M 3 - Metaverse Live Music Publication by Reslez Steeplechase

Issue # 5 Sep 09

Metaverse Live Music Publication

All Matters Of Music Because All Music Matters

Get your concert tickets yet?

M MMMontreal

3 Parties at

*** new column!

1 yearary

rs e v i n An n Editio

Nuts and Bolts

Soundman:

Optimize your broadcast sound

Editor's Note Welcome to issue #5 of M3 which marks our first anniversary and is our biggest issue to date. It has our usual mix of columns and articles covering the Second Life music scene, and a breaking news article on page 41 of interest to anyone who operates a music venue in SL. Hard to believe it has been a year since M3 first hit newsstands in SL. It is all due to the hard work and dedication of our staff and writers, and the support of our readers. Our next issue, releasing December 15, we will have details of exciting changes to the magazine coming next year. Help us celebrate this anniversary issue by attending a party on Saturday, September 19 at the Canyon Stage @ Red Rock Mesa located near our offices in the Native Lands sim. As we start our second year we invite your comments and suggestions by e-mail to mom@mattersofmusic.com. Use the e-mail address to contact us if you are interested in writing articles, or if you want to get involved in the magazine production.

1st year

September 19, anniversary starting at 10 am SLT Party Canyon Stage @ Red Rock Mesa

mom@mattersofmusic.com

Table of Contents

// Issue 5 // Sep 2009

Montreal Musicians Meetup 2009 SL Musos make the “Cross-Over” to Canada

Prankster Nation From the ground up, truly a Second Life® Live Music Community

Rapper Kafka Happenin‘ Rappin in Second Life® Clic

Nuts and Bolts Case Munro with a bird’s-eye view of touring and production

Advertiser Index Freestar Bay Kaelaidoscope.nice things Lil Egypt Mid Atlantic Community Ministry of Motion

MP3 By Me Music Hall of Fame ROLE Magazine Stream Team Sonorous Breaks

eP h t k

All ticKety-boo on the grid

by Katydid Something

The Soundman Tweaky, tweaky little star, you want to shine bright as you are

All Tickety-Boo on the Grid Venue think tank focuses on economic change on the concert circuit

Zak Claxton This Device SpaceJunky

Open Mic Directory

Syd Sidran Kourosh Eusebio Funkyfreddy Republic

Impressum Editor Andrew Hellershanks Assistant Editor Shannon Oherlihy Art Layout & Design Kaela Kilara Sales & Distribution Reslez

Publisher Pat Insoo Contributors Bibi Ballinger, Case Munro, Damaris Whitfield, Jura Shepherd, Katydid Something, Shannon Oherlihy, Taff Nouvelle

I woke up very early in the morning Friday, July 24th, to be on the road at 5:00 AM. Our goal was to reach Montreal before noon. The journey took a little over six hours and took us through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York State. We drove through the Adirondack Mountains, which were very beautiful. After spending a few hours in Montreal, we checked into our B&B and prepared for the mixer with all the musicians and fans at Dundee’s Restaurant in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. I was feeling excited and a wee bit nervous at the thought of meeting Second Life® friends and fellow musicians face to face. We were in an upstairs room at Dundee’s, and as people would hit the top of the stairs, curious eyes would turn to see who was ascending. Some introductions were made, drinks were ordered, and sound equipment was set up for our jam session.

We went back to the parking lot to get my guitar out of the car. When we reached the car I noticed the small window on the right side rear passenger seat was smashed. Without even looking, I knew that they had taken my guitar. We had been away from the car less than an hour and had covered the guitar very well.

My only thought is that someone was nearby, watching us do this. The guitar was a 1985 Guild F-30 with a Sunburst design. It bore all the signs of a well-loved guitar and

certainly had the scars to prove it. Regardless of its blemishes, the guitar was irreplaceable. It was like losing a best friend.

After spending nearly an hour on the phone with my insurance company, I returned to the party, which was in full swing. Bosco Constantine, Mash Rhode, and FunkyFreddy Republic were already jamming. Whoever wanted to jump in just shouted out or grabbed a microphone. I sang a few songs, then Norris Shepherd jumped in and we did a couple together. Montian Gilruth, Tamra Sands, JellyJellyJelly Benelli, Maximillion Kleene, Mimi Carpenter, and Jase Branner all took a turn. The party lasted until early morning. Saturday dawned full of promise as a whole day of music and gathering with newfound friends

and renewed acquaintances. The Master of Ceremonies, Montian Gilruth, did a fantastic job coordinating and organizing the musicians and events of the day. Food and beverages were available throughout the day via a local catering company. The day and evening performances were separated by a barbecue which presented musicians and non-performers an opportunity to enjoy each othersÂ´ company. Two stages, one upstairs and one downstairs, featured performances by 14 SL musicians. The concert started at 8:30 AM SLT. The shows were staggered by a half hour and each set was buffered by a half hour

of setup time. Each performer logged in to SL to do his or her show. The main stage also had live video of its performers streaming into SL. Impromptu collaborations created some great music on both stages, with people jumping in to play percussion, sing harmonies, and add extra guitar or bass parts. A friend of Montianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offered me one of his three vintage Martin guitars to play for my set.

