Live Music Review: Jackdog Snook @ The Warehouse

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Music Desperados - Marioposa Upshaw & Experiment Rhode
Metaverse Music
Jackdog Snook

"As a songwriter, if you can touch people and make them feel a little less alone in the world, then you've done your job." - Tom Cochrane

"Songwriting is like a Relationship you have with the audience and the audience has with you" - Brandon Heath

Rara Destiny: "Jackdog Snook is my dearest friend; best singer/songwriter I know"

M: Jackdog Snook - A songwriter; a singer; a musician; a voice as strong as a southerly buster, as sweet as yellow box honey; a a rogue; a bard; charming, risque, poignant - a storyteller with song; at one time I described Jack as incomparable. I'll stick by that i reckon.

Jackdog is in RL Brian Henderson Ward, award winning songwriter, past President of the Australian Songwriters Association and currently adminstrator of midlate.com, a website for songwriters around the world. http://midlate.com/

Ex: Jackdog is one of those rare breed of songwriters who can make you cry with one song and laugh with another. His songs can be joyful, thought provoking, silly and serious, always strongly melodic, full of musical nuance and emotion. His guitar playing is magnificent whether it be strumming or picking and his voice is strong, clear and at times sublime. On top of all that, he's a true blue Aussie. Its easy to picture him hitchhiking around Australia with his guitar.

Tonight Jack played at the Warehouse...

...one of two venues owned by Maddison Savira and Cane Janick (The Falls is their other venue). The Warehouse is just what its name implies, a straightforward venue in the sky, plain and simply there for the music. Everytime I've been there its been under the watchful eye of Maddison, a delighful, sassy Aussie.

Song Review:
Ex: Jack has too many wonderful original songs in his suitcase which can easily fill a 2 hour set but he usually throws in a few well chosen covers from Leonard Cohen to Bob Seger or even a tune or two from some of his mates from downunder. If anyone isn’t swept up in his pure professionalism and his love of music then all I can say is….Get Over It!!!!

Wonder - Jackdog Snook/aka Brian Henderson Ward
Ex: This original composition reaches out and touches your heart and soul in a way that defies explanation. It could only have been written from a place deep within and under the circumstances, must have been incredibly painful to write. The finished song is full of love for the loss of a dear friend. The lyrics are deeply poingant, the delivery exquisite and the arrangement masterful. If there is a better original song performed in SL then I would like to hear it!

M: "Wonder" is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, bar none, end of story. It was entered in the 2008 Australian Songwriter's Competion and placed fourth in the category of spiritual songs. Why it didnt win song of the year over any other entry is something I continuallly shake my head over in disbelief. Jack tells the story that the song was written at the request of a very ill friend of his, for her funeral. Wonder evokes such imagery and emotion, its one of those songs that succeeds on every level in transcending the ordinary. " If you wonder what heaven's like..."

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
This classic has the unfortunate reputation of being the most covered song in SL. In my opinion, Jack's version is the best I've ever heard.
M: I agree with Ex the only one that comes close is Cylindrian. Personally, I hate when i hear audience complaints about "Hallelujah" - it is such a lyrically rich and haunting song it deserves to be heard over and over especially when done with the grace of Jackdog.
Ex: Jack's rendition is based on the original Cohen recording from his 1984 album “Various Positions”. Jackdog puts such a personal stamp on it, and sings it as if it was his own, leaving listeners in awe of the beauty of this song.

Spoon River - Michael Smith -
This wonderful song composed by Michael Smith and first popularized by singer-songwriter Steve Goodman in the mid 1970’s. This lovely lilting gem of a song, about the era of riverboat gamblers, fits Jackdog’s style perfectly - confidently sung and played in his laid back Aussie style, it will have you waltzing with your sweetheart across the dancefloor.

Nobody Do - original Jackdog Snook / aka Brian Henderson Ward
Nobody Do is a poppy gem of a song, a plea to convince the listener no one can be found to love the singer as much as the listener does. But another reason this song stands out is that Jack has turned it into a song built around SL and the net. He sent Nobody Do out as an MP3 to many singers and they laid down vocals and returned it to Jack. Then Jack sent it to SL Musician Trowser Boa who added a great sax track ..To hear a great version of Nobody Do, open Jessy Sommers's profile. Well done Jess and good on ya Jack for sharing your music with other singers and musicians.

On a final note, Jack has recently announced he has a CD coming out in the near future so all fans of jack's music rejoice :)

http://midlate.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmeBrg63ySo&feature=PlayList&p=3B65988B75C0DF51&playnext=1&index=1 (Jackdog/BHWard "Crazy")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yghangexfHA (Jackdog in SL - Spoon River)

Press Release: Angel Dorei Benefit

Second Life Live Music Press Release
Metaverse Music
SLURL - ANGEL DOREI MUSEUM

Angel Dorei Museum is featuring the art and artists of Australia.. fifteen artists from all over Australia, nearly every state and territory and major city, is represented.. the opening was held on Australia Day and the heart of Angel Dorei beats with the heart of Australia.
Exhibiting Artists:
Glyph Graves, Meleni Fairymeadow, Jon Haskell
Jolly Jedburgh, Karen Schreiner, Juanita Deharo
Artfox Daviau, Vivian Druart
Sheba Blitz, Harli Magic, Ritchey Jacobus,
Starey Oh, Octaine Quinell, Juko Tempel
Steve Kilby & Choco Gurbex
and a presentation of first fleet art with many thanks to Mahala Peccable and The Pond

This Sunday, 15th Feb Angel Dorei will host a benefit full of music and art for the victims of the devastating Bushfires in Australia that have claimed over 200 lives and destroyed entire towns. This benefit will run from 10amsl to 10pmsl
Contact Mariposa Upshaw Curator of Angel Dorei or Experiment Rhode Aussie Musician, if you are interested in helping. God Bless Australia, our hearts are with you.

Sunday Performance Schedule:

10am Joaquin Gustav
11am Jubal Enyo
noon Mash Rhode
1pm Russell Eponym
2pm MichelleD Ecksol
3pm TBA
4pm Quinton Whitman
5pm Senjata Witt
6pm TBA
7pm cylindrian rutabaga
8pm jessy sommer
9pm Jackdog Snook
10pm TBA

https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp
http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

Many many sincere thanks for everyone's time, prayers, thoughts and help.. bless you all xoxo Mari
Reply

Make this a Special Christmas Day and Season!

Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music

I'm sure that all of you have tons of parties to go to these two days and probably won't even get to this post until maybe afterwards. But I thought I should still suggest all of you to show your love to your favorite musicians in Second Life with some of these suggestions.

Even though it's a little late in the game, but you can still show your love by doing the following...

1. Buy an album of your favorite artists and give them to your friends - Nothing shows more love then buying their music. Best of all, you kill two birds with one stone. Your favorite artist is happier and so is your friend who will receive the gift.
2. Pay more then L$1,000 in donation at their next performance. That's just really treating your favorite artist to a cup of coffee! They deserve at least that for working so hard for all of us this year!
3. Send your favorite artist new clothes and other gifts. It's hard to keep up with new looks and stuff. So send them the latest and hottest fashion to get them on the way the next year.
4. Bring all your friends to their big Christmas Bash. They need your support this time of year. With so many events going on, it's hard to get an audience. So bring all your friends and pack the house. They will love you for it. And best of all, you don't have to pay anything for this!
5. Stick around after the show and tell your favorite artist how much you enjoyed the show and chat with them a little. It's so easy to end a concert and then TP right out to the next thing. But just spend a few minutes and just tell them how much you love them and their works. They will love you for it. It may take a few minutes for them to get back to you, but they are probably just in a ton of IM's! Have some patience and show them your love!
6. Visit their home shop/store/venue. If your favorite musician has a home place, stop by for a visit. Check out the latest stuff there and get all caught up with them. Don't forget to leave a tip.
7. Be a groupie. If you are really into supporting your musician, join in with them. Help them out. They can always use an extra host or just extra help with postings and marketing. Approach them and let them know you are willing to help. They don't know who is or isn't interested so it's up to you to let them know!

