About Zak Claxton

Tuesday 3 November 2009





With over 20 years as a professional gigging musician and recording artist based in Los Angeles, Zak Claxton is an entertaining and exciting singer/songwriter performing in Second Life. Using his acoustic guitar, voice, and the occasional harmonica, Zak brings high energy to his original music, as well as occasional covers by artists ranging from the '60s to the '00s. His influences include Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, the Who, the Beatles, and many more.

Zak has spent over two years as one of SL's most enjoyable live music performers, and his self-titled debut solo album is due out in December 2009 on the Frothy Music label. More info available at www.zakclaxton.com.
Here below the interview I had with him.You can find it also on www.slenquirer.com.


Do you want me to use your real names?
My real name as it applies to music is Zak Claxton. I have an album coming out as Zak Claxton in December, and my web site is www.zakclaxton.com. While it started out three years ago as just my SL avatar name, Zak Claxton has now become my stage name for all of my musical endeavors. For your reference, the site Pixels & Policy recently did an article on me in this regard. More info here: http://www.pixelsandpolicy.com/pixels_and_policy/2009/10/virtual-rock-real-albums.html

Where are you from?
I have spent the majority of my life in the Los Angeles, CA area. Specifically, I live in the beach cities area of LA called the South Bay. I love it here and never plan to leave.

How long have you been playing music?
Almost my entire life. I started on piano when I was three, but then took up guitar when I was seven and fell in love with it. I've now been a guitarist for 33 years... which means I'm officially old. You do the math.

What instruments do you play?
As referenced above my main instrument is guitar, and in my SL performances, I play acoustic guitar exclusively. However, I've worked professionally in both studios and stages as a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist, as well as an audio engineer and music producer.

How did you discover SL?
A friend of mine called me in 2006, and was very excited that his favorite band, Duran Duran, had started a presence in SL. While I really didn't have strong feelings about Duran Duran, I did find the concept of Sl interesting. Most important to my start in SL was the fact that at the time, I was in a long-distance relationship; my ladyfriend Kat lived in Seatlle and I was here in LA, 1,000 miles south of her. We joined SL simultaneously so we could do things and feel like we were "together" more often. She has since moved to LA to be with me in reality as well as in SL. But at the time, I did not know about live music in SL. Soon after I found out about it, I started doing my own shows, in early 2007.

What has influenced you to get your to where you are today musically?
Many things. I've always loved music, and I've spent my entire life being involved in it. For the most part, I've been part of bands where I wasn't necessarily in the spotlight, and my music was being used by other people. But after all this time, I found that I had songs of my own that I wanted to get out and perform. That led to not only my experiences as a live musician in SL, but the recording of my first solo album, which is complete and will be released in December.


Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works?
I don't only think this... I know this. Even in an entertainment capitol like Los Angeles, it's very difficult to build an audience for an independent musician. Through SL, I've performed in fron of thousands of people from all over the globe. I have fans in Europe and Australia with whom I never could have connected if not for SL. Also, SL has allowed me to spend many hours fine-tuning the performance of my original songs, so that by the time I walked into the studio to record them "for real", I was completely comfortable and familiar with my own stuff... more so than I'd ever been before in a studio environment. I credit SL for being a big part of my success so far as a musician.


How would you describe your style?
Personally, I'm an easygoing guy who likes to enjoy himself, and likes to interact with and engage the audience. Musically, I'm a singer songwriter who still likes to rock, so both in my live performances and on my album, there's a pretty wide range that spans from soft, sensitive, eclectic sounds, through hard-hitting power rock. While my album uses full instrumentation of drums, bass, multiple guitars, keyboards and so on, in SL I am committed to just perform using my acoustic guitar, voice, and occasional harmonica. If I can do a great performance with those limitations, it proves that the songs I'm doing can stand on their own.


Which are the sources of your inspiration?
Certainly my ladyfriend, Kat Claxton. She inspires me all the time. But I also draw from many things in my life experiences, in fiction, in my friends' lives. Like many artists will tell you, I really don't always know where the songs come from. They seem to flow through me rather than from me. I'm just there as a conduit to write them down and then perform them. I'm never successful "trying" to write a song. The songs are either there or they aren't, and I can't force them to come out when I feel like it. They come when they feel like it.