Obviously, there was no shortage of guitars, but those Martins were a dream to play and I was touched and grateful for that generous offer. I had an early set on the main stage. Since my music was also stolen I had to scramble for my set list. I was able to print out a few songs, but had to rely on memory for many of them. Norris Shepherd and Montian Gilruth joined me as backup for a couple of the songs.

The evening culminated with a rousing rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” at the end of Norris Shepherd’s set. We said our goodbyes as we cleaned up the main stage area. Of course, there were after parties taking place back at the dorm. I believe they carried on until close to 6:00 AM. On Sunday, a couple of us drove around Montreal, taking in a few of the sights and grabbed lunch at a café before setting off for home. We left Montreal at 6:00 PM and headed south for the United States border and a six-hour drive home.

All in all, 55 people came from all over the world to get together for a weekend of music and friendship. The musicians present were extremely talented and delivered firstrate performances. It was great to get a chance to see them play in a live setting, and also to get to know them. The Montreal Musicians Meetup brought musicians and fans together in the course of a weekend, creating a closer-knit SL music family and a greater appreciation for the presence of live music in Second Life®.

by Bibi Balling

Our music community has lost more venues than it‘s kept. That doesn‘t mean we have fewer, it just means we keep seeing new ones with short life spans. One of the myths of going into the venue business in Second Life® is that you can make money at it. Sure, it‘s an exciting proposition. Build a venue for very little and start making enough to pay the tier and start seeing a profit at the first show. Become a promoter and star in your own right! Well, the joke is on you. You‘ll work your ass off trying to keep the venue open and book musicians. You‘ll fight the prim challenge and hire a few people to work who will or won‘t show up. Get the picture? There are a few, very few, groups that have survived being in the venue business and profit has not

been a motivator because there isn‘t any. The common thread among these groups is a love of the music community and a passion to keep it alive. The Merry Pranksters are one such group with a number of years of camaraderie and immense loyalty. Sharing the work and financial burden seems to be a must when it comes to survivability. This is an all music community of 4 sims called Prankster Nation. Merry Pranksters

has always been welcoming, inclusive, and most new musicians make it a point to appear there. It is a good karma thing to do so and some believe success and longevity as a SL musician depends on it. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t know if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s true but if you look at the wall of fame, all the big stars are there.

and the like. Nancy Lei, KevinBear Watnabe, and Montgomery Steiner soon figured out how to stream music and KevinBear played his original songs for his friends. It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t take long before the crowd of friends grew big enough to need a place to accommodate a dance floor, microphone, and start a schedule of other musicians wanting to join in and play. Two more key players Merry Pranksters was started four years ago by some friends who got eventually joined in to help. Zany together to listen to RL rock and roll; Xevious and Grateful Stryker were also major players in helping build mostly Grateful Dead, Neil Young,

and market the venue and group with Guru Witte being the newest member to help keep things running smoothly. Grateful has gone on to build his own successful group with his close friends. Merry Pranksters is approaching 1000 members today. The investment of time and finances is shared and that has been the key to their survival.

Wednesday night. You‘ll find the big SL stars stopping by just to relax and cut loose. There is a rock museum where any musician or music related vendor can put up their posters for free. Live music is 6 nights a week and special events are often scheduled on Saturdays. Music associated residents live around the base of Sugar Mountain as well.

There are four sims now with numerous stages for different kinds of shows. The main Merry Pranksters sim on Sugar Mountain is where you‘ll still find the original ideas of pass the mic shows such as the Pickin‘ Party on Sunday nights. Mason Thorne has a wild and crazy pass the mic at his Sea Barn every

Prankster South is mainly owned by hexx Triskadekaphobia and her partner jsmn of The Born Again Pagans. She and Zany created a beautiful serene sim with waterways and riding paths. Hexx has her venue here, a wonderful spot in the woods, and Zany has her Cimarron Rose, a western themed

sim. There are only a few private residences here with it being mostly a sim for exploring. Prankster South West is the most recent addition to Prankster Nation.This is mostly a water sim with a small island in the middle housing an imposing fortress. The waters here are open for sailing to residents. Prankster SouthEast is home to the Queendom of Acheron, a Tiny Empires group of around 800 members. Deanna Wrigglesworth is the ruler and has been around SL music for a long time. Bratt Lunasea is a key member of Acheron. Deanna and Bratt have created “The Cup and Spittle” and

“Pirates Cove” for shows. Acheron is the biggest and most grand Tiny Empires sim you‘ll ever visit. It is a must see! While it was built for Acheron members, it is open for all to explore and attend the music shows. You might want to join this active community as the game of Tiny Empires is really fun and addictive. Prankster Nation is totally non profit. Zany Xevious, the actual land owner, leases land for the amount that she pays Linden Lab to own. The sims are resided on, and cared for, by music community members. There are several reasons people are drawn to Prankster Nation.