Well these are some suggestions of what to do this season for your favorite Artist as we all say goodbye to 2008 and go into 2009.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Musical Alternatives - Part II: Second Life Theatre

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music

Continuing my presentation of some of the other live events that are around Second Life, I want to share with you one of my absolute passion alongside music in my life.

Theatre has been in Second Life for a very long time, even before voice. Back then theatre was done using live stream while they try to semi-sync the avatars to the stream. Of course the delay varies computer by computer so it was not the easiest of experience.

But today with live voice, theatre productions have a lot more room for their productions. Though there are still voice chat lag, it is significantly easier for actors to navigate their avatars and voice act at the same time. We see avatar movements and interactions sometimes with even the musicians. I have seen a few singer/guitarists who would venture into the audience during their set to create more interaction. These certainly add to the entertainment value of the said performance.

Today in Second Life...

...there are a few major production companies around producing both ancient classics to modern new theatre works. ACT UP, Avatar Repertory Theatre, Broadway Live, Caledon and Second Life Shakespeare Company to name a few. There are of course many more that I don't know of.

The amount of work often put into these productions are absolutely admirable. Many of such productions come with elaborate sets, full costumes and a substantial cast members. Often times in the Second Life world of music we feel it's difficult to organize events with multiple performers. But when compared to such productions where multiple rehearsals are needed by multiple performers, plus the added instability of the Second Life Client, this task becomes even more insurmountable. Kudos to all those who organize and throw together live theatre shows in Second Life.

Theatre in Second Life is a different kind of experience then theatre in real life, or even film and television. The combination of lag and technical limitations combined with the limitations of graphics changes the perspective of what theatre is about here in the metaverse. The actors have to work extra hard to bring their characters to life similar to the great radio actors of the past. But on top of their voice acting, they have to be able to navigate, use animations and even do complete costumes and even avatar changes in the mist of what could be a lagtastic experience. I have seen theatre productions on 4 sim corners where there were near 130 avatars total while I was still with SLSC.

There are productions by various companies all throughout the year. A good group to join would be the Theatre Arts Network if you like to be kept up to date with most productions by all the different companies. Of course you can always join all the individual groups of every company to really be kept up to date but most of us are already in too many music groups.

I hope everyone will try to make some theatre productions and see the admirable efforts for these amazing productions!!!

Up next: Second Life Ballet

Musical Alternative - Spotlight: "First Meta Christmas Show" by Spirit Dazzlers

Written by Michael Schaf
Originally for Classical Music in Second Life

Tonight, I had the privilege of watch the Spirit Dazzlers dance company perform. Their Christmas dance program consisted of a "duke's mixture" of classical ballet to the Nutcracker and routines to modern pop Christmas tunes. Though major advances will be needed in the world of Second Life animation to create a perfectly realistic performance, the hard work of these folks cannot go unpraised, as they carefully crafted synchronized moves in their avatars with planned animations and moves about the stage. I had a blast tonight and hope to see more of this classical medium in our world!

Another company, The Pixel Ballet, will be performing the Nutcracker every Sunday through 1-18 at 5 pm SLT. Give it a looksie!

Musical Alternatives - Part I: Art Galleries

Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music

Since I am going to take a temporary break from reviewing people, I don't want to just present a ton of venues the next two weeks. I want to also take this time to just share with everyone a little bit of what else is out there if you do not already know.

Second Life does have a lot of hidden gems in the music scene, but outside of the music scene there are also a lot of things of interest that you may or may not know. This will be a multi-part series that will give everyone a little taste of what else is out there aside from the Live Music scene.

Why are we talking about things outside of music? Well actually first of is that a lot of these other events often host musicians in Second Life and pay their musicians. A lot of galleries in Second Life hire musicians for their art exhibitions. Theatre companies hire musicians to play for their pre-shows or even use their music in their shows. And of course ballets are all about music and putting dance to them. I think this holiday season would be the perfect time to just give them a little bit of highlighting alongside the venues who host musicians.

As I just mentioned...

...galleries very often hire musicians to perform at their exhibitions. From the largest to even the smallest, these wonderful gallery owners bring together music and art, as they really ought to be. I personally have performed improv music to art works at many of these locations. Many other musicians in Second Life also have done various collaborations with artists around Second Life.

All throughout history, art movements are directly connected with musical movements. It is no surprise that the two are in marriage with each other quite often in the Metaverse. Perhaps something interesting and amazing may spin out of this unique mesh of a melting pot.

With over 400 galleries in Second Life, the art scene is vibrant. At the large galleries such as the Cetus complex and MOSLP (Museum of Second Life Photography) and many others, you will very often be able to catch many of your favorite artists performing there. Best of all is they very typically pay musicians to perform so you know they won't be starving that day. So support these musicians when they are playing at these venues and not venues that only pay them in tips! When you do, the gallery owners normally would be happier and more inclined to hire them for their next show, paying them again for their efforts! In effect you just paid more money to these musicians by showing up then they would normally make at most tipping venues.

The best part is that even some of these smaller galleries will pay to bring in musicians for their exhibitions. So if you ever do drop by any of these events, be sure to donate to the galleries and purchase art from their exhibits. Most art ranges in the L$300-L$600, though some of the more popular artists can have works up to the L$5,000-L$8,000 range. But by purchasing such works rather then ancient classics uploaded by random people, you too are then supporting not only the musicians in Second Life, but also the artists. And after all it is these artists that actually prettify our sims. Without their amazing builds and their artworks, Second Life would not look as fantastic as it does now.

It's also a refreshing change to listen to music in an art gallery where your eyes are also in for a treat. After a while of watching your favorite musician wearing the same animations on their instrument, it's just nice to feast our eyes on some fantastic art works. I get sick of looking at my own avatar playing. On top, galleries tend to look better in general and more creative in their builds since they are associated with artists.

So this winter season if you are looking for something to buy to give as a present to your significant other, family, friends, favorite musicians, or even your favorite reviewer (yeah right), I highly recommend supporting the arts community and purchase a work or two alongside your favorite musicians’ musical albums. With over 400 galleries around, you are sure to find something that is to your liking.

To learn more about galleries, look up the various art groups in Second Life. Art and Artists Network is a great group to join. And if you have an interest in becoming an art gallery owner and have a venue, contact Sasun Steinbeck who owns the Art Gallery Owner group and has the unofficial official listing of all the galleries in Second Life. If you have seen the sign "The Galleries of Second Life," she is the one who created that network system where you can also pick up the complete listing. So spend this holiday season art hunting as well as music listening!

Coming up next: Second Life Theatre and Second Life Ballet.

Venue Spotlight: Freestar Bay

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Freestar Bay

Alright it is getting a little close to Christmas and the holidays and I am sure no one really wants to hear any more of my reviews of artists for the time being. I'm going to take a pause on that and return after the holidays and continue to review more people then.

In the mean time I will present some of the best marathon venues and other special highlights of Second Life Music. These are all what I think are great stuff and worthy of attention so it'll all be all happy and good for the time being. I am not going to do any full negative venue spotlights.

