you the feel of a real Elvis concert. He gives you the whole Elvis persona.

He carries it through every moment of his show, between songs as well; convincing you the King is definitely alive. On “Bright Lights, Big City”, he gave us the sexiness we all know and love. What more can I say, EAP is the king.

He moves through his set list smoothly and professionally with songs like “Mean Woman” and “Welcome To My World” then to a host of other songs reminiscent of the king.

Every song he does fits the Elvis theme and his voice never lets out. He can sing that’s for sure and I’m not sure if the backing tracks are all recorded or if he plays, but no matter, it’s all done incredibly well. It’s tough reviewing someone like this, inevitably you do the comparison but in this case the comparison fits. EAP is every bit the king no matter what. He sings like him, talks like him, looks like him, walks like him and I’m sure does everything else like him.

ElvisAronPresley creates a fun atmosphere when he performs. It filters through the venue and you hop on for the ride. Fun is what he seems to having and you want a helping too.

The fun continued with “Mustang Sally” before he dove into an Elvis staple “Suspicious Minds”. I find he’s much more entertaining with the songs I identify with the king, but not to take away from the rest, it’s only slightly better. The whole show is magnificent and could only be topped with a visual performance that you know the real one would do. Whether slow or fast, he nails every note and never loses touch with the person he imitates.

While the show on stage is all EAP, in the audience, it’s a different matter. His fans being loyal bring out all the props including gestures and poofers that fit in with the theme. Give them credit; they create as much fun as he does.

Between songs, EAP acknowledges the crowd and seems pleased to be playing for you. He chats with the crowd but seems anxious to get back to singing as that is where he is most comfortable.

To change pace, he moved in to “Folsom Prison” and “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body” proving he’s more that just an Elvis impersonator, he can sing in his own right. Taking us back a little more in time, he sang “The Wanderer” making us all a little nostalgic. It seems no matter what he does; it’s not only enjoyable but makes for an awfully good time.

Being an Elvis fan isn’t a prerequisite, although it does help. Whether you’re a fan of the original or not, you can’t help but enjoy the songs and the performance. Songs like “Way Down”, “In The Ghetto” and “Ask Me’ kept you entertained and enjoying the night.

ElvisAronPresley Lisa puts on a show that is about having a good time and also being a little nostalgic. You don’t have to be an Elvis fan (it helps) for he is just as entertaining if your aren’t. He finished with “Love Me” and “In My Way” before leaving the stage with the same fanfare as he entered.

JUEL RESISTANCE "Dreamy Voyage"

2009-09-22T22:15:00.032-05:00

by jenny heying

I’ve been meaning to do a review of Juel Resistance for ages and tonight I finally got the chance at Alex’s StrangeBrew. While I don’t know if icon is the right way to describe her, suffice to say Juel has been playing in Second Life® for some time.

Opening with “Some Time Now”, Juel’s laid back guitar and dramatic voice led us on a dreamy voyage. As she drifts from singing to speaking and back again, she carefully tells us a story about well, whatever she’s doing or thinking. It’s a good mix. She has stories and loves to chat and is not afraid to let you in. She continued with “Teapot” offering her secrets to any who would listen.

As I said, Juel’s voice is kind of dreamy. It’s a little bit young girl and a little bit woman. It suits the songs she’s written and in a smoky venue, it was perfect. She offered us “Dirty Water” and with her conversation still infiltrating the songs, she fell back into an offering of her kind of resistance. Her guitar strumming in the background adds to the mood she envelops us in.

A Juel Resistance performance isn’t necessarily about the songs or the music, it’s about her experiences. She mixes no words or rather she does mix words with the music and gives us a unique foray into her world. You don’t tap and sing along, you just kind of mellow out and listen or rather feel what she’s doing.

Being a singer/songwriter is not unique but being a unique singer/songwriter is and that’s exactly what Juel is. She writes and gives us something different than you get from most. I tried to think of whom she reminds me of, but dammit she doesn’t remind me of anyone other then herself. That’s an amazing accomplishment in today’s world of music. I almost want to say she has her own genre.

Juel seems to be in her own world when on stage, but that’s okay, because she doesn’t mind you entering it. You almost feel as if she’s writing the songs as she sings because she seems to drift so easily from acknowledging what’s happening around her to the words she’s written. Heading in to “Lover”, her guitar continues to strum along. It’s an adequate accompaniment not turning loose or commanding the performance but preferring to let her voice take center stage. Actually her voice, guitar, songs, and speaking refuse to take the forefront, each blending and fulfilling its part in her show. I couldn’t imagine seeing her perform without each being a part of it.

Okay, so I’ve never seen Juel perform before and it was long overdue. Sometimes you get pretty complacent about seeing singers as they tend to rehash material. Juel offers something different and although she performs her own material, it’s not that alone that is refreshing; it’s her whole approach to being on stage. She’s comfortable there and seems to want to stay there all night.

And just when you get comfortable with Juel, she changes things mid set. Launching into a little blues number “Steamroller”, she lets her guitar loose and her voice jumps ahead. She handles the blues well, forcefully and in full control. She doesn’t lose the dreaminess, but just accentuates it a bit. Then changing again, she heads into a PJ Harvey cover before giving us “Are You Down” by Lucinda Williams. The covers add to her versatility.

The StrangeBrew is a venue run by Alex Parsons and while it’s nothing particularly fancy, it does set a mood especially on this night. With fog covering the floor it gives you an atmosphere just right for a dreamy performance.

“Girl With One Eye (Open)” and “Dream” ended the night fittingly.

Taking in Juel Resistance is about hearing a wide variety throughout her performance. While she writes a lot of her own songs, she’s not afraid to mix in covers and change the tempo here and there. She welcomes your participation and at the same time seems pleased to be playing for you. Best of all, you’re glad you came.

VERONICA CHRISTENSON "The Message Is Clear"

2009-09-19T14:04:00.019-05:00

by jenny heying

Well with a venue called “The Big Easy”, I just had to venture down to take it in. Okay, it doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen in New Orleans, but then I don’t claim to have seen everything in NOLA. Maybe I need to get out more. But oh well, it’s the performer I’ll review.

Veronica Christenson is relatively new to Second Life® (April 2009). She had given up singing, playing guitar and writing but just recently started again. Good Thing. Opening with “Daddy Said No”, gave us a peek into Veronica’s world, be it first or second. Her backing tracks were clear and not overbearing letting us concentrate on her voice. With her guitar strumming nicely, the song came through hopefully as it was intended, informative but light and fun.

Veronica has a lot to say on many subjects and does that through the words in her songs. There’s a story behind each and she’s not shy to fill you in. “The War” is about war, obviously, but it highlights the journey of men and women who have to leave to fight in foreign lands. Her message is clear and you get it.

Her voice is strong and at the forefront. She’s a great singer/songwriter and a pleasure to listen to whether you just like the melody or are engrossed in the words. She followed with a cover of “One Tin Soldier” that showcased her folk feel to her songs. While I certainly wouldn’t put her in that category, but I guess when you deliver songs with meaning, you’re apt to fall into it.

She plays the guitar softy, fitting the songs, and does so aptly. It’s an accompaniment and not meant to steal her show and never does. But nonetheless it’s appropriate. She does use the occasional track behind her but mainly it’s her guitar. She leads into every song with a short story about it giving you a little history as to what influenced her in writing it. “Time” is a lovely ballad and I'll let you figure out the theme.

“The Big Easy” is a large, open ballroom that would accommodate most balls and banquets. The focal point is the stage and while its décor is fitting, it doesn’t distract from viewing any performance. With enough room on the dance floor for the entire prom, you can dance the night away.

While Veronica primarily performs songs she’s written, she does do a number of covers. Livening things up somewhat, she launched into “Who’s Bed Have Your Boots Been Under”. It was quite a bit different from Shania’s version with more of a folksy feel to it, but Veronica made it hers and I loved it.

Veronica loves to talk and you get to hear quite a bit during her performance. She’s not afraid to give you anecdotes between songs and she always ensures you know the name of the song as well as its inspiration. She wants you to know why she wrote it and it gives you a little more ownership to the song.

As every song has a message, “The Little Girl” is about taking care of our own children in addition to the many other things we need to in this world.

She continued through her set of absorbing songs with “Do You Know” (co-written by her five year old daughter), “The Other Woman” and a fabulously done cover of Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar”. A lot of her songs reflect on her Second Life® experiences and “Something To Help You Grow” is one of them. She gets a lot of influence from this world and puts it in her music. Following with another cover “Country Roads” led into the final part of her performance.

She wound up with “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Okay Its Over Now” leaving us the to ponder the message.

After an eight year absence from performing, it’s nice to see Veronica back on stage. Whether you want to sit back and wallow in her message or enjoy the fun that she inspires, a Veronica Christenson show is the medicine you need.

PM BOOKMITE "Triumphant Return"

2009-09-15T08:05:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

PM Bookmite has been away from Second Life® for a few months while touring in real life. This concert marked his return to performing in Second Life® and not something I wanted to miss. So I ventured over to Pixel Hill to see what he had in store to mark his return.

Taking his place at the piano, PM was ready to display his art and that’s what he did. First off, he’s a master at the piano making it soothe us or awaken us when needed. A strong and confident player, his piano is more than an accompaniment, it’s a partner. The keys are used to create his sound and it’s a sound that resonates in your head.

I don’t claim to know many of the songs he performed, he does do a lot of originals and since he didn’t offer us the titles, I could be wrong here. He opened with “Life Long Days”, “Tearing Your Wings Apart”, “Reason We’re Alive” and “Church Sunday”. Each was incredibly done. He has a strong voice that can clearly be heard that compliments the piano perfectly. His voice can be soft or forceful but on each song, his voice was unique suiting the song more than anything else.

When he introduced “I’m Sorry” (yes finally lol), we were in for a treat. It is self penned and the song is an apology (I’m not sure to whom) and is extremely memorable. It’s the kind of song we all have in our head from time to time. Makes me wish I had written it (or that someone wrote it for me). He continued with another sad sad song “Our Last Drive” before changing the tempo.

Pixel Hill or more appropriately The Jester is on a mainland sim with a well, medieval feel to it. With wooden floors, tables and stage, it transforms you in time and is a fun place to hang out and catch some great entertainment.

Livening things up with “Seven Days”, PM showed us what he can do when he leaves ballad mode. He’s energetic, fun and with the occasional chuckle he makes his show something to be proud you were at. “Superman” continued the upbeat mood letting PM have a little fun while performing and injecting some of that into each of the 35 or so people listening in awe.

PM seems like a charming man. In between songs he’s just as entertaining as during. He talks and throws out a few little anecdotes, comments on his divorce songs and of course acknowledges those in attendance and particularly those who tip. All around, his show is entertaining.

“Lover Don’t Break” and “Human” continued a set list that was as diverse as the performer. The songs are emotional but that emotion changes with each and probably with the listener as well. I found myself drifting through a number of different ones each drawing on memories stored away.

While he doesn’t do many covers, preferring to perform from his ample selection of originals, he did treat us to a simply stunning version “Born To Run”. Not to knock the Boss, but PM’s version was right up there and if Bruce heard it, I think he’d be amazed as well.

He finished his entertaining show with a couple songs from his latest project “Therapy” leaving us to deal with the emotions brought out of a locked away place. Oh well.

PM Bookmite has a complete package. With an incredible voice accompanied by some damn fine piano performing original songs with a chuckle or a tear, the entertainment value is exceptional and unique. With an amazing array of artists venturing into Second Life®, PM gives you what most would love to, a perfect show. Venture out to see the many artists in Second Life® and if you want to see something hot, check out PM Bookmite. You’ll love it.

DAMIAN CARBENELL "Time Stands Still"

2009-09-11T08:33:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

My dance partner told me that Damian Carbenell was playing at Zentopia and we decided to TP over there to see him. We got ourselves a nice spot on the dance floor and got ready to listen to his hour and a half show!

Damian greeted everyone as he got set up, thanking everyone for being there and letting us know where his play list was located. He then started the night with "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. He followed with an original song, "Damn It I Love You", which he dedicated to a patron of the venue. Damian mentioned that this was the longest show he has done in-world and it was going to be a weekly event!

He continued with "When Did I Fall In Love" and a Bob Dylan cover of "To Make You Feel My Love". I felt this song really showed off his guitar playing. I was impressed. As Damian played "1,2,3,4" by the Plain White T's, I realized that almost every other song was a request from his play list. Damian seemed surprised that he kept getting requests! He better get used to it. "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon-5 was followed by a sample of "Message In A Bottle" which he claimed he was just learning. Based on the sample of the song, it is just about ready to be in his show.

His voice held up during "Free Fallin" and then he switched to playing the piano. He performed "Georgia On My Mind", "Right Here Waiting For You" and "Melancholy Blues" before giving us a taste of an un-named original that was still being worked on. It sounded pretty finished to me! Damian switched back to the guitar and continued with the requests performing "Wild World", "My Unintended", a Lady Gaga cover of "Poker Face", "Same Mistake" by James Blunt, "Creep" by Radio Head after which Damian did another original called "Come Inside".

As Damian got ready to close his performance, he thanked everyone for being there, apologized for not getting to everyone's request and plugged the venue. He finished with "Word Play” by Jason Mraz.

My sexy dance partner and I wondered where the time had gone. Damian had made the time fly and the hour and a half was gone before we knew it. His wide variety in music style is sure to please everyone and make time stand still.

LIL EGYPT HAS TALENT

2009-09-07T20:08:00.027-05:00

by jenny heying

Curiously, I flew on down to Lil Egypt for the kickoff of the thirteen week Second Life® version of reality music shows called “Lil Egypt Has Talent”. The premise; each performer has ten minutes to sway the judges with each Monday’s winner coming back for the next round beginning October 5th. But enough about the contest lets look at the ten minute performances on opening night (eleven performers scheduled).

LoveSongs Writer is a Columbia singer/songwriter and from what I could here, seems pretty talented. However with my volume turned up as loud as it would go, I could barely hear him. Straining a lot, I did manage to pick up some of the Spanish melodies but faintly. While I didn’t make out the names of the songs, I particularly enjoyed the ballads he sang. Something about Latin music that just makes you feel romantic. I’ll have to take him in again sometime.

The stream was so much better when Capos Calderwood took the stage. With definite country flair, Capos jumped into a ditty about Second Life®. While I’m not a country music fan, Capos was entertaining whether at a fast tempo or slowing things down. He has a sweet yet fun voice that just beckons you to listen. With “Stranded”, he let his talent show with what turned out to be a quirky fun song.

After a lengthy stream change, Helena Ariantho was rescheduled to 7PM and Loren Andretti jumped in behind the microphone. In keeping with the self accompaniment on the guitar, Loren strummed through a short dreamy set. With a voice slightly reminiscent of Jim Morrison, I got a little dreamy eyed as well. The songs he did were lively and his voice was strong enough to come through the stream clearly.

With Monday night lag being what it is; Matthew Perreault was unable to get it together, SL wise, with Lexie Luan presenting herself next on stage. Lexi has a strong vocal presence and with “Throw Away Girl”, she brought some life to the stage. She’s a powerful singer who is more than adequate with her guitar. The sets being short, her second and final song “I Could Get Used To You” is an original song performed with a sultry flare that I feel is part of what Lexie’s show is about.

FacelessAPe Mefusala, complete with purple skin, kept with the guitar playing theme tonight. Actually, he’s an amazing guitar player. While his guitar playing may be his strong suit, his voice isn’t that far behind. On “Tupelo Honey”, both were amazing. He sings with passion with his axe providing the support. Following with “She Talks To Angels” made me a Faceless fan. I’m checking his schedule for the week.

It makes for a long night but you can pop in anytime throughout the two hour show and stay for as many artists as you wish. Being extremely busy (yeah that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) I couldn’t stay for the whole event but I left it in the good hands of the 40 or so in attendance. My apologies to the balance of the performers.

