ANOTHER WEEKS BITES THE DUST.

Hi everyone.,
Here we go with the weeks round up of comings and goings.
Monday last week saw us performing at Southbound. Jed Tharnaby was on before us though we only managed to catch half his set due to RL issues that took longer than we hoped they would, never the less what we did hear was very good.
Ari the little Dragonette was on the stage after us with her usual mix of humorous songs and gentle melodies, always a pleasure to listen to.
Stephen Sixpence followed Ari. We had not heard Stephen for ages so it was good to catch him again. Stephen seems such a nice guy and the set was great. He played several songs I had not heard in awhile and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
After Southbound had finished for the day we nipped across to a place we had not been before. The Mason Family Barn, it's a small but friendly little venue, where Gweeb was playing a set having been away for some time with the flu. It was good to hear him again. After his set it had gone midnight for us so it was time to log out and get some sleep.
Tuesday saw WolfnHawk playing at The Drunken Drow, but again we were the only ones till 2hours later when Beth Odets was playing. I am hoping that this week when we play Cailidgh Spires will be returning to her slot immediately after us as we always feel better about being part of a show rather than the whole thing, if you see what I mean.
Wednesday it was time to open our own venue. Gweeb flew in  with two minutes to spare, having just done a show elsewhere, to play a great set.
Ringo the lovable lion should have been next, but by 2 minutes to the hour we knew he was not going to make it as he is usually so reliable. Luckily the awesome Mash Rhodes was in the venue and offered to do a stand in show. Sunwolf is in charge of notices so there were frantic tapping sounds beside me as he notified as many folks as he could. People who didn't come missed a truly fantastic set.
                                              Ari and Larry at Spice

                                                                             
Thursday is our time to visit friends Katja Runo and Tim Anadyr at their lovely venue Spice. It seemed odd Tim not being on stage for the opening show. He has been doing that slot for as long as we have been going to Spice on Thursdays and that is quite a few months.
Icecream Merlin was due to open but, he could not get on line so Franck Molko graciously stepped in and though he was having a few problems with the stream skipping he still managed to give us a wonderful show.
Following Frank was Lyn Carlberg and we settled down to be lulled by his gentle love songs.
Then it was back to RL at what for us is a very busy time of year.
Friday is our busiest SL day as we begin with playing a set at Guthrie's and then settle down to watch Moses Rae, Lazarus Doghouse and Quinton Whitman, A wonderful line up that never disappoints.
Lazarus always delivers the songs in his own unique style, but that day he outshone himself with a truly amazing version of a Doors Number, which if I remember correctly, is called This Is The End. If you were not there then you missed a wonderful version of a great song .
We always have to leave Guthrie's sooner than we would like to go to RL and get a meal etc before getting back on line to host out own venue, Ye Olde Wolf n Hawk.
                                        Cailidgh being bopped by Ari during the universe song

                                                             
Mash Rhodes opened for us with yet another brilliant set. We so enjoy his shows and could listen for hours.
Cailidgh Spires followed Mash. Caili had a special guest with her for her show and Wildman played percussion accompaniment to most of her songs, it just added a little something to an already great show.
As you have no doubt realised we are now running only two shows per day except now and then when we revert to three, but we are opening an extra day instead and this is to see if we can appeal to folks who maybe can't get to the shows in the week. We will be doing this for a few months and then assess how the plan is working. We have only been running the venue since December last year so we are still quite new to it all. Having said that I can't help but notice that venues seem to be closing down every week now and quite a few of them opened after we did. Still as I have said before, folks who come into running a venue hoping to make money will be sorely disappointed and to be truthful the lindens we earn as performers often go to subsidising the pub.
Sunwolf and I hoped over to Cuddlers cove later that evening to watch our dear friend Laid Back Celt. If you like your music raw and full of energy then LB is the guy to come to listen to. We get to a set of his whenever we can.
Saturday saw Sunwolf and I back at Cuddlers for Crazy Saturday.For the last few weeks Suka had been running the venue on her own while Quinton was away visiting his son, but this week it was Suka that was absent as RL was claiming her time. It always seems so odd when Suka is not there hosting the shows, but Quinton held it all together as we listened to Mr Whitman himself followed by the amazing Anj Gustaffson with Laid Back ending the day. Another great 3 hours of music that if you missed it then you missed some truly wonderful entertainment.
Then it was back to our place to do a show hosted by our dear friend Blackdwarfbud. She didn't have too much to do as folks were thin on the ground. Either that means that no one wants to listen to us, or there were too many other events taking place at the same time. There were a few folks in though and they seem to be enjoying themselves and as that is what we do the shows for then all was not lost and I send my heartfelt thanks to those people, you all know who you are.
Following us was the talented Mr Steveeolio who gave us a lovely soothing set and I am glad to say we ended up with a few more folks coming in towards the half way mark.
Sunday is our day for RL so after doing domestic chores and catching up with friends and family there is not much time left for anything else.
Well that is about it for this week, I will be posting this then going to the our pub to finish setting up our Tinnies corner as Ari plays at the pub every two weeks we thought it might be nice to set up a place especially for her and her little friends. Then I have various other bits n pieces in Rl that still need attending to before we get down to Southbound for the first of our shows this week. Maybe we will see some of you there, we hope so.

