Here’s a nice serving of chill to bring your stress levels back down, courtesy of Misch Lameth, guitar picker extraordinaire and all round super modest guy.

Misch is a good friend of the old Three Lions gang, he would often come over while we were building or sitting passing the day away and start an impromptu gig, his skills as an all round guitarist are first rate, but it’s the Martin that I love hearing him play the most, Martins still are my all time favourite steel string acoustics.
Misch has his own Youtube channel under the name of edudzzaj where he regularly posts new videos of his music. Misch doesn’t do as many gigs in SL as a lot of artists, he plays when he feels like playing and thats the fun with Misch, his gigs lack any kind of planning whatsoever, he just plays what comes into his head at the time. Oh and don’t be surprised if he stops halfway to go get a beer. Give him a minute and he’ll be back. No rush!

Rich Desoto is the Second Life Persona of Rich Palmer, musician and producer from the USA. Rich has been performing in SL for around three years now and has built up a large following, his shows always pack out a sim and his song ‘Avator Girl has gained cult status in world.  Rich has also appeared in the press and on TV as an unofficial ambassador for Second Life and virtual worlds technology.

I had the good fortune to catch up with Rich after his set at this month’s Originals Show at Rastafairy Beach and he graciously agreed to an interview for The Herald…..

How did you get into Second Life? Did you join specifically to perform or did the music side come later?

I started in April 2006 to network and communicate with independent media producers (podcasters).  I learned of the music opportunities while visiting Spin Martin’s open mic night.  Some of the performers that I remember then included FoxyFlwr Cure and Cylindrian Rutabaga.

Can you describe your musical influences? Are there any performers in SL that you particularly admire?

I am a student of many types of music.  I often say my influences range from Aerosmith to Tchaikovsky.  I’m a fan of the Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra and Collective Soul, but have been told that my vocal style often sounds like Tom Petty or Warren Zevon.
There are many SL musicians that I admire.  There is a tremendous amount of talent in the world.  I’m glad that some of them share it with us through Second Life.

Musicians can be put off from performing in Second Life due to the technical knowledge needed to create a good sounding stream, I presume your RL background in producing helped you with this but do you have any tips for essential equipment and setup for SL musicians?

I think that most musicians have a bit of “tech savvy” to some point.  If they can figure out how to plug a microphone into an interface to get it into the computer they have the basics.  There are a variety of software programs out there that help them connect to the stream channels.  I personally like Simplecast, but know many that use an open source program called “broadcast using this tool (BUTT).  I have used it in the past, but the software has been failing me quite a bit recently.  I prefer to stick to Simplecast.
My own setup includes a twelve channel mixer with a series of rack effects, an Audio Technica AT4040 mic for pure acoustic performances, and a Line 6 X3 Live for mixing guitars, effects and vocals when I want to spice it up a bit.  The mixer has a USB interface, so that helps simplify the connect quite a bit.

A lot of clubs have their own unique regulars that make a venue special, do you have a favourite place to play in SL?

I have had a few regular places that I’ve always enjoyed playing.  I have a blast playing any of the Dublin based clubs, including Fibber Magees and the Blarney Stone.  I am a huge fan of the Hummingbird Cafe open mic and regret that I can’t get there more often.  I also truly appreciate Rocky Shores and the group that coordinates shows there.

I saw your interview with fox45, it was refreshing to see Second Life portrayed in a
positive light, do you think the media in general are starting to understand SL better now or do you still get the cliche questions?

I don’t think the mainstream media can ever truly understand SL.  The people that report would have to be fully immersed in the environment to have any perception of what it is.  The stories that are reported are often from an outsider view or from a person that starts a new account just to put their toe in the water.

One of the most exciting aspects of performing live music in Second Life is the ability to reach a Worldwide audience and gain huge fan bases that would have been impossible before now. Do you think from a musicians perspective that this is worth the trade off of not actually playing before a physical audience with the associated audience interaction?