The idea of a talent extravaganza is one I like. As someone who tries to see as many artists as possible, it’s a great way to get a sampling of a lot of them in a short space of time. If you’re not sure who to see, you can see them all here and then venture out to capture an entire performance at a later date. Does Second Life® have talent? You’ll find out at Lil Egypt.

ANEK FUCHS "Rocking The Ballads"

2009-09-04T21:53:00.013-05:00

by jenny heying

Although Second Life® can be cruel not letting you do want you want, I did manage to head over to The Rockin Roost Roadhouse to take in Anek Fuchs whom I haven’t seen in quite some time. I remember his show being pretty incredible. I remember him rocking the house last time, however here he opened with a slow original song for “Gina” and followed that up with “Shadows Of The Day”. Both were done remarkably well with Anek showcasing his vocal talents admirably.

He has a gruff, Bob Seger kind of voice and it fits his material perfectly. You wouldn’t expect his voice to handle ballads well, but that’s exactly what he did. A simply amazing version of “Hello” followed actually bringing a tear to my eyes. Anek is a wonderful singer bringing a touch of himself to the covers he does. On songs like “Better Man”, you know why you love listening to him.

Although I remember Anek more as a rocker, the acoustic guitar was a fitting accompaniment to the ballads he sang. It was a laid back show and his strumming added to the relaxed ambiance. He played with authority but kept his voice in the foreground. An accomplished guitar player, he could easily have let it run away but didn’t. On “Unintended”, his guitar was strong enough to take the spotlight but not without his voice leading the way.

Between songs the soft spoken Anek chats a little but not a whole lot, preferring to let the songs talk for him.

A wonderful version of “Silent Lucidity” followed keeping the dreamy mood in place. Like all the ballads her performed this night, his voice handled them well showing you that you don’t have to scream and shout to be a rocker. Yes a rocker can do ballads and make them mean something too. Anek put his mark on the ballads he chose.

The Rockin Roost Roadhouse is a great looking venue even though it only slightly resembles the roadhouses I’ve seen. Nonetheless it has the required beer ads, wooden dance floor and a small but adequate stage. It’s much cleaner and modern than most roadhouses, but alas that’s the Second Life® feel.

And if the melodic Anek didn’t surprise me enough, half way through his show he switched tempo and launched in to an instrumental dance number complete with drum beat and driving riffs behind him. Okay lol, it’s what I was expecting from him. He rocks! The guitar stole the show at this point and the tracks kept a constant beat compelling you to bounce (okay thrash). The 40 or so in attendance lapped it up while Anek jumped into some more driving guitar changing the night of ballads into a rock fest complete with a laser light show emanating from his axe. The ballads were gone and Anek with some incredible licks decided to rock us out for the balance of the evening.

No matter what he plays, you enjoy it. He can romanticize you or he can rock you, but it’s not your choice, it’s his. But when you take in Anek Fuchs you let him make the decisions for you. But really, what he does with his guitar is beautiful whether rocking or not and that you can appreciate. There are a few other rockers here but Anek covers both ends of the genre spectrum and does so perfectly.

He ended his show fittingly with his guitar wailing us away while his fingers danced across the frets lulling us into a sense of wonderment. Bravo

LIZADAY SOLO "Humming Romantic"

2009-08-31T08:41:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

I had seen LizAday Solo twice before and really enjoyed her performance so when I saw she was playing at Virgil's Music Cafe; I decided to see her again and was not disappointed. Liz is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter with a very good in-world stage presence.

Liz had a brief interaction with the audience and started in with her first number, "Just Dance". She was strictly playing the acoustic guitar without any backing tracks and saying this was her warm-up song, she promised more acoustic songs before firing up the drum machine. Her acoustic guitar hummed as she played "Joey". At this point Liz was playing rhythm guitar and her voice blended melodiously with the chords she was strumming.

Liz spent a little time acknowledging and thanking the audience and began a brand new song she wrote a short while ago which I think was called "Careful What You Put Your Mind To". She followed this with "A Change Will Do You Good" which featured a kazoo as a guest instrument! Next was "I'm Gonna Love You" and this finished up the acoustic portion of the show.

As an aside, this night at Virgil's Music Cafe, if you weren't dancing, you were threatened with being tickled! So being very ticklish, I made sure I was dancing!

Liz broke out her drum machine, promising to put it away if we didn't like it. The drum machine added another dimension to her performance as she performed a song special to her by Massive Attack called “Teardrop”. You could tell the song was special to her by the emotion she showed with her voice. A song by Feist, "My Moon My Man" followed and then she wowed us with another of her favorite songs, “Drift Away”. My dance partner and I were trying to think of who her voice reminded us of. We both agreed that Liz has a sort of Kim Carnes quality to her voice.

It was time to mellow out and Liz showed her vocal versatility by doing "Spooky". With this song, she changed the whole mood of the evening. In keeping with the now romantic mood, LizAday played an original song. She said it was a "Breaking up in SL" type of song and it was a bit sad but kept the romanticized mood going. Liz followed with "If God Was One Of Us" and ended with an original song. I didn't get the title of her last song, and I was doing so well tonight.

If you have time, spend an hour with LizAday Solo the next time you are in-world. As always, please remember to tip the venues that keep giving us LIVE performances. Thanks to these establishments, LIVE music is Alive.

ONESUMMER OH "Off The Beaten Track"

2009-08-27T09:06:00.002-05:00

by jenny heying

I dropped in to Rhythm Park to see OneSummer Oh and although I was there a couple minutes early, she was already on stage performing and complaining that she hasn’t broken any ear drums yet. Ouch, okay I’m curious now.

Opening with “Roadhouse Blues” OneSummer seems a good fit for the blues and rock. Her voice is straining only slightly to give it that Janis feel to it. It blended well with the guitar and backing tracks used. Following with “The Sensitive Kind” was a pleasure to hear. Smooth like Santana with just a touch of raspiness. Although raspiness isn’t a requirement for rock n roll, it does give you that seedy nightclub ambience and suits me just find.

With heavy laden guitar behind her, she jumped into “Whatever You Want” and I feel the small crowd wanted more of the same. As with most rock, it has to be played loud and with my volume way up I was bouncing up and down on my chair.

With an avatar with a slight younger Linda Perry look (okay it was the hat); I can vision OneSummer on stage in a dimly lit club with a huge crowd bopping against the stage. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but not by a whole lot.

Speaking of Janis Joplin, next up was OneSummer’s version of “Summertime”. While she doesn’t try to imitate Janis, she does portray a reasonable facsimile. Her voice suits the song just well and her version is just enough different to make it unique. My only complaint is that with the sheer volume, once in a while the sound became a little distorted. But oh well, that’s rock n roll.

And keeping with the blues/rock theme, she shimmied into “You Shook Me”. Normally, it’s not the Led Zeppelin of choice for female singers, but OneSummer handled it well. Less strained, her voice took us to depths normally reserved for male covers of the song. In fact she took us beyond.

I’m not sure I can put the exact finger on who her voice reminds me of, but it does remind me of someone. If you know, let me know. It was so familiar on “When A Man Loves A Woman” and was on the tip of my tongue but you know, I lost it. With a slight echo, her voice seemed to call out from a distance. It was kinda kewl.

OneSummer loves to chat. She does a lot of it between songs filling us in on her life, loves and just about whatever comes across her mind. It adds the human feel and makes you a feel a little closer to her. “The Thrill Is Gone” continued the blues meets rock show and with severe guitar licks behind her, she made this bluesy enough for the most ardent blues fan.

OneSummer is different and refreshing. Staying away from standard covers and mixing up a lot of blues and rock is a change from the folksy guitar you see a lot of here. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s a nice diversion. All facets of music are represented well in Second Life® and with OneSummer you get something a little off the beaten track.

Rhythm Park is primarily a stage surrounded by a mall. The stage is quite large with enough room for very big pictures of the performers. With a number of performances throughout the day, you should be able to catch a show no matter when you drop by.

Ms. Oh puts the blues to everything she touches no matter where it originally came from. Evident on “Bring It On Home To Me” you can tell she loves the blues and for the most part, it’s what she does best. But rocking is in her too. Back in time with “Light My Fire” she brings rock to the forefront. She puts a lot into her performances and sometimes goes off in tangents about I don’t know what, but it’s fun.

She ended her set with “Bad Moon Rising”, “Purple Haze” and “Going Down” in the same way she started with little fanfare and the stage setup changing around her for the next performer and abrupt end to the stream.

What OneSummer does on stage may not be for everyone. It’s unique and strange sometimes but it’s a whole lot of fun and she certainly seems to be having a whole lot of fun as well. Check her out and see for yourself.

SUZAN LITTLETHING "A Big Deal"

2009-08-23T14:59:00.013-05:00

by jenny heying

I don’t know why I get surprised; I thought nothing in Second Life® would surprise me anymore. But dropping down to the beach setting at Slounge to catch Suzan Littlething I was surprised to hear the incredible guitar playing she offered. Opening with “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” showcased her talent as a guitar player. She led in to the song with determination and it was an amazing way to start. She continued with “Bad Moon Rising” and “Looking Out My Back Door” showing that she can master classic rock with the best of them. I don’t see many female performers rocking with the classics, but Suzan can be that forerunner. “Can’t Buy Me Love” continued the trend.

Hailing from Germany, Suzan is more than just a great guitar player. While her voice didn’t blow me away on the opening few songs, it came to light on “Chasing Cars”. Here her voice shone and the guitar dropped to the background nicely. It was a fitting song for her voice that is normally strong and raspy but here it was more subtle. On “Love The One You’re With” her voice again at the forefront and dominating with a forceful guitar behind her.

A Suzan Littlething show is about having fun. Evident with “Puff The Magic Dragon” and a few other choice songs in her repertoire. Browsing through her set list, she primarily plays a lot of classic songs from a few genres. While not a real life performer, she occasionally plays for friends and parties. Shame, unless you’re a friend.

Slounge is an outdoor venue on the beach and just past the dock. It’s a fun little place where you can romp or relax next to the ocean. It’s unobtrusive and does give you the feeling of being at the lake during summer break.

Suzan provides a great atmosphere to have a whole lot of fun. A varied set list and the capability of playing just about anything gives you an idea of how. With the number of artists in Second Life® growing, it’s only logical that the quality keeps getting better. Suzan is one of those.

She continued her lively show with “City Of New Orleans” then showed us a softer side with “Angel”. Personally I like her voice so much more on the softer songs. While she does have a tendency to want to rock, it’s here that I think her voice shines and together with her guitar provide a wonderful sound. They come through clearly and loud enough to hear without being overbearing. It’s a perfect mesh.

There are a lot of songs that I just can’t get enough of. “Walking in Memphis” is one of those. Suzan’s version left me speechless. Well, SL speechless. I’ve heard it done by a lot of performers and hers was one of the best. Forceful when it needed to be and calm when appropriate. The guitar was brilliant making this song probably one of the highlights of her show.

Suzan gives you a lot during her show. Aside from the guitar and voice, she chats between every song, not overly long, but enough to give you the info on her songs a bit more. She gets the crowd acknowledgments out of the way early and leaves you to concentrate on the performance. And in case what she has offered so far isn’t enough, she does write as well. I was surprised when she announced an original song “Father”. Well written and performed, it was a perfect choice for her. It lied somewhere in between a slow and fast pace giving you the best of both Suzan’s worlds. It’s the only original listed on her song list, but I hope there’s more in store.

Also included in her performance were “You Don’t Know”, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Bei mir bist du schoen” and “Oh Darling” each showing her talent and diversity. She closed her set with “Leaving On A Jet Plane” and “Mercedes Benz” (done acapalo) making you realize she’s no little thing, she’s a big deal.

FRANKLEE ANATRA "Tempting"

2009-08-19T11:06:00.003-05:00

by jenny heying

I’ve really fallen in love with guitars of late and hearing someone who not only can play but caresses it as he does simply drives me insane. FrankLee Anatra cradles his guitar and lets the music ease out of it. Leading off his set at The Junkyard with “Guitar Man”, FrankLee let his guitar call out to the crowd. It’s not abrupt, nor forceful; it just peacefully plays and carries the melody for FrankLee’s voice to follow.

And his voice, well it’s sultry, sexy, dreamy, and I could listen for hours. On “Spooky”, his voice just kind of tempts you while your heart melts. Yes, he’s that kind of performer. The kind women love to see and men just hate to hear is in town. FrankLee is a modern day crooner and ladies, you’ll love him.

FrankLee’s set list covers the decades. From the 1950’s to today, he plays it all. Covering “Out On The Weekend”, FrankLee soothes you. He’s a wonderful singer and no matter whom he covers, it overwhelms you. With “Wonderful World”, he makes it joyous and listening to him, you can feel the joy.

FrankLee is billed as having a honey-mellow voice and while I didn’t come up with that, I wish I had. It describes his voice perfectly. It’s smooth, sexy and romantic. He melts girls’ hearts with it but I don’t think any of them mind. I sure didn’t.

“Sweet Surrender”, “Jealous Guy” and “Something Better” show his versatility. He crosses genres and time lines frequently and easily. His silky voice always leading his guitar down the honey-mellow road. His guitar follows blindly but passionately, keeping the melody for all to follow.

The Junkyard is a cozy little place that looks like … well .. a junkyard. Complete with burning trash and a lot of things you probably through out in the trash, they have a small stage setting for the live music they promote.

FrankLee plays the guitar as romantically as he sings. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether it’s his guitar or voice that seduces you. On “Because You Love Me”, while his voice was at its sexiest, it was his guitar that did the damage. Whether picking or strumming, it comes through strong without being overbearing or unnerving. It’s clean without being loud. Simply put, it’s addicting.

He’s a complete package. His set list will win anyone over and when it’s played by his guitar and relayed through his voice, you’re captured. While he covers a great selection, it’s the romantic songs that really get you hooked. Songs like “Nights In White Satin” simply make you cringe. You hope he’s singing about you. Okay, I’m getting carried away. But he really is that good. Whether performing or chatting or reading out a dedication, his voice calls out to you and you answer.

Even his choice of songs is meant to win you over. “Maybe I’m Amazed” hooks you, “This Year’s Love” pulls you in, and “Hold Me Tight” ties you down. You struggle a bit, but finally succumb, willingly.

FrankLee Anatra puts you in a mood. He’s pleasurable, he’s entertaining and for an hour, he’s all yours. He closed with an original song “Me I Kinda Like It” and yes, I did kinda like it. Get out and see him girls, and guys, stay close to your girls.

STARFLOWER ORBIT "Born With Talent"

2009-08-15T09:58:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

Aside from being one of the toughest places to find, I did manage to track down Starflower Orbit at the Loft. It took a while but after wading through I number of clubs, I breathed as sigh of relief as I climbed the stairs to finally see the stage.

Starflower Orbit is a singer/songwriter that does all original songs. No covers. Normally that would scare me, but I was put to rest when she opened with “One Good Reason”. It’s a wonderful song that is performed beautifully. Starflower has an incredible voice and she sings with authority and compassion. She followed that with “Tumbleweed Ballerinas” and wow, I was hooked.

Starflower is a multi-talented performer and I’d venture to say, one of the best I’ve seen in some time. Aside from her amazing talent as a writer and her incredible voice, she also accompanies herself on guitar. Normally, not all three would be good but in Starflower’s case, I couldn’t pick which aspect was the best. Each could stand on its own.

Her voice is strong, clear and delivers her pop songs with professionalism. It’s a voice suited for singing and you know that as soon as you hear it. With “That Is Love”, she conveys the message of love quite adequately.

The songs she writes are generally about love which is something we’d all write about if we could. Her talent as a writer is evident as each note is delivered and you find yourself scrolling through her set list to see what else she’s written.

She strums her guitar providing the melody for each song and on “Lost In Space”, the guitar jumped to the forefront with her voice not far behind.

If you’re born with talent, then Starflower must have been reborn three times. With each song, I found myself growing more and more fond of her talents.

The Loft is a small outdoor venue above the Crossroads Bar on the Good Times Sim. Good Times is a new sim with seven live event venues. The Loft is a sparse but adequate venue that doesn’t get carried away with texture and is great for listening to an artist like Starflower. As I said, it was a little hard to find once I tp’d to the landing point, but hopefully that will be worked on.

