The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #40 Show Date: June 17, 2009.  Venue: The Bushy Beard

This was our first show with new bass playing avatar, Jill Garnet!  Four musicians came together in the studio, each with our instruments and microphone and each with an in-world avatar representation.  Though I think we pulled it off with calm composure, behind the scenes it was hectic getting everything working together on time.  Thanks to our beloved leader, Jeremy, who is very capable at the technical stuff.

We are glad to say that Jill will continue playing with us in Second Life.  She’ll be doing a weekly show together with drummer, Chops Baxton.

Having been born yesterday, and hitting the stage today, she had to be kitted out quickly, so we went shopping.  During our travels at a lucky chair at Blue Blood, a friendly person introduced herself, called Lexii Scientist.  After chatting a bit and telling her we were getting a newb ready for a show the next day, she generously went through her inventory and shared a bunch of goodies, including the skin and hair-do Jill wore for the show.  What a sweet gesture that was … so appreciated as it saved a lot of time.

Where else would a brand new avatar go for some nice looking ‘first clothes’?  The Gnubie Store is an excellent place, containing great free samples of many of Second Life’s premiere designers.  Think of it as an awesome goodwill store, where nothing costs more than a linden (= a fraction of a cent) … one you can easily pull together a great look.  Jill picked up her red tank top and bracelet there.  In fact, the selection was so good this week, that Chops took a trip over and got some stuff too!

With 4 avatars to clothe and photograph in an interesting way, we sure appreciate the great things we can get for a low price.  We go on hunts and regularly read blogs which guide us in the direction of good stuff, like treasure maps. Finding treasure in Second Life is a game in itself.  At the end of every blog entry, I give credit to the makers of what we wear but don’t always point out what was a gift or a prize.  It’s all mixed up. And like in real life, not everyone has to know what you got on sale!

Thanks to those content providers who give samples of their work, making the whole experience much more fun and affordable.

Today’s photo session was the first I did trying to get good shots including 4 avatars.  It was like trying to take pictures of a basket of puppies!

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #39 Show Date: June 14, 2009.  Venue: The Notes Shack

Sunday afternoon found me and Jeremy doing a set at The Notes Shack.

Owner Krakov Letov and Manager Cerealistic Noland are fun and have dubbed their place “The Nuts Shack”.

They also have a good ear for music.  The Sunday afternoon/evening parties that I have attended there have all featured a good line-up, and a happy time.

We went on between Zorch Boomhauer and Violet and Tom from Toe’d up.

Cerealistic took this live action shot.  Thanks Cere <3

After the show, we decided to walk home and got a little bit tired on the way,  so stopped in to this very nice shop to rest for a bit.  I wish I hadn’t put my feet on the furniture.

Thanks for reading!

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #38 Show Date: June 10, 2009.  Venue: The Bushy Beard

An hour before hitting the stage for our weekly set at The Bushy Beard, we had a significant real life meeting.  This was as we greeted bass player, Jill, to our first rehearsal together.  Actually, she had come to the studio to watch our SL performance, and then, after that, to jam out a few of our songs that she’d learned in advance.  Little did she know that she would actually be playing live, directly into SL with us!  How about that? … first note played with a new band and there are many ears there listening right along!  She wasn’t afraid at all though, and even grabbed Chop’s microphone to say hello to the audience.

Chops was a little reluctant to share his mic though, as he has become one with the mic.  In real life performing, the drummer doesn’t get one, unless they’re singing, so Chops has taken quite a shine to having his own in SL.  We call him “Chatty Chopsy”!

Thanks to the listeners, who had the pleasure of hearing our first rehearsal as a 4-piece band, and welcome Jill.  Next week we will have an avatar for you.

Dance of joy!

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #37 Show Date: June 6, 2009.  Venue: ClubHub

A few weeks ago Jeremy received a note from a person called Freefall Ninetails.  He and his friends, Fallingsnow Jewell and Saii Hallard had started a new place called ClubHub, a music gateway where residents can go to find out what’s going on in any music club in Second Life.  It’s ‘A centralized community for those that enjoy music.’