I think that it is an additional resource for reaching audiences that you would not otherwise reach.  There is no trade-off for me.  It’s a different venue, a different experience.  In Second Life people can provide me with immediate feedback to a song.  They often tell me what they think of a new song or a different approach to performing some of my regular tunes.  They engage in conversation that I can see.  I don’t get that in a live performance.  I know people are talking, I can see that they are having fun, but I don’t often know if that is the result of my performance or other influences.  In Second Life I know what it is that they are sharing with each other.  If it is something unrelated to my performance I will know.  (But I sometimes make that part of the show, too, which creates an entirely new dynamic.)

How do you see Live Music developing in the future in Second Life? Is there anything more that you think Linden Labs or venue owners could be doing to improve the virtual gig experience?

Who knows?  I never thought that there would hundreds of musicians performing in Second Life.  When I started it seems there were fewer than 50 of us.  I have no idea what LL could or should be doing to improve the experience aside from better promotion and more recognition of the huge community that exists around live music.

Do you have any advice for real life musicians thinking of trying out Second Life as a performance media?

I would always encourage them to visit the performances that are being done.  See how the crowds work; learn how to react in an entirely different performance environment; learn what types of “stage personality” works with the people listening.  Most of all, don’t expect it to work like a physical venue.  There are ways to work around the limitations of a physical club.  Explore options, get creative, think beyond the confines of surfaces, gravity and tradition.

Final question, any plans for an Avatar Girl reissue? I’m thinking an extended techno garage jungle dance remix would be a go down a storm in the clubs

Avatar Girl as a song actually exists in several versions.  There is a somewhat “techno” version that was used as the theme song for Yxes Delacroix and Banana Stein’s podcast called “GB Affair.”  I do have a club type version that has never been heard by any SL audiences.  I have been holding on to it for possible inclusion on my album project (or as a potential bonus track).  Time will tell how it is introduced.

You can find more about Rich Desoto/Palmer, listen to Mp3s and check out his upcoming live performance dates at richpalmer.com

Here is the interview Rich did, along with his RL and SL partner, Sierra Corleone for FOX45…
Rich Desoto and Sierra Corleone on FOX45 News

To be honest I had already dismissed it in my head beforehand as just a Twitter clone, short micro blog style announcements to the world with a social element. While it does share the same basic set up as Twitter, short 140 character messages viewable by your followers, It’s the interface i think that makes Plurk so different. Instead of a list view of either your own posts or those of people you follow, Plurk sets them all out  in a horizontally scrollable timeline.

Here’s where it gets fun though, if you click on any of the posts or plurks then an Instant Messaging style box opens with all the recent Plurk responses showing. This not only makes it incredibly easy to keep track of responses, It potentially turns each Plurk into an instant conversation, joining in the conversation is as easy as replying to an Instant Message and a simple comment can turn into an epic debate or a fun way of checking in with friends and catching up on the latest goings on. You can post links in the same way as with Twitter but the responses seem so much more instant with the Plurk layout and really encourage conversation.

I dont see Plurk as a replacement for Twitter though. While it has many advantages over Twitter such as ease of use, the brilliantly simple user  interface and the instantly more sociable feel, it does have a couple of drawbacks to Twitter. The fact that its so easy to hop into conversations and start new ones makes it a lot more instant than Twitter and even with just a handful of friends, it gets impossible to keep up with everything going on, not to mention a huge timehog if you were to try. Much more fun just to join in with random topics. While this is a lot of fun, it makes it very difficult to use Plurk in the same way that you would use Twitter for making announcements or sending out blog update links for instance, they just get buried in amongst all the other Plurks on the timeline.

I think I will end up using both Twitter and Plurk but in different ways, Twitter for blog updates because its far easier for subscribers to see those updates in Twitter, and Plurk as a fun way of keeping in touch with friends. Think of Plurk as a natural progression of Instant Messaging and less as a Twitter clone and like me, you will get the point of it.

Eventually!

For 2009, The Originals have teamed up with Fox Reinsch who is now providing live simultaneous broadcasts of all the shows over at IndieSpectrum Radio so if you cannot get to the venue you can listen via the website. You can even pick up free IndieSpectrum radios here for your land and listen in your own SL home. Fox provides an invaluable resource with Indiespectrum Radio, for both musicians and music fans alike.