Starflower puts on a great show. She delivers her material from an avatar this night dressed in black with a matching black guitar being constantly strummed. She’s as much visual as she is audible.

The nice thing about not doing covers is you have less chance to compare a Second Life® artist to a recorded artist. I kind of wanted to do that, but couldn’t. Starflower stands on her own. It’s also nice to hear an entire set of original songs rather than the odd one thrown in.

As a reviewer, I found it difficult to concentrate on just one aspect of Starflower. I wanted to concentrate on the words, listen to her play and marvel at her voice. Then again, the three blended so well, I just sat back and enjoyed what she offered.

She continued through her set of original songs with “Beautiful Blue”, “Only Human” and “Galactic Lullaby” each reinforcing what I’ve said. If I had a vote for artist of the year, she’d get it quite easily.

I can’t really say much else about Starflower Orbit. I can keep on praising her, but to get the full impact you have to check her out live. Do that and when you do you’ll see how right I am.

She closed her set with “Space Cowgirls”, “Just Shadows” and “Can You Imagine” leaving me wanting more and calling up her schedule.

NEWBAWN EASTERWOOD "Lively and Controlled"

2009-08-11T11:05:00.002-05:00

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.

ZIFFY ZARF "Relaxed But Still Hurting"

2009-08-07T18:17:00.009-05:00

by jenny heying

Complete with a wooden porch stage, Ziffy Zarf sets the mood for a backyard jamming bluesy session. Opening with harmonica in mouth and guitar in hand, he jumped into “Big Boss Man” and the mood was complete. He looks every bit the part on his wooden chair with his guitar on his lap singing the blues competently.

He continued at Clyde’s with “Thinking & Worrying” and “Around & Around” showing that he can sing the blues while keeping it in a rocking kind of vain.

Ziffy is made for the blues and has a voice that suits it well. Well, not when he talks. His talking voice doesn’t sound like he’d be a blues man, but when he sings, he lets it all out. It’s just deep enough and while not gruff, it gets the job done.

I don’t know if I’d call Ziffy multi talented, as I don’t know much about his other talents, but he does add a nice harmonica touch to the guitar and it makes for a better atmosphere. I feel it would lose a bit with just a guitar.

Aside from the blues, Ziffy is a little nostalgic and hit us with “The Wanderer” to prove the point. He does it lightly and on this night with a few giggles thrown in. He provides a very relaxed setting for his audience and you drift away while he plays. Whether it’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” or “C.C. Ryder” you’ll fall back into your chair, close your eyes and relax to a smooth voice and sudsy harmonica delivering soulful blues.

My only complaint about Ziffy was that he might be a bit too relaxed. He seems to have no urgency and sometimes you wonder if he’s ever going to start playing. But nonetheless, that’s the mood he puts you in. Whenever, lol. He likes to whistle and does so while he’s getting ready for his next tune.

He’s sometimes lively, sometimes mellow but I think he’s best when he’s mellow. He excelled on “It Hurts Me Too” not only keeping the blues mood, but adding that hurtful side. He portrays it well.

I know Ziffy loves what he’s doing. You can tell because between songs he seems to strum forever and then drifts into conversation about whatever. But that’s good. He gives you enough info about what he’s playing and if he enjoys it, it transfers over to the crowd.

Ziffy runs the gamut through his set including “Bread and Butter”, “Blow Wind Blow” and “Some Sweet Day “. No matter what he plays and sings, you know it’s going to be fun and great. And if you’re hurting, he’ll relax you. It’s his way.

Overall, he’s a great singer, a good guitarist and a fantastic harp player. He sets the mood and gives you an entertaining show that will make you appreciate the blues if you didn’t before. I think he intends to convert everyone or at least make you aware that the blues are alive and well in Second Life®.

Running a little over his time, he finished with “Give Me Some Of It”, “Bright Lights Big City” and “Night Train” before calmly leaving the stage.

NONGE SHIPMAN "Heartfelt"

2009-08-02T09:03:00.001-05:00

by tracy serra

The other night I found my way to Z's Music Club to see Nonge Shipman. I was a bit late so I TP'd in right as he was starting.

When I arrived, Nonge was performing “Come What May” accompanied by his Acoustic guitar. After a short ‘Thanks for being here tonight’ Nonge performed “Walk on” then followed up with an original song called “Angels Fly”.

His billing says he is 32 and located on the east coast of the US and while new to the Second Life® music scene, is not new to playing or performing. Nonge has been singing 'since he could talk' evidenced by a strong voice blending well with his guitar playing. His bio says he has been playing guitar for seventeen years.

Nonge loves working the crowd and did so when launching into “Chemical Dreams”. I felt this song showed his mastery of the guitar. He next performed another original song called “Around” and then did a wonderful cover of “Hero” that had me melting.

Nonge gave us a little insight into his early Second Life® life when he spoke about going from being a DJ to a live performer. This lead to a parody song about Second Life® called “House of the Pixel Sun”. Another original song called “No Accidents” followed. I liked the way Nonge moved from song to song while taking a bit of time to interact with the crowd. He introduced most songs before performing which was good for someone like me who might not be up-to-date with the newer songs and groups. His set continued with “Make a Memory”, “Questions”, “Lighting Crashes” and a Tom Petty cover, all of which I sat back and enjoyed. He finished with “Wonderful Tonight” dedicated to his Second Life® partner as they celebrated their 14th month anniversary.

If you like a solid acoustic rock sound, with rhythmic driven music, catchy vocal lines, and heartfelt lyrics, spend an evening with Nonge Shipman.

IRISKAYE SIAMENDES "Rock The Night Away"

2009-07-29T20:59:00.012-05:00

by jenny heying

With no fuss or muss, Iriskaye Siamendes walked on stage at Falling Waters and launched into “Voodoo Child”. This girl doesn’t fool around when it comes to performing. With strong tracks behind her, she gets right to the songs and lets that entertain you. She followed with “I Want You To Want Me” and with that she does make you want her.

While her voice isn’t perfect, she does belt out the tunes. She crackles somewhat and has difficulty hitting some notes, but nonetheless, you don’t really care that much. She likes to rock out and takes you with her. After all, isn’t this all about having fun? Well, Iriskaye has fun on stage and it’s contagious. How can you not love it when she does “Sweet Home Alabama”. Second Life® isn’t about being perfect, if it was, none of us would be here.

Iriskaye hits you from the onslaught. She puts on a lively show and sings the songs that you want to bounce around to. She’s accompanied on stage by her SL band, Satisfaction Parkin on guitar and keyboards with Jeyff Shippe on drums. Okay, so they aren’t really playing, but they add to the concert atmosphere and that suits an Iriskaye show fine.

I don’t know if it’s her accent or not, but something about her talking voice does it for me. I could listen all night. It’s sweet and soft, contrary to her singing voice which is a little harder but she grows on you as she performs.

And while she portrays that tougher feel especially with her opening numbers, I really feel she excels on the slower songs. When she did “Wind Of Change”, her voice seemed a little more stable. I know its fun to do the fast, driving songs, but in her case, she excels when she isn’t trying to shout out lyrics as much.

But I don’t want to criticize Iriskaye too much because I really feel if you love doing something, you should do it. Iriskaye really seems to love what she is doing. There are a lot of singers who can sing very well but suck at stage performance and vice versa. With Iriskaye you get a great performance and some decent singing. You’re out to have a good time and she is more than happy to show you one.

Iris puts her all into every song she does. I loved her version of “Rock Me Baby”, a lot of heart and soul. She covers a wide variety of both up-tempo and slower songs like “Unchained Melody”.

She doesn’t do a lot of talking between songs, preferring to let music carry the night. She does acknowledge her fans but doesn’t get carried away with stories which is fine with me.

Iriskaye has a tendency to shout or scream a little too much and that might take away from what she’s doing. I really think she has a decent voice and it carries well when she controls it. She did a marvelous rendition of “Purple Rain” that came through clearly. It’s amazing how good she can sound when she’s calm. I know her tendency is to belt out tunes, but sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got and Iriskaye does have a voice that comes across well when under control. Not many of us sound very good when we shout out songs. It was probably the best song she did and I wish there was more of that.

She turned her attention to the blues and with “Guilty”; she showed that she could sing the blues. With her voice controlled, the song was enjoyable and I found my ears perking.

While I liked her much better with controlled, slower tempo songs, Iriskaye seems to like to rock the night away and that’s okay. She looks and sounds like she’s having the time of her life and that rubs off on her audience. “Dirty Deeds”, “Every Breath You Take” and “I Will Be Right Here Waiting For You” finished an hour long set that seemed to go by very quickly, so I know I had fun.

If you like having fun and seeing a performer who inspires that, get to an Iriskaye Siamendes show. She’s infectious.

BLUE4U NOWICKA "The Blues Are Alive"

2009-07-24T11:15:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

Nobody plays the blues the way Blue4U Nowicka does. Sure there are other blues performers and they play the blues well, but Blue4U is a woman all her own. She has a smooth sultry voice that is just made for blues and that smoothness is matched by the guitar she accompanies herself with.

In front of a modest but blues loving crowd at Nevermore's L'Quen Oreben Park, Blue4U opened her show with a trio of seductive blues escapades. “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” set the tone while “Wild Women Don’t Have No Blues” pushed it to the limit. Blue4U calmed us down with a mellow “Since I Fell For You” making the touchy feely crowd snuggle a little more.

Ms. Nowicka’s voice is a charm. While it’s a smooth subtle voice most of the time, it occasionally falls into that raspy tone to accent the blues feeling. Either way, it’s a bluesy voice and she carries each tune gracefully yet you still feel the blues. It proves you don’t have to smoke a pack of cigarettes and drink a fifth of gin to get the blue's message across.

If Blue4U’s voice doesn’t do it for you, her picking and strumming will. She holds her own with her guitar and it feels the blues as well. With “Lonely Avenue” she let her guitar do the talking and man her guitar really has the blues. It’s a perfect fit for her voice and together, the blues don’t know what hit them. When she uses her slide, it’s incredible.

Blue4U is not an in your face kind of blues performer. She quietly gets her message across and does it in a polite way. “Georgia On My Mind” is a case in point. It was sweet, sentimental, and lovely. The Blues, oh yeah, it was the blues. She’s a polite person and in-between and during her songs, she politely acknowledges those in the crowd.

I get the feeling Blue4U couldn’t be nasty if she tried. She did do “Were You Born An Asshole?” which you’d think would be fairly raunchy, but from Blue, you never get offended. She got raunchier with “Bitch With A Bad Attitude”, surprising me somewhat, but I loved it.

Blue4U Nowicka is a veteran in Second Life® and is only three days older than me, signing up in November 2006. Her time here has been well spent and as a seasoned Second Life® performer, she has mastered the performances required in Second Life®. She chats, reads chat, and generally makes the crowd feel welcome and appreciated. And to top all that off, she writes as well treating us to “Chillin”.

Blue4U is keeping the blues alive in Second Life®. But more than that, she lives it and makes you want to live it too. While we may not want to live the blues, we certainly enjoy our time while we do. She makes sure of that. You appreciate her singing and her musicianship. Keeping the blues alive is a full time job but Blue4U doesn’t seem to mind. By the way, if Blue4U is the blues, then I want them.

Second Life® is home to many musicians crossing many genres. While I have seen a few blues performers and quite frankly, I liked them all, Blue4U Nowicka has staked her claim to being at the top of the blues heap and I don’t think she wants to come down. I don’t think she has to worry.

She did a marvelous sentimental cover of “Sam Stone” and a lively version of “Don’t Bury Me”. She closed her show with “Dirty Dog”,an impressive cover of Lynard Skynard’s “Mr. Banker”, a sad sad “Life Goes On” and finished with the most amazing version of “Play Me’ I’ve ever heard and a gorgeous “The Way You Love Me”

Yes, the blues are alive and well and living in Second Life®. Just look for Blue4U Nowicka.

KARTER STONECUTTER "Best Of The Best"

2009-07-19T15:35:00.011-05:00

by jenny heying

With little fanfare, Karter Stonecutter walked onto the stage at AIDA Lounge and quietly took his seat at the piano. With a short introduction and leading into Chicago, the Linden Lab curse struck and after a few minutes of the stream breaking, Karter crashed. He did return a few minutes late with most in attendance waiting patiently. There were still stream problems for a bit but eventually all was clear.

With that out of the way, Karter put his magical hands to the keyboards letting out a magnificent version of “Steamroller Blues”. What can I say at this point? The guy is awesome, from the piano to his voice and I’m not sure which was better. His prowess on the keys was simply put, spectacular. His voice, divine. He marvels in his performance and your ears immediately are drawn his way.

He makes any song beautiful, and the beautiful songs he makes amazingly beautiful as evidenced on “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”. His voice is strong, clear and willowy (okay that’s my word but it means pleasant to listen to). And while his singing is quite incredible, it isn’t his strong point, which is reserved for his piano.

Karter plays with authority and if you know anything at all about piano players, you’d agree that he’s with the best. He uses the piano forcefully and delicately at the same time, making every note audible. You imagine that he doesn’t go anywhere without it as it seems to be what he uses to communicate.

He continued his mastery with “Levon” and “Amsterdam”. His voice shook a little on the second number but only slightly, maybe a result of the crashes and stream issues. But with authority he stroked the keys to brilliantly accompany the voice delivering the songs.

Accompanying Karter at AIDA Lounge was a troop of trapeze artists complete with gorgeous costumes who performed above us while Karter filled the void with music. A nice touch. It was incredible to watch as you listened.

Billy Joel seemed to be the cover of choice this day as Karter powered through “Shameless”, making everyone a Billy Joel/Karter Stonecutter fan. When he does cover other artists, you forget Billy, okay just for a minute.

Karter Stonecutter is a fantastic musician and singer, but I was wondering if there is more to him. And there is. He writes too. Three quarters through his set he finally performed an original song. “I’ll Wait For You Tonight” (not sure if that’s the name) was wonderfully written with the piano in mind. He sang it lovingly.

Karter also performed “Bennie And The Jets”, “Thunder Road”, “Don’t Change Horses”, “Drift Away” and “Space Oddity” and looking over his song list, there’s a lot more I’d love to hear. And although there were numerous problems with the stream, it was worth waiting it out. He finished in a flurry with “Takin It To The Streets”, “Danny’s Song” and "Only The Good Die Young" and just as he entered, he quietly left.

There are a whole lot of great and talent performers in Second Life® and please try to see as many as you can. But if you want to see one of the best, search for Karter Stonecutter.

MORTON SHAMEN "Playing With Confidence"

2009-07-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

Aquastar is the kind of club you’d expect to see some great musicians. It has plenty of stage room, ample dance floor and enough room to drive a tank through. I ventured in to catch Morton Shamen who debuted in Second Life® as the bass player for a rock trio with Kiplan Carlyle.

With his sidekick acoustic guitar Morton opened slowly with “I’m On Fire”, brilliantly done, but far too short. Equally brilliant with “Old Man”, Morton showed that he can sing. He wasn’t happy with it and stopped then continued half way through. Perfectionist? Hmmm.

With an AV that reminds me of a dark haired John Lennon, he plays his guitar wonderfully and you can tell he knows what he’s doing with it. More than just simple strumming along, his guitar is a more than adequate accompaniment.

Morton crosses the genre lines from rock to country and with Keith Urban’s “Memories Of Us”, he made country lovable. His voice is soothing and a little raspy when he gets carried away, but nonetheless he’s a pleasure to listen to. Digging down deeper, his voice took on “Honeybee” and you know what his voice won. The song suits Morton and it was a great opportunity to show his prowess on his axe. The two were meant for this song.

His raspy bluesy voice came to the forefront on “Cumbersome”. It’s likeable and fits. You get the feeling you’re listening to a blues artist albeit to a slighter different fare. You’re not sure whether his guitar or voice is doing the driving but not to worry, you know you’re going to get there.