One last thing I believe I made a stupid mistake last time when I referred to Lavender fields as Lilac fields, oops sorry Brique, don't know what made me do that other than the Lilac in my garden had begun blooming and I had been admiring it and the fact I guess I am just getting old n confused. Anyways sorry again for that little mess up.

Well bye for this week love and good wishes to you all.

Our Week and Deception versus Disappointment.

Hello Dear Readers,
Here we are again with the weekly round up of events in my SL world and a few thoughts about those experiences to round off with.
Monday Sunwolf and I managed to get to Southbound early enough to catch Mamaa Saiz on the stage, we had missed him the last time he played and were determined to hear him this time. It was a lovely set and we were so glad we got there. Next up was our dear friend Dusty Smythe, we  love his shows, so much so that I have to be careful to remember we are due on stage just after him and I have to make sure I am ready in time.
Usually Gweeb follows us, but the poor lad is ill with the flu and so was unable to perform. Sunwolf and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him on stage again soon.
Tuesday saw us playing our usual show at the Drunken Drow. There was no one on before us and no one following, so there we were, billy no mates again.  I must admit I do much prefer having at least one other act on with us, but Cailidgh Spires who usually plays after us had a sick child to take care of as poor Lilly has the chicken pox and knowing them in rl as well again we wish a speedy recovery for lilly. After we finished our show we nipped back over to Southbound to catch another of Dusty's sets, he does not play anywhere too regularly so we like to catch him when we can.
Wednesday at Ye Olde Wolf n Hawk, was an odd night. We were due to host three shows, but as mentioned above Gweeb was unwell so had to cancel, then Ronnie Mayes our second performer also cancelled due to a damaged thumb. Bless him he had just had a brand new guitar delivered and couldn' t play it. Again we wish him a speedy recovery. So in the end it was only Ari our sweet little green Dragoness who got to play a set. She played most of mine and Sunwolf's favourites and we just enjoyed the show. Audience numbers were a little low, but the folks who were there had a good time and that makes it all worthwhile.
Thursday was a day Sunwolf and I spent in RL catching up on the many things that needed doing. He was also unwell with a nasty cold which meant frequent resting on his part and extra work for me. Now don't get me wrong, I did not mind doing more or looking after him, as he has done that for me for years and years. I can't remember if I have mentioned it before, but I do have a long term energy depleting illness that severely limits what I can physically do, so there we were, two good uns together, but we muddled through and that is all that really matters.
Friday we did our regular show at Guthries and were so pleased to see dear Dottie back in her usual spot. As I mentioned last week a tree had fallen on her roof necessitating some time away from SL, but what we didn't know was that the tree had hit the roof at the exact place Dottie would normally have been sitting in front of her PC. After our set we stayed as we usually do to catch Moses Rae and Lazarus Doghouse, enjoyable sets both. Then Quinton Whitman took his place on the stage after what seemed like an age. Quinton had been visiting his son in Hawaii as mentioned in previous blog and while we are so glad he had a wonderful time there, it was great to hear him again.At our own pub, this was to be the last night we would be hosting shows at the early time slot, this partly to give Sunwolf and I a little more time to get a decent meal etc before we come back on line and partly because people do not seem to be able to get to the earlier shows. Steveeolio did a wonderful set for us and it saddened us to see so few folks there. Stevee is a performer that always gives of his best, as do most of the people we see and it can be disheartening to play to an almost empty room. Perhaps I am not meant to say that but as I have said before, I say it like it is and can see no point in glossing things over or avoiding the truth. We ran only too shows that night as Cailidgh Spires  who usually plays the last slot was still nursing her daughter. So Tim Anadyr was our last show and he did not disappoint us.
 That evening we went off to Cuddlers Cove to see Steely De Costa. It is good we got to hear him at
Cuddlers because Steely usually plays at Guthries after Quinton and we can never stay as there is always
so much to do in RL before we are back to host our own place that evening. Cuddlers usually hosts two shows on a Friday evening but the last act did not show up and so just for once Sunwolf and I had a reasonably early night away from the PCs.
Saturday, we went of  to Crazy Saturday at Cuddlers only this time with a difference. After watching Quinton and Maxamillion kleene we were playing a set ourselves. As I said over the mike, we love this venue, Quinton and Suka gave us our first shows when we came into  SL to perform and doing the shows has become a highlight in our lives, but having to follow such awesome talent as Quinton and Max made me very nervous. I know I am somewhere near the bottom of the pile when it comes to having a pretty voice and I am not saying that to be modest, so to have to follow two guys with very different but equally wonderful vocal chords, well enough said. The show went ok and in fact Robbert Little filmed us doing our original song The Ballad of Wolf n Hawk. It is a great video and though I had forgotten to activate my mouth hud and cringed to hear myself speaking on it let alone singing, the film itself is wonderful and our heartfelt thanks go out to Robert.
After Cuddlers we had to get back to RL in time to get ready for our new show at our own place. Sunwolf and I had decided to open the pub on Saturdays for awhile to see if it was a better time for the audiences to make it in. We were first on stage and now we have BlackDwarfBud hosting our  shows it was a little easier knowing we didn't have to worry about that. As it was the first show we had run on a Saturday we were not expecting too may folks as it is out experience that word takes awhile to get round in spite of the notices and listing that go out. Butterfly Maiden one of our staunchest supporters, and was in fact there earlier in the day as the video shows. Bless her she must be a true glutton for punishment.