The first one on my list is Freestar Bay, created by Freestar Tammas. This is one of the best venues I know of in Second Life. Now I want to first make it clear, I don't claim to know all the venues out there, so this is a review based on what I do know about venues. I have been to quite a few the last few weeks but still many more I have yet to see.

Freestar Tammas of course holds the fort down at Freestar Bay and she's a wonderful musician. But it has been a while though since I have heard her so I would love to do a review on her sometimes too soon.

Her weekly musician showcases are held Saturday night...

...where each musician performs a half hour set. This really is the best way to get to know different musicians of all styles. There are some regulars that I am fond of and are happy to know that they perform there often. But being a showcase with a rotating roster of people, there are bound to be people I don't like. Nevertheless this is one of the best ways to sample different musicians and discover whom you do and don't like.

What I do absolutely admire about Freestar and her venue is her absolute support of Live Music. Originally they were in a private sim elsewhere where they had to put up with prim limitations and pressure from the sim owner because of her venue's popularity. But now she is on her own island and totally in control. She also aims to open up alongside her main venue, a few side venues to support alternative live music.

She doesn't really make any money from this endeavor. She only aims to try to get the sims self supporting enough and to pay her staff. On top, she wants the donations to support charity organizations. These are all wonderful and noble efforts to do, though I do know how difficult that is in Second Life. One can still hope though.

Still her main weekly musician showcase is definitely a very important showcase to get a good audience group to hear you. So if you are a new musician and have not performed at Freestar Bay, I would highly recommend checking it out one Saturday night and seeing all the different people playing there. It'll give you a good sampling of what's out there. And perhaps if you get to know Freestar and invite her to one of your events, she may just invite you to hers. But that's between you and her. I have no idea how she chooses her musicians.

I do love the venue a lot and am extremely happy it got a new home. It's a beautiful place and does great in creating the environment. Most weeks she uses a virtual room to provide a variety of settings for the performers to pick to fit their music better. But once in a while she has these themed nights with one permanent set, which are also fantastic in their feel and look.

Finally, if you know of another venue that you think are amazing and has done tremendous amount of support of live musicians in Second Life, please leave me a note here and I'll check them out!

Live Music Review: Vanny Wilder @ Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Vanny Wilder
Jerry Garcia Amphitheater

Since the last set was only half an hour, I figured I'd stay for this next set too.

Vanny does mostly instrumental works, but does add voice in on the occasion. And he knows his guitar very well, and he plays it very well. He has fantastic energy that is controlled all the time. Never going too far. But that may or may not be a good thing depending on what you personally like.

For me, sometimes it's a great thing. But at times I would like to hear him about about to break that guitar too, which I'm pretty sure he has no problem doing. Still though he's absolutely a fantastic musician and guitar player and does it all effortlessly.

Vanny opened his set with what he usually opened with...

...and it's a pretty fun and groovy lick. But I think the fact that he played it so many times, after hearing the rest of the concert I realized how uninspired that was comparative to the rest of what he played. Don't get me wrong, I didn't realize that until afterward because the rest of the set was so much more interesting and moving then that first piece. The one thing I did think initially was that the piece did run a little too long. By the end of it, I sort of wanted him to just move on to something else or do something crazy.

The rest of the set really showed how much sound he can get out of his instrument. He does everything that I would expect from a guitar player. He's probably one of the best electric guitar player I have heard so far in Second Life. Though I am sure a few others could play a mean one, but since they sing most of the time they rarely show off what they can do with the guitar. And I can't compare the electric stuff with the acoustic stuff, they are just too different.

His third song he actually sang some stuff. But he really muffled up his voice and mumbled his words. He also let the instrument dominate and cover his voice. It came across more like it's half spoken and half sung and it worked well. The voice added this earthy, bluesy quality to the music that I thought gave it a neat variation. It almost felt like it as a random bum off the street trying to mumble something to me. Vanny really got that Stevie Ray electric blues feel down.

Vanny really grew on me over the half hour. His Latin Rumba had some really fantastic sounds that I absolutely enjoyed. Though I did find that with his voice and the electric blues, I'm not sure I buy into it 100%. But it was still absolutely fascinating to hear though even for just once.

He had great energy and his music is there. But I almost wanted him to be just a little less controlled and more wild. I always just feel like that this kind of electric blues just is the unabashed form of blues, with no intention of holding back. So I was kind of hoping for something super sick and super sweet. He gave me just sick and sweet, which I will still settle for any day.

Btw, he also builds and sells household items. We all do multiple things in SL, so should definitely go and check that out sometimes.

Live Music Review: Grateful Stryker @ Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Grateful Stryker
Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre
3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Ok, here's a posting I saw today so I thought to check it out:

"Hiya Everyone!!! Grateful is on FIRE!!! Here in San Fran, come on over and join the party, while we listen to this awesome musician and his AMAZING way of mixing originality and passion into everything he plays!!!"

Well it's nice to hear some original music in Second Life. It's always a welcomed thing. It's much needed really. And Grateful does have a unique voice that kind of has this mix of a heavy metal band like quality like KISS, but mixed in with a little bit of Elvis. I'm talking more about the quality of his voice, not so much the style of his singing.

Now I wouldn't considering him an amazing singer, but he is a good musician. But he does sound passionate about what he is singing and what he has to offer and that's definitely a welcomed bonus. So the post is correct in that regard.

What I did like about Grateful was some of his instrumental solo work...

...But I wouldn't think of him as the best musician around as I have heard others who are definitely much more interesting with an original sound here in Second Life. He does play well, and he sings decently. His tunes are good too. But that doesn't say to me an amazing musician with an awesome mix of originality and passion. But if you like him enough, you may call him that. So here in the case of Grateful, I can understand why some people would call him that.

My one biggest problem really is that I don't really think his voice type fits what he's singing and wrote. I think his voice is much more suited for hard rock, heavy metal type music. But his songs are almost too sweet and nice. It had a certain type of 80's band feel to his singing and it just didn't mesh in my mind. But I can reckon that this is more of my subjective choice in taste. Perhaps it is this sound that some people may be referring to as original and amazing. But for me, I rather hear him sing more of a screaming type of songs and let someone else sing the songs he's written.

It was a half hour set and it's a different kind of a half hour, it's pretty different. It's neat to listen to. He is a good as a musician. He plays well, sings decently and has good tunes. Does that make an amazing musician? Probably not in my books. Just a good one who has needs to polish his voice just a little bit more.

Live Music Review: Pato Milo @ Bay Vista

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Pato Milo
Bay Vista
3 stars out of 5 stars

Alright, it's late night and I'm in need of doing a review. What do I do?

I get this IM from Second Life Music group that said:

"Pato Milo Live @ Rainforest 10PM : Yahhhh You Latenight Partiers,,,You know whats up...Get Your pixels on over here to party in the rain with SLs most rockin Duckie!! rowboat attached!"

This sounds like fun. I know I'm known all about getting into the quality of the music and the singing. But I am absolutely alright with entertainers if they are here to entertain. But they better be darn well entertaining.

Pato isn't all that fantastic when it comes to singing. He has a pleasant voice though, and I like listening to his voice quality. He just doesn't sing very well. But he does like to give his banter between songs, rambling about really nothing important. Which is fine since he’s pitching himself more of a party guy and an entertainer.

My favorite part of Pato's act...