He tends to talk a lot between songs which is okay as at least it shows he’s paying attention to what’s happening around him. You know he’s performing without a set schedule but that just adds to the carefree attitude he exudes. He’s a storyteller which fits what a singer is supposed to be.

And if everything I’ve said so far hasn’t impressed you, Morton is also a song writer and a pretty damn good one at that. That was evident on “It Could Be True” (not sure if that’s what it is called) and “Highway of Love”. While he may be a great performer, he does have talent as a writer and both songs are worthy of airplay. He claims to have written more than 300 songs some of which are on his MySpace site.

It’s refreshing to see someone not only talented but playing with confidence as Morton does. He looks and sounds comfortable on stage and that just makes you feel comfortable too. Covers of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen followed with Morton sounding better with each note.

It’s hard to pinpoint what I liked the most about Morton Shamen. He’s a good singer, a great guitar player and a talented songwriter. Hmm. Well maybe that’s it. It’s the combination of those three things that make him likeable.

Also on his set list this night were “You Don’t Know How It Feels”, “You Complete Me” (original), “Blue On Black”, “Copperhead Road”, “Southern Accents”, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”, “Baby You Can Sleep While I Drive”, “Lose Again”, and “Square One”. He even did an encore with "Fountain Of Sorrow" and "Holding Her Loving You".

Judging by his schedule, the Alabama born performer is quite busy in Second Life®. And judging by his overrun on his time, he wants to be busy. He should be for quite some time.

STEVENJAIMZ HUNNITON "Rock Out"

2009-07-09T11:05:00.003-05:00

by jenny heying

Billed as a metal guitarist, you’d expect StevenJaimz Hunniton to step on the pedal when he steps on a stage. This night at the 5th Dimension, Steven said he was doing things backwards and led off with an original tune “Hollow”. It began kind of mellow and then the pedal did hit the metal as he thrashed his guitar through riff after riff. It was a wild way to start and his guitar playing was nothing short of spectacular. Not to mention for a self penned tune, it was pretty good even though I wouldn’t call myself a metal fan. The song and guitar changed tempos numerous times and ended in a flurry.

Following with “Struggle”, StevenJaimz never let his axe off easy. His guitar led us crazily through the song with strong licks and incredible runs. He plays like a madman, and that’s meant as a compliment. He’s an adequate singer, but really, are you here to hear him sing? I think not. You come for some crazy guitar playing and that’s exactly what he serves you. He’s in a zone and the zone is in a frenzy.

I could use a number of adjectives to describe StevenJaimz, but wild might be the best one. That’s how he is on stage and I’m not sure if he’s the wild one or his guitar. But no matter, you don’t really care who leads who.

Covering Tears For Fears “Shout” really showed what StevenJaimz can do. Playing to backing tracks of the original, Steven forcefully threw his guitar out front throughout the song and made it into something Tears For Fears probably wish they had done. Although using tracks, he made it original and you know what, it was pretty damn good.

His show is all about his guitar. It’s what he does best and he doesn’t try to hide that fact. His guitar is front and center throughout each song whether it’s a solo or thrashing away to the tracks. I bet he can take almost any song and turn it into a driving force.

I didn’t come across any head bangers in the crowd, but in real life, I could imagine the stage stormed and crowded with heads thrashing about. I even felt like doing it.

Steven loves to rock, but he can be mellow too. His axe led us solely into a heavily guitar influenced version of “Imagine” complete with amazing riffs and licks. He incredibly followed that with a guitar solo cover of “Heaven”. You certainly get the impression he loves playing and could probably play all night. I could listen all night.

And incredible as he may be when he mellows out and on his originals, where he really shines is on rock covers like “Sweet Child Of Mine”. Here he shows off his guitar talent and throws in a little vocal talent for good measure. It’s really his forte. You bob and sway and thrash along with him. You can’t help but rock along with him.

With all the musicians in Second Life®, I don’t remember coming across any that play metal. Most are acoustic and most don’t rock out. But StevenJaimz does. He’s a rarity in Second Life® and hopefully we’ll hear more of it.

StevenJaimz rocked us through an hour of heavy metal influenced tunes including “Blood Stain”, “Deliverance” and “I Scream Alone”.

There’s only one thing I could imagine that would be better than seeing StevenJaimz Hunniton “Live” in Second Life® and that would be to see him “LIVE” in real life. Maybe someday.

FABULOUS FOUR "Music History"

2009-07-05T21:49:00.016-05:00

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.

YIP JANNINGS "Tribute To MJ"

2009-07-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

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!

RENO SEGALL "Contagious Fun"

2009-06-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

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.

CREE CYBERTAR "Taking It In Stride"

2009-06-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

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.

DOUGIE MOONITES "Badonkadonk"

2009-06-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

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.

ALTHEA BAXTON "Sparkling Voice"

2009-06-13T16:13:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

KATIA KERES "The Voice"

2009-06-09T15:58:00.000-05:00

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.

MERRICK ROBONAUGHT "Making A Statement"

2009-06-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

Leading off with “Then Dance” is a bold statement. Then again, Merrick Robonaught is not afraid to make such a statement. While I wouldn’t confuse it with the original, it was pleasurable and enjoyable. Following with “This Magic Moment” and you find out what Merrick is about. He’s a romantic, or at least you feel he is. His choice of songs sets a mood and you fall deeply swaying and dreaming of romantic moments in your life.

A Merrick Robonaught show is about the mood. He sets it for you and it’s up to you to find out what to do with it. “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” is exactly where you feel you are during your time with him.

Merrick plays the guitar to accompany himself but uses backing tracks for the rest of the instruments and the background vocals. It’s a good mix. His voice is soothing and controlled. He mood is held with his voice and he does more than justice to the covers he performs. He makes Kenny Rogers appealing (okay, I’m not a KR fan) and does the same with every artist he conveys.

Merrick doesn’t grab you, rock you or attack you. He just kind of gives you the moment. The moment lasts an eternity. His is the kind of show you spend the night dancing with your man. Well if your man will. No matter what Merrick gives you, the mood is soothing and romantic. “The Thrill Is Gone” is one of the best I’ve heard in Second Life®.

And while Merrick has a romantic voice, his guitar follows the mood perfectly. He treats it like his lady and she responds seductively. He gently offers her his soul and his soul is on display for all. You offer your soul as well.

His country and blues filled show is worth hearing. The covers classic songs and with his guitar and deep seductive voice, keeps you entertained. With songs like “Time Marches On”, “Trashy Women” and “Walk Softy”, he ventures slightly away from romance and treats you to a bit of fun. And fun it is.

This night at THE POND, Merrick gave us all a little break from real life and let us dream of another life. Fun and romance are not paired too often but should be. Merrick pairs them for us and lets us enjoy the time.

“Walking In Memphis” is a favorite of mine and Merrick gave me a memorable rendition. I was relaxed, dreaming and entranced. You know the words to all the songs and the classics have you singing along with him. “The Wanderer”, “What’s Forever For”, "When The Sun Goes Down" and "When You Say Nothing At All" gives you the fun along with the romance and your night is complete. Don't miss his version "Wonderful Tonight". It's mesmorizing and the guitar is awesome. Take him in and make sure you bring a date.

Some men have bedroom eyes, Merrick has a bedroom voice and I think I need to find his CD to hear it more often.

NIKITA LUMET "Sweet Choice"

2009-05-30T14:51:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

Nikita Lumet comes with a huge advance billing. She’s a singer, songwriter and has a CD out in real life. I was expecting good things.

Opening at the Boondock Saint with “Tattoo”, this Dutch artist showcased her vocal talent. A little squeaky at the beginning and periodically throughout but she made the song a pleasure to hear. It probably wasn’t the best choice for an opening number and I would love to hear her do it again once her voice warmed up. She followed that with “This Is Paradise” and it was much more her style. It’s a fun song and Nikita seems to do better with fun rather than serious songs.

She had some early problems with the backing tracks but had that rectified by the third song “Wrong Love”. It’s a ballad and Nikita handled it with ease. In fact, it was the best of the opening three songs. She does seem to have trouble with a few notes now and then, but overall her voice resonates well. She has the kind of voice that suits soft and cute songs and when she does sing them it’s a joy.

Fitting with the soft and cute, performing her self penned tunes is where Nikita really shines. The first two original songs she sang were “My Choice” and “Enjoy” and both were soft, fun, beautifully performed and are the type that takes your cares away. I really liked the originals and once she has a few more songs, she can probably do away with most of the covers. She doesn’t need them.

The middle part of her set was devoted to her own material. They are mostly sweet and sentimental or soft and cute. The kind of songs you can have playing all day long or when you want to get lost in the moment. Okay, I can imagine her CD playing while I’m relaxing with that special guy (whoever he may be). Her voice compliments her songs and makes them slightly sexy but without losing the sweetness. She continued with “Relax” and “No Worries” letting me relax with no worries.

Changing tempo, Nikita launched into “I Can See”, a self claimed dance song. It was lively and danceable which is good, but even so, it didn’t fall from her set’s theme. While upbeat, it kept the fun and cute aspect and was a pleasant change from the slower songs. My only complaint was it didn’t last long enough as she switched back to the softer side with “I Wonder” (although she promised to do a dance version of it later in the set).

She also does a song called “Second Life” which is about, well, Second Life®. I won’t give you the details so you’ll have to hear it yourself, but it fits the theme.

Although she introduces each song, I think Nikita could expand on her chat between songs. She doesn’t really say much about herself or acknowledge the crowd much leaving that to the songs, I guess.

Other songs in her set list this night were “Fly”, “Listen Up”, “The Song”, “Changed” and “Hurt”.

She closed her set with upbeat dance songs. “Uninvited” and “So Incredible” were a fitting way to end a wonderful hour. Check Nikita out, in world and out.

VANNY WILDER "Rockability"

2009-05-23T23:09:00.000-05:00

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.

AUZZIE BLACKBURN "Powerful Vocals"

2009-05-17T02:11:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

Talk about lucking into seeing a great performer! I went to Helle’s Angels to see a favorite performer and decided to stay for the next show to hear Auzzie Blackburn and I was totally blown away. As one might guess from his name, Auzzie is from Australia. His billing said he "...has one of the more powerful voices you will hear..." and his opening note sure proved it. As powerful a voice as I have heard in-world. He had me from that first note.

He covered Green Day's “Good Riddance" and truly made it his own. Auzzie "...started playing guitar relatively late in life and..." "...loves playing everything from Blues rock ballads Folk to Australian...". As his set continued, CCR's "Bad moon Rising" was just awesome. During his set, his stream started to cut in and out. When he realized this, he posted his stream URL so we didn't have to listen through the viewer.

His guitar playing complemented his voice perfectly. He would sound great if he started singing a-cappella! I sat mesmerized as he sang "Hallelujah". I melted as he sang "Amazed". This was one time I was not upset that there was little crowd interaction as we got to hear more music. Auzzie would thank the crowd for tips and then launch into the next song. He covered "Mr. Bo Jangles", "Solitary Man", "Shillo", "Hotel California", El Condor Pasa" and "Bridge over Troubled Water" before he sang a song that I did not know but I think was called "Last Thing on my Mind". He ended his incredible set with "After Midnight" and left me wanting more. When are they going to start doing encores in-world?

Make sure you catch Auzzie Blackburn's powerful vocals the next time you are in-world.

NEW IN-WORLD TALENT "An Open Mic Night"

2009-05-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

I went to the Merry Prankster the other night for their open mic night. I thought I would see some up-coming In-World performers. This night, the Merry Prankster had six performers for three hours worth of music. I only had an hour to spend so I caught the first two.

I got there a little late and Amereth Popstar was on stage. Amereth is a very new (two weeks) in-world artist who specializes in modern rock and alternative music. The first song I heard was from Green Day. It felt like a warm up song and it showed. He might want to consider dropping that song. He then sang “Chasing Cars” which was excellently performed and suited he voice perfectly. Amereth performs on the guitar without any backing tracks. His next two songs were performed well. He did say he would not talk too much as he did not have much time with each performer having a thirty minute set. A song from the Foo Fighters was next (his personal fav) and he handled it well. He finished the half hour set with “Good Riddance”, another Green Day song. On stage presence needs work but all-in-all a good set for the night .

Gordon Digfoot then took the stage. Gordon also plays the guitar and seems to have good control of the instrument. Gordon’s profile says he prefers to play “Bluegrass, Country Western, Classic Rock, Beatles songs and if you request, a Nirvana song or two”. I believe his first song was “Mama Tried” which sounded very country to me. I missed the second song title again (I will have to work on that). No matter, I enjoyed listening to his voice. Gordon lets his personality come through as he did interact with the crowd and has more of a stage polish than the first performer. He continued his set and I really liked his cover of "Heard it Through the Grapevine". I was impressed with Gordon and expect him to be at the top of the in-world charts.

There were four more performers this night but after an enjoyable hour, I had to call it quits.
I enjoyed my first open mic night. I think there might be more open mic nights in my future.

BRENT RENARD "Not Your Average Sl Performer"

2009-05-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

by julieanne rau

In today’s world of rock and country I decided that Thump Magazine needed to see all types of music and this week I noticed that Brent Renard was performing at BoSamba’s. He is the only opera singer in Second Life® who often performs live concerts with a didactid and education orientation. He stages and directs his own compositions and with 15 years experience in opera, has a clear and commanding voice.

OPERA JOVEN was founded in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in 1999. It is legally constituted and recognized by the Mexican Government as a non-profit civil association. Its funds are formed mostly from donations. It is within this context that Brent sings his all-Spanish compositions.

His 10 songs drew, at the maximum count, 18 people to the venue. Personally I was shocked to see opera alive and well in Second Life®. A new branch of music I personally have not been able to fully appreciate.

In Quegl'Anni In Cui Val Poco, from the opera Le Nozze di Figaro, by W.A. Mozart
Intorno all'idol mio, from the opera Orontea, P.A. Cesti
Sì dolce è'l tormento by C. Monteverdi
Già il sole dal Gange by A. Scarlatti
Chi perde un momento from the opera Giulio Cesare, G.F. Handel
Domerò la tua fierezza from the opera Giulio Cesare, G.F. Handel
Tho' the Honours, from the oratorio Theodora, by G.F. Handel
Che farò senza Euridice from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice, C.W. Glück
Saper bramate from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, by G. Paisiello
Nel cor più non mi sento from the opera La Molinara, by G. Paisiello

His English is a bit broken, but very charming, as he describes each arias. I originally thought he was saying area but with help I soon discovered arias was NOT some part of Mexico. Brent makes Opera fun and romantic as he describes each song. His system is clear with the accompaniment of background music to each opera.

The crowd is much different from the usual concert that I attend. I don’t want to say more respectful but maybe more attentive. There are no hoots or shouts and text art. A simple Bravo accompanied by loud applause breaks the silence of his performance.

It is truly a unique experience and I would encourage move with adventure to attempt to attend his next performance May 10th, 2009 at the "Mexican Fair of Traditional Handcraft" at 4am SLT. Place: Opera Joven, 133, 161, 22 Enjoy, I did! Look at this web page for more detailshttp://www.operajoven.com

ANDE FOGGARTY "70's Memories"

2009-05-02T17:25:00.001-05:00

by tracy serra

When I saw that Ande Foggarty covered some of my favorite singers, I decided to TP over to Bella Vita for his show. Ande started the show with a cover of John Denver's “Country Roads” and he did the song justice. He followed his opening song with “Fly Away” which suited his voice perfectly. He had someone with a lovely voice helping him with harmony but failed to introduce her at that time. (He finally introduced her as Rhonda Magic just before their duet.). Ande went through acknowledging everyone in the audience before launching into a “Fire and Rain” cover from James Taylor.

Ande's billing says he is a self-taught guitarist and pianist and he plays the guitar well. (We didn’t get to hear the piano this night). The music of the 70's is his favorite and he believes the "Beatles are the best band ever". I just happen to agree with him there. Ande performed “Peaceful Easy Feeling” which was requested as a dedication by an audience member. Ande and Rhonda then performed a duet, “Dedicated to the One I Love".