Do you use other kind of digital promotions?
Probably all of them. I'm easily findable on Facebook, on MySpace, on Twitter, on ReverbNation and so on. As mentioned earlier, I also have my own web site at www.zakclaxton.com, where samples of my recorded work can be heard, as well as other stuff you'd expect to find on a musician's web site (lyrics, videos, and so on). With the album imminent to be released, we are also making arrangements to have my music be available through iTunes (all countries), Napster, eMusic, Amazon MP3, and others. So yes, digital promotion is very important to me.


Any thing else you would like to add?
I think it's only a matter of time before SL (and, on a more general basis, 3D Internet platforms beyond SL) will be seen as a vital aspect of any musician's career path. I consider myself fortunate that I got into SL relatively early, because if you fast forward five years, I think you'll literally have tens of thousands of musicians trying to get noticed here, and it will become more and more difficult to find the opportunities I've been lucky enough to take advantage of in SL. While I'm not a person who makes fame and/or fortune a big priority, I am taking steps to not only have my album get some attention on an international scale, but also to bring attention to the SL music scene as a whole. I often joke around that I want to be the first avatar on the cover of Rolling Stone. While I don't think that's feasible, I do think that through any recognition I get as a musician in real life, it will lend more validity to SL as a platform for other musicians like myself.

Money for nothing...

Tuesday 6 October 2009

As everyone knows it's become very hard recently to run a live music venue in Second Life.
Many musicians consider their gigs as a source of income so they ask an appropriate fee.
However venues owners cannot afford paying fees because they already spend so much money to Linden Lab for the tiers and they never get enough tips from the audience.
Someone is trying to sort it out charging a ticket for the concerts.
I guess that this solution can only worsen the problem.
Maybe the business side has corrupted the pristine enthusiasme that pervaded some years ago all the live music scene in Second Life, when the aim that moved the musicians was just to let their music flying freely in the web.
As a matter of fact musicians who really propose something new in Second Life are very few.The most part sing covers and don't even try to propose anything new.
Maybe the problem is that the number of musicians streaming live inworld increased considerably , to the detriment of quality itself.
Maybe the musician himself should support the venue that host him,expecially those venues that can guarantee a good following because of the time and money their owners spend into them.
People should be motivated to discover new talents and new projects in Second Life and support the artists both tipping them and downloading and promoting their original tunes in the countries where they live:it's virtual marketing, baby!
Actually it's very hard to find a solution:as a matter of fact many live music venues close and quit SL.
And the nitty-gritty is:no more venues, no more live music in Second Life.

About Born Again Pagans

Friday 4 September 2009


The Born Again Pagans are Madame Amoufhaz on synths, percussion and assorted madness and hexx Triskaidekaphobia on vocals, guitars, percussion, loopmachines and assorted madness.
Streaming live and direct from the Coolsounds & Magick Studios in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, The Born Again Pagans have been touring the Grid since the summer of 2008.
I posed them some questions:here for you their kind answers :)
Do you want me to use your real names?
Madame Amoufhaz and hexx Triskaidekaphobia are our real names.

Where are you from?
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

How long have you been playing music?
On and off, for about 35 years. Funny how time flies.

What instruments do you play?
Mainly guitars, but also percussion, vocal chords and a bit of keyboard.

How did you discover SL?
I downloaded the viewer, logged on and started exploring.

What has influenced you to get your to where you are today musically?
The music itself, the infinite number of universes that lay hidden in a mere six strings, the people that I've met and worked with along the way and the miracles of modern technology (more specifically: the loop machine).

Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works?
Well, I create my music in RL and stream it into SL. And for now, SL is the only place where I perform.

How would you describe your style?
Definitely improvisational, live and direct with no backing tracks, with strong reggae roots. "Guitars, synths and assorted madness" is a quite accurate description.

Which are the sources of your inspiration?
Life.

Do you use other kind of digital promotions?
We have a website at http://bornagainpagans.wordpress.com, a MySpace profile at http://www.myspace.com/thebornagainpagans and were on Twitter (http://twitter.com/bornagainpagans).

Any thing else you would like to add?
Kudos to everyone who's come out to our shows. You all make the grooves happen. Loveyamore.

musical projects

I hope you enjoyed these awesome videos...Swina composed and recorded these tunes in a very quickly way, as well he decided to make these videos too.It's the sample of what a musician can do with the new technologies, actually it doesn’t require a lot of technical know-how!
If you have a musical project,Second Life is a great stage for promoting it worldwide!