...is his Banjo. I was told it is a 6 strings banjo that is played like a guitar. But I have nothing against that as long as he delivers the sound, and as long as it's not a computer playing a MIDI instrument. Yes, another performer Winters Kanto was caught with this caught by one of his venue host. In fact he IMed me in the middle of this concert. I will definitely write up a post about this.

But since Pato is playing the Banjo himself, it really doesn't matter to me. Some people call it a cheater's Banjo, but would I call someone who's playing keyboard synths of non-piano sounds a cheater? It takes just as much skill to play that well. I love Pato's Banjo. Whenever that's out, I feel like Pato's on.

That was about it though for me. He wasn't a bad entertainer, but he wasn't good either. I wasn't really that interested in what he was saying or singing or doing, but I didn't mind him being there either. It was more like background noise to add to the atmosphere while I chatted with my friends and did my things. Sometimes I would look up and enjoy the brief moments of interest. But that's about it. There were moments here and there that were kind of interesting. But honestly nothing was really memorable. There are other entertainers in Second Life that is just memorable and catchy (“Sex and beer” comes to mind) and I just can't get enough of. Pato isn't one of them.

But he is relatable. I think that's his catch, I can relate to him. He feels real. So I don't mind at all having him there just to be real. It has this quality of being in a real life coffee shop in NYC or some other major metropolitan area. There's some guy doing his thing there. Nothing great; nothing horrific. He’s just there to add to the ambience. That is what Pato is to me. Nothing wrong with that, just nothing special. He's just there but real.

I don't know if I will say he should change it or do something different if this is his thing. I don't have any problems with him being there. But if he wants to be more then just being there, he needs to move to a more extreme place. He's not deadpan enough to be deadpan. He's also not crazy enough to be wild. He's not funny enough to make me pee in my pants. I'm just not sure where he really wants to go with his act and I'm not sure he is sure either.

Well the notice read party with rockin' duckies. I guess I got that. But it's not the wild crazy musician parties, it's more of a chill and mellow out with your friend type of party.

By the way, I had to write this review the next day cause while I was at the concert I got like 4 IM’s all trying to talk to me about different issues. So I just jotted down some notes as I sat and chatted.

Live Music Review: Izabela Jaworower @ Appassionato Resort

Second Life Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Originally for Classical Music in Second Life
Izabela Jaworower
Appassioinato Resort

I heard Young Zeid a few weeks ago and heard Izabela at a duo concert with Young last week. But I wanted to do a review on just Izabela and so I just sat and enjoyed the last concert and didn't review that. For your information their duo concerts are not double stacked streams, they are actually in the same location performing.

She started off the concert with an "encore" piece, Schumann’s "Tramerei" which wasn't on the program. She forgot to put that back in and even forgot to announce it before she played. But it was definitely a delightful treat to hear such a beautiful piece played with such sensitivity.

Izabela's playing has a wonderful sensitivity to her that is both elegant but with vigor when necessary. Her techniques were near flawless and her tone has a wonderful singing quality. It's brilliant to hear her take the stage on her own from top to finish.

This was the second time...

...I heard her play Vivaldi's "Winter" from "The Four Season". She played it last week at the duo concert and she must have worked on it over the weekend cause it's even better then the last time I heard it. Her tone's even more solid throughout the work and there were even less flaws throughout the piece. Don't get me wrong, she was pretty darn good to begin with. But this performance was definitely on a different league then the last one. It's absolutely fantastic. She had such a wonderful feel for the entire piece today and just sounded like she was totally immersed in the sonic world of Vivaldi. She was able to create both the delicate moments with beautiful singing tones, and flew away with full on vigor virtuosity when appropriate.

She then performed Bach's famous "Air on G String" with just deep passion in a very soulful manner. I almost wouldn't mind if she totally played it without the backing tracks for these pieces. She has such a rich tone in her lower register that I can listen to and enjoy all on its own. I have a special affinity for the G-string on the violin. It really is my favorite string on the instrument and Izabela does not disappoint.

The Szymanowski is a haunting piece and Izabela delivers a chilling performance that is appropriate for the program for this winter season. My one problem is the balance between the piano and the violin. The piano sounds very distant while the violin sounds very close. I would prefer the piano to be more present. It's just a tad bit too far off in comparison that I lose some of the watery effects that it's trying to carry. I much prefer the balance on her performance on Franck then I did on this. But Izabela speaks just so well with her instrument on this piece where her understanding of the message is absolute. This is the kind of music we need to hear more of.

Izabela just speaks so well with her instrument no matter what she plays. Her sounds carry with it tremendous weight and power. And she does them with such passion that even when she's by herself with no accompaniment we wouldn’t have missed them. She moves from era to era, style to style with ease and grace. She delivers a fantastic performance of both classics and lesser-known works. She offers a wonderful contrast from Young's playing that is definitely worth listening to.

By the way, here's her entire program.

"Tramerei" from "Kinderscenen"........R. Schumann
"Winter" from "The Four Seasons"....................... Antonioa Vivaldi
"Air on G String".......J.S. Bach
"Arethusa Spring" for violin & piano.............. Karol Szymanowski
"Polish Capriccio" for solo violin,
"Oberek"................................................................ Grazyna Bacewicz
"Polonaise Brillante" in A Major ......................Henryk Wieniawski
"Sonata" for violin and piano .....................................Cesar Franck

Live Music Review: Satin Galli @ Golden Horn

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Satin Galli
Golden Horn

Time for another review.

Satin Galli was advertised as (and I quote):

• "Satin Galli's name says it all! His voice is smooth as satin! If you're looking for great vocals and style, you've found the right guy! Satin has sung must of his life, and grew up in a very musical family. 'Everything involved music growing up' Satin says. Talent comes from deep within him"

I know puffery is a big part of marketing and used to hype up a lot of people. But with puffery comes judgment. My take is the more you puff up something, the higher you increase someone's expectation. When my expectations are up, I become more critical about the person and the music. If you tell me it's just a fun party with no standards, well I come in expecting that. If it's more then that then I'm even more delighted. But if you tell me someone has a voice as smooth as satin, yes I know it's a play on his name, I am literally expecting that.

So was Satin's voice as smooth as satin? No. Usually I put this criticism on the venue for hyping up someone to get attention. But not this one, this was in Satin's profile. On top of that, he writes:

• "If you're looking for great vocals and style, you've found the right guy! Satins name says it all."

There are minor issues in his singing throughout the concert. There are the occasional pitch intonation problems. There are passages that sound like a bland karaoke singing at a local pub. But, there is some nice stuff here and there and his voice does have a good quality to it. It's just not fully polished.

His voice isn't bad, but it is not what I would consider smooth as satin, great vocals and style. A much more accurate description would be Satin’s is a good singer who enjoys sharing his oldies and some contemporaries with his audience. Once in a while he may even be as smooth as Satin, if that’s possible.

Satin sings a lot of oldies...

...which were nice to enjoy. He does do some contemporary rocks too but they are not as good as his oldies. I can tell he does enjoy all these songs and love singing them. And before you all think I hate Satin, I don't. I just don't think he's correct in his advertisement of his own abilities. He is really on par with a good local bar singer outside of a major US metropolitan area.

It is very obvious that his voice definitely needs some polishing to create a real sound that would be record worthy. To me that is what the words great vocals and style means. If you are great, then you are record worthy. You may not have any intention to record anything and you don't have to. But that's what great is, at least to me. Satin is not record worthy, at least not what I heard live at Golden Horn live. Even his Myspace stuff isn't what I would consider great vocals and full of style, though there are some good moments in some of the recordings like "Landing in London."