I have posted videos in the SL Live Music Videos section of this site of three of the artists from yesterday’s show, Zorch Boomhauer, Rich Desoto and Juel Resistance. You can find out the latest on upcoming Originals shows at http://www.myspace.com/theoriginals_sl or by contacting Harrie Skjellerup or POL Arida in Second Life.

Still trying to find the pdf file i had of the PC Pro Magazine feature, I’ll add it here when I do

Here’s another ‘meant to do before i went to holland but didn’t have time’ post.
I have seen Shagpile Spyker’s name in various SL gig listings for a while now, but it wasnt until earlier this month that I got to see him play for the first time at Club CasaBlanca, home to the regular Fluffy Friday events hosted by Fluffy Forwzy. If you havent been to a Fluffy Friday event, you are missing a real treat. Fluffy puts a lot of love and attention into several hours of live music every friday and each week is based on a different theme. And did i mention it’s all set inside Fluffyland Funpark? Loads of fun!

Shagpile is from from Newcastle in the north of England. He plays acoustic guitar in Second Life and he lists his influences as ‘Ray Lamontagne, Paolo Nutini, Kelly Joe Phelps,Tommy Emmanuel , Tenacious D, The Black Crowes, James Morrison ,The Beatles and Bob Dylan’  to name a few. I love his down to earth Geordie manner, he lets the songs do the talking and his shows are relaxed and informal. Definitely another welcome addition to the Virtual Herald gig guide listings.

You can find more information on Shagpile, along with mp3s at shagpile.org

Lexie Luan

I really meant to post this last week, but with all the rushing around before I went over to Holland, I have only just got around to it.

Earlier this month, I had the good fortune to hear Lexie Luan for the first time  in Second Life at The Old Barn, a charming and friendly music venue owned by Sternchen Bellic. Lexie aka Lexie Smith from Philadelphia has been playing in SL for some time now and has quite a following. Listening to her at The Old Barn, it’s easy to see why, Lexi performs with an infectious, mischievous, sometimes self deprecating humour that gives way to moments of deep emotional outpourings. It is obvious that Lexie has experienced a colourful life from her songwriting.

Lexie’s style is pretty unique, my initial impressions were that she has a similar gritty emotional voice to singers like Patti Smith and Marian Faithful, not perfect in the classical sense but perfect for her personality and style of music. I thought her guitar was a little overbearing at first but after a couple of songs i had changed my mind, Lexie plays guitar like she sings, in your face and raucous one moment, raw and self conscious the next. There’s no benign background strumming going on here!

I like Lexie Luan, there is something about her performing that makes you take notice of the lyrics and what she has to say. Definitely a recommended artist to see in SL and as with all featured artists, I will be listing her upcoming gigs in the SL Gig Guide section.

I have posted a video of Lexie Luan performing ‘I Could Get Used To You’ at The Old Barn Music Venue in the SL Live Music Videos section of this site.
You can also check out more of Lexie’s music at http://www.myspace.com/thelexiesmithband

I’m in Holland visiting kai for the next few days, so there will be no new posts this week.

I’ll be updating gig guide and Twitter as normal.

Phill

There are already a few test videos on both galleries and there’s more to come over the following months. Please be aware that the videos are all self hosted though, so I would be grateful if you didn’t embed them into other sites without getting in touch with me first.

If you are a performing musician in Second Life and wish to be added to the video section, you can get in touch via the Contact Phill tab in the menu bar at the top of this page.

Hope you enjoy
Phill

Carmen Roeth

Carmen Roeth hails from The Netherlands and has been singing professionally for the past 22 years. She sings a variety of styles including Jazz, Country and Rock and Roll. She now sings exclusively in Second Life and a very welcome addition to the SL live music scene she is too!

kai and I saw Carmen this week at The Lighthouse Ballroom on the Bordanillo sim. She sang a selection of ballads and favourites to an appreciative crowd, many of whom were obvious followers of her live performances. Carmen has a  friendly stage presence and it’s always good to see SL artists conversing with their audience between songs.

I particularly liked her renditions of How ‘Bout Us, That Old Devil called Love and Just When I Needed You Most. I have posted videos of the first two in the new SL Live Music Videos section of this site. As with other artists featured here, i will be adding Carmen’s upcoming dates to Phill’s SL Gig Guide.