Swina Allen - I Wanna

Friday 28 August 2009

Swina Allen - Time

Thursday 27 August 2009

Swina Allen - I Need Your Smile

Swina Allen - Call It Love

About Djai Skjellerup

Tuesday 14 July 2009




Djai is a piano singer/songwriter. He writes simple, timeless, classic songs accessible to all.

Djai's shows consist of all original material played and sung totally live. Whether you want to rock or be mellow you will come away from his shows singing the songs to yourself.

He also wrote the original song "Get It Together" and completed the project to see it collaboratively recorded by 13 SL musicians. The track is available freely all over Second Life as a way to raise the profile of live music in SL. The musicians who collaborated on this project are: Djai Skjellerup, Toby Lancaster, BabbleGrabble Swindlehurst, Kim Seifert, Mimi Carpenter, The Professor, Rich Desoto, Jambalaya Fonck, Zak Claxton, Norris Shepherd, Jean Munro, Freestar Tammas and Lyn Carlberg.

Here below some questions I posed to Djai and his answers, all about Second Life live music.

Do you want me to use your real name?

No...please use my SL name


Where are you from?
I live in the south west of England near the city of Bath.


How long have you been playing music?
I had violin lessons when I was 7 and I was supremely bad but it did at least teach me to read music. I then went on to play the organ which is where it started to fall into place for me.


What instruments do you play?
I concentrate on piano now but I can turn my hand to all keyboard instruments


How did you discover SL?
I first heard about SL from a magazine article in the UK and immediately connected with it's promised ability to provide a platform for musicians to be heard.


What has influenced you to get your to where you are today musically?
It's been a long road for me in alot of different genres. Once I started playing the organ I was playing theatre, church and electronic organ and I soon began playing gigs in my teens. I played for weddings, birthdays, recitals; just about anything I could. I had a wide range of musical styles from classical to swing and jazz standards. While studying for a music qualification I began composing at around the age of 15. By the time I was 17 I had realised that some music was perceived as cool and some not so cool and I got into writing songs and being in bands. I had a variety of roles in a few bands all of which nearly did something but ended up gloriously unsuccessful. Gradually the shadow of responsibility meant that music took a back seat to career and family and although I was always still involved in music it was only with SL that it became thoroughly reinvigorated.



Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works? -
Indeed, I am dedicated SL as it is the perfect medium for someone in my position. I do not see myself as someone who is simply using SL to further a RL career but rather that everything I do now musically is steeped in using SL as an outlet.




How would you describe your style?

I am a melody junky. I write Melodic songs with thoughtful lyrics on piano and vocal. For my shows it's just me and a piano. I try to engage the audience in my shows and make every one as filled with energy, enthusiasm, wit and discovery as I can.


Which are the sources of your inspiration?
There are many melodic pop and rock acts that have inspired me musically but mostly these days it is everyday occurances and events that inspire me more.

Do you use other kind of digital promotions?



I have a website: http://www.djaiskjellerup.com

A myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/djaiskjellerup1
and a 61 page: http://www.thesixtyone.com/djaiskjellerup




Check Djai out at..
www.djaiskjellerup.com
www.myspace.com/djaiskjellerup1
www.thesixtyone.com/djaiskjellerup

About Roberto Tardito -Freenote

Sunday 5 July 2009


Roberto is a young italian singer and songwriter:he started making music in 1998. In 2003 he wrote the music for the show "Simone Weil". After that, in 2004-2005 he presented his songs in several live shows, included a performance during Tavagnasco Rock Festival. In that night he performed on the same stage as Mauro Pagani and Morgan. During 2006 he worked to a discographical project, CONTROVENTO, released in July 2007In this album some famous Italian artists played with him. People like: Francesco Guccini, Ivano Fossati, Angelo Branduardi, Fabrizio De André, Niccolò Fabi, Samuele Bersani.
In 2008 he released his last cd "OTREBOR".


Here below you can find the usual little interview I do to all my SL friends who have something to say about their passions and works in the uni- and meta-verse :)

Do you want me to use your real name?

Yes of course, Roberto Tardito


Where are you from? Torino, Italy.