They also hosted a weekly live show and Freefall was requesting that we play a Saturday evening set at this new venue.  While we were quite interested in playing there, we were also nervous about drawing out a large enough crowd for them.  Realizing that our music is ‘different’ and not for every one, we certainly don’t want to over promise to anyone and therefore cause any disappointment, for ourselves or others.  We are not what would be considered to be sim-crashers, where so many people come out, that the system can’t support the crowd and crashes!  We’re fine with that, but realize that, like in real life, many bookers are looking for acts who draw big crowds.

So, when asked to perform by someone we don’t know well, the first thing we ask is whether they’ve heard us play before.  In this case, it was a check … they both liked our music, and were quite certain that we were the performers they wanted at their venue.  This having been cleared up, we were happy to play at ClubHub.

And the show turned out to be a happy success … there was a good crowd, including some of our fans (thanks Zeeblebob, Txell and Bif) and a decent group of new listeners there too, many of whom seemed to be friends of Freefall and Fallingsnow.  The whole event ended on a cozy adrenaline high associated with a job well done!

Thanks to Freefall, Fallingsnow and Saii for the faith.  We look forward to next time, as we have now been invited to do a regular show there.  woot!

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #36 Show Date: June 3, 2009.  Venue: The Bushy Beard Pub

The Bushy Beard audience were their usual chatty selves.  Hmmm, let’s see … today’s conversation included marching bands/baton twirling, flooded kitchens/drunk plumbers, beans/we won’t go there.  Chops would have loved it, but alas, he was unable to come out to play today.

As always, we thank our friends and any newcomers who come to The Bushy Beard shows.  You have made Wednesdays at day to look forward to.

During my travels this week, I came upon a very pretty ballroom, where we decided to take our photos.  Actually someone came in while we were there, so we quickly teleported away, not wanting to be uninvited intruders!

You see, I have a bit of a fear of empty ballrooms, stemming from a time when I very first came to Second Life.  I was renting a small apartment in the sky from a guy, who charmingly took his role as landlord very seriously, showing up in a tool belt and steel-toed boots to fix my curtains.

Anyway, I had not yet realized that I could set the apartment as my home-base and therefore automatically appear there every time I logged back into the game, rather than just coming too in the same spot you were when you last logged out.  So, not knowing you could set a default as home, I was in the practice of teleporting home whenever I was ready to leave SL.

Except this one time … like in a dream about wearing only your underpants to work, I ‘awoke’ to find myself suddenly in the middle of a fully fledged ball.  We’re talking lavish gowns, jewels and tuxedos; couples waltzing all around me in time to the string quartet playing in the corner.

And me? At least I was wearing more than my underwear, though barely, emphasis on the ‘bare’.  I was wearing a tarty mini skirt and halter top, and ugly platform sandals.  These were free clothes, picked from the boxes that newcomers find in abundance at any welcoming station.  Back then, most free newbie-wear was scant clothing.  In fact, the reason I was even at the ballroom in the first place was that someone had told me about gowns they were giving away there.  You see, they provided free dresses, in an effort to avoid inappropriately attired people crashing their dance! *

Embarrassing?  Yes.  Particularly so, when someone said “Oh, here’s a newbie, ruining things for everyone”.

So in closing I will say that all newcomers are welcome at our shows.  I hope this little story doesn’t scare you from trying Second Life out.  Most people are very nice here.  And if you have any questions about things like setting a home-base or where to get some decent clothes, please … ask away!

* Note, it wasn’t long before I saw the light about the beautiful clothing, created by talented artists, which could be purchased in SL, including the dress I wore for today’s show, which was one of the first outfits I bought.  Quality never goes out of style!

Credits following the break.

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #35 Show Date: May 30, 2009.  Venue: Heroes Nighclub

Push a button and a doorway, which moments before blended completely into the rock-face of a mountain, slides open.  Cautiously proceed along a stone corridor into a large cavern, which reveals itself to be a playground for superheroes.  It is complete with a phone booth to change in, and many hidden secrets.

