Interview With Steven Strikker, Zodiack Grid Musician

 

Recently, Netera Landar interviewed Steven Strikker. Although a resident in Second Life, who attends a number of music events here, he does his own performances in the Opensim Zodiack Grid. In real life, he's a musician who's spent years on the piano and guitar, leading to taking part in a band playing music for audiences. So what did he have to say to Netera?

 

Read Netera's article in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.  

Interview With Veo Voom

 

In Netera Landar's latest article, she interviews the musician Veo Voom. When first seen, he was an unusual sight, covered in tattoos, wearing a raccoon t-shirt, and playing a guitar resembling a pizza. “I think I’ve always been unapologetically myself," he would say.  A longtime musician in real life, once he found out about Second Life, "I dove down the beautiful rabbit hole of live music." He would talk about this, and more. 

 

 Read Netera's interview in People.

 

The Ever-Turning Experience Of Joel Eilde

 

Netera Landar recently interviewed singer/songwriter Joel Eilde, who has been performing in Second Life for years. He enjoys focusing on numerous genres. He spoke with Netera about his love of creating music.

 

Read Netera's interview in People. 

 

Interview With Twin Ghost

 

Netera Landar recently interviewed the musician Twin Ghost. Unlike many musicians here in Second Life, Twin got his start in real life, as one of the members of a band in his older teens and even signing up with a major company and touring the country. These days, he can be found playing at venues inworld. Netera would have a number of questions for him, such as what brought him back here after an absence. 

 

Read Netera's interview in People.

 

Interview With Maestro (Mythrilweaver Atlas)

 

Recently at an event, Netera Landar ran into a talented resident named Maestro / Mithrilweaver Atlas. Also known as Konstantin the Mithrilweaver, he's an accomplished singer and songwriter, as well as a writer of poetry. Netera would interview him about these and more. 

 

Read Netera's interview in People.

 

Announcement: Wake For SL Musician Reno Jones

 

A reliable source has told the Newser that SL musician Reno Jones has passed away. There will be a wake for him at his Reno's Junkyard venue at 7PM tonight, (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mishiland/216/184/1701)    

In his profile, Reno would say of himself, "I've been playin' guitar since I was 10. Started singing out of pure necessity when I was 15. Wrote my first good song that year. I've been fortunate to make music with some of the best I Love it all.  5th Generation Californian.

 

"Reno Jones' singing and guitar playing defies all expectations. 'A voice like golf balls in a dryer.', and "'You call this music?', are just a few of the things critics have said about Reno Jones' musical stylings. Mixing it all up in a blender, Reno Jones covers songs from the 1920's to the 2020's; from Louis Armstrong to Foo Fighters to Tom Waits to Radiohead and even originals, Reno adds his unique spin to all genres. As a studio musician and recording engineer for many decades, Reno has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Train, Foo Fighters, YES, Tom Petty and David Bowie.'

 

"Every Linden I make from performing fees and tips goes directly to American Cancer Society's Relay-For-Life. Thank you in advance!" 

Once again, the wake is at 7PM tonight at Mishiland (216/184/1701)

Rest in peace. 

Frets Nirvana Performs at Veterans Isle HFOT Benefit

 

 

 At Veterans Isle yesterday, September 17 at 2PM SL time, a noted performer came out of his hiatus. Frets Nirvana, known best for his help in organizing fundraisers for Homes For Our Troops, was once again picking up his guitar and singing after a break from performing. 

It has been quite a while but I am happy to inform you that inspiration has hit and I will once again climb the stage in Second Life today September 17 @ 2 PM.  I will be performing at the Veterans Isle hangar and all tips/donations are going to our efforts for HFOT in Second Life.  You can expect a new repertoire of tunes and hopefully my music has gotten better with age.  Rest assured that it has still been a big part of my life even though I have not been performing it in SL for quite a while.  My intention is to once again inspire you and put a smile on your day with music.  I hope to see you today at Veterans Isle.  We will see where life’s musical adventure takes us after this!  David Steel has been kind enough to offer his DJ talents at 1 PM prior to my performance so come on out early and have a great Sunday afternoon.

 Frets performed for a moderate though enthusiastic crowd, which dropped money into two house-shaped kiosks on either side of the stage. Bri McMahon, who was assisting, would thank them, "tysm for your generous donations to HFOTS! ... tp in your friends, don't let them miss out on Mr Frets being back for a special concert, or miss out on helping us Build Homes and Rebuild Lives along with Homes for  Our Troops!" She would continue to say more, "365 homes built, 74 current projects going, and 90 cents on the dollar goes directly to the program. ... Homes for Our Troops is a BBB Accredited Top Rated Military and Veteran Charity that will never cold call you asking for donations. ... Their mission: To build and donate specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.... Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents out of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services for Veterans. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives. ..."