How long have you been playing music?
I started studying music when I was five...so definitely almost all of my life!


What instruments do you play?

Mainly piano and guitar but I like to play other instruments too such as ethnical ones whose sound is easily recognizable in my albums.I have a deep passion for thes ones!


How did you discover SL?

My manager told me about SL at the end of 2007, and I took the decison to do a sort of test.
I've always been very curious about new communications tools and actually SL is above all a social network that allows to share music in a very easy way.


Which hare the influences that get you to where you are today
musically?

I've been always listening to music since I was a little child.
As a matter of fact every kind of music I've been listening to influenced my style.
Among my favourites I include international artists as Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Genesis, Deep Purple, Yes.
The italian musicians I like the most are Franco Battiato, Ivan Graziani, Angelo Branduardi, Ivano Fossati, Francesco De Gregori,Fabrizio De Andrè, Francesco Guccini..


Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works?

Definitely I think so.. I started doing a few concerts in order to promote the album "Controvento"..and due to a good feedback of the audience I finally did up more than 100 live gigs.What I like the most in SL live music concerts is the chance to reach with ease in the same moment people living in different parts of the world.


How would you describe your style?

It's very hard for me to answer to this question... I consider myself as a craftsman...when I write a song I put together my thougts and my feelings with all the music and the literature I have absorbed so far.

Which are the sources of your inspiration?

I'm attracted by different musical genres , often with anything in common
Often from these contaminations source new ideas ...
My lyirics are rather inspired by my fantasy and by all the novels and poems I read...

For more infos about Roberto check his web site
http://www.robertotardito.it/news.htm

Second Life-Second Chance

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Actually I am astonished for the great energy that streams from all the artists in the metaverse. Musicians, painters, video makers,photographers always look for virtual stages that let them express their feelings and their creativity.
Second Life offers a great (second) chance to all:it allows to go through paths that maybe have been inaccessible so far.
Of course everyone can drop in the web their works though blogs, web sites, facebook and so on, but only Second Life can give a "real" feedback because behind the avatars real people clap or boo during the events.
That's why Second Life is still alive and kicking:music venues, art galleries and "virtual" universities open almost everyday, gathering energies and passions that maybe have been hidden under the clutches of ordinary people fighting for day-by-day living...the need to pay our bill can be an heavy boulder for artistic ambitions.
I'd like to know your stories of "virtual" (and maybe, why not, real)artistic achievements inworld...:)

About Djoni Flux/TB Andel

Thursday 25 June 2009



One of my best friends in Second Life is TB Andel: a wonderfully energetic musician with the beautiful and traditional rich sound coming from the beautiful Portugal!!
His style of World Music is based on Portuguese Folk Music with a original touch of jazz, fado and afro music.
Played with a hand crafted Electric Ukulele bringing great clearity with the love of music he brings to all listening.
Recently, thanks to the magic means SL gives to all its residents, from the clutches of TB Andel Djoni Flux has escaped: hidden so far from the rest of us by Mr TB he is now ready to thrill us with his fantastic, amazing guitar playing.

This is the friendly interview I had with him (or should I say "them") ;-)

Do you want me to use your real name?/
TB aka Djoni: You can use my RL name of course :) its the RL musician who is behind TB Andel or Djoni Flux, so theres no problem at all call me João Frazão as well :)


Where are you from?/
TB aka Djoni: Im from Portugal but i live in England at the moment.


How long have you been playing music?/
TB aka Djoni: I play music by 29 years.... next year i will celebrate my 30 years living to music :))))) during all this years i've been playing with known portuguese singers ( Rita Guerra, Roberto Leal, João Afonso and more... ) touring all over the world with some of them. i've been making some studio work as well as technician. i mixed and mastered "Joana Rios" CD (http://www.joanarios.com) and several other CDs :)

What instruments do you play?
TB aka Djoni: Well my main instrument is Guitar, i started playing guitar with 13 years old... but i also play electric ukulele [ this isntrument is designed by me and builted for me... its unique :) ] , eletric bass and Piano [ this 2 instruments im not great eheh but i play enaugh to record my backing tracks... on piano sometimes i need midi editing help ehehehe and of course i use technology.. samplers midi programming and audio editing and mastering.