I have been a bit harsher on Satin because of his description of himself. I do think if he didn't advertise himself as that I would be much less judgmental about his music. He is a good singer. He has a good voice. He is pretty on pitch most of the time. He struggles at the higher register. He’s really a Baritone. He does have a descent quality in his voice that those couple of moments of goodness sounds pretty nice and enjoyable. I would encourage Satin to record every live session of his and then listen to them all from top to bottom. That's the best way to learn and since he has a musical family, maybe have them sit down and give them an honest weigh in. But I know how often that doesn't work since family tends to want to support you then to be honest.

As for style, I think Satin is trying to nail down his style and his voice. I don't think he has it yet. It's one thing to sing your favorite songs really well. That's the beginning. But until you can turn even song that aren't your favorites and make them your own like you own them, and until we can say that is definitely a Satin Galli performance because of how you sing it, you don't have style yet. Style is very hard to develop, especially for singers. We have a huge tendency to imitate when we sing but that will only get you maybe to a hotel lounge singer level. There are a couple of people I have heard in Second Life so far that actually have a style of their own. They turn all the songs (covers and originals) they sing into their own versions. We may not always agree or like them, but that is real style.

I did get a chance to chat with Jeanaette Janus who is in charge of the venue at Golden Horn. I think she's an absolutely wonderful person to talk to and very intelligent. Given the fact that I had been rather critical about some of the performers at her venue that she is still talking to me, I have to give her major credit. The conversations are probably something for a From the Editor's Desk column, but the conclusion I got is that we are all playing a part here in Second Life live music. She is supporting it in her own way while I see it my way and does it my own. To me it's always a pull between all the different sides that makes a scene. If it's all one sided, all happy and bubbly, it doesn't work. If it's all critical and judgmental, it doesn't work. We need both and everything in between.

There have been some real streaming issues lately in Second Life. I few people I know have been struggling with things like that. But they are out of the control of the artist so it's just something we all have to put up with. I am still having issues with my own stream on my Mac and have to use my PC to log on today to play the streams to review. That's Second Life.

I would say if you like to hear some oldies in a decently performed manner, Satin is the right guy for you. But don't go in expecting awesomeness and something that's just great. The vocals are good but not flawless. The style is correct but not unique. But you may occasionally hear something that may be close to being as smooth as silk. But the over all quality of the entire concert is not smooth as silk.

Live Music Review: Noma Falta @ The Original Winterland

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Noma Falta
The Original Winterland

Finally my stream decided to work again, all on its own. I didn't do anything to fix it, no one did. I am just counting my blessings that it's working and I can continue to review.

Of course it wouldn't be an Enniv Zarf day of reviews if I didn't have something to complain about. Today's concert was for UNICEF charity for children, a fantastic thing to support. My only complain was actually the teleport point. What in the world is up with these teleport points at ridiculously far off places? As if Second Life lag isn't bad enough with a ton of people at a concert, some venue owners decided they want you to first get lost and not know where the concert is after teleporting in, then when you do find it you have to lag through the walkway to get to the actual concert. Please set teleport points right in the middle of the concert area or at least somewhere close enough that I can see it without having to look at a map.

But that aside I am very glad to have stopped by Noma Falta's concert. She has one great voice and she knows how to work it too. She's a blues singer who also venture into soulful rock, which leads me to think do blues singer hold themselves to higher standards then pop and alternative rock singers. No matter Noma really has a fantastic rich voice and puts on an awesome show!

Her voice has great...

...range that is solid from the lowest of her register to the very top falsettos. On top of that her chops on her electric guitar is just electrifying. There is a lot of power coming through the stream and just lights up my speakers.

The best parts I think of her set are the wonderful songs she sings with only her bass. They feel like the equivalent of an unplugged version by most other singers who does it with a guitar. I think they are just sweet to listen to. It’s great to just hear her voice carry the entire song which she has no problem doing. In these songs, she was totally exposed but still carried through strong. She doesn't hide her voice and she doesn't need to. She did have a headache today and was having some issues juggling some stuff, which contributed to some shakiness at rare moments that are barely detectable. I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to them if she didn't point out her nerves kicking in. She did stop midway one song, but that is not an issue to me at all. We all have those days.

Her other numbers are also very well mixed and balanced never to cover her wonderful voice, which is definitely her selling point. Having this wonderful complete sound and varying it back and forth between this and the slimmed down electric bass versions really adds to the diversity that helps keep things fresh throughout.

She also has a good diverse selection of songs to begin with that covers a few good sub-categories of blues. And no matter which style she does, she still brings her gifts to the table and owns them all.

I do want to get to know more about her original music. I usually have a hard time telling which are the originals at a concert since without them explicitly telling me it’s an original, it could be an obscure cover. So whenever doing a concert that mixes in both, make sure to let your audience know what’s what.

Another worthy note that I absolutely think is a thing we have to get more into in Second Life is to sing each other’s original songs. We are a community here so why not? Noma presented a song by a friend of hers near the beginning of the concert. It was a good song too and her voice worked very well with it, carrying the song into my living room. I can think of a few other songwriters in Second Life whose songs I would like to hear someone else singing.

Noma's music has a wonderful old school vibe that I can certainly get used to hearing. Her voice along with her instrumentals is just both rock solid. She claimed to have a headache, but if this is her off day I sure can't wait to hear her on an on day. So check her out any day of the week and you’ll all have a great time with some great music.

This Week in the Metaverse (Second Life) - Dec. 5, 2008 to Dec. 12, 2008

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music

This week has been a whirlwind for me and that's why this edition is a bit late. I have been caught up with people who are upset with me and what I wrote from all sides of the isle. But I think though soon it will all become less pronounced when people starts to see the bigger picture and realize that this is just a review amongst the many. (Check my From the Editor's series on the right to read up on what I think.)

So I have a little less artists to choose from this week so the super hot list is a tad bit shorter. But these are my absolute favorite from this week. There were others that I enjoyed tremendously too and I'll mention them later. There is also one that isn't about an artist but about a music project that I thought is super hot and worthy of the list!

My Super Hot List - Dec. 12
Damian Carbenell @ D2TK
Ayden Kruh @ Romantica Yacht Club
Thom Dowd & Gorse Ferraris @ Cairo
Crap Mariner's Tunes in SL Gallery Project

Damian has just got a fantastic voice and his show is just wonderful to listen to from top to bottom. He has some great original music that deserves our attention and I will definitely get to those in the future. I only wish he plays them up more during his show.

Ayden also has a brilliant voice doing all the covers he does. He has got some nice originals too. I am just disappointed that not enough people are requesting him to sing his originals instead of constantly asking him to do covers.

Thom Dowd and Gorse Ferraris are just fantastic musicians and presents a totally different point of view of Second Life music that is well deserving of our attention. They are definitely something to enjoy this holiday season as their music is just fitting to get into the spirit of things.

Crap Mariner's Tunes in SL Gallery Project is definitely note worthy in my books as he's an avid lover of Second Life original artists. He decidedly to go and buy albums by Second Life musicians on itunes and also sets up their album covers in his venues to help promote them. I definitely believe this is something that's worthy of our support and embrace and we should all be more encouraging in the advancement of original music. But do not put these musicians in a bubble. Be nice but be honest. Your musicians will love you and appreciate you in the end to keep them in check. If they are so into their own world and refuse to at least hear you out, chances are they are not really worthy of your support. Remember we only intervene with those who we love! We let those who we hate out in the cold to fend for themselves.