There is an atmosphere of peace and camaraderie. As a musician, venue owner or host, supporter, or a fan, music is the common thread. Pranskter Nation is actually made up of four groups, totaling more than 2000 members. Merry Pranksters, Born Again Pagans, Acheron, and the Mason Family worked together to cross market activities and events. As Second LifeÂŽ grows and evolves, there will be new and varied ways of insuring business survivability. Amazing when you consider that it will come from average people with perhaps little or no corporate

management or big business experience. With the real world economy struggling at the moment, we are seeing the birth of lots of small businesses around the globe. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s a real stretch to think big business and governments could learn something from virtual worlds but it took a lot of optimism to create Second Life so why not?

by Jura Shepherd

Nuts and Bolts by Case Munro

Starting a new column about the music business kind of feels like starting a new 12 step program. “Hi, my name is Case Munro, and I’m a musician.”

It’s certainly been impossible to quit the business. I’ve been into music (and more specifically rock and roll) since landing on the planet, back in what I’d like to say was the late 20th century, but truth be told was closer to the middle. The oldest picture I have of myself is as a baby reaching for my dad’s guitar, and one of my oldest memories is ripping off a version of Crocodile Rock and singing it for my kindergarten class. If I had known then that I was beginning a lifetime of stealing licks from songs I liked and playing to largely indifferent audiences would it have changed anything? Probably not.

Brutal. I’ve been in at least 20 bands since then. I did list them once, maybe I will dig that up for a future column. Some were good, one or two were great, but they all had at least one fatal flaw. The band I am in now has been together for over five years. We might still have a fatal flaw, but we haven’t found it yet. That’s a lot of lessons learned, and I’ll be talking about them through the course of this column. Maybe you can pick up a thing or two, or if not, just laugh at the idiot with the guitar. It’s all showbiz. I am here to entertain you.

Showbiz is what I am here to talk I got my first electric guitar when about, or at least the music end I was 14, paid fifteen dollars at the of things. Regardless of the style flea market for it, and I’ve never of music a person likes, I think really recovered. I’d rather look at there are a few stages that they go a guitar catalog than a girlie through. There’s the enjoyment magazine. I started my first band stage; just really getting into music, not long after that. We were called having a big music collection, the Aftershock, and played a total of audiophile. Then there’s a subset of three times; rehearsing, auditioning, people who want to actually try to and playing for a talent show at a make the music. They start to learn Catholic grade school. We did an how to play an instrument or how instrumental, me and a drummer. to sing. A smaller subset of those

I remember an interview with the people will stay with it, and they get a lot of enjoyment out of playing late Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash, a band noted for their at home. activism and for lyrics that focused And then there are the people who on social and political issues. He was asked, “What is it you’re trying to are driven to get up on a stage in say with your music? When you get front of strangers. You know who up on stage, what is your message? you are. It’s okay, I have it too. What are you trying to communicate I can’t explain it either. Normally I to the audience?” And Strummer am a pretty shy, retiring, fellow. said, “Look at me.”

The tears shed, and the blood spilled, all inservice of that 45-minute set Quit laughing out there, I can hear you. The performance is the be all; the end and everything else is the means. The money spent, the years of rehearsal, the amps lugged, the club owners dealt with, the tears shed, and the blood spilled, all in service of that 45-minute set. And if we’re being honest, a lot of those sets were pretty rough too. But the good ones make it all worthwhile.

If you’re driven to get up on that stage, or as a former band mate used to call it “stick your neck in the noose of public consumption”, then in my not so humble opinion, you take on a responsibility to the audience. You’re asking them to give you their time and attention, and you need to treat that with respect, regardless of what your shtick is. I don’t care if you’re a goat slaughtering death metal act or a thoughtful singer songwriter, there’s a base level of professionalism that separates a real artist from someone who doesn’t respect their audience, and despite my appearance as an aging minor league rocker, I’ve always thought that something worth doing is worth doing well.

So I’ll be talking about some of that stuff as well.

The show was a fairground thing, out west at the big Indian reservation/casino. It’s appropriate at this point to mention that the singer and Mostly, I’ll be telling tall tales with questionable morals from a life spent I had a bad history with directions and the communication thereof. in smoky bars at high volumes. Armed with that knowledge, I made Think of me as your own musical sure to leave a couple of hours Aesop, if Aesop was preoccupied with Telecaster guitars and Marshall early for the show as it was a solid amplifiers. The usual disclaimers apply. hour drive. I played for a couple of years in a rockabilly band that worked constantly. The singer and band leader knew how to hustle. We played everything from county fairs to cruise ships and just about every bar and hotel in South Florida. By the way, I live in South Florida. We also opened up for a lot of mid level acts, and one time we got a gig opening up for Air Supply. Big time!