How did you discover SL?
TB aka Djoni: Here it is a funny story.... first time i heared about SL it was in a TV show... im also a web programmer.. so i always spent a lot of time on computers, one day i was about to sleep ( my 6 AM ehehe ) and i was eating before bed, i turned on my TV and started a TV program talking about a "game" on the internet... well my "computer freak side" didnt let me go bed and i watched the programme... in the end of the programme (7AM eheh ) i came back to my computer again to install SL instead go bed :)) well here i am playing my music ( some original, portuguese folk music and now some blues and rock as well )... and of course... SL addicted AHAHAHA

What has influenced you to get your to where you are today musically?/
TB aka Djoni: Mainly my instinct. i always felt music like my main way to communicate. About influencies... i got some... i always listen some Jazz, classical, some rock... loads of world music :) ( my passion ), but let me tell you during this 29 years playing music i never tried to copy any of the guitar players i listen to... i think i will never be able to feel the same as they feel.. so i guess its better play what i feel, and hope ppl like it ehehe.

Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works?
TB aka Djoni: Sure! thru SL, RL ppl can listen my music played live. Like in RL every show in SL is different, musician mood to play depends on the crowd mood, just like in RL. I guess musician can make real good RL contacts here in SL to play RL. Im still looking for my oportunitie. I have some hundreds of ppl here in SL that follow me to almost every show, if one day i play RL next to their home town, i think they would go to listen to me live RL, and besides im still a RL musician :) so why not believe on it?


How would you describe your style?
TB aka Djoni: hard this one :) i dont know. I guess as TB Andel i would descibe my self as a world music player. I play portuguese folk music and original music. The portuguese folk music have a lot of influencies ( arabic, african, celtic) so i guess i mix a bit of all this styles in my music. As Djoni Flux i play some blues and rock and in this case i would describe my self as free style AHAHA i never listened a lot of guitar players on this musical area... so i guess i just let my instinct come out :)



Which are the sources of your inspiration?
TB aka Djoni: EVERYTHING !!!! all around me inspire me... if i feel sad for any reason ill make sad music if i feel romantic ill make romantic music etc etc... Every little thing might make me feel some music... thats why i love music i guess, i can express my self thru sounds

Do you want to use your RL name?
TB aka Djoni: Sure, no problem: João Frazão :) hint: ã sound as a nose sound ehhe

Do you use other kind of digital promotions?
TB aka Djoni: yes :) i would like to
You can visite my websites:

João Frazão: http://www.joaofrazao.net
TB Andel: http://tbandel.joaofrazao.net
Djoni Flux: http://djoniflux.joaofrazao.net

Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/tbandelmusic


Any thing else you would like to add?
I would like to thank to all my fans SL and RL for their support all this time, and thanks to you too for the promotion your making to "João Frazão" aka TB Andel aka Djoni Flux :)))) and to my love Aphrodaite Andel for her HUGE pacience and support :))))

DJN Project in Second Life

Sunday 21 June 2009



DJN Project, a duo located in NYC is composed by Rick "Galactik" Wilkinson and Ruben "Swift" Vidal.


In 2005 they met through mutual friend Doug Brown, who was the assistant to music mogul Johnny Wright at the time.

Rick G, then based in Orlando, decided to move to New York where the songwriting industry was booming.

Swift's love for house started at Club Shelter, where he recalls experiencing the beautiful people and the great sound of soulful house.
At the same time Swift worked with Jay-Z, DJ Green Lantern, Eminem, Busta Rhymes and many other artists with engineering, assisting and marketing.

Doug set up a meeting with Rick G and Swift. After meeting, they soon after created DJN Project. Both were into making r&b music at the time, but both were also busy and had no time to make music.

2006 - 2007, Rick G and Swift traded song ideas back and forth most of the year, while Swift was on the road with Justin Timberlake, Fergie and RBD as a Hype Man. When Swift arrived home from his journey, DJN Project was able to get together and record all of thier music.
DJN Project made their first house album in November 2007 entitled "Everlasting". At the start, Rick G nor Swift knew any DJ's or ANYBODY in the dance genre. Swift was in hip-hop, and Rick G was in r&b.

"Feel For You" was released in March 2008.

Because of the noise that "Feel For You" was making, DJN Project was invited to perform the single live at Winter Music Conference 2008. After WMC 2008, the DJN Project was set to roll with collaborations locked down with Kenny Bobien, Arnold Jarvis, and Louie Vega.