There are a few other people I thought worthy of some attention. I thought KevinMThomas has some fantastic original sounds. Though at times it was way too much belting for my own taste but still thought they are worth checking out. Jaggpro McCann had some great music and a good voice to enjoy and listen to from down under. FrankLee Anatra has a pretty solid voice to offer to his crowd too. Dakota7z7 also offers some really good country sounds as an alternative to the other musicians for me this week. I also thought Djaj puts on a fun and engaging show that is very entertaining and full of original material.

Things are really being put into perspective here for me. I am also seeing the who's who of what camp in Second Life music and I am actually very glad that I was in no camp before going into this to be a little more objective then I would be if I was already going to some people's concerts on a consistent basis. It's fascinating to hear about reputations after I actually hear the music. Some are in line with what I heard, some are not quite. The ones that are not has a lot to do with hype and the aftermath of hype overload. I am learning a lot about this as I continue my journey around Second Life Music. And I hope you are all going to continue to ride along with me for this awesome ride for the good and the bad.

>> Dec. 10, 2008
KevinMThomas Carpool @ Red Rock
Jaggpro McCann @ Dolphin's Dream

>> Dec. 9, 2008
Djai Skjellerup @ SL Globe Theatre
Ayden Kruh @ Romantica Yacht Club
Mike00 Carnell @ Italia Vera: Milano Vera

>> Dec. 8, 2008
Dres Forder @ Pixel Hill
Doubledown Tandino @ Pixel Hill

>> Dec. 7, 2008
FrankLee Anatra @ Woodstock

>> Dec. 6, 2008
Strummer Vultee @ BarrioBeat Productions
Dakota7z7 Pluto @ Close to the Edge
Thom Dowd & Gorse Ferraris @ Cairo
Jackdog Snook @ The Warehouse

>> Dec. 5, 2008
Damian Carbenell @ D2TK
Al Hofmann @ Bibi's Beach
Russell Eponym @ Unity

An Enniv Zarf Original: Concerto for a Computer Keyboard, Mouse and Piano

Second Life Original Music
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Enniv Zarf
Concerto for a Computer Keyboard, Mouse and Piano

Kicking off my discussion of original music from Second Life, I figure I should introduce my own original and then go from here. But this post is also about my philosophy on music to a certain extent too. So you may want to read it to get more insight about what I am doing. Honestly I don't want to hurt anyone. I want people to grow and I think honesty is the best way to do this. I am not perfect in how I am honest sometimes, so call me out whenever you think I'm off or I'm rude. I appreciate that.

I have been exploring a lot of different ways to perform my music that is both true to me and still accessible to a good amount of people. I have composed things that are much more serious and much more difficult to understand in my life. But I have also written pop songs too. Having been in Second Life and performing here I have been working with what I have in my resource as well as what the audience can bare and withstand. It is always a toss up. The farther out you go, the harder it is to take people along with you. But I also find that if they like you enough, they will go wherever you lead them. Well to a certain extent.

I won't talk too much about...

... my own music here. I just want to present it and hear your opinion and thoughts on it. This one's a little more out there with the computer keyboard and other things. But it's fun so I wanted to share it here. Feel free to comment both positive and negative and even mixed here in the comment section. As long as you don't use any foul language and not personally attacking me with an extreme hatred, I welcome it all. And you can also comment anything else I have uploaded on thesixtyone.com or any of my other sites. Please leave me your comments of my music. I think it's only fair that you get to review me too. I actually want to be reviewed. I love reading what others write about me.

I will also start reviewing original music here by various artists of Second Life both in a live and non-live setting. That really is what I wanted to do all along. I will also slow down a little bit on the live concert reviews I do each day as I continue to still make my way around Second Life. After all I only have so many hours a day. I know a lot of people are talking about what I am writing here. I am learning too. I am growing as a critic and as an artist. I learn from my own mistakes and the mistakes of others to improv myself. I even learned to use thesixtyone.com too! And in fact someone gave me a thought about my concerto. I like that they were honest about what they heard. I can definitely understand why she heard that and I am glad someone told me what they heard. To me music is a conversation between me and the audience. If I am going to make you hear my music, the you deserve to let me know what you thought about what you heard. My audience are not puppets to dangle and admire at my every move, but to grow and share my exciting musical journey for the good and for the bad. And this site is not here just for you guys, but for my own musical and personal growth too. Sample music from across the world and performance style and then grab what I want to learn from them.

However with the original reviews, I will tell you I will pretty much only review good stuff. I don't have time to review everything that comes my way that's bad. I am already doing that with the live performances but I can only do so much. But that doesn't mean when I write an original review it'll be all great, good and yada, yada, yada. But it will at least be something I liked enough to write an in depth article about. I hope to eventually have a few other people present originals that they love too here at the site. Working on it. I do need to get some advertisers to I can pay those who help out here. I can tell you I will listen to these originals multiple times to talk about them, so that's why I will only do them for the stuff I like. I will point out what I thought in a critical manner, but it doesn't mean I didn't like it. It's still a review, but I have to pick and choose. But I really do like a wide variety of stuff.

Back to the concerto. It really is a commentary about how we at live concerts in Second Life hear all the noises that are in our houses like the typing of the keyboard and the clicking of the mouse. So I thought instead of having that in the background, why not have that as a part of the piece. I was really thinking about John Cage's 4'33" piece that was a famous piece he performed at a concert of his where he just literally sat down at the piano, opened the cover and then placed his hands on the piano. He moved his hands 3 times in the time he was on stage but didn't play a single note. He then finally closed the cap of the piano and then bowed and left the stage. Music that we listen to isn't isolated from the environment we live in. From the shuffling of feet to the coughing by the buy in the back row, to the humming of the air conditioner. These are all a part of the musical landscape. What makes someone who perform live better then as a recording artist has a lot to do with how he generates other sounds from the audience on top of his music to create a different soundscape. So when you hear the actual recorded tracks, it could feel lacking sometimes.

It really is a fascinating thing though to think about music in these terms. Think about how the piece sounds when you have all your inworld noises turned on versus when it's all muted. Think about the whole package and what it really means to listen to live music in SL. When someone's sitting at home playing, what kind of environment do they create versus what kind of environment are they really in. A good live performer knows how to work the soundscape between the music and knows how to get the right feel. I have learned a lot the last year and a half playing live online here in SL and grew also as a host too. I have hosted a radio show before in my real life reviewing movies for three years. But they were prerecorded with edits not live. I am always learning. Every medium is different and it's those who knows how to work it to their advantage and knows who their audience is at any given point who are going to succeed. I am only trying to help as much as I can but I am definitely not perfect.

Live Music Review: KevinMThomas Carpool @ Red Rock

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
KevinMThomas Carpool
Red Rock
4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Why does everyone IM me when I'm reviewing but leave me totally alone when I'm free and got nothing to do!

Here's someone with a fascinating sound and a huge personality, and did I mention he can really belt out his tunes. I cannot recall hearing a guy in Second Life really belting this much like the way Kevin does and his voice is absolutely powerful. It certainly can fill a stadium if that opportunity ever arise.

He has a lot of original music, at least a CD worth in fact. But again we run into the fact that he plays a ton more covers then he does his originals. Though when he does his originals, he tells it very clearly and made sure we know it's an original and that's absolutely fantastic.

Well KevinMThomas Carpool does have solid voice and...

... very polished and strong performance. But comparing the sounds on his Myspace, I much rather hear him sing his own songs. He has this really big personality, yelling out to the audience as if he's standing at a real life stage with an audience there. [Update: Though at times it was a tad bit too much. But I suppose that's what this music is.]