At least some of this is predictable. I missed the turnoff to go west and ended up at the end of the turnpike, horribly off course. We sorted

out the directions, and it was going to be very close but I would be able to get there just before we went on. I mean, by minutes. I was slightly wound up by this point, so I had the wife drive the rest of the way and I jumped in the back seat to tune up my guitar before we got there, in an effort to save time. Except I didn’t have my guitar. In the rush out of the house that morning, even though I put the guitar RIGHT BY THE FRONT DOOR, somehow I forgot it. I pretty much freaked out. We got to the fairgrounds and drove up behind the stage area. The rest of the band ran over to grab my gear and I had to tell them the bad news. They were ready to kill me. The drummer said, “Well, if you don’t have a guitar, that guy over there has a whole bunch. Go ask to borrow one.” He pointed at the Air Supply bus which was in a fenced off area nearby. I hated this plan, but I was out of options. There was a group of people at a picnic table near the bus, and I

asked the security guy which one was the guitar player. I can only imagine what he thought as a goofball in slicked back hair and rocka-billy clothes came over and spilled out “I’m in the opening band and I know this sounds ridiculous but I forgot my guitar and I was wondering if there was any way I could borrow one of yours just to get through the set and I would totally appreciate it so what do you say please?” He looked at me for what felt like 5 minutes without saying anything. Finally he said “Sure mate, just tell my tech I said it’s alright.” We ran to the stage. The roadies had already plugged in my amp and they were to the side of the stage snickering at the guitar player who forgot his guitar. I found the guitar tech and explained to him that the Air Supply guy (I had no idea his name, still don’t) said I could use a guitar. He was having none of it. We tugged back and forth on a guitar for a minute, before I wrenched

it away and ran to the other side of the stage where my amp was. As I was plugging it in, hoping that it was in tune, the PA announcer was introducing the band, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Retro Rockets!” I hit the first chord, it actually was in tune, and we got through the set. Air Supply guitar player, you ever need to borrow a guitar, I’m your man. And so dear readers, if you take away anything out of this column, I hope it’s this - there’s nothing you can’t get through. I’m living proof.

NEXT TIME – things you should be doing in your set (and probably aren’t).

A M D N U O

S E TH

t? e s d n u o s n r o i u t o a y t n e s Got e r p e g a t s r u o t Y s o m t x e n . g is the n i h t t n a t r o p im

Last month I spoke about stage presentation. This is one of the most important things in any show. I have noticed recently that some acts are starting to realize that this is important, and now have backing singers and musicians on stage with them. This does not need to cost any money, you have a fan group, and there are always people who would love to be on stage with you. Some of the bigger venues are now using light shows and decent size stages, and I think this will continue to grow as the owners begin to see that better presentation works. Your act is still the main draw, but a better stage show will mean that people go back to that venue rather than to a place with no atmosphere. Most of the really successful acts are successful because they interact with their audience -- this seems obvious. This does however mean that the audience has to be able to hear you. Remember that when you sing, your voice will be twice as loud as when you talk, and this often causes a problem in that the audience cannot hear you in between songs without turning up their volume, and then are blown out of their seats when you start

the next track. It is always a good idea to record your shows live from the stream in Second Life速, not from the monitor output of your mixer. When you play it back, turn the volume down to a level that someone in a shared house would use. The volume difference will become far more apparent. Have a great month in SL, and please send any comments or questions to the soundman@mattersofmusic.com.

G G

The Soundman, a column dedicated to music production over the internet. If you have any questions or problems - setting up equipment to play live music in Second Life, this is the place to ask for help. musicmattersmagazine@gmail.com

ZAK CLAXTON’S

SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM SET FOR FALL 2009 RELEASE REDONDO BEACH, CA (Sep. 10, 2009) – Completing a journey that began in March 2008, Southern California-based singer/songwriter Zak Claxton will be releasing his self-titled solo debut album later this fall. The Zak Claxton album was co-produced by Claxton along with noted producer/engineer Phil O’Keefe, and will be released on the Frothy Music label. Featuring 11 songs with music and lyrics written by Claxton, the album reflects the eclectic nature of the artist’s influences, which range from acclaimed singer/songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young to pioneering hard rock and pop acts like Led Zeppelin, the Police, the Cars, Tom Petty, and Nirvana. The entire Zak Claxton album was recorded by O’Keefe at his Sound Sanctuary Recording Studios in Riverside, CA.