There was also some musing during the event, "Sorry xxxxxxx, didn't mean to kick ya like a can can girl." "I can't feel my avi butt." There was someone using the  "LEEROYYYYY JENKINS!!!!!" gesture. And there was someone with an unusual name, "Welcome, ThisPainsme."

At the end of the event, a total of 40,000 Linden dollars had been raised. Frets kept his promise, and donated an additional 40,000 L, bringing the total to 80,000 Linden dollars.

Fundraising events at Veterans Isle are usually on the first Wednesday of every month. But there have been occasional additional ones. For more information on Homes For Our Troops, click here: https://www.hfotusa.org/.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

EOTB: SL20B Open For Applications For Music Fest And General Performers

 

 

The big news about Linden Lab's announcement a few days ago was that they had chosen the theme and logo for this year's Second Life Birthday: "Our Fantastic Future." But there was more. They were also accepting applications for positions at the event as general performers, and applications for positions in the Music Fest. 

... we are opening applications for Music Fest, to be held on June 22nd-24th. Music Fest will kick off the overall SL20B celebration with three days of live music performances featuring some of the most talented live musicians in Second Life! ... We are also opening up applications for the general performance schedule. Why celebrate for one day when we can party for a week?! We are looking for all types of performers to join the week-long festivities from June 25th to July 2nd. Are you a DJ who can spin up a great party set or a live performer who can jam all night? You might be one of the grid’s amazing Dance companies, or perhaps you’re a Particle Performer? One of the things that makes Second Life so vibrant and exciting is the wide range of performers who share their talent with our Residents. Whatever your medium, we would love to hear from you!

To apply for the SLB Music Fest, one needs to fill out this Google doc (link). The doc needs to be filled out by April 9. While musicians were paid by the Lab in past years, it will not be the case this year but they can still rezz a tip jar, and 350 prims (LI) worth of props. It is to be understood that this is a family-friendly event, and song lyrics must be G-rated. Performance times are an hour each, and showing up on time is necessary to take part. Musicians must also be able to use the event's own stream.

To apply to be an SLB general performer, you need to fill out this Google doc (link). Conditions are much the same as Music Fest Musicians. But if the performance is a group one, such as a dance troope, the prim allowance for props will be raised to 1000 prims (LI). Changes of information, such as names, and time are allowed up to 48 hours of the event. 

No applications are available for event volunteer staff yet. Presumably they will be out soon.

The Music Fest itself runs from Thursday June 22 to Sunday June 24. The SL20B goes on from Thursday June 22 to Tuesday July 11. The Music Fest began in 2015 in the days when Second Life Birthdays were run not by the Lab, but by a resident-run volunteer team. It would be the start of Linden Lab's gradual re-involvement in the Second Life Birthday. Eventually, the Lab would take full control of the SLB events, but the Music Fest would remain.

Bixyl Shuftan

Musician Paul Nowles Has Died

Second Life musician Paul Nowles has passed away. The news was announced by the Second Life Enquirer yesterday that he had died Thursday July 7. Paul had been an active live musician on the grid for a number of years, performing at places such as Veterans Isle, Raglan Shire, Patriot Island, Club Lion, The Firestorm Gateway, and others. This included numerous charity events, as well as for memorial tributes.

The Second Life Enquirer would say of him, "Paul was a beautiful soul who shared his talent with fans across the grid. Not only was he a great entertainer, but he was also kind and a dear friend to not only us but to many. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. He will be missed by many."

The Enquirer would reprint a September 2020 interview, which can be read (here).
 

SLEA Bridge Project And Steve Who

 

Gemma Cleanslate recently went back to the Second Life Endowment of the Arts, the SLEA, and found a couple noteworthy happenings. One was the SLEA Bridge Project, which aims to "shorten that distance between YOU and an immersive arts experience in SL." The other at the SLEA's Street Cafe was a Steve Who. So who is Steve Who? A real-life musician with a following in Second Life.

Read Gemma's story in Design.

A Second Life Musician Says "Thank You"

 *
The following was posted on the Second Life Forums on Sunday November 29 by a Da5id Weatherwax, titled, "A moment to say 'Thank you.'"