Ande said that being from Kentucky he had to do a country song (“Blue Eyes Crying”, I think). He then sang “A horse with No Name” by America and a cover of “Space Oddity” followed. Ande's crowd interaction this night was adequate but not thrilling. As you know by now, I like a bit of performer interaction. Things like commenting on what the crowd is saying in chat helps me feel as if I am doing more than just listening and watching my screen.

“Tears in Heaven”, performed flawlessly, was followed by “Love Me Do”, complete with harmonica parts and personal touches which gave the song some character, As the evening’s performance was ending, Ande covered “Rocky Raccoon” then announced the next act and ended his show.

For a very nice hour of 70's era music which will bring back memories of good times, be sure to catch Ande Foggarty.

JEAN MUNRO "Making Magic"

2009-04-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

I stopped by Giacamo’s Ballroom to see Jean Munro and I was in for a treat as XanderNichting Writer ,electric violinist, was there and the two shared the stream for a bit of the performance. Jean mentioned that it had been a long time since the two had done so.

Jean was just taking the stage when I arrived and Xander was introducing her so it took me a bit to realize that Xander was not running the event. Jean started the night playing “Fields of Gold” accompanied by Xander on his violin. The two made magic as Jean’s voice blended hauntingly with the violin. The one problem I had was that during the song Xander would thank people for their tips. I was there to hear the music and that bothered me.

The two continued sharing the stream covering “True Colors” and then did “I’ll Fly Away” as a duet. Xander got on my nerves as he felt the need to thank Jean between every song. The two did “I Can’t Make You Love Me” before Xander left the stream to Jean.

The next half hour showed Jeans fantastic personality and her beautiful voice. Jean covered “Desperado” which was very pretty and then did a lovely cover of “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”. She then told us she would be using a sound track for “Songbird”, but with her voice, it does not matter if she is playing or just singing to a sound track.

Due to real life issues, I had to reluctantly leave right after she covered a Gershwin tune so I missed the last 15 minutes of her fabulous performance. For a romantic evening out with one of Second Life’s® top songbirds, you can not do better than seeing Jean Munro.

SOAR "Exceptional Performance"

2009-04-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

by tracy serra

I was feeling like having a bit of an adventure so I decided to head over to Nudist Paradise to see Somerset, Oh & Rhode. SOAR is a relatively new band consisting of Charles Somerset on guitar, backing and lead vocals, Bright Oh on guitar, lead and backing vocals and Experiment Rhode on keyboards. This Australian group has been playing for about six months in Second Life® and performs original songs mostly written by the group’s members. They mentioned that as they get more familiar with Second Life®, they will start doing some covers. If they continue to write songs like the songs performed tonight, the covers can wait!

Their songs are mostly the ballad type in an acoustic style that is thoughtful and sincere which showed through when they performed “Brand New Day” for all the recently partnered couples in the audience. Their songs told stories of people, emotions, places and events.

They started the night by playing “Can't Forget the Day” after which Bright introduced the band members. Two more original songs followed then we were told that Charles was having internet stream problems. (Charles was the only person who did not rez on my screen). Charles eventually got the issue sorted out.

The interaction with the crowd was okay but not exceptional. It consisted of thanking everyone, introduction of the band and giving song titles with an occasional tidbit about the songs. I would like to have heard a little more but then I liked their Australian accent. While their crowd banter may have been a bit off this night, their sound as they played made up for it. With a set of around 10 songs, I had to agree with what someone said at the venue, "EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE".

While this has nothing to do with the performance, I had to laugh at the venue's random prize ball which gave out prizes every 15 minutes all of which were clothing! I am sure you are wondering about my attire for the evening. All I will say is that April nights do get chilly on the beach!

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For an enjoyable evening of original song, I recommend seeing Somerset, Oh and Rhodes. You will be hearing more of them as they get more accustomed to SL.

JEWELS OSTERHAM "In Love With Performing"

2009-04-20T22:48:00.000-05:00

by julieanne rau

I think that the core of the Second Life® music scene really belongs to the amateur musician. Jewels Osterham is a classic example of Second Life success in the music scene. She has a lot going for her, a good tone, a sweet personality and the politeness of a professional.

As I arrived, the Bella Vida SIM was shutting down for reset, not a good omen I thought to myself especially with one minute until show time, but I came back and so did 23 more people as Jewels opened with Linda Ronstadt’s "What’s New". I was obviously underdressed here where most wore gowns and the gentlemen wore tuxedos. Jewels makes that place come alive with songs of romance and slow moving jazz. Dancing to the Captain and Tennille’s “One More Time", "Darkness - Darkness", "Sweet Home Chicago", she also steps out of her comfort zone with songs like "Ricky Don’t Lose that Number" and by doing requests such as "My Funny Valentine".

I guess Jazz is an acquired taste and most of the people here were regulars to the spot. Jewels is comfortable as she greets and says Hi to almost everyone in the venue. This girl is "Blues Through and Through". I read that she had been singing since she was a teenager (and no, I didn’t ask her age) and wanted to know if Jazz was always what she wanted to do. "Actually not jazz as a teen. I wanted to sing like Pat Benatar..lol", was her answer.

"So when did Jazz happen for you?" I asked.

"Probably about 20 years ago". She said

I remarked, "I like the tone of your voice. Is this a hobby?

"Thank you and yes, it is, but I am so in love with performing in SL", she said and I believe her. She has good equipment that makes her stream come alive. She is also professional enough that her song list was well chosen and even with starting late she was determined to get her last song in.

She has never done anything professional in RL and only does cover tunes, but I think she has enough talent to branch out and make the transition. Her answer to that question was "… I love singing other peoples things. The standard jazz tunes you can't beat and I sure don’t think I am creative enough to write." I don’t think I have ever met a musician that does at the very least try to be there own stuff. Something I was a bit shocked to hear. Some other things I would comment on was, no play list was available that I could see. I wanted to select a tune to see her range but without a play list I wasn’t sure I could pick a song that was Jazzy enough. She also had this dance animation that was running prior to the show and continued on during the show. You can see that in the pictures I took. I suspect that she should consider making sure such things are off before a performance.

Her closing number was "LOVE" and I found that fitting as I truly believe she loves to sing. Even if you don’t like Jazz, I encourage you to give Jewel a shot. 23 people can’t be wrong!

LEXIE LUAN "Marvelous, Marvelous"

2009-04-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

by stratford juliesse

When I first signed on to do reviews, I figured I’d be watching a lot of folksy type men playing their acoustic guitars. But man, chicks with guitars? God I love my job. Well Lexie Luan was sweet on the eyes and the ears. I caught her at Sensual Paradyce and with her opening number “Stranded”, I felt the vibe. From that point on, I was a Lexie fan, big time.

I’m not sure why I haven’t seen her before since she’s been around since January 2006 but better late than never. While Lexi does do the usual female type stuff, you know the pissed off at my boyfriend, but I’m longing for you anyway type, her voice is powerful enough that you don’t mind. It’s strong, clear and resonates throughout. But that’s not all she does. On “I Believe In You” she showed us that she can get the blues as well as anyone. This Philly girl can belt them out like no other I’ve heard.

While her guitar playing was strong initially, which I liked, it kind of faded a bit but nonetheless she did an admirable job accompanying herself. On “Change Your Mind”, it was a little more noticeable, but then you don’t come to listen to her play the guitar. And while her voice is strong and suited to powerful songs, she holds her own on ballads. She softened it a bit for “Without Love” and that softness carries to her between song chat. Here she seems sweeter (not that she isn’t when she sings) and yes softer and sexier. I could sit all night and listen to her talk and if you knew me, you’d know that is something.

The downside of Lexie’s voice was when she tried to throw it out there, she’d miss and it sounded a bit more like screeching. Thankfully that didn’t happen a lot. Lexie sings with emotion. She gets into what she’s singing about and you feel for her. I felt for her. She’s a lady with a lot to say and she says it through her songs. She does original songs with the odd cover thrown in. She has a CD coming out in six weeks and I’m in line to get it.

Actually, Lexie Luan is pretty diverse. She surprised me. She changed the tempo with “You Know” and while it’s still about a guy (and okay not pissed at him, but…) it was catchy and the guitar had a cool riff that made my ears perk up. Surprise is good. In fact for the full hour, she had me shaking my head and saying “Wow, she does that too”. When she did “In The Air Tonight”, I lost my footing. It was that good and yes again, it caught me by surprise. Marvelous, Marvelous, Marvelous.

With 15 minutes to go in her set, her voice and guitar were glowing and the songs infectious. She sang with emotion and played with abandon. When she sings I love you, you think she’s aiming directly at you. She grabs you, doesn’t let go and you know, damn you don’t want her to let go. You want to say I Love you right back.

You know, it’s not a good thing that Second Life® is here for performers like this. It’s a good thing that the performers play in Second Life®. We should count ourselves lucky that we get a chance to hear them and virtually whenever we want. Lexie is definitely talented and writing and performing her own songs is simply incredible. She’s a pleasure to watch, and a joy to listen too. If you want proof, check her out and tell me I’m wrong. She finished off her set with more wonderful self penned tunes like “Throw Away Girl”, “Bring Your Heart Home” and “I Could Get Used To You”.
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Yes I love my job and artists like Lexie are the reason why. You can check her out on the web at www.myspace.com/thelexiesmithband and of course in world at a venue near you.

BUBBAC JOHN "The King Lives'

2009-04-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

I’ve seen BubbaC many times but never had the chance to review him. Finally I ventured over to The Majestic in San Diego to finally do him service. Wow, has his show changed.

Bubba is an easy review, after all who doesn’t love the King? You don’t need a set list, umm, cause everyone knows the songs. What you do need is the desire to have fun.

BubbaC John now has a full accompaniment with him on stage. Joining him are the Bubbettes; Tinkle Pudless and Dedee Wycliffe, both with animated guitars, Jazz Alderton on drums and Taylor McBride on keyboards. And they all wore matching white jump suits. It’s a fun show to watch.

But BubbaC is the key here. Yes he sounds just like Elvis when he sings, but carries it on between songs and you swear you are listening to the real king. The likeness is freaky. His voice is strong and clear and the backing tracks unobtrusive. The King really is Alive!

He opened his show on a lively note with All Shook Up before providing us with the more mellow Elvis. Like I said, you don’t need a song list, but it’s nice that in addition to the usual E songs, he does perform some of the ones you don’t’ get a chance to hear very often. Songs like Big Boss Man and Moody Blue. He even did my favorite, Viva Las Vegas.

With a BubbaC John show, you get more than the songs and voice, although that would be plenty. Here you get a complete show on stage. The Bubbettes dance with their guitars and emit particles like bubbles, green showers and a variety of multi colored thingies. The keyboard player and drummer are also animated and it keeps you busy covering the antics on stage. While live music is a pleasure to hear in Second Life®, it adds so much when you see a complete show, rehearsed and pulled off to perfection.

Back to Elvis, I mean BubbaC. You get the feeling he really enjoys playing his part. Between songs and even during songs, he acknowledges everyone the way only Elvis can. He laughs, jokes and probably even cries during his performance. It’s infectious. He reads the chat and is aware of what’s being said. The 30 or so in the crowd featured a few decked out in Elvis gear and I imagine that happens frequently. Judging by the chat, most were in to seeing the King in Second Life®.

During Great Balls of Fire, which was intensely hot, flames shot up behind the dancers adding to the ambiance. A lot goes in to a BubbaC John show and you really have to keep your eyes front. The performers constantly move about and off the stage. It’s perfectly appealing. At one point, BubbaC rezzes a giant bear and ….well I can’t give everything away. You’ll have to see for yourself.

There is so much going on in BubbaC’s show, that you can’t help but have a good time. He creates that for you. He’s a marvelous singer and does justice to a legend. Every time I’ve see BubbaC, there’s something new and it’s nice to see someone who cares so much not only about what he does, but about what the audience sees and does. He really wants you to have a good time.

BubbaC John is worth every penny, and you should tip him and the venue to keep sensational performers here. For an hour you get lost (and so does Bubba) in a world that only Elvis knew about. We get to be a part of it. The King Lives!

THE LOHNERS "Pushing Boundaries"

2009-03-27T19:44:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

If you think the music scene in Second Life® has become stagnant, then you haven’t seen The Lohners. I caught the husband and wife team of Lacey and Lugg at the Drunken Drow, not knowing what they were all about but definitely curious. The Australian duo is refreshing and is pushing the boundaries of Second Life Live® performances.

First off, they are a duo and both play their own instruments. While they use backing tracks for some, Lugg plays drums while Lacey plays guitar and handles the majority of the vocals. Leading off with “Computer Games”, I found them whimsical, talented and a whole lot of fun. Not content to cover the typical songs, they launch into a barrage of Australian music and handle the arrangements perfectly. Lugg’s vocals on “One Perfect Day” were superb.

I found their banter with each other invigorating and enjoyed the between song drama. They are a perfectly lovable couple and a pleasure to listen to. I found myself relaxing to the songs and perking up for the conversations.

The boundaries of the Second Life® music scene are constantly being pushed. From vocals with backing tracks to playing their own instruments and now duos and groups. It’s a scene that constantly cries for the next leap.

Lacey has a strong and consistent voice that makes every song she sings clear and listenable. She carries the songs well and while her guitar playing kind of fades into the background a bit, overall it sounds awesome. Lugg’s voice is less strong but still carries well. When they sing together, it’s phenomenal.

In addition to singing and playing, they present original songs and as a compliment, you can’t tell them from the other songs. They are good. “Glad To Be In Love” was one that is worth remembering. My favorite original was "Living on Paris Time", a funky tune that had me swerving in my chair.

It seemed to be a computer themed night with “Computer One” by Dear Enemy, a Melbourne band. Something I liked about this duo was the exposure to a lot of music I might not otherwise have heard.

Jazzing things up, they leaped into “High Rollers” a self penned tune about Steely Dan. Yes they are fans. It was another step outside the box for The Lohners which they seem to do a lot of. Then covering Cliff Richard’s “Carrie” and Sting’s “Consider Me Gone” proved they can handle anything. Lacey shines on the more jazz oriented songs, but between them, no genre can tie them down. Rocking it up, they spin into Kim Wilde and wind up their show with "Echo In My Heart". A finish worth hearing.

If you really want to see how Second Life® music has progressed; whether you love live drums or guitar, great voices and original or cover songs, you really need to venture out and see the Lohners. But for pure fun and enjoyment, pay attention between songs and hear what Lacey and Lugg really have to say. You’ll be glad you did.

IGGY RAYNA "Connected"

2009-03-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

by jenny heying

Billed as having a hilarious stage presence that helps him deeply connect to any audience and leave them begging for more, Iggy Rayna was on my must see list. I ventured down to the The Artists Lounge Café to catch his performance and find out for myself what his stage presence was all about.

A sparse crowd greeted Iggy’s opening number “Drift Away”. He followed with “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and Your Body Is A Wonderland”. On all three opening numbers, he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He’s a wonderful player and that may be his strongest feature, but deservedly so. The Californian musician plays with authority driving the chords through and around each song. No backing tracks, just his guitar and surprisingly, it’s plenty.

Iggy’s voice is good… not great, not bad, but good. He was a little soft at the beginning of his set, but grew stronger as he moved through his repertoire. By the time he launched into Beck’s “Debra”, he was singing with almost as much authority as his guitar playing. He couldn’t match the guitar, but then I doubt any singer could. His voice is strong enough to convey the message and every song was clear and entertaining.

Okay, back to the billing. I’m not quite sure what the hilarious stage presence was all about; perhaps I’ll have to follow up on that one day. Although he was good vocally and musically, I didn’t really see what was so hilarious. Maybe I missed something. No matter, Iggy is still worth seeing. I’ll also have to find out what “Iggy Kings” is all about as well. (I did find out later that his real life name translates to King and he’s an Elvis fan).

Launching in to a Beatles' medley was a highlight for me. With “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and “Get Back”, Iggy showed he could have fun as well as provide it. Somewhere through the stream, his tambourine magically appeared and added to the mix. From that point on, Iggy Rayna stepped things up a notch. He seemed to get livelier and I think with more up tempo songs, he does get better.