A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with training at Boston’s world-renowned Berklee College of Music as well as LA-based Musicians Institute and California State University, Claxton also provided many of the instrumental performances on the album, playing acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and keyboards on most tracks. Joining him on the recording sessions were fellow multi-instrumentalists Bunny Knutson, Ken Lee, and producer O’Keefe. Zak Claxton is a lifelong musician who began piano lessons before his fourth birthday, and picked up the guitar at age seven. He spent his teens playing in rock bands in the Los Angeles area, and eventually received a bachelor of music degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills. As a professional session musician and live performer, Claxton lent his talents to a number of gigging bands and dozens of recording sessions for other artists’ releases. In 2006,

Zak Claxtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solo debut album. Claxton joined the online virtual world of Second Life and began performing as a solo artist shortly thereafter, immediately gaining a global fan base. Starting his solo career by playing covers, Claxton began writing new music in early

2007, and quickly added his original repertoire to his performances. His team began work on the Zak Claxton album in March 2008, and spanned six recording sessions spread out over the subsequent 18 months.

Zak Claxton’s studio band. Left to right: Ken Lee, Phil O’Keefe, Zak Claxton (front), and Bunny Knutson.

The end result is a masterful collection of music that is highlighted by Claxton’s inspired guitar playing along with his flexible vocal range, which spans from contemplative ballads like “Always Tomorrow” and “Falling Down” to growling rockers like “Come Around” and “Fade Away”. Much like the output of his musical heroes like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, there are also longer, more album-oriented songs on the Zak Claxton album, such as “The Sands of Redondo” and “Waiting for This”. As of September 2009, Claxton has completed the recording of the album, and is working with O’Keefe

and acclaimed mastering engineer Bill Plummer to wrap up the final mixing and mastering of the collection. The album is planned for a release in November 2009, at which point Claxton will be hosting a release party that will have components both inside Second Life and in the world of reality as well. More information on the Zak Claxton album, including song mixes and videos, can be found at www.zakclaxton.com. Media contacts: Jeff Klopmeyer Email: jeff@klopmeyer.com Christina Lee Frothy Music Email: christina@frothymusic.com

This Device Takes SL Shows to the Next Level - Real Life Venues This Device will be featured at a RL night club in San Francisco, where its RL patrons will watch the performance live, in real time, on the club’s video screen and sound system. The event will take place on Sunday, October 4th, at 8:00pm SLT.

eatery/live music venue. Technically speaking, the setup is easy. The camera operator for the show will use a laptop at the RL nightclub to log in to SL. The audio and video from the laptop will be fed into the nightclub’s system.

The RL nightclub show is being In Second Life®, the show will be hosted and managed by GoGirls, broadcast from The Rockin Man a RL nationwide women-in-music Theater, a large new venue with organization that provides support, lighting and effects designed by information, and performance hot SL lighting designer Dexterito opportunities for indie musicians. The show will take place following Dexing. The club will have the the San Francisco GoGirls chapter’s usual in-world live audience of SL monthly open mic jam at the Brainresidents, and nothing will be any wash. This Device’s Damaris different than any other SL live music performance. Whitfield is a member of the organization, as is Demolicious Wonder, the show’s impresario/host/camera In RL, the show will be enjoyed by operator, as well as several other the hip local crowd at the Brainwash, the city’s famous laundromat/ popular SL performers.

Download songs for free and see more pictures at their website, www.thisdevice.com

This Device is one of a handful of SL bands that are bringing original Progressive rock to SL. Their main influences are electronica, punk, and industrial, with large doses of metal and grunge. They have been playing live in SL clubs since September 2007, and their music is featured on several SL radio stations.

backing tracks recorded only by the band. Most of the songs are original material plus a few â&#x20AC;&#x153;reworkedâ&#x20AC;? covers. This Device is also a RL two-person band, located in San Francisco: Damaris Whitfield: vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and production.

Snare Whitfield: drums, vocals, The shows feature two live vocalists, analog synthesizers, programming, live instruments, live in-world stage production. performance, and professional

SpaceJunky by Bella Dutton

The RL rock/pop band SpaceJunky has been performing in the virtual world of Second Life速 for two years under the same name. Founded by Tania Smith (Shakti Cianci in SL), who is the lead singer from the USA., the band also includes a guitarist, Dan Harris (Zaphod Rahja in SL) from Australia, and

a drummer, Luke Mason from Malaysia (Zavier Corleone in SL). Each of the band members toured and recorded with major artists before coming together to create SpaceJunky. Most notably, Tania performed and toured with Kylie Minogue, as well as co-wrote the title track for the Grammy winning

www.spacejunky.com www.alphacrew.ning.com

universe. With the band living on different continents, and in different time zones, SL provided a way to perform concerts and promote their album. A production crew, consisting of Tommy Parrott, Lighting, Stage and Pyrotechnics; Izzy Cole, Tour Photographer; Bella Dutton, Virtual Music Publicist; and Dannon Robbiani, sim designer and builder, help bring the concerts alive. These concert performances in Second Life have complex programmed equipment. The custom tailored lighting, particle effects, and pyrotechnics work in realtime, complimenting and accentuating the custom space ship styled stage

SpaceJunkyâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s popularity continues to grow. The band is constantly changing, adapting to and incorpoCD Lesson Of Love. SpaceJunkyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating new technologies. Always with first CD Resident Alien was recoran eye to new ventures, SpaceJunky ded while they were all together in is working on taking the show on a the USA and Australia. They worked RL tour. with Grammy-nominated songwriStay tuned! ter/producer Rafe Van Hoy. The music is about the unforeseen Resident Alien is available cosmic forces that connect people on iTunes. CDBaby and most through energy and space in the download sites.

