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Saturday, July 8, 2023
Back to The Blues- Crossroads Front Porch RE-OPENS Saturday, July 8th from12:00-10:00 pm SLT
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Spotlight on ChicagoBluesman - Movin’ and Groovin’ in Second Life-Lanai Jarrico Reporting
Image was taken by Cathy Kærann
With the holidays out the way, and things settling down both in real life and on the grid I’m glad to be back to exploring and meeting new and interesting people. It is one of the exciting things about Second Life. On any given day you never know what you may come across or who you might spark up a conversation with. While out and about I thought I’d browse the event list and check out a concert. I noticed another performer in the crowd showing his support. I find that to be very respectful and supportive. It shows me that not everyone is focused on their own thing and people do support each other rather than compete. It's a beautiful thing.
After the show, I met up with ChicagoBluesman, a professional instrumentalist from Chile that is relatively new to the music scene in SL and we got to talking. I was impressed by what he shared and his passion for Blues.
Interview with ChicagoBluesman
Lanai: Hi Chicago, It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’ve only been in Second Life for only 4 months. How did you discover this virtual world?
ChicagoBluesman: I came to Second life because of one of those things about algorithms, I was studying some courses on the metaverse and NFTs for Marketing at the Linkedin academy, then Instagram showed me John Rocky's profile, he was teaching how to start doing shows in second life, from that point one thing led to another and here I am.
Lanai: Word of mouth and viral advertising with social media is a powerful thing! Where are you from and what inspired you to pursue a career in music?
ChicagoBluesman: I’m currently living on an island in South America. When I used to live in Chile nobody played blues harmonica in my town, we were under a military government where listening to some type of music was kind of forbidden. We didn't have access to get good albums, sometimes a friend got some CDs because his mother used to be a flight attendant in the '80s.
Lanai: That must have been an amazing music experience for you being introduced to new sounds that way. Your name makes it obvious that your genre is Blues. Of all the different music out there, what gravitates you to this particular genre?
ChicagoBluesman: The first song I listened to was Sweet sixteen from BB king, never forget that. It was an old tape that a friend of mine lent me, that type wasn’t in very good condition to be honest, even like that it got my full attention but I didn’t know the name of that style of music.
Lanai: B.B. King defines the blues! Did you know with its classic rhythm and storytelling, studies showed Blues music eases tension and anxiety and also improves memory, learning, and intellectual development? An instrumentalist is pretty rare in Second Life, You play the rhythm without singing and this makes you unique in the SL music scene. What type of instruments do you play and what artists inspire what you perform?
ChicagoBluesman: The first instrument I played was the flute when I was at school, then I started playing the accordion and studied Latin rhythms like cuecas and folkloric things from my country. After a while I sold the accordion and bought a tube amp to connect the harmonica and sound more electrified, it was here that the fun began. These days I am being sponsored by a Chinese harmonica brand called Kongsheng, I started to work with them this year.
Lanai: That’s a great opportunity to expand your music! Aside from covering many of your favorite songs, Do you write your own music?
ChicagoBluesman: I have composed some songs but most of my time was spent working as a session musician, I have already recorded music for movies, reality shows, pop singers, jazz musicians, and all types of styles.
Lanai: Very impressive! In 2001 and again in 2011 you opened for Eric Clapton, tell me a little about how that happened and what that experience was like. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRS67-UQAGw)
ChicagoBluesman: There is a somewhat funny anecdote that happened in 2001, we opened the Eric Clapton show on October 4 at the national stadium in Chile, and at that time I was working at the same time for an airline called Copa Airlines, serving passengers traveling to Panama. I remember that a few days before I had to ask my boss for permission to let me open the show for Eric Clapton, at first nobody believed me. I remember that after the show I had to return to the airport because I had to work. My smile that night lasted throughout the shift.
In 2011 we opened again for the Clapton show together with one of the best-known blues bands in Chile "La Rata Bluesera" and Miguel Botafogo from Argentina. Clapton was very receptive to us and we were able to chat briefly.
Lanai: That’s very exciting being that Eric Clapton is among the greatest and most influential guitar players in rock history. Giving you some major bragging rights in the real world! How often do you perform in Second Life?
ChicagoBluesman: It depends, sometimes I play from 4 to 5 times during the week, I'm still trying to get more good gigs in some venues but I received a lot of invitations to play for free and I'm not interested in doing that unless is for a charity event.
Lanai: Very Understandable. Not everything should be given away for free. I can see you performing for weddings and at high-end venues in SL. Your sound is lounge-worthy, we even joked it makes good elevator music the other night. It sets a nice background tone for people to enjoy while engaged in good conversation or just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. Since you have experience performing in front of crowds in real life and now in Second Life, Do you feel the same rush of adrenaline?