He called out my name a couple of times, I think he read my profile in the show and doesn't know who I really am. I guess my name hasn't made it to his circle yet. Boy will he be surprised, hopefully for the better.

His original songs are really fantastic and I think better then any of the covers he did. His voice really works for his own stuff cause there are a lot of very high sustained notes and he does them very brilliantly. He really has a solid tenor voice and his higher range is really much stronger then his lower range, a rarity in Second Life for sure.

His original song "My Everything" works really well for him. It has a nice hook, but mostly I love the harmonies he uses and the way he puts space in his music. It has an unusual quality to it that is close enough to home to feel comfortable in, but interesting enough to be actually well, interesting. And you can definitely hear the influences of metal music in this songs for sure aside from the screaming like singing.

His cover of Guns and Roses, name of song I don't know, really show off his high range which is what he does best. And I am just glad he stepped back a little from the mic and balanced his voice with it. He knows exactly what he sounds like across the stream and knows how to work his set up to get the best sounds out. But when he covered U2's "With or without you," it showed that his lower range really isn't as strong as his higher singer. But it was still good enough to listen to until he gets back to belting.

Kevin's package works. The personality works with his original music and I think he can really draw people to his shows. It's always interesting to see how different performers interact with the crowd. I think Kevin may just be a little too prying into the audience sometimes with looking at profiles. It does add pauses to the performance. It's really tricky really to get that balance right though. I'm always working on that. I am an avid believer that a live online performer cannot have dead air. Not that Kevin had much. I'm sure there were very good reasons for them. But imagine if you heard those dead air on your over the airwave radio station. You'd probably not go back. We are more understanding in Second Life as an audience and by no means do I want anyone to teleport away if a performer has dead air. I just want performers to keep that in mind. There are more and more online live streaming events. Youtube has a live streaming section. A lot of people have off world streams. The advantage we have is the visual in SL so we can do it from home and not actually have to get a camera and all that good stuff. But with a growing online live streaming community outside of Second Life, we gotta stay ahead of the game and one up everything to create a even more solid show.

I love Kevin's sound, I really do. I think he's got some great stuff, especially his originals. I am really enjoying his talk too. I also gotten more used to it by the end of the concert. I think if he could tighten up the talking to get more stuff going on, or even just make some random noise with the guitar to tail slightly into his talk. Cause when he sings, I feel like I'm in a real concert. When he talks I feel like I'm in a concert. But when there's that few seconds of near silence, I hear his living room, if that's what a living room sounds like. Seriously I literally felt like I just teleported from an awesome concert for a brief second into someone's bland living room, then seconds later back to an awesome concert. It was really bizarre. It happened like two or three times throughout the whole concert.

But do check out KevinMThoma Carpool in Second Life and outside. It's some pretty solid stuff that's definitely worth checking out especially if you like some good new rock tunes.

Original Music in SL: Crap Mariner's Tunes in SL Gallery Project

Second Life Original Music
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Crap Mariner
Clocktower
Tunes in SL Gallery Press Release - also available after the jump.

Alright, I finally found a way to get the discussion of original music in Second Life outside the live music scene going. I was debating a lot of different things. But who and where do we even start with.

Well I found my answer today and I thought it's a great way to introduce everyone to the world of Second Life Original Music. Though I know for many of you there is no need for an introduction. But this is still a great thing for everyone to know.

I met Crap Mariner a few weeks ago when he posted a notice about calling for Second Life Musicians with original music. So I talked to him about my album Rebirth. It was then that I found out about his project about showcasing original music in Second Life. Rest assured that he is the one that I'll be going to in order to get some more info about original music in Second Life and who to bring here and showcase to everyone!

Crap runs a venue called the Clocktower which is a fantastic build and I hope to, well plan to review someone there sometimes eventually. I want to go everywhere in Second Life and see everything. So this will also become a great place to discover new places too eh! Well at the top of the Clocktower he has rezzed out the CD albums of various artists from all around Second Life. All these albums are available on iTunes for purchase and he links them all to them. It's a wonderful place really to discover new music and you can be sure I'll be visiting often to find new original music to review. I just have to figure out how I'm going to pay for all those CD's. (HINT: Musicians if you really want me to review and present your album, drop me a promotional copy and I will definitely get to reviewing it for sure.)

So I wanted to support this effort which actually goes perfectly with what I'm doing so it's all good. I love it when it works out and things just come together. It feels like it is meant to be and what it is when it just flows.

Well take a look at the press release after the jump...


==========
ORIGINAL POSTS FROM iReport with permission from Crap Mariner.

I am Laurence Simon, known in Second Life as Crap Mariner.

I wanted to share with you a project that I have been working on called the Tunes inSL Gallery.

I really like the live music scene here in Second Life. All around the clock, there's always someone performing, and so many different styles of music - folk, rock, country, classical, jazz.

If you're opening a new island or planning an event, the odds are you're going to have a live musician there to help promote it.

They are my friends, I respect them deeply, and I wanted to come up with a way to give something back.

Last year, I received an iTunes gift card. I'm not easy to shop for - kind of hard to imagine, right?

Well, I didn't want any new music out there - I wanted music from Second Life musicians.

So, I posted on my site a call for links to Second Life musicians on iTunes, and that's what I bought.

Others did so too, and it got me to thinking. Why not create a catalog of all that music for the next holiday season?

Sure enough, I've gotten the word out, and all these performers have agreed to appear in the gallery on Edloe Island. Every album cover is a link to their page in iTunes for listening to clips form their albums, reading reviews, and buying them.

Let those sites do all the grunt work, right?

You get their music, they get the royalties to help pay those holiday bills.

Not only do I have a catalog for iTunes, but also one for Amazon on the region called Selby, run by Hulaboom Voom

There's plenty of room for more performers, and I'm hoping that these places are packed with people using their gift cards to buy music to ring in the new year with.

And if you're not in Second Life, I created a web catalog of the links, too. riaa.isfullofcrap.com

I guess we'll see how well it works. Maybe we'll make this a permanent thing.

This is Laurence Simon, reporting from Edloe Island and Selby.
==========

On a side note:

I just have to say I am really loving what I do here and I just want to keep doing this as long as I can. I just need to get this to generate a little bit of money so I can keep dedicated time to this. It's not going to make me millions, but I just need it to pay a few bills here and there while enjoying it. I wanted to say this so you know why I do take advertising. I am not looking to make bucket loads of money but in case if you didn't notice, this site takes a few hours (3-5) a day to run and keep up.

Live Music Review: Djai Skjellerup @ SL Globe Theatre

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Djai Skjellerup
SL Globe Theatre
4.5 stars out of 5 stars

I have been the voice director of the SL Shakespeare Company for this past year directing all the voice performances of all the Shakespeare productions. But right now the company is having a bit of financial trouble mainly because it's trying to sustain a four sim corners venue to provide for the maximum amount of people to attend the events. A some shows we had near 200 people at all the different sims.

So Music Not Politics decided to support SLSC by throwing a series of concert this weekend. I actually didn't even know what has been going on in terms of fundraising until I got the notice myself and decided I may as well write up reviews there.

A little about SLSC. SL Shakespeare Compnany is a theatre company that has been producing full productions with sets and costumes and everything else to go along with it. They have a four sims set-up so to relief the amount of lag from so many people and sets and costumes. It is a very expensive endeavor. It's also great to see the arts supporting each other here in Second Life. We've seen a lot of fundrasier marathons for real life charities and issues, but it's nice to support something that is totally exclusive to Second Life. So if you are interested, do stop by the Globe Theatre which is a great build, detailed in architecture, and donate some Lindens to support their cause.