Syd Sidran released his latest album, Blue Sky, on July 31st, 2009. The album features five tracks of his original piano music. All of the songs were composed and recorded at his home studio in Canada during the month of July, 2009. This is a very smooth and contemplative instrumental piano album for music lovers. Syd Sidran is a RL musician and has been performing in Second LifeÂŽ since 2007.

1 - Silent Moon 2 - Blue Sky 3 - Lost Sim 4 - Rezz Day 5 - Fade Away

High

qual ity d load own able mp3 avail able â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s in w orld MP3 By M via e

Listen or purchase music at: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=781245&conte nt=music More about Syd Sidran (videos, pictures, bio, links): http://www.google.com/profiles/sydgigs

With the release of his new album, Calm, Kourosh Eusebio brings his music to new audiences. Also known as Kourosh Dini in real life, Eusebio has been prolific in musical creativity as the album marks his eighth release since 2003. His music has been mesmerizing audiences of Second Life® since mid-2006 and has gained a dedicated following in that time. Calm brings the most relaxing elements of nature‘s rhythms together. He describes his art as reflecting the patterns found in nature. Calm may be found at his music site: http://lifeinmusic.org/shop/calm/ Kourosh is also the award winning author of Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents and is a well respected psychiatrist in the city of Chicago. 1 - A River Begins 2 - Unfurl 3 - Standing Waves 4 - Speaking Sprites 5 - Light Through Leaves 6 - Dusk Falls 7 - Reflections of Sky 8 - Waters at Midnight 9 - Light’s Return 10 - River Widens and Calms 11 - Life Within Water 12 - A Branch Travels 13 - Trees Offer Currents 14 - Into Sea

Funkyfreddy Republic has released his debut CD Ghosts of Another America and it can be heard and downloaded here: http://funkyfreddy.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts-of-anotheramerica/ Fred‘s debut CD explores a variety of themes and songs from alternate Americas that exist alongside the one we see portrayed in popular culture and headlines. A fine sense of ambience, space, and musicianship underlie humorous and insightful lyrics. His masterful guitar playing and melodic sense make this CD truly memorable. Two highlights from the CD are “Montreal”, and “Before You Get Into My Car.” Fred‘s slide guitar and unique ambient guitar stylings have dazzled audiences for years. His voice and songwriting remind many of acts such as Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Pink Floyd. Fred is also known as the guitarist for Neighbors and Allies, one of David Bowie‘s favorite NY bands in the 1980‘s.

Other artists Fred has collaborated with include Jeff Buckley, Deee-Lite, Susan McKeown, Gary Lucas, Pete Shelly (the Buzzcocks), and Ed Hamell of Hamell On Trail. On the CD Tough Love (Righteous Babe records), Freddy produced several tracks along with Ani DiFranco, John Leckie, and others. Recently he co-wrote, and played on, many tracks of Fused, by Richard Khuzami, where he appears alongside many luminaries of world music. Fred has also composed and performed music for Sesame Street, Wall Street Journal TV, PBS, Time Warner, and Strange Universe.

All tickety-boo on the grid

by Katydid Something

There‘s a lot of talkin‘ goin‘ on! The topic doesn‘t surprise anyone. The topic is economics - money. But in this case it is directed at saving Second Life® live music venues.

enough by tipping once, it is very common for the audience members to tip the performer but not tip the venue. The issue goes even deeper to venue viability and with that discussion there are almost as many The past year has seen an influx of different opinions as there are musicians choosing SL as a platform venues. to develop careers and reach worldwide audiences. It has also seen the On Saturday, September 5, there closing of many popular venues was a meeting of about 60 live who operated with a model of music venue owners, with at least paying their performers and found, a dozen more at an overflow as revenue sources shifted due to venue and more listening on stream changes within SL, they could not to a concept of one possible solution justify the expense of keeping the presented by Mankind Tracer. venues open. Mankind is both a popular performer and a venue owner who preAt the root of the issue seems to be sented an idea of a Cover Charge the alleged lack of support from the System (CCS) from which the remany audience members who come venues would be split by performers and listen to the music for free. For and venue owners and enforced whatever reason, be it a lack of un- by a scripted system which would derstanding of the situation, a lack request a fee from each avatar of caring, or a feeling that they do in stream-listening proximity and

would eject the avatar if the fee was not paid in a reasonable time. If, after ejection, the avatar wanted to come back he would be allowed to after 6 minutes but would have to pay the fee to stay. The system is totally customizable and would be offered to live music venue owners for free.