And maybe not so surprising, were his original songs. “I Know A Girl” was very good. But more surprising was that he does original Spanish songs. While the English songs were good, the Spanish song knocked me off my feet. Simply amazing.

With a set list that included Peter Cetera and Guns-N-Roses I’m glad I checked out the King. You should too.

STRUM DIESEL "Talent Abounds"

2009-03-13T22:04:00.001-05:00

by jenny heying

Living up to a strong advance billing is tough anywhere and when that billing is “His talent will blow you away”, your chances aren’t great. But in strum Diesel’s case, it’s easy. strum definitely has talent. I don’t know if he blew me away, but he can do everything. He plays guitar, sings and writes his own material. That’s what is impressive. strum does a lot of original songs. Songs like “Power” “Remedy” and “Gay”.

Before a decent sized crowd at Soul Society, strum brought his voice, guitar and yes his talent. His voice is powerful, easy to hear and understand and comes through clear. He definitely can sing. His songs tell his story and his voice is the storyteller. While powerful, it isn’t overbearing or unnerving. strum’s voice is a pleasure to listen to. There’s a tendency to be repetitious but you can overlook that.

strum Diesel does do covers. He covers Bon Jovi and Tracy Chapman. But it’s not the covers you come to hear. It’s the originals. With his SLCD available to purchase at his shows, it’s a showcase. His songs are presented and the audience accepts.

There are no backing tracks for strum. His accompaniment is his guitar. While I would have liked to have heard him really let loose on it, he did do an admiral job. His playing was mostly there to backup up his songs and occasionally you got the feeling that he would wail away on his axe. Maybe someday.

While strum Diesel (rl Sean Kagalis; myspace.com/seankagalis) is a pleasure to listen to, I don’t know if I’d agree with him blowing you away with his talent. Yes he is talented, but his talent kind of gets obscured in his songs. His voice is good, guitar adequate, but his talent really lies in his writing ability. He does manage to talk in between songs, but on this night, you couldn’t always hear him due to some loud gestures drowning out his speaking voice. I would have loved to have heard more of what he was saying. When he’s not playing, his voice tends to fade a bit as if he’s at the back of his room, but thankfully that’s only between songs.

Comparing real life talent to Second Life® probably isn’t fair and I think if I saw strum in real life, I might tend to think it was a little hum drum but in Second Life® you get the chance to really listen to a song that isn’t overshadowed by performance. strum’s abilities show through in Second Life®. He does have talent. And by the way, strum grows on you and by the end of his show, you are hooked.

STRUMMER VULTEE "Giving Inspiration"

2009-03-06T09:43:00.000-06:00

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.

"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."

AMFORTE CLARITY "Bubbly Not Angry"

2009-03-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

by stratford juliesse

Aside from having one of the hottest AV’s I’ve seen in Second Life®, AMFORTE Clarity heats up the stage in a lot of ways. At the Red Cat Blues Club, before a sparse crowd, she gave us something we don’t hear a lot of, original songs. Yes, that’s right; AMFORTE performs all originals with the odd cover thrown in. Talent abounds. Her songs are good, okay maybe not different from a lot of female penned tunes, but they are listenable and enjoyable. She writes the typical angry female songs and even though she calls herself angry, she really is more bubbly than anything else. While the angry fits the songs, it doesn’t fit her personality.

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This Toronto, Canada singer/songwriter also strums along quite adequately on the guitar. Check it out; it’s got a target design. She uses no tracks, just her voice and her guitar and the angry girl songs are accompanied brilliantly.

Not that the names of the songs will mean much to you at this point, but her opening numbers were My Way, Are You Happy Now, You Were, Just Leave and I'll be Okay. The titles support the angriness. Her covers included I Don’t Love You (My Chemical Romance) and Between The Bars (Eliott Smith).

AMFORTE loves to talk. She talks a lot. LOL. In between each and every song, she not only banters with the crowd, but gives us a snapshot of her life and how her life is portrayed in her songs. Talking is good, but Ms. Clarity probably carries it to the extreme. She could probably string a couple songs together without the break, but ah, that’s just me.

AMFORTE’s voice is a treasure as well. It’s clear, pitch perfect and while she has that bubbly personality, her singing voice has a bit more nastiness, probably the angry girl filtering in. She sings well and gets the message through very clearly. She’s a pleasure to listen to and I could have all night. Perhaps I’ll have to buy her CD.

The LIVE music scene is changing in Second Life®. There are a lot more quality performers showing up and what was once no more than a venture to a Karaoke bar, now is a full fledged concert, complete with instruments and talented musicians. AMFORTE Clarity is part of the new breed of performer, doing it all, and doing it well.

Take note of the song names, you may be hearing them in real life. Songs like Nothing Concrete, You Owe Me, Sister and Ain't Easy To Please to name a few. You may hear more than that.

AMFORTE is relatively new to Second Life® (12/22/08) but she is certainly on her way to making a mark here. A mark that is not likely to be surpassed until complete bands show up. Her schedule doesn’t appear to be all that full at the moment, but I’d venture to guess it’ll fill up soon. If you do want to hear her prior to finding her in concert, you can check out her web site at http://www.amforte.com/ but to really appreciate her, you need to see her LIVE in Second Life®.

CLAIREDE DIRVAL "Smokey Perfection"

2009-02-22T21:02:00.000-06:00

by stratford juliesse

Clairede Dirval seems like the kind of girl you’d love to party with. She’s a hell of a lot of fun and gives you the impression she’s a whole lot more fun in real life. Ah but what the hell, I’m reviewing her music.

I caught Clairede at Mama’s before a group of 29 or so. I jumped in to a very raspy voiced version of “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” and a whole lot of banter, mostly from her. The chat filled the screen and Clairede jumped in at every opportunity. Commenting on her lethal tits, otherwise known as her tit jar, she was a hoot. Back to the music, her voice is raw and adds that local singer at a local bar feel to it. Accompanying herself on the guitar, she puts on quite a performance. “I Want to Love You’ and “What’s Up” showed her range before she launched into a self penned tune.

Her rapoire with the audience is unique in Second Life®. While a lot of performers acknowledge the crowd and spout out their names, Clairede seems likes she’ right in there with you, or rather you’re right in there with her. It’s that part that makes her show fun. She’s mingling, laughing, drinking right along with your.

But really, it’s her voice that got me this night. You get the feeling she was on a binge the night before and probably in the middle of one right now, but she belts out the tunes like no other, never missing the fact she has an audience to attend to.

She’s blues, rock, hurting, teary and she’s amazing. If you wanted to leave, you couldn’t. Pouring out emotions from Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks and the like, you soak it all in. She puts her heart out there for you to inspect but she makes it so dam enjoyable. Clairede wants to hurt, and she has so much fun trying.

Seeing a musician here is not just about sitting around and listening. While that is a part of it, having a great time is what you come to Second Life® to do. With Clairede, that happens and it’s no effort on her part or yours. The fun is infectious.

Finishing off her one hour set, she launched into a Clairede rendition of “Pretty Woman”, fitting for the atmosphere and done with her brand of gusto before giving us “Crazy” which is where she really wants to lead us. She ended it all giving us an impressive “Me and Bobby McGee” that left us all dying to enjoy her company again.

A smoke filled bar on the bad side of town with run down people is where you’d expect to be, but on stage is a singer belting out songs that capture your attention. Clairede is that singer.

JESSY SOMMER "What A Difference!"

2009-02-20T08:31:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

What a difference 5 ½ months can make! I was reading the Thump magazine review for Jessy, dated Oct 9th, 2008, and asking myself “Is this the same person?”

Jessy TP’d into Gia’s Fashion Cabaret and then moments later, the place filled up. It was like someone opened the front door of the building and the lineup poured in. Thirty Nine (39) people packed the joint and it stayed that way for the one hour long concert. I can see why, even I was enjoying her soft, sweet and yet clear voice.

Her setup is really good and even with her soft spoken voice, its clear. You can see this girl hasn’t played professionally, just by her mannerisms and yet, I wanted to hear what she was really capable of. She has a play list with over 100 songs, which does not include her original stuff – like her opening number “Safe Tonight”!

Her song selection is quite diverse considering that 5 ½ months ago, there was no song list. She played Brian Adams’ “Heaven”, Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut is the Deepest” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” -- which surprised me as my favorite. Not that it sounded like the original, it didn’t!! But it was incredibly unique and fitting for her.

At the end of the performance, I asked her if she performs in Real Life and was half surprised and yet half not, that she doesn’t. She has a style that I’m drawn too. She’s comfortable being in the center and uses her microphone well in-between songs. I even felt it was a bit endearing, as she would do the 3 octave down pitch “du – du – du” as she searched for the lyrics for a requested song. I guess you will have to go to one of her concerts to really see what I mean.

My biggest criticisms would have to be two things. She is a giggler and tends to read the comments that people are making during her performance. Not a good idea at Gia’s, where most try to make the performer laugh anyways. It was all about peeing this time round! Yes, it is another reason you have to come to this place! Even the audience comments. “It’s cute she giggles – during the song”, I heard Meat Supply say. The second is how she ends a song, it’s difficult to explain but it’s like the last note of the lyrics is the song ending and the accompanied guitar ends at the same time. Very weird as the crowd gives you that 2 second pregnant-pause and then applauds. Maybe that is something to work on?

Frankly, if this is the progress she has made in 5 ½ months I can’t wait for the next half of the year!!

ALEX PARSONS "Down Home Rock"

2009-02-10T15:27:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

Twenty-three Second Life® performers have a star on Gia’s "Walk of Fame"; Alex Parsons is one of them. Having a star on the walk means you have performed more than once at Gia’s Fashion Cabaret. Alex has been performing since he was nine years old and being the front man for several bands over the past few decades he knows what is expected. As I watched and listened, I could tell Alex is old school, keeping it at a rock level. He’s comfortable with the crowd and takes the time to read what others are saying and react to them. Basically, he is a crowd pleaser.

.Laughing and joking in between songs he appears to be comfortable singing songs like "I smell sex" by Nirvana, albeit 2 octaves lower than the original. Alex struggles slightly with the higher notes and compensates by not singing at the same tempo of most songs. Personally, I prefer when an artist does this as it gets the best out of them on each song. Clearly his Nirvana song was the best of the night for me. I would have to admit that my biggest problem was trying to find out what song Alex was singing. Most of the time he never introduced the song by name and this left me wondering half the time, ok maybe most of the time, what song that is? It could be just me but my suggestion would be more song introduction by name and artist, or promote you if it’s an original.

Songs from Matchbox 20, Bob Schneider and Inxs are feathered in his one-hour show. His laughing is infectious as he interacts with everyone and works well at the venue where the owner was encouraging the crowd to try and make him laugh. This makes for an overall good experience as the hour show passes quickly. Perhaps it passes a bit too quickly.

Twenty-four people crowded onto the SIM to watch Alex but at its maximum were fifteen people there at one time. I think that live music is one of Second Life's® greatest assets for its members where usually a cover charge is requested in any other live real life music venue. Here is where I can not only listen to great music but I can also interact with the performers. Live music in Second Life® is more than just listening to music; it is a way to understand the performer as well. Something I hope never dies. I wish you all the ability to come to a live performance and witness this for yourself.

Bottom line, it may be a generation gap that I’m suffering or maybe its just first impressions but I wasn’t melted away but I wasn’t turned off either. I think he is the type of performer that I need to see a few times before I can give an honest review. I’m going to seek him out again and maybe try not so much to analyze the music, as try to enjoy it for what it is. Down home Rock!

VANNY WILDER " Texas Funky Stuff"

2009-02-07T14:00:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Sometimes attending a live show in Second Life® is strictly about having fun. You don’t really care who’s playing or what they are playing, just as long as you can jump, sway, bop or do whatever and enjoy every minute.

To that end a Vanny Wilder show is what you conjure up. A self described messenger of Texas Blues and funky stuff, Vanny plays his guitar and commands you to move. He’s got the guitar part down pat and can play with the best of them. His riffs are clean and infectious. He plays with authority and the beat knocks you all over the room.

Opening with an instrumental indoctrination of some funky stuff, he jumped into his own version of Boney Maroney before thrilling us with Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House”, the small but appreciative bluesy crowd at “Blues Fabrik” were quickly in the mood. While I’m not going to compare him to Hendrix, his mastery of the guitar is no less than amazing.

Vocally, Vanny leaves a little in the back room. It’s adequate but not sensational, but then again, you don’t really care. The guitar winds its way through your body and the resultant trance doesn’t care about singing. That’s the magic of Vanny Wilder.

With his axe leading the way, Vanny covered Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top. Not to be outdone, Vanny penned his own tune, specifically about Second Life® and you do need to hear it, and do listen to the words for the surprise ending.

Say what you want about LIVE music here, it has come a long way, but I’m so glad that musicians are here and letting us enjoy they music they play. Vanny Wilder’s music is high on the list of being enjoyable.

An hour is so short when you wanna have fun, but Vanny left us feeling the vibe with a Clapton/Vaughn/Hendrix combination of “Little Wings” before rocking us out with Stevie Ray Vaughn” Pride and Joy”.

If you want to rock, Vanny will be more than happy to accommodate you

J&J’s Dozen Roses with ZED ESSEX

2009-01-31T22:27:00.000-06:00

The editor and I want to hear what the musicians have to say, so we developed ‘J&J’s Dozen Roses’. Twelve questions we thought the musician should answer. Zed Essex has agreed and here is our current installment.
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Th: Music in Second Life® has been slow to start, most artists have only been in Second Life® less than a year, how long have you been performing and how long have you been performing in Second Life®?

ZE: A Little over 2 years now.

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Th: I know that categorizing a performer is always something that is hard to do, so tell me. How would you categorize your style of music?

ZE: Well the music I play is of various styles! But I guess Rock Acoustic Singer sums it up in a misleading little package!

Th: Performing in Second Life® is not easy, most artists do two or three shows a night and it’s not about the money. How many do you think you do in a month and do you want to do more?

ZE: I play between 20 and 30 shows a month, I would like to get that up to around 40 if possible, not including charity events and promotional stuff.

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Th: If you’re performing in Second Life® you’re most likely a singer primarily, any other hidden musical talents?

ZE: I can play Guitar, Bass Guitar and drums quite well. I mostly use guitar synth for keyboard sounds but I can do some basic piano / keyboard stuff as well. I used to play saxophone when I was in High school but I haven't played in years, always scouring the pawn shops for an alto sax in good shape for a good price tho!

Th: Most artists have already been in the studio, have you and where can anyone hear or buy a sample of your music?

ZE: There are some original songs of mine on my myspace page http://www.myspace.com/zedessex. If you go to Broadjam.com and search for "shadows of the Vague" you will find some songs for purchase there as well. I will make a full length CD that includes some already recorded material, and I am currently working on a new project as well.

Th: Avatars are a large part of Second Life®; some are Frogs, Humans, etc... What is the inspiration for your Avatar or your Second Life® Name?

ZE: I wanted a name that could be represented by one letter! The last name I chose because it was short and Essex, is a county in the province of Ontario Canada.

Th: Everyone has a favorite song, which song is your favorite to perform and which song is most requested?

ZE: I usually have the most fun performing something I just learned, especially if it took a while and a lot of work to master it. I think my most requested songs are the ones by The Cure. My friend Pansy always requests songs by someone called Nusrat, but I don't know any.

Th: Do you see Second Life® Live Music as a stepping stone in your music career or is this just a hobby?

ZE: I play primarily to pay for the land tier on my 3/4 of a sim in Spidermouse.

Th: Where do you see yourself musically in a year from now?

ZE: I don't know, and I don't want to know! That would take all the mystery out it!

Th: A lot of venues support Music in Second Life® and they work darn hard to keep music alive in Second Life® but tell me, what is your favorite spot to perform and why?