DJN Project has alot in store for dance music. They're introducing a new genre of house called HIP HOP HOUSE with the help of Busta Rhymes, Paul Wall, Juelz Santana, and others. This will take dance to a new plateau, where our kids can enjoy life music without drama.

This is DJN Project so far.
Recently Rick G and Swift contacted me and my friend Swina Allen because someone told them about Second Life and its awesome venues.

They decided to do a promotional tour in Second Life:both of them are convinced that the virtual platform has a great potential in order to give a worldwide visibility. Furthermore planning a tour in Second Life is really easy and cheap.

This magic virtual tour will start on june 22nd...I will keep you updated :)
We will see...



Discog -

Feel For You - March 2008 - Open Bar
Have A Nice Day - August 2008 - Baldeelox
Got U Bumping - October 2008 - Loopfreaks
Don't Let It Stop - October 2008 - Ospina Digital
Beautiful People - April 2009 - Soundmen On Wax
Take You Away - June 2009 - Vega

Videos-

Feel For You - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpzVUxy8lz8
Wheels of Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnYtmqdmsEE
Don't Let It Stop - http://www.youtube.com/watc

Brilliant disguise

Friday 12 June 2009

Many Second Life residents definitely avoid to leave any clues about their real identity.This happens frequently also among musicians and artists:they decide to live their second chance in an absolute freedom.Many could be the reasons of this choice and all of these are worth of respect.
Actually I don't think it's so important to know who really are the artists I'm used to be in relationship with in my inworld adventures:no ID is requested for friendship or partnership, the essence of persons goes beyond their RL coordinates.
Many Second Life musicians earn their living with music in Real Life too ,but "part time rockers" are the ones who do their shows maybe with the most vibrant dedication. SL gives to them the chance to let their dreams become true:as everyone knows the stuff dreams are made of is quite different from humdrum routine.
I never ask about Real Life. :)

About JaNa KYoMooN

Wednesday 27 May 2009


JaNa KYoMooN is a Second Life Musician who occasionally ventures into RL as Jan Pulsford.

She performs as a solo artist mixing electronica with ambient improvisations and rhythmic reflections in what has been described as "a gallery of soundscapes and audio paintings." Her pictures are sketched with reflective piano and synths tinged with echoes of world jazz and triphop"

JaNa KYoMooN calls herself a Sound escapist and Musician for Peace. She occasionally draws from her RL electronica project "aTHeNa BLue" to mix drum and bass with her evocative meditative music.

But JaNa is abowe all an awesome person, she's always kind and it's very easy to talk to her.

These are her answers to some questions about SL:
How did you discover SL?

I got into Second life about three years ago in Feb 2006.
My friend the SL musician Cypress Rosewood suggested it.
After a few attempts I finally "got it" and became JaNa KYoMooN creating the Music ALL Music Peace Park and started performing as part of the Peace Park Trio with Cypress and Trefies Kaufman.
The mixture of electronica with dulcimer and Native American Flute was extremely successful. We played many gigs.
Then about a year ago I started performing as a solo artist - At first I was performing hard hitting electronica music from my RL aTHeNa BLue project but then as time went on it seemed the more down-tempo, meditative ambient music was getting the biggest reaction.
When I realized the positive aspect of performing this kind of music for spiritual and physical well being I decided to dedicate most of my performances in SL to this end.
==================================

Do you think SL can be a valid showcase for your RL works?

Absolutely. I think it goes hand in hand and for me
creatively it provides a weekly outlet for new music and ideas.
It is a perfect parallel to the real world in terms of seeing yourself reflected in the virtual world.
you can learn from your mistakes and your successes
and you can get immediate feedback
For new musicians it's invaluable for planning a business model
i mean if no one comes to a show why is that?
so they can learn the importance of promotion, talking to people,stage presence etc etc
just like the real world
I host the "Goodbye Weekend Show" on Sunday night's at the music ALL music Peace Park and have seen it grow from nothing to a packed SIM. It has helped me record three albums and develop Radio Jana
==================================

Which are the sources of your inspiration?