There are almost as many different opinions as there are venues. The use of the system eliminates the obligation for venue owners to pay the performer and generates monies which can be used for the expenses of the property and stream. The component is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;ticket boothâ&#x20AC;? with a figure inside â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mankind named his Johnny Mybitch -- which does all the work of keeping track of the avatars, who has paid, who needs to

be reminded, and for ejecting and re-admitting. The suggested split is 80% for the artist and 20% for the venue. Since the venue owner will not be responsible for paying the performer, the 20% can be applied to other expenses. This is designed to be a win-win solution for venue owners and performers.

The discussion has included: • Education of the audience that many venues PAY the musicians and they hope that the audience will support the venue with tips. • Educating the audience of what is an appropriate amount to tip. • The overall environment of viability of venues has changed due to changes Linden Lab has made to policies and features in Second Life®. • The performers expectations for fees are an issue. • The venues expectations of tips are an issue. • The venues expectations that performers should compensate them for the difference is an issue. • If CCS is implemented venues will lose audience • If one venue adopts the system the audience will just wait for the performer to play at a free venue And the list goes on.

The presentation has spurred discussion on both sides of the fence, both passionate and diverse! And the discourse is good. It has spurred other ideas, it has raised a number of issues, and it has brought venue

owners together to share concerns and solutions. In the few days since the presentation there has been constant conversation in the new Live Music Venues group, which was started by Orion Baral,

sill Braveheart, and Mankind Tracer. The best way to “discuss” a new system is to try it out. So, on Monday, September 7 (the U.S. Labor Day holiday) Mankind‘s good friend, kaiya Manbi, hosted a show starring Mankind Tracer at her Zambezi Nightclub. Word was spread in the normal channels although, since the event was short notice, it didn‘t get listed in the Linden Lab Events for the normal minimum 24 hours. This reporter attended to experience the CCS procedure and paid the L$250 cover. (I normally tip both the performer and the venue, so it was within my normal budget.) Kaiya reported to me that there were a total of 39 people in attendance, a light audience for Mankind Tracer who usually draws an average of 65 to 70 listeners, but given the short planning of the event that was expected. Of the 39 attending, 8 were guests, also an option with the CCS. After the event kaiya said, “I‘m pleased really, and happy to see some people are not negative about paying. I think it may work – it might be hard to crack, but it could work.”

“I think the only way this new system is going to work,” kaiya continued, “is if we all forget about making money right now and simply initiate the concept of ‚paying‘ for live concerts. I believe the way forward is to stick with a lower cover charge, no more than $100 Linden, no matter who the artist is. Our audiences need time to get used to this new procedure or we will lose them entirely. Once the system is established we can make adjustment to cover our costs.” The next to try the new system was Gwampa Lomu‘s Dance Kamp, who has regular shows on Monday evenings. Gwampa, who echoes most all the venue owners, shared his experience with the Live Music Venues group: “I just want to cover my expenses. Tonight, I had three artists. Two who are VERY good draws; Maxemillion Kleene, and Edward Kyomoon, One who has a smaller following, AcousticEnergy Nitely. I paid each artist, 3.5K [Linden Dollars]. Each artist had his tip jar and I have a venue tip jar. Of the two good draws (the venue had over 50

people for one of them, and over 70 for the other one) one of them took in 5K in tips, the other one 9K in tips. A/E’s tips were much lower but over 2K. My expense for the 3 of them was 3 x 3.5K = 10.5K. I took in 8.5K in tips. (The majority of that was during the two artists who were the big draws… much less during A/E’s gig.) My expense, or loss, for the 3

hour show was 2K, so about 8 bucks for a 3 hour show.” As a result of Gwampa’s experience he has instituted a well-thought-out plan based on what occurred at his own venue. He has chosen a model which has been around for awhile, a method of splitting tips: There is now only 1 tip jar, the VENUE’S! It is a splitting tip jar. All tips are automatically split between the artist and the venue.

Drunken Drow: A 3 tiered fee system. The musician chooses which tier they would like to be in. • Tier 1 is recommended for new performers, those without a large established fan base, and those that just want to play for tips. The fee is tips only with the performer receiving half of the venue tips in addition to their own tips. The performer uses their own tip jar and the venue’s tip jar is cleared before every performance so the total is obvious at the end. The performer receives his share of the venue tips at the end of the show. • Tier 2 is where the musician negotiates a fee with the venue and the venue charges a cover based on the fee and the expected attendance. Musicians choosing tier 2 should be drawing 20 or more attendees per performance. For example, if a musician charges the venue L$ 4000, then the cover might be L$ 200 if the expected attendance is the minimum for Tier 2. The venue will not put out a tip jar during these performances.

