This Week's Must See Concerts

Make sure you don't miss the following concerts this week.  All times are SL:

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

2 PM--JordanReyne Deezul @ Two Moon Paradise

5 PM--Zak Claxton @ Key West (Followed by Gina Stella at 6PM, FunkyFreddy Republic at 7PM, and FrankLee Anatra at 8PM)


Thursday, April 4, 2013

1 PM--Moon Spark @ Playtime (Followed by JordanReyne Deezul at 2PM)

5PM--Strum Diesel @ Hotel Chelsea (Pay It Backwards Fundraiser for Enola Vaher--followed by Matthew Perrault at 6PM and Whirli Placebo at 7PM)

8PM--Mulder Watts @ Ground Zero (Followed by Lyndon Heart at 9PM--and don't forget to check out the awesome carnival!)

10PM--PT Beardmore & Stephanniyah Sinatra @ Rhia's Poem  This is NOT a dual stream!  PT & Stephanniyah will be in the same room.  :)


Friday, April 5, 2013

4PM--Tip Corbett @ Graine's Riverside Cafe

7PM--Thunderfoot Lorefield @ Kannonji Campfire (followed by Strum Diesel @ 8PM)


Saturday, April 6, 2013

11AM--SirJackson Wolfe @ Rhia's Poem (Followed by Max Kleene @ 12PM, Phemie Alcott @ 1PM, and DennyMac @ 2PM)

2PM--Kitty Zeddmore & Phillip Moura @ La Boniquita (2 hours)

10PM--DirtyDee Sweetwater @ Dinah Moez Diner

The Follow @ Ground Zero - March 15, 2013

The Follow is an extraordinary band.  It consists of just three members--Troy Shoreland, AJ Darkwatch, and Powers Avon.  The group has existed in RL for over ten years.  I first heard them about two years ago, and last year rediscovered them.

Powers Avon

The Follow took a break from singing in late October due to RL and tonight was their first time singing in SL since October 26, 2012.  It feels like they never left--the soaring vocals, amazing guitars, and powerful drums sound just as good, if not even better, than when they performed in October of last year.  They had just finished a RL tour at the end of August which included a stop at the Salt Lake SL Jam.

Troy Shoreland

Troy Shoreland is the songwriter of the band and writes inspirational songs that would move anyone's soul.  His down-to-earth demeanor is shared with that of his wife AJ and fellow band member Powers.  There was a crowd of over 80, yet it felt like they were singing to an intimate crowd at a house concert.

TheaDee

Gmetal Svartur

Much of that ambiance has to do with the venue.  Ground Zero is a beach themed venue run by Gmetal Svartur and TheaDee Resident, with Shannyn Fall hosting.  The awesome stage was built by Gmetal.  Concerts are held on Thursday nights.  If you'd like to find out more about The Follow, check out their website at http://thefollow.com/.  Check out Ground Zero's calendar at http://groundzeromusicart.wix.com/groundzero#!calendar.

Troy Shoreland @ Boom Pony, 3/6/13

It is extremely hard to put into words how much I love Troy's music.  His lyrics inspire me to write beyond any other music I've ever listened to.  The reasoning behind this is because his lyrics are inspiring and uplifting.  They give hope to those who might have had a bad day or might have heard some bad news over the course of the week.  

When I listen to him play, my worries melt away.  That's one of the goals of a singer, I think...I'm not a singer by any definition of the word--I do sing but not professionally--but I think one of the goals for any musician is to captivate the audience and make them forget their worries for an hour.  Troy accomplishes this tenfold.  He lives his lyrics.

Troy played at the Boom Pony tonight, which is owned by Kiran Sporg and Andi Karsin.  The venue is always changing, and always evolving.  Each season Kiran thinks of a new theme and builds around it.  This time the Boom is a beach venue complete with a separate sim where you can go surfing.

If you've never heard Troy Shoreland or The Follow, make sure you join their group and keep track of them on Facebook.  Troy and his band are NOT to be missed!

Strum Diesel @ The Roof – February 20, 2013

Of all the musicians in SL, Strum is my favorite.  He’s the second musician I ever saw, having stumbled upon one of his concerts on February 27, 2010.  I only saw a few minutes of his concert that day, but those few minutes made me an instant fan.  I became good friends with him as well.

Strum has the highest energy out of all the musicians in SL, or at least he’s the most enthusiastic.  He pays attention to local chat, greets people as they come in, and is appreciative of every single tip he receives.  His songs are thought provoking and inspiring not because of the subjects he writes about, but because they inspire me and every single person who attends his concerts.

Strum’s concert at The Roof tonight was absolutely fantastic.  The highlight of the concert for me was a bluesy rendition of “Mother Earth”.  You could hear the sincerity in his voice and the energy he gave to the song.  He puts every single bit of emotion he has into each song.  The Roof is owned by Lingual Markus, who brings awesome musicians to the venue twice a week on Monday and Wednesday nights.  There’s also an art gallery below the venue that you should check out.

If you want to catch one of Strum’s concerts, check out his calendar at https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=f3mipth9660tf2m8qrh5ik3qms@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York&gsessionid=OK .  You won’t be disappointed!

Mulder Watts @ Key West - February 19, 2013

Mulder Watts played a beautiful concert tonight with a guitar he hadn’t used in awhile.  You could just hear the guitar singing in appreciation—the rich tones lit up the seas that the venue is on.  

Mulder is a very gifted musician and an amazing songwriter—songs like “Light of Love”, “Minstrel Without A Face, and “Higher Ground” are songs that will warm anyone’s heart.  Mulder sometimes duals with Voodoo Shilton, which is truly an achievement beyond my understanding—one cannot hear the other but they are perfectly synched--but he shines in his solo concerts.

