Live music is one of the many wonderful things to be enjoyed in Second Life. First-class performers and hard-working managers and hosts deserve our support not only to show our appreciation but also so that our enjoyment can continue.

Where else can we enjoy such excellent live music at such a small cost ? Show your Linden Love !!!

Maximillion Kleene at Gwampas Kamp - Tuesday 4 January 2011



I first heard Maximillion Kleene sing about two years ago when he was already recognised as one of the best performers in Second Life.  On each of perhaps a dozen occasions that I've heard him since he's just got better and better ! Dottie and I were very pleased to be able to go to one of his concerts on Tuesday as it was the 6 months anniversary of our first meeting in Second Life :))


Max Kleene, who is from the Niagara Falls area of Canada, is an outstanding and masterful acoustic guitar player with a relaxed, easy-going style of singing and entertaining.  He combines his confident singing and playing with modesty and fun.  I'm sure this picture of his "through-the-guitar" style would make him smile :)   Most things are possible in Second Life !!



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Max plays covers, or rather he takes a cover and makes it his own with his own personality, imagination and inventiveness.  His first song of the evening was Wonderwall sung by english rock band Oasis and written by Noel Gallagher -

Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now ...... ..... .... ...





There are at least two music venues at Gwampas Kamp spread over four beautiful sims - Pango Pango, Bali Bali, Zeide Kamp, and Gwampa Castle, all owned by Gwampa lomu.  There are many other things to see here including medieval village, castle, towers and lighthouses, mountains and waterfalls, coastline and boats, all with many quiet places to relax.  One feature is the use of cuddle bubbles in the sky above the audience areas - like boxes in a theatre from which to enjoy the performances just below.


This event was held at The Heartland which is right at the junction of four sims.  I assume this layout is a way of better spreading the load - lag and capacity.




Next came the 2009 hit from Uncle Kracker  Smile -

You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed

Sing like bird, dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night


You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile ...... ..... .... ...




Max includes quite a few Beatles covers including a version the 1968 song Blackbird which Paul McCartney was inspired to write by the escalating racial tensions in the USA -


Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free



Blackbird fly into the northern sky ...... ..... .... ...


Later on he showed his inventiveness and versatility by singing some tight harmonies against recordings of himself.  Among these was a beautiful cover of one of my favourites  I'm Yours  by Jason Mraz -


Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more 
It cannot wait, I'm yours ...... ..... .... ...


There are 3 songs which sum up for me Max Kleene's wonderful singing - Blackbird, Smile and Starry Starry Night which he sang next. 


Writer Don McLean called the song Vincent as it was written as a tribute to the artist van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night -


Starry starry night
paint your palette blue and grey
look out on a summer's day
with eyes that know the
darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and the daffodils
catch the breeze and the winter chills
in colors on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand what you tried to say to me ...... ..... .... ...





Max is a wonderful entertainer guaranteed to get a warm and friendly response from his audience.  On the night he almost forgot to put out his tipping cow but here it is above just getting a well-deserved tip :))


Here's the SLURL to get to Gwampa's Kamp -
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zeide%20Kamp/247/247/21/


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