ZE: I have a few favorite spots, I like Gia's, and the Vera Italia sims as well. I have just begun playing at The Bliss Reloaded, that's a good spot as well. Club Neptune is another really good one, there are a lot of places where I feel very welcome, The Frog and Toad in Eternia is another place I can't wait to get back to. Red Rock is in that category as well. There are places I don't play at anymore that I miss like Pegleg Saloon, you'd think it would be scarier playing for vampires! I used to play at Demonic as well, I think I will look them up and see if they have anything for me!

Th: Some find that managers are a good resource and others like the hands-on approach. Do you have a management team and can you tell us about them or if you like to do it yourself, why?

ZE: If you have a friend you can trust and they just manage YOU and YOU alone, that can be cool. Some of the Best musicians in SL work that way. Max Kleene has Joyus who does an amazing job for him as an example. I have a few people that get me bookings at different places, Annieblue Octavia books me in a few places. However I think it's never a good idea to get involved with these management companies that handle a bunch if different musicians. It gets political, even if they swear to you it won't! In my experience when you rely on these types of agents you end up with fewer shows not more shows, and you end up alienating yourself from the people that run the venues. Even the management groups that don't charge the artists any fees or have optional fees, often "play favorites" when booking artists, because they want to kiss up to them and make them feel important! Trust me I have belonged to two such groups, and even when they mean well the results are negative more often than not. In short MANAGEMENT GROUPS ARE TO BE AVOIDED!!!

Th: And my final question is simple; there are two types of people in Second Life®. The ones that have Second Life® as Second Life® and those that separate the two. Which are you and why?

ZE: Well this is always a difficult one to answer. I guess besides the music and a very short list of friends I've met here, all other aspects of my Real life and Second life are separate.

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SQUIDFISHER MCMILLAN "The Party's Started"

2009-01-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

If you know me, you know I love the sound of electric guitar in Second Life®. Not that acoustic isn't good, but the sound from a driving electric guitar sends chills down my spine. Squidfisher McMillan sent chills all over my body as he laid into his guitar and opened with “Movin All Over” in front of 35 people at The Crystal Rose Ballroom. His guitar is loud, forceful and he puts his entire being into the riffs. The driving continued with “Spirit In The Sky” and I’ll tell you, I thought Squidfisher was leading us into another world. Well he did actually. Being a huge ZZ Top fan, he sent me over the top with his rendition of “Mexican Blackbird”.

Squidfisher is all about the guitar. It is front and foremost and it’s what you remember about his performance. His voice suits it too. It’s a little bluesy, a little rustic, but he holds the notes and the raw feeling emanating captures you and sends you down to the house of blues.

He’s a cross between George Thorogood and Stevie Ray Vaughn, but Squid is every bit an individual with a style all his own. He seems to love his guitar so much, that he never stops the licks. Even while he’s conversing with the crowd, his guitar is waling away. You really get in the mood when he’s in the mood and I bet he’s always in the mood.

Whether it’s rock or blues, Squidfisher will take you there. With “It’s A Sad Sad Day”, he showed us what blues were all about. While his voice and the lyrics put us in that place of desperation, it was his guitar that captured the mood for us. With “Something Special”, Squidfisher pushed us along that blues trip. It is the kind of trip that you never want to stop and hope goes on for ever. “T For Texas” had me in a frenzy and I lost track of what I was reviewing. His guitar, voice, performance. No matter, it was all good.

I think the best way to describe Squidfisher is that he’s a party. Well he sure seems like he brings one with him anyway. He sounds like he’s having fun and wants you to be a huge part of it. “Love Me Two Times” is Squid’s mellower side, if he really has one. I can imagine walking into his house, and the party has already started.

One of the best parts of his show is that he never stops playing. Even when one song is over, he continues with the riffs and never lets his axe rest. Squidfisher knows you are there, but it’s his guitar that is his focal point. And that’s okay, cause it’s his guitar you want to hear. And boy does he let you hear it.

Setting the mood with “Loaded Gun”, Squidfisher showered us with the blues. His mix of blues and rock are exceptional and he flies back and forth with abandon. He even does a rocking section of commercials but I’ll leave that for you to experience. “Dixie Chicken”, “He Went To Paris”, “Who Do You Love?” and “Riot in Cell Block Number Nine” filled out an amazing set list.

And while his show is spectacular, song selection amazing and voice superb, it is really his mastery of the guitar that holds you at his show. Accomplished yes, raw absolutely. Definitely infectious and entertaining.

If you like driving rock, gutsy blues and a voice that screams for mercy, you just gotta see Squidfisher McMillan. Please do!

ZED ESSEX "I'll Give It A Shot"

2009-01-15T20:49:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

Jenny Heying welcomed Zed to the stage by saying that, “Zed is Gia’s fav son”. Next thing I heard was, “Check, check… ok lets start the Party” and with that, Zed Essex belted out “The One I love” by REM and then right into “Bang the Gong” by T-Rex. With only his acoustic electric guitar as accompaniment, this Canadian Boy took control of the venue. Playing anything off his play list, his rough voice is suited to some but not all the music he played. I spotted “China Girl” by David Bowie on his play list and sent him an IM. I figured the crunch on his voice would do well with this song and I was right. His best performance of the night was that song. So it got me wondering about his song selection and later on I asked him, “do you think how your voice will fit into songs or do you just like to play what you like?” I love his answer so without paraphrasing it, “Well to be honest, I never think things like “man I would sound great singing that” I just try a song out and if I think people who like that song would enjoy how I am managing to do it, I give it a shot”, he told me!

He went on and said, “I realized a long time ago that it’s no fun to play your favorite song if the people aren’t into it”. WOW, I have known a few musicians in my time, some talk about selling out or keeping it real. I finally met one that understands music is for everyone! He also told me, “But at the same time I like to introduce people to songs they may not have heard….” That led me to the topic of original music, if you have met a musician more than likely you have met a song writer. Zed is starting to record his own music now and I personally can’t wait to hear it. I didn’t hear any original songs during his performance, it was the all request night and the crowd was much diversified in what they wanted. Everything from Concrete Blonde’s “Joey” to “Wonder Wall” by Oasis, it was a free for all night. By the way, where were you? The venue only had 17 people on it and I was disappointed that most didn’t get the opportunity to see someone that should be a staple diet here in the SL music scene.

Zed only plays in Second Life®, so if you’re interested in seeing him perform you should get into his group and find his next location. What is next for him? I suggested he should sell a demo or two, I know I would be interested. He told me, “Well that’s the plan, there is a new system in SL that allows you to play the songs in-world and also to download them so you can have them on your computer, When the CD is complete it will be available that way as well”. After you listen to him, just remember one thing …. The line-up is behind me!

NOMA FALTA "Straight On!"

2009-01-08T21:16:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

I lucked out for my first review of 2009 getting to watch Noma Falta play at GIA'S FASHION CABARET on Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009. I did a little research on her prior to the review and discovered that she is a classically trained violinist with a 10 year career with symphonies: what I got to witness was a Hard Rock and Blues girl.

I originally had a problem tuning into the stream. I got confused when I heard “Straight On” by Heart and im’d Gia’s owner Jenny Heying. “That’s not ‘Heart’” she told me, “that’s all Noma and she’s also playing her bass guitar”. I was shocked; it was probably the most professional/realistic performance I have heard in Second Life®.

With over 53 people on the SIM, this girl rocked it and rocked it hard, like Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About”. “Looking for the Kid” is a Hard Rock/Jazz piece with a soulful harmonica and her closing number which she calls her ‘go out and have fun song’; “Go On” by Angela Strehli. The evening was almost perfect with the exception of an uncooperative Second Life® that had her crashing a few times in the first 20 minutes. But this professional never skipped a beat. She’s easy to like, as she apologizes and uses words like “dang” and “Lord have Mercy” to show her frustration. Barring that, her deep rich voice has a smooth transition from one song to the next. You can understand that she’s passionate about her music!

I wish I had more time to talk with this amazing musician but as is typical in Second Life, on to the next concert. I am always impressed when the performer acknowledges the venue, as she did and has a bit of knowledge about the place, as she did. Backtracks are used during the performance but they are clean and clear as she mixes the sounds of her bass guitar to finish them off. As a matter of fact, when she crashed she plucked at a string or two of her bass and that was the only time I could actually tell she was playing it, the blend was that well done. This woman is all professional and I admire her abilities to make you feel a part of the show.

Eight months between performances is too long for me, I’m going to have to make an effort to see more of her. She gives you that feeling of escape during her act, that it’s just you and her listening to tunes in your room. At least that is how I felt.

Check her out at http://www.nomafalta.com/Home_Page.html and tell me what you think. I’m interested to know if you feel like I do?

(video courtesy of tracy serra)

MAPOO LITTLE "Extravaganza"

2008-12-31T15:18:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Living up to the billing as Second Life’s® biggest singing sensation sounds like a huge task. To find out I ventured over to Jade’s Jazz Island to catch the Mapoo Little show.

With Second Life® bringing in the New Year with the usual issues, Mapoo crashed a couple times before finally beginning her show. Singing Sensation? WOW. Mapoo is more than that. She opened her show with a whole lot of flash and fanfare while reclining on a boudoir chaise. Drawing her audience to her she led off with Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For” before following up with “Forgive Me” by Leona Lewis and kicking back to Gwen’s “Cool”.

Mapoo is a dynamic performer with an incredibly strong voice. Not only can she sing brilliantly but her show is something to behold. It’s tight and rehearsed, but not so rehearsed that she can’t interact with the crowd. She does that matter of factly and you really do feel you are at a live production. Ms. Little uses every inch of the stage moving from side to side and ensuring everyone has a view of her performance.

She owns every song she sings. While they are all covers, Mapoo adds her own personality and her versions grab your attention. Her covers of “I Learn From The Best”, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” and “Better Be Good” blew me away. She knows no genre and performs everything from Jennifer Holliday to Rhianna and everything in between. Even though she uses backing tracks, half the time you’d never know it. She blends them well with her voice and her voice leads every song. You follow her voice as you should.

Ms. Little nails every song she attempts, including U2’s “One”, “I Kissed A Girl” and “Disturbia”.

The Mapoo Little Show is quite the show. It really is an extravaganza and something not to be missed. It’s different from most live shows in Second Life®. Incredibly different. Mapoo belts out songs with conviction and I believe there’s no song she can’t tackle. While her show is tight, you are included and she doesn’t forget to let you know. She is definitely not an amateur and could give lessons to quite a few performers.

Also performed by Mapoo this night were “I Need A Miracle”, “Money Money Money”, “Gimme Gimme Gimme”, “Maneater”, "Happy New Year", "Spotlight", "I Hear A Symphony"

Closing with the same fanfare, Mapoo retired to her chaise while singing "I Hear A Symphony" before drawing the curtains on a spectacular peformance.

Is Mapoo Little Second Life’s® biggest singing sensation? DEFINITELY.

ELVERA LERNER "Rare Classic"

2008-12-21T17:49:00.001-06:00

by jenny heying

Classically trained singers are not normally high on my list of performers to see, but that’s exactly what I did on Sunday. I ventured out to Heaven’s Sent to catch Elvera Lerner, who has performed in opera, operetta and musical theatre.

Beginning with “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, Elvera unleashed an amazingly strong voice that is fit for Broadway and everything off Broadway. If that didn’t knock me out, she followed up with a show tune version of “Blue Moon” that's incredible. Elvera’s soprano voice was a little unnerving at first, probably because I’m not used to it but when she followed up with “Oh What A Beautiful Morning”, I was enchanted.

This isn’t my usual thing but I was intrigued. Her show was at times a little too organized, like everything was timed and she couldn’t sway from it. Elvera led from one song to the next without hesitation almost like clockwork. But that being the downside, her voice is a rarity in both worlds.

Her incredibly high, toned and smooth delivery of her voice was a pleasure to hear on “Night Of Stars & Night Of Love” before turning to a few Christmas songs done in an operatic style.

While Elvera claims to love to chat, during her performance she seems to chat at you rather than with you. She loses some of the warmth that normally is felt at a Second Life® show. But then again, you come to hear her sing and that she handles exceptionally well. Definitely outside the Second Life® box, Ms. Lerner has a voice most singers would kill for. You can tell she has the training, the range and her range is unbelievable.

“Secret Love” is a very fitting song. After all that is kind of what this world is to most of us. She performs it admirably and it is a fitting showcase for probably the most incredible voice I’ve heard in Second Life®.

Included in her set list this night were “People”, “Love Changes Everything”, “Merry Christmas Everyone”, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”, “Greatest Love Of All”, "Shepherds Farewell", "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

Near the end of her set, Elvera seemed to loosen up a bit and not seem so confined to her schedule. She seemed more relaxed, however still a bit rushed. She needs to slow down and relax a bit more. She seems to be enjoying herself but needs to let us in a bit more to enjoy things with her.

If you’re in the mood for something different in Second Life® and to hear one of the more spectacular voices, search for Elvera Lerner. I’m glad I did.

DAVESMALL FINESMITH "Definitely A Star"

2008-12-13T19:59:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Catching DaveSmall Finesmith at the Tranquil Café was a treat. Fitting the name of the venue, it was very laid back and comfortable. DaveSmall has that feeling too. His songs are smooth and relaxing and you find yourself tapping your feet and singing along. It’s kinda like a night with a group of friends relaxing at your local bar.

Dave’s voice is made for singing and beckoning you in. He plays guitar and uses backing tracks. But amazingly all his backing tracks are self produced. He records them all ahead of time and then adds his voice and guitar live during his performance. You could swear he has a whole band with him, but it’s just Dave. Yet that’s more than enough.

Opening with “Life Without You” and “Cross-Country” got the small crowd into a toe tapping frenzy and when Dave jumped into a stellar cover of Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, he won me over. He mixes his selection but always keeps the audience involved including an original song “Let Me Fly”.

Dave’s genre is kind of an easy listening type. Following up with Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” he had me swooning in front of my monitor. His is the kind of concert you’d like to have for a first date or at a 25th anniversary. Either one works.

DaveSmall seems to have it all going. He plays, sings and writes. And he has the usual Second Life® banter that everyone appreciates. His originals are well written and fall appropriately into the genre he plays. “Just A Matter Of Time” and “In My Head” are originals that had us tapping and snapping along.

The best part about Dave is that seems like he is having so much fun on stage and it’s contagious. He chooses songs that go well with having fun. “Sweet Caroline” has always been a fun sing a long song and at Dave’s show he keeps the tradition alive. If Second Life® is about having fun, then a DaveSmall Finesmith show should be Second Life® endorsed.

Dave is a crooner, a romantic and he portrays that well. “Unchained Melody” was done incredibly well and you definitely need the tissues nearby. He hits the high notes and the low as well. He sings it, yet he romanticizes about it. As Dave put it, he “helps you let the world slip away”.

While the first part of his set was primarily slow ballads, Dave proved he could step things up. A rocking “Picking Up All The Pieces”, an original, showed Dave could get us all on the dance floor. Following with “Maybe Tonight” and “Prisoner Of The Soul”, he kept the magic happening.

His set list also included “One More Time”, “In A Gadda Da Vida” (yes that’s right), "The Drumming" and "Brain Damage".

DaveSmall is one of the rare Second Life® performers. He sings, plays guitar, records his own backing tracks and in addition, writes and performs his own songs. Definitely something needed here. In addition, his voice is wonderful, pleasant and soothing. He may seem like he’s just having fun, but he earns your respect and deservedly so. DaveSmall Finesmith is definitely a star.

RARA DESTINY "Making A Connection"

2008-12-09T13:57:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

I'm happy to announce that Live Music is doing well in Second Life. Gia's Cabaret welcomed back Rara Destiny on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2008. A little investigation and I found that Rara’s first gig at Gia’s, she offered to fill in for Jackdog Snook who for some reason didn't make the gig and she was in the crowd and stepped in. Now I know that Gia's pays its performers a salary and at the time she agreed to play for tips. Now you know why I said Live Music is going well in Second Life®.