Key West is a lovely venue run by Liz Harley, who brings in so many musicians to make sure there is a variety of music all will love.  I hope it will continue to be a gathering place for friends and musicians for many years to come.

If you’ve never heard Mulder Watts, make sure to check out his calendar at https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=mulder.watts%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago

 and get yourself to a show—you won’t be sorry!

CQ Bravin At Rhia's Poem - February 18, 2013

CQ Bravin, up until about a month ago, hadn’t played in SL for about two years, having left SL completely.  Then, a month ago, he returned to SL and played at The Roof, which is owned by Lingual Markus.  “It’s really good to be back,” he said tonight at Rhia’s Poem, which is owned by Meegan Danitz and Rhi Zane.  February Jinx is the music manager for the venue and books some of the best musicians in SL.

Rhia’s Poem is situated on a beach and has a very relaxed atmosphere.  Some musicians sense this relaxed atmosphere and sit on the edge of the stage.  It’s the type of place where you’ll see other musicians like Lyrica Acoustic and Beamer Lowtide hanging out to listen to CQ play.  February and Meegan welcome each and every person to the venue with open arms and encourage them to dance or pull up one of the comfy pillows and stay awhile.

CQ has a voice unlike any I’ve heard in SL.  His smoky voice cuts through each word and creates a haunting lilt to each sad song he plays and a joyful tone to every happy song he sings.  He interacts with the audience and pays attention to local—which not every singer does.  He makes you truly feel like you’re sitting there in his living room listening.

If you’ve never heard CQ, please make sure you check his calendar at https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=thecolorfulquiet%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles and attend one of his upcoming shows—you won’t be disappointed.  J

Sim Hopping

This will be a regular feature on the blog.  I love to sim hop.  This involves typing in a random word into the map and looking at sims.  I avoid residences and private sims; anything divided up into four quadrants--unless it looks interesting.  :)  Today's word was mist.  Sometimes the sim I find is next to a sim with the word mist in it, as this sim was.

Fish by In Yan, Butterflies by Yooma Mayo @ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DHSL02/131/128/21

This was quite an interesting sim--the terrain below the fish is made out of a plethora of mesh--squares of mesh placed close together.  In Yan teaches at Digital Hollywood Graduate School in Tokyo, Japan.  These fish--and a few others that are a BEAUTIFUL silvery white--seem to glide over the terrain with ease.

That got me thinking about the word silver.  I typed Silver into the map and landed on Silver Forest, the home and inworld photography studio of Kai Stoller.  Her house is made by Apple Fall, who owns a furniture store by that name.  I'll be heading there next.

Kai Stoller's home and Studio @ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Diamonds%20and%20Pearls/40/202/2002

On Kai's sim there are four islands.  The house is on one.  On another island is a playable Candyland board made by Gracie Paperdoll.  :)

Apple Fall is an awesome mesh furniture store--and they sell prefabs as well.  If you go to the back of the store and teleport to the workshop, they're having a 50% off sale there.

The workshop is also for sale...imagine my surprise when I read on the wall that it was inspired by Howl's Moving Castle, one of my FAVORITE movies.  :)

You just never know what you'll find in Second Life.  :)

Arriving In Chaos And Light

It is evident upon landing at LEA 23 that, although “The Inevitability of Fate” is not yet finished, there is much to see.   The sim, created by Rose Borchovski, depicts the story of Angry Beth and the child lot during a war.  A child carrying a fish under their arm greets visitors.  She stares to the sky, bubbles emanating from her mouth, as if she too has become what she might fear.  The terrain is surrounded in water, with a hill off to the right.  Instead of a sea bed, the terrain is covered in words.

    At the landing point, the eye is drawn to a man with an illustration for a body.  The illustration depicts just what happens if one is overwhelmed with greed—in this case, a large fish has discovered that food isn’t everything.  The man’s heart lies atop this illustration, forever beating.  Stretching across the sim borders are large posters with similar cursive print as the terrain below the waters.

    I click the teleporter to travel to the main part of the exhibit.  I am greeted with more children.  One bedecked in swimming trunks and a party hat has caught a fish while another child looks on beating a drum.  Yet, the expression on their faces is one of fear.

The expression on their faces is one unlike I have ever seen on a mesh sculpture.  It evokes such a powerful mixture of fear and horror.  Behind them is the city, the night sky only lit with light from windows.  Perhaps they were ordered to bring home the evening meal.  A pig and rat look on from their feet with similar expressions of horror on their faces.

    Looking below, I spot a mountain of pigs that have seen better days.  Perhaps they were also a circumstance of fate, destined for someone’s dinner plate.  There is a play on words with two mesh signs: “Fool” and “Full”.  

Below this, I discover what I missed from my limited draw distance on the ground—a large mesh fish, snagged by a fish hook and wrapped by the fish hook with a cavalcade of characters and objects balancing on its fins.

   

    It is clear what this sim’s message is—children are hurt by war, even if they did not witness it.  Children can be affected by war even if they hear no mention of it from family or friends.  Media can spread the news quite easily, and nowadays, most children hear it on television or perhaps hear their parents talking about it.  There is no way to shelter children from this news—we can only explain to them that war happens when people disagree, and it can lead to horrible consequences.

Yet in this darkness, there is a speck of light.  There are still wonderful things happening in the world.  People still go out of their way to help others, to shelter them from the storms of war.  It is through this light that we discover our true character, and as a result, ourselves.

If you’ve never been to Rose Borchovski’s LEA exhibit on LEA 23, please take the time to do so.  She has spent a LOT of time painstakingly placing each prim into place.  It is a sim everyone needs to see, and everyone will, I think, come out of it with a different message.