I believe music is all around us and we as composers learn to tap into that
we get our inspiration from a variety of stimuli depending where we are in our lives.
For the past few years my inspiration has been where I live and the fields and nature that surround me.
From the sound of the water babbling to the birds, the smell of honeysuckle and the beauty of the trees and flowers. The sight of the full moon to the sound of thunder.
I capture these musical moments into my computer.
I might come back from a long walk, take a deep breath and play and programme the music I found.
i like to think of it as painting and sketches with music. I use reflective piano and ambient synths tinged with echoes of world jazz and triphop

============================


Do you want to use your RL name?

I think people enjoy the anonimity of SL - I have found they don't seem to be all that interested in who you are or what you do in RL which i quite like
I don't mind if people know my name which is jan pulsford
they can google me very easily and find out who i am and who i have worked with
my favourite projects in RL have been with Cyndi Lauper, Chico Freeman, aTHeNa BLue and DJ Julian Marsh
it's no great secret

===============================
Do you use other kind of digital promotions?

I think we are living in the most exciting times for the internet and digital revolution

i tweet and blip music every day

i blog when i have time

i sell my music in CDs and mp3 downloads


Streaming

Monday 25 May 2009

This is a really magic word in Second Life...
Actually many are the sources where you can find solution in order to stream your music inworld, if you are interested to this matter you can contact me inworld.
But Second Life is not only the place where you can stream your music...in a wider sense every kind of arts can be displayed on the virtual stages, such as visual arts, photography and paintings.
In a Second Life venue you can find both good music and art:vernissages and art exhibits inworld are as cool as in Real Life, but much more easier to attend.
Art buyers can look up to all kind of art works and pick the ones they like most.Furthermore it's very easy to contact the artists for every questions.
A good live music performance will give to the event an awesome soundtrack:the contamination of every kind of arts is actually the undiscovered strength of Second Life.

Swina Allen

Thursday 14 May 2009


Who is the man behind the avatar?
Swina is an IT manager whose life has always gone with the music.
When he was 14 he bought his first Eko guitar and he started playing and writing his own music. He loves also playing keyboard and piano:he has an awesome 1920 's Hofman-Khune piano on whose ivory keyboard he took his first jazz piano lessons...but the guitar was always on his way.When electronic music was accessible to his pocket he bought his first Roland hardware sequencer and a Roland synth and arranger. Soon after he got a Yamaha like strato electric guitar with a 100 W Montarbo valve ampli. What a deal !

One year ago he discovered the virtual stages in Second Life, where he has packed all the inworld venues where he performs. His love of the jazz/blues genre comes through in his melodic verses and smooth rhythms.

He only performs original tunes Sbut sometimes he sings in his own way some greatest tunes:Springsteen's "Devils and Dust" and Sergio Endrigo's "Io che ho amo solo te" among his favourites.

Most of the original songs are licensed under Creative Commons License and are free to download (some right reserved).

Swina also believes that music contamination is the most interesting thing for a musician: a way to meet musicians all over the world, to develop a new sound and to feel new emotions.
He is also used to play guitar in jamming sessions with SL artists like UKD Project (live), Ezcape Hax (using ninjam), Ridha Cooljoke (live). He has also recorded guitar and piano tracks for Jax Streeter, Ezcape Hax and UKD Project songs.


http://www.swinaallen.com/

...musicians

Friday 8 May 2009

Why it's worth to try to start an SL career?
First of all musicians can earn some money:as a matter of fact even if Facebook seems to be so popular the truth is that it does not have yet any type of economy as SL has.
Inworld both venue owners and audience pay the musicians and this is a real not virtual money!
Of course an SL musician can also use the virtual stages to promote both his music and his RL performances:it's frequent to be invited to an RL concert during a virtual gig and many artists sell their CD inworld. This second reason too is a strictly an economic one.
Last but not the least, SL allows many forms of contaminations and musical testings among musicians located in different parts of the world.Well business is inside this motivation too undoubtedly it's much less expensive meet the artists inworld than in RL.
SL outflanks Facebook 3-0!

Owners...

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Who is a venue owner in Second Life? Basically he's a dreamer, even if he pretends to run a business.
Don't trust them when they say that they need "traffic" to rent homes or to please their sponsors.
Running a live music venue does not represent at all a source of revenue first of all because so far in SL all the gigs are totally available for free.
It looks so unfair to me that for the avatars it's worth to spend their linden dollars to buy hair,dresses or weapons but not to buy a ticket for a live music gig!
By the way this is a matter of fact and we all have to be grateful to them:they are the ones who allow the magic daily live show in Second Life.
Any by-end beside, just the wish to share good vibrations and the fun to see people enjoying the show, behind their pixels.