What fun it was to play at this unique new club, called Heroes, run by Superheroine for hire, Nightgirl Destiny and a crew of superheroes, villains, henchmen and damsels.  We were invited by a new friend, Caliente Lemon.  For the occasion, he was dressed like a man made from rock (The Thing from the Fantastic Four), and preceded our show with a dj’d set of well selected familiar tunes, intermixed with some interesting new music.

Photo above by Caliente Lemon

It is always nice to have a photo taken during a performance, since it’s impossible for us to take ‘live action’ pictures.  We thank Caliente for this shot, and for the opportunity to play at Heroes.

The Super Zeros hard at work

Thanks for reading our gig diary entry.

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #34 Show Date: May 27, 2009.  Venue: The Bushy Beard Pub

Another fun afternoon at The Bushy Beard Pub, where we do a show every Wednesday at 1 pm slt.  Let’s see, what was particularly notable about this week.  Well, after our performance, during the dj’d set of Lahoha Chestnut, Chops stripped down to his underpants and took a whirl on the dance pole.  Then club regular, Adin Hawks, put on his ‘Homer Simpson in Leather Chaps’ outfit and took a whirl.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was hot times at The Bushy Beard Pub!

Worth pointing out that long before he joined The Rails Band, Chops played in another (real life) band, in which he wore a leather thong to perform!  I never had the opportunity to witness the glory of this, but have heard tell!

Please keep reading for outfit details, and no, there is no photograph of the thong event hidden under the fold!

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The RAILS Band Gig Diary - Entry #33 Show Date: May 24, 2009.  Venue: The Rails Night Club ~ Sunday at 6 pm slt

When we do shows at our own club they are “do it yourself” productions;  we have no hostesses to greet people nor opening dj.  Actually, very rarely does anyone arrive early, though we are always there beforehand doing a quick sound check and basically just making sure things are in order for the show.

In real life, the 20 minutes before we begin are occupied with tuning guitars, getting drinks and putting out notices … leaving our avatars sitting on the edge of the virtual stage, until it’s time for the music.  At the top of the hour we usually just start playing, and people begin arriving during our first couple of songs.

This Sunday was an exception though, as a group of visitors we’d never met before arrived 10 minutes before showtime.  The ‘leader-type’ guy of the group, called RobsterRawb was in a talkative mood, asking us about the band and our instruments.  We chatted with him and then began our set.

While we’re playing, we can’t ‘hear’ what’s going on in the room, because people are typing in chat, and we can’t read very well and play at the same time.  However we can see most of what’s going on in our monitors.  During our first couple of songs, we saw people coming in and either taking a seat or beginning to dance.

We also saw those four early-comers suddenly disappear.  That was ok, as we completely understand that our brand of rock music is not for everyone, nor would we expect it to be.  It is quite normal for people to check out a couple of songs and then be on their way.  It’s common to see people quietly leave if they decide the music is not to their liking.  Time is precious and there are many ways to be entertained in Second Life!

This time though I was curious to see what had happened with those people so after the show I read the public chat, and this is what was said before departing …

[18:06]  RobsterRawb Jaxxon : shit i gtg my butt itches
[18:07]  Brooke Silverweb : did he really just say that LOL
[18:07]  shaz Bashly : yes
[18:07]  Brooke Silverweb : lmfaooooo
[18:07]  shaz Bashly : im feeling sick

Wow … our music has had various effects on people, but I can’t recall ever hearing anything like that.

This was a timely example of a story I’d coincidentally read in the newspaper that very afternoon, entitled “In the Digital Age, rudeness is just another virus”.  The story discusses a new study out of the University of Southern California, which found that increased digital rudeness is decreasing our ability to perform at work.

The writer goes on to ask the question, “If rudeness online depletes creativity, perhaps politeness will encourage it?”

I’m with her, and will conclude this post by saying, “thanks for checking out our show, RobsterRawb and friends!”

For outfit details and credits, please keep reading.

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