ChicagoBluesman: I must confess that it has been very different but I have been getting used to it, a good exercise was having attended several shows of my fellow musicians to see how they perform during the 1-hour show, but yes, there is always a bit of nerves, you never know what's going to happen lol
Lanai: I think every great artist gets nervous before or during a show. If they didn’t, they are not striving to get better. Do you have a calendar with your performance dates so our readers know how to find you?
ChicagoBluesman: sure, here is a link
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/1/r/month?cid=Y2hpY2Fnb2JsdWVzbWFuMjJAZ21haWwuY29t
Lanai: Thank you for the link drop. How can venues book you for performances?
ChicagoBluesman: They can contact me directly or contact my manager Carmen Cardone who has done a fantastic job helping me here at Second Life.
Lanai: I love that you gave her some props for a job well done. SL Music managers don’t get enough recognition for what they do. Without them, musicians would be overwhelmed by having to do all the behind-the-scenes communication and marketing stuff they do. Kudos to Carmen! It was a pleasure getting to know you Chicago. Thank you for sharing your talent with us in Second Life. and I hope to see you continuing to move and groove across the grid. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
ChicagoBluesman: Thank you Lanai, I appreciate this, this is all new to me so I’m gonna try to spread the blues harmonica everywhere in Second Life. My message to the readers is If you go to my show invite your friends and have fun :)
Additional Information:
SL GROUP:
Contact Carmen Cardone (carmencardone) for bookings
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/887382882627504
CALENDAR: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=chicagobluesman22@gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/366ngq34sdUniUFRGGwBal?si=nW3PoxQjRWWA3SLorD8BpA
FLICKR
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196715986@N02/
YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc7F567BnAY&t=337s&ab_channel=DanaEnyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSRfYNa03kA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIiKUCuTLYM&ab_channel=Mistysa-Topic
Saturday, January 8, 2022
THE MUSIC FACTORY: CRANKING OUT THE TUNES – JOSH (THOMAS1 BELLIC) REPORTING
Soooo…I was hopping around the Grid the other day, looking to see if anyone was having fun without me in SecondLife, and I dropped square into THIS place. According to the promo, The Music Factory is billed as “SL's Premier Multi-Genre & Live Music Venue", owned and operated by veteran SL'er, Wilson "Bluesdaddy" Camino”. Here I met the friendly and outgoing Camino, as he was prepping for his next set. Still, he managed to spare a few minutes to answer my questions. He described The Music Factory as one of SL's hottest destinations. They are Multi-Genre and Newcomer Friendly, with DJs who play Blues, Jazz, Rock, R&B, Soul, and Pop. Confident in his own abilities as a DJ, Camino’s profile states “I have no doubt, there's no better Blues DJ in SL**”
Josh (Thomas1 Belllic) (JB) Hi Wilson.
Thanks for agreeing to chat with me.
Let me ask, how did you come up with the idea for “The Music Factory”?
Wilson Camino (WC): I
initially planned to stay working at The Fix, but when you've been an owner,
working for someone else was unsatisfying, and since this isn't my first rodeo,
(I previously owned The Blues Barn) and it was moderately successful, I decided
the best move going forward was to carve out a place for the vision I had. I
have my Muse, Mysti, and she and I went looking for a facility to start out
this endeavor with, and we went to numerous places that sell buildings, we
initially planned to do something with garage, but after we went to M-C Creations, we came across this
building, although it was in its original form.
JB: What is it that makes “The Music Factory” different from any other music venue out there?
WC: First, we do have
a heavy blues influence here, that's mainly my fault. It turns out we ended up
with an excellent staff, one I'm very proud of, and individuals in our roster
don't limit themselves to strictly one genre, they are all very talented and
have the ability to mix genres. I take great pride in that, and we have Jazz
Mondays, and each day of the week we sponsor different spins on what the days'
music will bring.
JB: Did you build
this all by yourself, or do you have a partner or assistant who helps out?
WC: The building and
all the work on the grounds here and over the bowling alley were done by my
good friend Magda 1851, who is the builder of the original building we bought
to house the club. She's been brought into our group as well, and every
revision we did since we opened, she's created, she's amazing and wonderful. I
believe as things now sit, we are fully willing to embrace change if needed,
but I don't believe we can make it any better here.
JB: Are you a Blues musician in RL as well?
WC: I knew this was
going to come up, lol. I play guitar, I'm not in a band or anything. I don't
know if it matters, I have 8 guitars, and I'm building up a collection. What I
do have, is a stunning music collection, and I've been collecting music I loved
since childhood, and it continues to reflect my sets in what I play.
JB: You seem to be
able to handle groups of varying sizes with a couple of dance floors. Tell me about the layout here?
