Live Music In Second Life: Thom Silverfall at The LODGE

Thom Silverfall is fairly new to live music in Second Life. His audiences are still relatively small, his diary is almost empty, and his Group - Thom Silverfall Fans which was founded only this month still has only a handful of members.

Now Dottie and I have listened to a lot of artists in Second Life, and time only allows us to blog the best. Some only get one chance to make a good impression and, in other cases my Time Zone SLT +8 makes it pretty difficult for me to stay awake long enough to blog them !! Last night I was happy to stay up late to go along to The LODGE @ The Bluffs Center for the Arts and listen to Thom for the second time. Why, because he's a first class singer, a first class musician, he's fun and a great entertainer !!

Thom has been performing at The LODGE The Bluffs Center for the Arts since February this year. He performs his own unique originals as well as popular cover songs, using a mix of guitars, synthesizers, looped sequences, computer effects and more. Everything is mixed and triggered live, with smooth vocals, soaring guitar solos, driving beats and sweet ballads. You'll hear everything from House to Trance to Blues to Pop to Jazz and Country.

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Thom warmed up, he was having fun :)) His first piece was a wee competition. Who in the audience would guess the name of the tune first ?

He began with a rhythm .. " Guess what it turns into :)) "
He added six loops one after the other layer upon layer all the time getting weirder and teasing us more ! Only the final loop had the rhythm which immediately made the tune recognisable !!

I'm sure we all smiled and chuckled when that famous swiss oom-pah song The Birdie Song finally hit our ears :)) No !! my musical appreciation has not taken a downward plunge. Trust me folks !!

Then his second piece .. a loop .. a beat ... a melody .... a song .....

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart .....

Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen

Thom adds his own very individual trademark sound. He slides and bends the strings to give it a " hawaiian " feel and it is this which gives his music the wow factor for me !!

Next was The Drifters 1964 hit Under The Boardwalk

" Wiggle your toes in the sand "

He modestly introduced his fourth song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol as a new song for him. Oh how beautifully he sang it !! His voice is soft, smooth and relaxing, flexible and very accurate.

He gave his next song Knockin on Heavens Door by Bob Dylan a wonderful mellow sound, with his voice and with his " hawaiian " strings effect. The girls in the audience sang along in local chat -

" ooooo oo oo ooo oo ooooooooo "

The effects gave this piece a real dreamlike quality, and it really was as though he was playing in a large room or hall with the feeling of spaciousness produced by the sound.

Half way through there were only 14 people in the audience :( I wonder how hard it is for an artist to really break in and become popular in Second Life.

" Get ready to clappa thy hands and shaka thy butt "

" The beginning of all danceosity "

There's a party going on right here

it's a celebration ....

So bring your good time and your laughter too

We gonna celebrate and party with you ....

Celebration !!

We gonna celebrate at The Bluffs tonight

!!!!!!!!! P?A?R?T?Y !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P?A?R?T?Y !!!!!!!!!

Celebration was a big 1981 hit for Kool and The Gang.

Next came one of Dottie's favourite songs Fields of Gold by Sting

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold .....

and then ....

Baby I Love Your Way - by Peter Frampton

Shadows grow so long before my eyes
and they're moving across the page
Suddenly the day turns into night
far away from the city
But don't hesitate cos your love won't wait ...

Ooo baby I love your way ... every day

Both songs really beautifully sung !!

His last song was Put Another Log on the Fire - released in 1976 by the very prolific Texan Country Music writer and singer Waylon Jennings.

Put another log on the fire
Cook me up some bacon and some beans
And go out to the car and change the tire
Wash my socks and sew my old blue jeans.

Come on baby you can fill my pipe and then go fetch my slippers
And boil me up another pot of tea
Then put another log on the fire babe
And come and tell me why you're leaving me.

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*Yayyyyyyy!!!!*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*