Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Music Desperados - Marioposa Upshaw & Experiment Rhode
Metaverse Music
MichelleD Ecksol and Scott Dockal @ Prim Economy Music Park
Feb. 5 2009 9pm SL
Michelle's voice reminds me of honey. Sweet, rich, down to earth, golden. She can take on songs by Bonnie Raitt to Norah Jones; from Stevie Nicks to the Indigo Girls and wrap that golden voice around them and make them distinctively her own. Tonight's show featured many songs in harmony with Scott Dockal, Michelle's RL husband. Both Michelle and Scott play acoustic guitar with skill and heart; occasionally Scott sings lead and is the sole guitar, while Michelle plays the African drum the Djembe, which adds a nice percussive heartbeat - a refreshing musical treat.
Michelle and Scott met in 1998 and have toured across America for the past 11 years. They have four cd's to their credit and are 2 time finalsts of the Kerrville Music Festival Songwriter's Contest.
Today's venue, Prim Economy Music Park, was created by DrJohn Lane; Music Park is...
...aptly named as it is a park-like setting, very open-air and grassy with a large stage dominating one end. It's a really comfortable setting for musicians and their audiences, with a friendly relaxed atmosphere, perfect for sitting on the grass or dancing. DrJohn provides the most dance-packed dance balls around and its great to be presented with fresh and new dances to try. Hats off to you Dr John for your lovely venue and for providing your guests with a great experience and your artists a great stage. (Michelle plays here every Sunday and Thursday at Prim Economy Music Park 9 PM http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isere/192/146/351)
There is no doubt as Michelle and Scott weave their way thru their well-chosen set list, that they are professional musicians and Michelle has an easy going, warm and friendly banter with their audience. They definitely follow their muse, who appears to be a wild-tressed gypsy of Topanga Canyon, and they go with the flow of where she leads them; tonight she pointed them in the direction of harmonies, and their set comprised of interesting songs by American songwriters were full of their sweet voices dancing in harmony with each other.
We have chosen four songs for comment:
Ex: The opening song of tonight's set was the magnificent "Angel From Montrgomery" written by John Prine who is finally getting the respect, attention and appreciation he so richly deserves. This song has been covered by such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper and the Dave Matthews Band - Michelle and Scott got to the heart and soul of the lyric and presented a compelling rendition.
M: I can't tell you how impressed I was to hear Scott and Michelle cover Todd Rundgren's "I Saw The Light". Scott played solo guitar and sang lead while Michelle punctuated with her steady drumming on the Djembe and her sweet harmony. I love to see musicians make interesting choices, and this is what covering a Todd Rundgren song means to me. An interesting, intelligent, and somewhat daring musical choice perfectly realized.
Ex: "Helplessly Hoping" - is a harmony duo's flight into the unknown in as much as it will be hit or miss - if the harmony is not spot on, you can easily crash and burn. Tonight Michelle and Scott nailed the tight harmonies and this classic 1969 Crosby, Stills and Nash song flew high on the wings of their voices and guitar playing.
M: "Topanga Canyon" original by Scott & Michelle
the lyrics say it all:
"They plan to marry at the beach, just them and their preacher, the witnesses the wind and the sea; as far as they can tell the dreams are coming true, as long as they're together, can run free; free spirits for Topanga Canyon, headed for the western sky, they set their hearts upon Topanga Canyon, everybody else can say goodnight".
Say goodnight, just for tonight Michelle and Scott. Thanks for being free spirits and carrying us away on the winds that whistle thru Topanga Canyon.
http://www.dalziel.net
http://www.myspace.com/scottmichelledalziel
http://www.thesixtyone.com/mdalmusic09/song/Topanga+Canyon/41055/
Hi M and Ex :)
ReplyDeleteI have not yet had the pleasure of seeing and listening to Michelle and Scott so I hope that some general comments about your reviews will not be out of line.
I have found live music in SL to be a hit or miss affair, so much so that I would usually prefer to miss it than go for the occasional hit. However, your wonderfully crafted reviews of artists, covers, original material, venues and promoters has made me curious again - armed with your carefully aimed talent compass. I believe that your reviews will encourage many of the people involved in SL music to become even more professional in what they do and we will all be the beneficiaries of that.
Thanks again and I look forward to reading more of your reviews.
AtomicLS