Performers receive 75%, the venue receives 25%. Tips given directly to the performers are to be split with the venue to avoid conflict of interest! The venue guarantees major perfomers will leave with AT LEAST L$5,000 in tips! For performers new to SL, or that have a relatively smaller following, the amount will be negotiated. At the end of each show, after accounting, shortfalls will be made up by the venue. Overages will be divided 75/25. Performers

have the potential to make well over the guarantee. The venue will explain to the audience that the tip jar is a splitting tip jar! This should increase the amount that most people will tip. Since the initial presentation of Mankind Tracerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s CSS, a number of venue owners have shared solutions which they have initiated at their own venues.

â&#x20AC;˘ Tier 3 is for those musicians that want to work out an arrangement based on tips that they have generated for the venue or will generate for the venue. This can be a percentage of the venue tips or a set fee based on the analysis of the venue tips generated by the musician during past performances. The success of Tier 3 depends on the desire of the musician or agent and the venue to work together for the common good. Musicians in all categories are welcome to negotiate a weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedule of performances at the Drunken Drow. The idea is, while musicians should not work for free, the venue can not be a charity either if both are to survive. Revenue must come from the customers.

Freestar Tammas: “As a starting point I propose a L$ 250 admission fee. If there are 10 people willing to pay it that‘s 1250 for the venue owner and 1250 for the musician. If both the venue owner and the musician were working hard to get people there… surely 10 is very possible?” [Figure is based on Freestar‘s average tips as a musician, and higher than her tips as a venue owner.] Freestar says, “I believe firmly in this model, or to at least finding one that WORKS, but I promise I will stop asking that we put a value on music as soon as the builders, scripters, fine artists, sim designers, and fashion designers start giving me their best work for free on a daily basis.” Pat O‘Briens: • For an event featuring 4 popular musicians in SL: • To gain entrance to the event 500 Linden is paid as a cover charge at the door. • Each musician gets paid 5K Linden at the end of their performance/show, guaranteed. • Performers are able to put out a tip jar which is theirs to keep. • 5K is figured in as an expense in creating the event. • Any money collected that exceeds the 25K Linden cost of the that nights event is split equally among the 4 musicians and the venue.

There is no venue tip jar. The venue is allocated 5K Linden from entrance fees to cover the expenses of the venue. The search for venue viability has become more of a challenge, due in part of the changes, (including gambling) made by Linden Labs. There was a time when venues were frequently tied in with casinos or other gaming environments to the point where the venues were making all the money and musicians were invited to put out a tip jar. In search of a compensation which valued the musicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s talent, there was a strike by musicians until their talent and contribution to the community was recognized. The outcome of this established the regular hourly pay for live musicians, but also created a rift between musicians and venue owners which has only

Musicians should not work for free, but the venue can not be a charity either recently been bridged. Music Matters will explore the history of Live Music in Second LifeÂŽ in the next issue. From all the discussions it should be noted that each venue is unique and what may work for one may not work for another. One of the most valuable things to come out of the discussion is venue owners meeting on a common ground and getting to know one another, sharing experiences both common, and unique, and exploring solutions together. It should also be noted that so much of the perspective of the venue owners has to do with when they entered SL. Perspectives will differ between those who came into SL in the first 2 or so years

It might be hard to crack, but it could work

Open Mic Directory Times listed are Second Lifeâ&#x201E;˘ Time (PDT). Precise at printing, and updated regularily. Contact Reslez in world for submissions, corrections, questions and for advertising! reslez@mattersofmusic.com

SUNDAY TwoKats Time: 7 am - 9 am Run by: Solana Python http://slurl.com/secondlife/ SkyBeam%20Estates/183/57/24

U21 Global U21 Global

Time: 1 pm - 3 pm Run by: Peach Jansma http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Tarington/227/220/37

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Lil Egypt - Talent search

Merry Pranksters

Time: 5 pm -7 pm Run by: Calli Tigerpaw

Time: 6:00 am - 9:00 am Run by: Nancy Lei

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ LIL%20EGYPT%20I/31/120/23

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Tarington/227/220/37

Mediaculture Open Mic

Foxy Hollow

Time: 1 pm - 3 pm Run by: LadyDragon Essel

Time: 10 am - 1 pm Run by: Terri Breen

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ mediaculture/120/99/24

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Smelton%20Hollow/221/250/22

Moonlight Oasis Time: 4 pm- 6 pm Run by: Hayden Sandalwood http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Rolypoly/127/90/25

Moonlightoasis

WEDNESDAY Cafe Casablanca Time: 1 pm - 4 am Run by: Daedalus Lemuria http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Valtor/45/49/22

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

The Hummingbird Cafe

U21 Global

Time: 4 pm - 6 pm Run by: DimiVan Ludwig

Time: 1 pm - 3pm Run by: Keko Heckroth

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Menorca/46/7/24

http://slurl.com/secondlife/U21 Global%20Campus/145/218/103

SATURDAY

Your club here

The Hummingbird Cafe