WC: Good question, at one time, this was just the building,
and it had support columns, and obstructions galore, so I went and asked Magda
to do a revision and she removed all the columns and removed gates that were
across the stage. We operated with just the original building for a while, but
the need to use the land behind the club led to the present configuration, and
Magda redesigned the back of the building, (opened it up) and built it with the
upper dance floor, the amphitheater seating area, and the fences around the
premises. She also took on doing the grounds, front, back, and around the
bowling alley. The idea was to offer a variety of settings for our VIP's, both
inside, and outdoors.
JB: What can visitors expect when they drop into The Music Factory?
WC: They should
expect entertainment, friendly staff, and great conversation, we try as much as
possible to have Hosts along with the DJs so guests can expect to be greeted
and made welcome. Also, innovations- we have SL's first couples and singles
dance balls shaped like guitars, there's a single neck I had made for singles,
and a double-neck made for couples. I also had remote stands built for the
dances and to keep things similar, they also feature the double-neck for
couples and a single neck for single folks. I have subscribers for all the
DJs so people don't have to use group space to keep up with their favorites, they
can tap a Subscriber and keep up with all the news and schedules.
JB: So, tell me, Wilson? Do you have any special events coming up? If so, what can guests expect
there?
WC: We have events
every Saturday evening, we've done Ice skating, roller derby, costumes, and
others and there's always a prize. this week, we are having a tin foil hat
contest, lmao. They're all for fun, and they always generate a good crowd. We
also have Formal Fridays, and everyone likes the excuse to dress up.
JB: Tell us about your staff? How many people does it take to keep an operation like this running?
WC: I think, at least
for my part, I have the best staff in SL. I co-own the club, I learned early on
delegation is a wonderful thing. Aster,(my co-owner) and I strive to have a
stable roster, unlike many other clubs, I pay a salary and tips, and everyone
keeps 100% of what they make. It helps a lot, folks like stable too, and they
come back looking for their favorite staff. Right now, we have 2 owners, a pair
of host managers, and we are looking for others. At last count 15 DJ's, and 12
Hosts.
JB: How can people
find out what is happening here? Where
do you post your Schedule of Events?
WC: We have event
boards all over here, and right outside the front door there's one, we always
update them as soon as possible. We also have a Facebook page, and were
recently in the Destination Guide.
JB: Is there
anything else you would like to share with our SL Readers?
WC: Folks, there's
the old way of doing things, and our way. Come by and hang out a spell, you'll
have a great time, and you'll have found a new home for your entertainment
needs. We appreciate all our guests, and we welcome all newcomers to SL, and
those just looking for something new. We are the home of' great times, great
tunes, and great vibes for unstable minds". We also have plans to have
charity kiosks and events here, For
NAMI, Run For Life, and others in SL.
So there ya have it, Folks. If ya’ll are looking for a place with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, a friendly, engaging staff, and some really kick-ass DJs, come check out The Music Factory at the SURL below.
Be There. Aloha!
JB
SURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Warbunton/69/221/44
Friday, June 4, 2021
Varda a Bluesy voice a must see artist!
2003 - Her professional career began with winning a contest against 150 contestants in McAllen, Texas.
2004 - first CD with the band The Allnighters, received radio play with an original song called Allnighter.
2005 - Signed to Sawdust Alley records by Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra
2010 - wrote the song with Guitar Shorty on Bare Knuckles CD
Over the years she has done various studio works, sang with different bands, and had a few interviews and write-ups in newspapers and TV. She headlined with her band The Allnighters at the Blues on the Hill in Harlingen, Texas in 2005. In 2006 she sang with Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra in Harlingen, Texas for the Spanish album Un Amor Legendario. In 2007 She worked with Ray Palla on a song he wrote with Jewel Kichler in mind, called, Right Here and Now. Since then, she has been singing regularly in virtual performances for the metaverse starting 2019 to the present, 2021.
Currently, you can find her singing at Franks Jazz, The Golden Tambourine, Fern Lounge, Umbra, and Hotlanta. If you are interested in listening to this lady sing check events or join her group in the world named Varda or if interested in getting more information or booking Varda, please contact Sapphire Entertainment manager Amber Lefavre.
Monday, November 6, 2017
NAYDEE McGETTIGAN JOINS T1RADIO AIR STAFF -Naydee's Blue Notes Kicks off Friday Nov. 10
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Christmas Music Showcase Today at Roadhouse Blues and Jazz Club - Starting 4pm SLT
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Country in Second Life - Tea Couturier Reporting...
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Music in SL: Interview with Leo McLaglen and the Bands of Alts - Piers Diesel Reporting...
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Second Life’s Well Known Jazz and Blues Singer Jackie Lefko- Tea Couturier Reporting…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
CRS News: JAZZ NIGHTS at Costa Rica Jazz Lounge- May 11 @ 5pm SLT
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tryst Presents a Blues and Folk Festival May 10-May 12th
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