*  *  *  *  *

As my friends across the pond were preparing to celebrate a rather strange Thanksgiving I was doing what I normally do as part of preparation for any week, putting the finishing touches to, and rehearsing, the set list(s) I would be playing in the coming week. It struck me that I had something enormous to be truly thankful for in these troubled times. I haven't picked up a busking pitch or played a RL live gig or session since late February. All the RL venues here closed in early March, all bookings cancelled until further notice. Even when this lovely city, a true hotspot of the arts and performance, was not under the most severe public health restrictions nobody who could be out and about would gather to listen to a busker and the po-po would tell that busker to move smartly along if they did. It's almost impossible to sing through a mask anyway.

Like so many of my colleagues in performance I was instantly unemployed. My usual fallbacks when I wasn't getting bookings as a performer were also gone, because there was no work as a sound or lighting tech either. Hundreds of other performers were in the same position, having to take whatever they could get as a "day job" just to keep the lights on and the fridge full. In the music industry you're used to "living on your wits" somewhat but I know from personal chats with others that even after all this shakes down there will be some who will not be returning to the stage. I'm not talking about the real tragedies, of the voices we will no longer hear because the pandemic has taken them from us, but of the small-venue musicians who can no longer summon up the energy, the fire, to break free of the rat race a second time. They know, from sometimes bitter personal experience, how great a leap into the unknown launching a career in the arts is, how precarious it is and how numbing the fear can become. Deep in their hearts, way too many of us know that we don't have it within us to do that again.

I have something to sustain me that most of them don't. I have YOU.

It is you,the population of SL, who have continued to show up to my sets, continued to appreciate my performances and kept my sense of identity as a musician alive. I'm still putting a set list together every week because I'm bringing it to you and you're showing up to hear it. Even though that soul-crushing day job is blowing massive holes in my schedule, I'm still a performer because of you.

So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. You are what I have reason to be thankful for this season.

*  *  *  *  * 

Da5id Weatherwax's post didn't have many responses yet, but perhaps this will soon increase as word gets around.

Source: Second Life Forums 

EOTB: "Music Mondays" Showcasing Musicians In Second Life

Last week, Tara Linden announced there would soon be a weekly post in the official blog, "Music Mondays."

We are very excited to announce a brand new initiative that aims to highlight the many talented musicians of Second Life. Our virtual world has a thriving community of artists who span a vibrant range of styles. At any moment in Second Life, you’ll find live music performances occurring across the many clubs and venues that are a key part of the fabric that makes up the Second Life community. We feel that the music scene in Second Life deserves wider recognition and promotion -- and that’s why we’ve created Music Mondays.

Tara would go on to add the Lab would try to make the residents more aware of the music scene and feature some musicians in it's "Lab Gab" show.

On Monday July 13, Tara would start the series with Quartz. Quartz answered a number of questions, such as, "What aspects of the SL music community are the most meaningful to you?" He answered, "The support of the fans in SL for live music and the arts. In RL, it's so hard to generate an audience appreciative of performing artists to come to the shows. I have some really great fans that come out consistently and support me & the SLive Music venues. I'm very grateful for all of them. I've been told I have some of the best fans out there by venue owners. That makes me very happy."

For the complete interview, Click Here.

Interview With Guitarist Jon Bazar

A musician has returned to Second Life after a five year hiatus: Jon Bazar. A guitarist in both real life and Second Life, he had to take a break due to real life. The Newser recently had a chance to set with him, and he had a few things to say about how he came here and doing music in real life and in virtual reality.

Read the interview in People.

Interview With Aby Teamo-Hastings (AbyGail Hastings)

At the Second Life Birthday celebration, there will be a number of live singers. Among them is Aby Teamo-Hastings (AbyGail Hastings). This active singer has been in Second Life for quite some time. The Newser recently interviewed her, and she had much to say about her singing and her time in Second Life.

Read the interview in People.

Interview With Six String On Being An Aspiring Musician

Second Life has a number of noted musicians. But one has to start somewhere. Looking for someone with dreams of making it big on Second Life and already has been playing live music, Deaflegacy didn't have far to search as her friend Six String has been playing music at one venue, and hopes to find others.

Read Deaflegacy's interview in Extra.

Musician Chip Takacs Dies, Was Minutes From Performance on Stage

In Second Life, we often take many things into consideration. But seldom do we think about death. Sometimes when it arrives, we have a little warning such as when someone announces he or she has cancer and has to take a break from the Grid and later on we sadly hear the person has passed away. Other times, the news comes to us as shock and surprise as someone who was doing fine one day is suddenly dead. Last week however, there was a case in which a man died at his computer just minutes after talking to others and with his avatar still around.

Over the weekend, I heard about the passing of a musician named Chip Takacs. Jen Smith had posted the news on Facebook early Wednesday February 13. She would later post something from Lisa Lavoie.