Beyond the tips!

Tuesday 28 April 2009

Why a musician, a singer, decides to start to perform in Second Life?
As a matter of fact inworld gigs can help to pay RL bills.
Outside Lindens world it's hard to understand how SL economy works, but even if SL is no more under the media spotlights as a couple of years ago there are many people who daily log in in order to enjoy the kind of entertainement offered by live music gigs.
Musicians can play for a fee , for tips only or for a fee and tips.Tips are very appreciated by the musicians because if the audience sticking around at their gigs decide to drop some lindens in their tip jar this means that they are appreciating their show.Of course not all the artists can get tips, and this can be very frustrating sometimes.
By the way some of the artists use SL stages for the main reason that they consider worth to try to use this web 2.0 community to promote the original music they do:more than others social network such as Facebook or MySpace ,Second Life and its live music shows allows to reach an international audience.Musicians can use these contacts both for selling their mp3 (there are any systems to do this)and for promote their RL live performance.
So definitely tips are not so important after all...

Quoting the Boss...

Sunday 26 April 2009

Some of the friends, both venue owners and musicians, who kindly added a post on this blog said that they appreciate my help.
In the last two years I've been just sharing infos about the musicians I loved, trying to help them to perform in the coolest venues inworld.
Everything started without any kind of planning:it's been a sort of unexpected wordmouth.
In Second Life it's easy to find all sort of supermanagers who define themselves C.E.O. ,M.D. or Presidents of some powerful companies whose aim is to promote and manage in a super-pro way all kinds of events:you know... that kind of people ready to drop you contracts that strictly list what you can or you cannot do if you do a deal with them.
In my profile I just quote the Boss but so far I planned about 4,000 gigs (omg it's about 19.000.000 linden dollars!).
Well, definitely I think that we don't need any special tag and that the best contract is the one we call...gentlemen's agreement.
I call it sometimes "human touch".

Behind the avatars

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Who are the men (or women) behind their avatars?Actually I never asked anyone anything about their RL.But I suddendly realized that the essence of a person can be discovered even in a total lack of informations.
I met more than 150 live musicians, many of them are really special persons for me, not just because they are in my friendlist:I won't talk about the ones who are not so close to me.
What can I say to you it's what makes an SL artist very special for me:kindness,willingness to cooperate,humility and good temper are definitely the best qualities in a person who is a live musician on the very special inworld stages... In SL things are of course so differents...you don't need any truck to carry instruments and other stuff or to reserve an hotel for your band ...it takes only to be safe and quiet at home in the right moment, hopefully with a good broadband connection and with your pc still alive and kicking...Definitely artists have to be serious but they don't have to take themselves too seriously...

Absolute beginner

Monday 20 April 2009

Second Life is the place where almost everything can happen even to an absolute beginner ...
After a couple of months spent just hanging around with some friends, camping and exploring I guess I would have quit the game (which is not a game at all) .What kept me inworld has been the chance to start running a live music venue. Since I met Swina Allen, the owner of the :::Italian Mood::: something changed in my way to look at Second Life.
We kept together the decision to make there a sort of showcase and a workshop where it were possible to host any type of live music event.It was just a dream but we decided to dream it together...and of course anyone of us had any experience in this field in our RL...

...the magic in SL live music

Sunday 19 April 2009

When I started SL two years ago I remeber that my first great experience has been to attend to a live music gig...Mankind Tracer was playing live somewhere and as a newbe as I was I felt really amazed both of listening to those songs and to share the same feelings with all the audience...I suddendly felt the magic in SL music:better and stronger than in RL gigs everyone can share his sensations with all the people who are in the same place at the same time even if they are in RL thousands of miles apart and of course with the artists on stage.
I'd like to know what do you think about this, now that hundreds of musicians perform daily inworld:do you feel the same sensations?

WELCOME!!

Saturday 18 April 2009

Hello musiclovers!
After 2 years during which I've been completely involved in Second Life live music I decided to start putting some ideas in this blog, whose aim is not to promote any special events or performers, but just to give room to all the ideas or feelings about our common passions!