Actually her set also included a surprise, as her real life sister Jessy Sommer was at her house and is a singer in her own right. So what was so special about the performance you ask? Well, they magically transformed the fashion club into a smokey coffee shop. You know the kind that has a stage where performers come on up and do their thing? It’s a good and bad situation. Clearly, you can see the talent is there. The two are very comfortable with themselves and the duets they performed were perfect pitch. Both with a strong Aussie accent and a melody in them that made songs like Norah Jones "Don't Know Why" and the Monkees "Day Dream Believer". Both have great singing range and compliment each other.

What also made the night different was light hearted approach of bantering between the two sisters as they discussed what to sing next. My only criticism is that without a set playlist, the crowd feels like there is a party going on and they are not invited to it. At least, that is how I felt. Don't get me wrong, I like to see the performers have fun but there was WAY too much laughing in the songs. Of the 16 song set, there was giggling in 3 of them; part due to a character named Juice who was frantically running around the venue. I guess you had to be there to see the humor in it. That coupled with the odd coughing sound ruins the performance for me. I know they can do better and I'm excited to hear them again.

They really are the type of performer I am interested in seeing and reviewing. They also take requests and someone asked for a Green Day Song. I was surprised that they googled it right there and then and debated on whether to give it a go or not. On the plus side, I can't comment enough on the voices... especially as a duet. No music back tracks either, just guitar accompaniment which is always impressive to me. Only one avatar on stage as there wasn't two computers in Rara’s house so the picture you see is Rara and we didn't get to see Jessy’s avatar (yet anyways!)

Basically, I would chalk the evening up to two girls having fun singing songs they are comfortable with. Complete with a song about "Breasts", you can tell they were just two sisters having fun. Even I grabbed a coffee for the night. They ended the set by apologizing that they had to leave because Jessy had a set and needed the only PC in the house. I can forgive that, my only comment would be to try and make a connection with the crowd next time.Let them have a party too and not just watch yours. They ended the night with "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers (I think!) but the song fits into what I am talking about. We want you to draw us into to your party, let us lean on you so that we can enjoy it also.

All in all, criticism aside and concentrating on the music; these girls are high on my list of people to watch! I'm not a fan yet, but I can be!

ED NOTE: Jessy Sommer is Rara Destiny's ex husbands daughter. Our apologies for any other inference.

GREGG HUET "Little Wonder"

2008-12-06T21:04:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

Okay, so I don’t usually go to strip clubs to see a live performer. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know, but if you can get the naked girls away from the corner of your eye, you just may be able to watch the performance (music I mean). Okay so the guys might like it. At Close to the Edge, I caught Gregg Huet performing on stage and yes, he kept his clothes on.

Greg Huet plays guitar and if you’ve read my previous reviews, you know that goes a long way with me. Greg is more than adequate. Although the stream was a little distorted, you could still hear an amazing guitar player through it.

His voice is strong, but not overbearing. It’s mellow when it needs to be and forceful when called upon. He put it all out for us on “The Show” and led into a crazy rendition of Avril’s “When You’re Gone” before a soft performance of “Collide”.

“Slides off her pole and seductively walks over to”, ooops, hard to keep the strippers off the screen.

Greg is a very talented musician and once he got his bass under control, the sound improved drastically. He’s a story teller and tells them well. He kinda gets you dreaming and you don’t want to wake up. On “Two Steps Behind”, he had me drifting into another realm.

His music is diverse, from Clapton and Lennon to Lionel Ritchie to Def Leppard. He covers a fair bit. Most moving was a song called “The Little Things”. It’s a lovely song but made even more so when you know his wife wrote it and he’s singing it. Maybe a little more originality in Second Life® is in order. Hmmm.

Gregg is a great communicator. Not only in the songs but he loves to chat between songs too. He’s sure to acknowledge everyone and tries to be aware of what’s happening in the club. (Okay probably not hard to do in a strip club). But you know what I mean.

Gregg’s set list continued with “Imagine” and after a guitar change “Little Wonders”. Yes I did say guitar change. It is nice to hear something a little bit different and Gregg satisfied me in that regard. Performing songs by Lighthouse and The Eagles, Gregg just continues to cool you out.

I really feel music has gotten a little stagnant in Second Life® lately, but with artists like Gregg Huet, it’s a sign that the life may be coming back. A simply fantastic version of “Wonderful Tonight” and “When She Loves You” put a cap on the evening for me. He even did an encore of “Knockin on Heaven’s Door”.

And by the way, Greg got married the night before this concert to Emma. Congratulations to you both.

J&J’s Dozen Roses with ERIN68 FROG

2008-11-29T09:21:00.000-06:00

The editor and I want to hear what the musicians have to say, so we developed ‘J&J’s Dozen Roses’. Twelve questions we thought the musician should answer. Erin68 Frog has agreed and here is our first installment.

TH- Music in SecondLife® has been slow to start, most artists have only been in SecondLife® less than a year, how long have you been performing and how long have you been performing in Second Life®?

EF - Both Satin and myself have performed in various forms most of our lives. From Satin being sat on his families kitchen table and singing to everyone at 2 years old to growing up playing drums and lead vocals in various bands gigging in NY. I started early also, dabbling in piano then moved onto study flute but vocals were always my area. I studied music in school, taught voice, and also performed in various local bands. Both of us chose other careers to follow as the years past. As for second life, both of us started in second life back in January 2008 at the call of a long time friend, Onlyhalfcrazy Gumbo. We began singing in February here and have been performing in SL ever since.

TH - I know that categorizing a performer is always something that is hard to do, so tell me. How would you categorize your style of music?

EF - I would say both Satin and myself are an interesting mix of styles. Probably our strongest suit because we can mix up and go from singing rock to pop to country then throw in some amazingly sappy songs along the way.Satin will rock the place with some Red Hot Chili Peppers or completely amaze (he still amazes me daily) with a little Josh Groban, both performing equally as well. I'm probably more limited than Satin is in my style. I always say I have a sappy song voice, but I tend to have a powerful voice. Give me a little upbeat fun one and I'm all over it! I'm probably most known for singing pop and country music.

TH - Performing in Second Life® is not easy, most artists do two or three shows a night and it’s not about the money. How many do you think you do in a month and do you want to do more?
EF - We perform often in second life. Being self employed in real estate in real life, these days leaves me alot of free time to do what I've always loved, sing! We perform both as a live duo or solo shows. The majority of our shows are as a team, performing together, but I guess on average, I'd say between the 2 of us we perform between 80 - 100 shows a month. Typically about 20-25 shows a week.

TH - If you’re performing in Second Life® you’re most likely a singer primarily, any other hidden musical talents?

EF - We both over the years have played a mix of instruments. Our voices always being our primary instruments. Satin played drums and keys, and still will sit down at the piano and play and sing on occasion. I played piano and flute for many years, however, I am "wooo", rusty now days! I pull the ole flute out of the closet on occasion, dust it off, and typically laugh to myself as I run a scale (haha).

TH - Most artists have already been in the studio, have you and where can anyone hear or buy a sample of your music?
EF - Many moons ago, we both did some studio time. We are currently working on a CD, and hoping to do some collaberating with some of the amazing writers here in sl. Our hope is to have a CD available early 2009.

TH - Avatars are a large part of Second Life®; some are Frogs, Humans, etc... What is the inspiration for your Avatar or your Second Life® Name?

EF - (thanks for an easy question haha)Both our avatars I based off our real life. Trying as much as possible to resemble us (ummm.. a much younger us!). My name in sl comes from a mix of my real life name, Erin and the year I was born (ohhh I'm so giving away secrets, haha). Satin and I have been involved in music online now for many years in various forms, and my user name always had the 68, so when I came here, knowing there were many here we knew, I left the 68. Frog, well, when joining second life, I had no idea how the last name was used here, but the list was a mile long! I spotted frog, and my reaction was.. 'perfect for a singer'. The old expression.. frog in the throat being a singer seemed fitting.

Satins' name is based from his favorite song and one he performs here in sl. Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues. Galli is a traditional Italian name, and his family being originally from Italy, he chose it as his last name here in sl.

TH - Everyone has a favorite song, which song is your favorite to perform and which song is most requested?

EF - Satins favorite song is Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues, which he performs here in sl both in English and in Italian. That or Josh Groban or Michael Buble' songs tend to be his most requested songs.I don't know that I have a favorite song. I love music, from classical to country and everything in between. I've been inspired by many, Olivia Newton John and Wynona Judd to name a couple. My most requested song, and one of my favorites to sing is probably Black Horse And A Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall.

TH - Do you see Second Life® Live Music as a stepping stone in your music career or is this just a hobby?

EF - Definitely just a hobby for us both. Mostly, we are here because of a love and passion for music and singing, and we both love to entertain.

TH - Where do you see yourself musically in a year from now?

EF – Hopefully, with a CD that our friends and family love to listen to and singing here in SL, hopefully putting smiles on their faces and touching their lives with our music.

TH - A lot of venues support Music in Second Life® and they work darn hard to keep music alive in Second Life® but tell me, what is your favorite spot to perform and why?

EF - There are so many we absolutely love performing at. With such a mix of styles that we do, we do both very formal shows to upbeat fun shows. I'd say what influences us most on where we 'love' to perform in sl is the staff/owners of the venues and their involvement. For us, the interaction with the crowd and those at the shows is what makes this amazing to us and what drives us to have fun! I'd say my favorite venue is the Star Bar, owned and operated by Bob Corrigable and Rogue Barzain. Two of the most personable people I know who interact and just have fun with everyone that enters the club. Satins favorite would probably be Sterling Music Park, owned by Cryene Madonna and hosted by Evelynda Bophemet. Both amazingly upbeat people that just love to have fun. He loves it because he can switch from one style to another and just rock the place or touch at everyones hearts!

TH - Some find that managers are a good resource and others like the hands-on approach. Do you have a management team and can you tell us about them or if you like to do it yourself, why?

EF - We do all our booking ourselves. We have used management teams during this past year, however, we found it easier to just handle things ourselves. We have an amazing group of assistants that keep me sane and host all of our shows for us.

TH - And my final question is simple; there are two types of people in Second Life®. The ones that have Second Life® as Second Life® and those that separate the two. Which are you and why?

EF - Thats actually a tough question to answer quickly. Both Satin and myself have been involved in live music on the net for many years. We met via the net also. However, other than live music on the net, neither of us have ever really been gamers. We've made some amazing friends that have become real life friends of ours also and some that we've never met but know so well they've become real life friends. Second life amazes us both with all it offers. It emulates real life in so many ways! However, other than performing, going to listen to other live performers, and my dabbling in building things to relax after shows, we really don't explore SL much. I will say, the expression 'it's a small world' in r/l applies here in sl also. Anywhere we do go, whether it be shopping or an occasional exploration we run into others we know from the music side of things :)

***

ERIN68 FROG & SATIN GALLI "Inspiration"

2008-11-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau

Whoever is bringing in the talent to Gia’s is doing a great job! On Wednesday night, Nov 26th, the amazing duo of Erin68 Frog and Satin Galli stepped to the stage and WOWed the socks off me.

Playing to a packed house of 45 people, which Erin later told me is all too common for them, their twelve songs did everything from entertain me to make me thoughtful to make me wonder. I usually play “try and categorize the music” game with each performer I review but I just can’t with these two. Tunes like “The Doors - Touch Me”, “KT Tunstall’s – Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” , “Olivia Newton-John’s – Let Me Be There” makes it impossible as the type of music they choose fits their voice and personality.

My favorite part of the night was a solo, in which Satin Galli sang “Hallelujah – by Leonard Cohen”. I know when a song inspires me enough when I run out and buy sheet music to play it on my piano. Yes, he’s that good!

Of the 12 songs, 10 of them were duets and that’s where these two really shine. Tunes like “Greased Lighting by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John” to there closing number “I got you Babe – By Sonny and Cher”, demonstrated to me the chemistry that it takes to make a duet. From their light hearted banter to the mix of the melody, there is more there than music (wink wink)

All in all, I loved the performance! Backtracks were well done, very professional attitude on the stage, clear mic’s (nothing makes me more agitated than someone coughing, sneezing or just general background noise), and I just generally believe Satin has one of the sexiest voices I have heard. He could sing me the phonebook!!

If you want to hear them, try these sites

www.myspace.com/erin68frog or www.myspace.com/satingalli

(video courtesy of tracy serra)

STEVEN MOORHEN "Winning You Over"

2008-11-20T20:45:00.000-06:00

by jenny heying

The times they are a changing. Well with Second Life® music anyway. There is a new influx of musicians taking to the stage, you know, the kind that play instruments instead of singing along to a pre-recorded track.

Steven Moorhen is one of those new breed of musicians. No backing tracks for this fellow. Taking to the stage at Cuddler’s Cove with his acoustic guitar and voice, he played to win you over.

Steven is not new to Second Life® (Oct/06) but is new to streaming. It doesn't show however. Opening with a strong cover of Stone Temple Pilots, Steven is putting his mark on the music scene. He is strong on the guitar and seldom takes a break, even between songs. I guess he just loves it that much. The Georgia native looks and sounds comfortable on stage.

And don't try and stick him to a specific genre. He won't stay there. While he sounds perfectly raw with Alice in Chains, Three Doors Down and Nine Inch Nails he flips to Van Halen and then on to Radiohead. He even lists Chris Issac in his song list, and did a crazy version of Wicked Game near the end of his set. He did however cover Theory of A Deadman, Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins.

Steven is a fairly good singer, not great, but good. He is amazing with the guitar. While some are content to strum along while they sing, Steven actually plays. He knows his guitar very well and his guitar knows him. It's where the real story lies with his songs.

While words may tell a story, Steven Moorhen's guitar gives you the whole book. You might think you'd miss something without drums and bass, but don't even notice. His guitar is the center of attention and Steven hops along for the ride. You'll be riding along as well.

Banter? You bet. This boy likes to gab, chatting away between songs while his guitar accompanies him in his quest to communicate with his audience. It works well.

Second Life® events are supposed to be fun and Steven brings a whole lot of it to his shows. You'll find yourself bouncing along and letting you mouth drop while he and his guitar drive you through his repertoire. They have fun together and probably would even if we weren't there to be entertained. He seems to enjoy it that much.

So while a lot of Second Life® musicians go about their merry way with backing tracks and the same old standards, a new breed of artist is attempting to claim the stages. Steven Moorhen will be one of them.

EVAMOON EMBER "Original Talent"

2008-11-13T22:32:00.000-06:00

by julieanne rau
Talent, Talent, Talent….

With so much going for EvaMoon Ember, I wondered why only sixteen people showed up for her performance at Gia’s Fashion Cabaret, a performance that was littered with originality and comedy. Oh well, such is the way with Second Life® I guess. If you are one of her followers, you will know this girl doesn’t do covers. Everything is original. When she asks for requests you have to think of not just your favorite song but your favorite song she wrote. And there is quite a list to choose from.

She told me “UPS Guy” was probably her most requested song. She wrote it for her sister who married one. Something to do about a man in uniform, I’m not sure. When marriage is spoken my eyes usually glass over a bit. Other songs EvaMoon performed were “Monsoon”, “Fly Away”, “Bailout Man” and of course the Christmas Classic “Light the Fucking Candle” which was the last song of the night.

She has a soft and sweet voice and uses the back track from her real life band, the “Lunatics”. She doesn’t hold back, as you can see from the titles of her songs and yet it’s done in such a manner as it’s not noticeable. The music is the focus and not so much the words. Don’t get me wrong, I spent half the night laughing. But each song has a wonder melody that keeps the voice controlling you.

She sings a mix of Cabaret, Jazz, and Comedy with a large portion of chocolate stuck in there somewhere. She’s the kind of person, by her own admission, that can take any conversation and convert it into sex and blend it into a funny original song. She connects with the audience by reading and commenting on the chat, is personable and generally easy to like. Her act is one that I won’t comment on changing. In hind sight, maybe because she connected with me and it felt like “girls night out”. We laughed at all the things we can’t change in our lives, like men and food we love to hate. Like her webpage says, “think of Sheryl Crow meets Lily Tomlin” and you’ve got EvaMoon Ember. Well worth some of your time in Second Life®.

(video courtesy of tracy serra)