Just to maybe save someone from having to repeat what happened... Chip was in SL Tuesday morning, around 8am SLT to do a show. He was typing to people in local...and joking around with them, like he always did. A couple of minutes before 8am SLT, they put his stream in as he was getting onto the stage. But he never turned the stream on and never started playing.  After awhile, they thought maybe he'd fallen asleep. When it was time for the next performer to go on, they bumped Chip's avi off the stage so the next performer could play.

This afternoon, they found out that Chip had passed away. A RL friend of his, who is also a performer in SL, confirmed it after speaking with Chip's RL wife. Speculation is a massive heart attack, but they are going to do a private autopsy to verify that.

As of the time I write this...which is nearing midnight SLT...Chip is still logged in and standing in front of the stage where he never got to do that final show. His computer is still logged in and no one has shut it down. Once that happens, or the sim restarts....he won't be in SL anymore either.

Around 9pm a small group gathered where Chip stands to try and console each other and deal with the shock of losing another SL musician and friend. It started with a handful of us...and as I logged out at midnight SLT, there were 60+ standing around swapping stories, passing the mic and spreading the word that we lost another one.

 The uniqueness of this loss was that Chip was still with us in SL. He's still there, as we remember him....but he's not really there. He's really gone. It was both eerie and comforting to be able to stand there with him...in honor of what he meant to each of us individually. It was quite a moment in my SL history. When we all just stood there with a fallen friend, not wanting to leave him standing alone....knowing that at some point, he will be logged out for the final time.


There were numerous messages of condolences after Jen Smith's post, "So sad to hear of his passing (sad) He was one of a kind. He will be missed. RIP Chip." "RIP Chip my friend.You will never be forgotten, always in my heart." "Chip was a Great Person." On Second Life, there was a memorial concert for Chip on the night of Friday February 15, scheduled to last until Saturday morning, "it is booked solid until 9:30am SLT on Saturday morning....and that's just from the performers who were standing there with Chip tonight."




Chip, or Michael Taska as he's known there, does have a recording of him singing on Youtube.

For many users, the sudden passing of someone is something they do not know how to react to. To many others, it's a reminder that death can come without warning, even while you're seemingly safe at your computer. In any event, it's a sad time for the friends and family of this musician in real life and Second Life.


Hat Tip: Annie Oh (AnnieBrightstar Resident)

Bixyl Shuftan

A Favourite Irish Musician Returns to Perform at Music Island

Dainial had been a live musician in Second Life up to about two years ago, then took a hiatus. Earlier this month, he ended his break with a performance at Music Island. Klaus Bereznyak was there, and had a seat among those in the audience as he played music inspired by traditional Irish folk songs.

Read Klaus' article in People.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Cape Heron. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

Memorial Concert for Maxx Sabertooth

On July 26, a memorial concert was held for Maxx Sabertooth. Maxx was a live musician, whom was noted for his rhythm and blues music. He has been performing in Second Life for several years, at events as far back as 2012. He had performed at some charity events such as Homes For Our Troops, and the RFL Christmas Expo.

Unfortunately, Maxx was having trouble with his health in the past few years. In July 2017, a fundraising concert to help pay for medical expenses was done by fans and other supporters. Sadly, this was not enough. On July 20, there was an announcement in his fan group that he had died the day before.

As many of you may already know, Our beloved Maxx passed away yesterday after a long fight with heart disease.  He was loved by all of us and his music will be missed by all.

Over the next few days, a memorial event was planned and a memorial grounds area set up. When all was ready, an announcement was made.

Please join us today as we remember the life of Maxx Sabretooth.  Memorial service starting at 4:00 pm SLT.  Please use the landmark as the memorial is taking place at Maxx Sabretooth Memorial Garden.

Several musicians would perform at the event, which included names such as Maximillion Klene and Keeba Tammas in the schedule. When I dropped in at 8PM, the concert was still going on with over forty people at the grounds. Frets Nirvana, best known for his Veterans' charity benefits, had taken the stage.

 At 8:30PM, Paul Nowles would perform, going on to 9PM (Midnight EST), when the event came to a close.

The Maxx Sabertooth Memorial Garden is at Make it R3ign (185/220/26)

Bixyl Shuftan

Ari at Cape Heron

Deaflegacy recently had a friend of hers playing in her community at Virtual Ability: Arisia Vita. Better known as "Ari," he has played piano music in places such as Creations for Parkinson's, and events such as the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference. Deaflegacy had a few words with the people gathering around as they listened to the tunes.

Read Deaflegacy's story in People.