Live Music Review: Dres Forder @ Pixel Hill

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Dres Forder
Pixel Hill
3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Well I decided to stick around Pixel Hill to hear a little more of what they have. Mainly because I am also trying to eat lunch at the same time and hoping to squeeze another review in before my concert.

Originally it was supposed to be djspiderman singing but he was sick so he couldn't. So Dres stepped up and sang instead. I guess I should be nice to someone who is helping out a situation.

Dres sings folk and alternative rock, and he's an alright singer and a good guitarist. But there are some issues with his singing here and there. He has some intonation issues and has problems hitting certain things. Mainly though I think he hasn't completely figured out what he really wants his sound to be. He kind of toys around with this airy and soft voice but switches out to this solid voice and I don't think it is quite working as he wants yet. But the key word is yet, I think overtime he can nail down what his sound is.

I have problems choosing myself too...

...cause I tend to want to do everything. But I do think there is a lesson to be learned to know what exactly one does really well and sell that off first. I did hear some fantastic sounding things out of Dres that I would want to hear more of. But there are these really awkward things here and there. Perhaps he was toying with his set and what to start, but I think no matter where we are performing in Second Life, we have to treat every concert as the first time someone is hearing your music at the top of the hour. It's one thing to play around at the end of the hour where there are usually less new people coming to check you out. But to keep in mind that you only make your first impression once. Most people won't stick around for more then one number if they didn't like what they heard. So the first fifteen to twenty minutes of anyone's concert is probably the most important, not that this now is permission to screw up the rest. I recall a concert once by a pretty good artist here that I went to where I enjoyed everything up to the last ten minutes where I heard some really "interesting" sounds that if I heard that in the beginning of the hour I probably would have left.

Dres does have a very nice sweet sound that I always like. I like it simple, and I like it sweet. His guitar playing is just there, wonderful and reliable partner in crime. Dres does have some good stuff in his set and I believe they are original stuff. But though his voice is sweet, I wouldn't say it's memorable. There are so many sweet voices performing in Second Life. I think Dres needs to really nail down a solid sound, do it brilliantly all the way through like he does at those rare but wonderful moments then I think he will have a really good thing going.