It's also a wonderful pleasure jump in and find someone who performs all original music at his shows (well almost all, he did end up singing some covers later in the concert). Djai Skjellerup is a singer/songwriter/pianist based in the UK and his music does have a sort of Elton John feel to it, but it's not Elton John. He does write on his website that he likes to write music that's familiar and sounds like things that we heard and he does do that rather well.

I guess I get to actually seriously review original music this time...

...instead of talking about how good or bad someone sings. Well I have to talk at least a little about that, but I'll do that later. The emphasis on this one is definitely more on the originality of the performance.

It's tough for sure to sell yourself off as an original music performer and it's very hard to hold an entire concert of your own music. But it does help that Djai's music is very familiar. But it's because it's so familiar that I am not sure what we can really do with it. It really has too much of an Elton John feel all the way from top to bottom. His singing style also reminisce of Elton John along with the piano accompaniment. I just can't get the image of Elton John sitting at the piano singing Candle in the Wind when I hear Djai. The more I hear Djai, the more I think Elton John wannabe. But I do think it's because he likes that kind of music and so he writes in that style and feel. Which is fine, derivative art is still art. In the end we all tend to emulate those who we admire and love. [UPDATE: I wanted to clarify, this statement was meant as a statement of all of music and all of art that has ever been created. We are all deriving them from something else. All art by nature is derivative unless if you were among the first human beings to walk the planet. But even then art was derived from nature.]

His original songs are good to listen to but unfortunately it's a bit forgettable because I feel like I've heard them all already. But it's great to occasionally come back and listen to him sing them. It reminds me of the days that has gone by. It kind of reminds me of this pseudo Moulin Rouge kind of an image for some odd reason, with Ewan McGregor singing "Your Song." And his vocal technique is about on that level. It's not on the level of Elton John, but if it was an actor singing a part, it would be more then acceptable. Well I really liked Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge and how he sang it, so I have nothing against Djai at all. I like it. It's fun.

And Djai's talking over his playing in between him singing really totally gives me that again, Elton John feel. Let's hold hands and save the world together. It's fun though, I think it's perfect for this kind of campaign. It's very smoochy and all emo. I am totally about to pull out my lighter and start waving my arms around and cry, well maybe not cry. But still he does it absolutely well and it's perfect for this kind of campaign. And when he holds these really long notes in his rendition of "First Cut is the Deepest", really I am about to fall out of my chair thinking can it be any more "Heal the world?" He would then tell people to sing along, and yell out lines like "can you hear me?" It's so cheesy and corny that I am just having a ball! It works because he takes it so seriously that I can't help but to just go with it and enjoy the whole process.

He even started a collaborative project where he had 24 musicians record together this Christmas song he wrote. He even commented that he tried very hard to write a song that's not cheesy, if that was possible at all. I am glad he has a great sense of humor and it's this that I find him and his performance just fun and absolutely thoroughly enjoyable. He is going to give out that track free for anyone to download and enjoy and rest assure I will definitely get my hands on that and let you all know what I think about it. You can read about the project here.

Perhaps it's just a British thing, but then I am pretty sure it's a Djai thing. He may not be the best singer and pianist around but he is still very good and is fantastic and fun to listen to. I'm also glad that he does a lot of originals which is something I want to see more in Second Life. He is an act, a good one, that if you are into Elton John type originals, Djai would be the one to go to. If you want to just have a retro afternoon and be all cheesed out, and we all do soemtimes I mean isn't that's why we all go Karaoke or go to Vegas and watch these Liberace shows? Oh I guess I'm the only one. Well I actually don't go to Vegas often so I don't really watch shows there. Nevertheless Djai is an act and I think it's a pretty good one to have fun with especially if this is your type of music.

Live Music Review: Ayden Kruh @ Romantica Yacht Club

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Ayden Kruh
Romantica Yacht Club
5 stars out of 5 stars

If a newbie decides to check out the live music scene in Second Life to see what it's all about and ends up at Mike00 Carnell, the guy I just reviewed a few minutes ago they may not want to go back to another concert again in Second Life. But if they end up at Ayden Kruh's concert just a few minutes later here at Romantica Yacht Club, they may end up loving live music in Second Life. Though they may end up disappointed again later if they end up at some other singer's concerts. But at least they know talents, real talents do in fact exist inside Second Life.

Ayden sings both covers and originals. But I'm finding out more and more that a lot of singers in Second Life sings more covers then they do original at their live shows. I am guessing this is probably because covers draws an audience since people don't really know the original music of the artist. I feel that myself personally since I don't cover. I rarely play anything that's not original. So I have to totally build everything from the ground up. But occasionally I will do something that's cover to draw some more people and then introduce them to my originals. Which I think is the way to go. Get them in with some great renditions of covers and then they stick around to hear your originals.

But I am definitely planning on doing feature articles on great originals. I decided I am only going to present great originals here. There is just not enough time review everything. With musicians, only at this first round will I review everyone, or almost everyone. But after that I will definitely focus my attention to the great performers here and give them the attention they deserve.

And Ayden deserves attention for sure. He's got an amazing...

...voice and his vocal techniques is just so strong. He absolutely has a brilliant voice that's rich and thick and really carries through. His guitar playing is also superb and right on alongside his voice. His singing definitely has a huge soul type influence in the way he embellish the vocal lines and it's fantastic. It really has been a while since I heard a male singer here in Second Life with a solid voice, strong and present. I have heard a few female singers with that type of voice like Blue4u Nowicka and jaynine Scarborough.

He is just wonderful to listen to and does all the covers he did justice. I wish he will get the opportunity to sing his originals and get his original music out and heard. I took a very quick brief listen to parts of them and they are pretty solid songs. I am guessing that he was hired today to perform for some special occasion and they requested all covers. Maybe. But still if I was Ayden and if that's the case, make a deal with anyone who hires him that he can present some originals throughout the hour here and there rather then just one after 40 minutes of singing covers. Chances are they will take it for a voice like his. He's really one of the best I have heard so far here. But if there's no real restriction, I say he should push his originals more to the public and get them to fall in love with them.

Now his originals which I am certain I will get to presenting in the future is described by him as folk americana influenced with neo-soul vocal melodies. Sounds fantastic and sounds like my cup of tea. I'm a huge sucker for Americana. His original song "Save my life" really does have a charming quality in the music and he adds little touches in the harmonies to give it a little boost. I wanted to find the recording of it on his myspace but it's not there. So if you want to hear it you'll have to go to his concert and ask him about it. It really is a good song and with proper production, it could really be a great song. It has a hook and it is simple to get into. I think it's definitely a song Ayden can push at all his concert to get it really into people head until they start demanding it and want to buy it!

The venue Romantica Yacht Club is worth a little mentioning too. It is a very beautiful venue and well decorated. It has an elegant feel to it and does convey a message of romance and serenity. I think Ayden's sound does fit nicely in this atmosphere, outdoor and open and relaxing.

Ayden is just a fantastic talent with a great voice. I am guessing he isn't so interested in using Second Life as a platform for him as an artist since his real life identity is nowhere to be found. But if all he wants to perform in Second Life, that's great for us here. I can certainly get used to hearing more and more of him. So if you ever see the posting for Ayden Kruh, be sure to hurry in and listen. He's really got a fantastic voice, awesome guitar chops and just an all around good act to watch and enjoy. After all, he is the first guy I have given a 5 stars out of 5. Though if I went back to my older posts and added stars, there's a couple I would've given 5's to too!