                                              The wonderfull Rock Doghouse

All was not lost though because following us on our little stage was the awesome Rock Doghouse and as I have said so many times before, you must get to one of his shows if you haven't yet. This man's wonderful original songs can move you to tears and he is more than happy to throw any of the cover songs that are on his list too. We are proud to be able to say he is a dear friend too. In fact most of the folks who came to that show were dear friends though my memory doesn't allow me to recall all their names, I do remember Brique from Lilac Fields and Scarlett from the Playhouse came in for as long as they could.  Both were hosting shows directly after Rock's set so had to leave a little early to prepare. Both are lovely venues that Sunwolf and I get to as often as we can, and if you haven't been to them yet then why not pop over next time they have a show and see what you think and at Lavender Fields (Feed A Smile) as you enjoy the music you can also help a child to get a good meal too, now that can't be bad.
Sunday saw Sunwolf and I taking a break from SL but not from music as we spent a lot of the day working on new songs, finally finishing the rough recordings at past midnight and though you know already how I feel about my vocal ability being able to perform in SL is a dream come true for us and I am not willing to give it up just yet.
Finally,
 I have a thought I would like to share with you, it centeres around Disapointment verses Deception. Let me explain. Is it really being kind to tell a lie to someone, even a white one, to spare their feelings! who's feelings are we really trying to spare anyway, and before you say ,well the other person's of course, think on it. Are you sure it is not your own feelings you are trying to sheild, after all telling someone something that is difficult however gently you do it does make you feel uncomfortable does it not?( I am not saying I have never been guilty of this)and  I am not saying the way I was brought up is the only right way, I would never presume so but, I was taught that, to be truthfull, especially with those we care for, is to truly honour and value them, and that includes putting their welfare above our own comfort when we have to tell them something difficult. Why am I saying this? because so may folks in SL say things that do not hold water, ie many people have said how much they love our little venue, but then when we put on the shows they do not turn up to support us, or the artists( with the notable exception of the Eponymous family of which I am proud to be one.)
Then people say, they love your music, but they do not book you, or if they are fans, they do not come to any more shows. I am mystified ! why bother to say these things, especially when they make a point of sending a private IM to do so. There is a saying that states, Actions Speak Louder Than Words, and in this case that does prove to be so. Now I know SL is a make believe world, but as Sunwolf often states there are real people behind most of the avi's, even if they are alts, people with real feelings and hopes etc. So please think before you make statements you do not intend to stand by, or compliments you do not really mean. Are you doing that just to make yourself look or feel good? I can not answer that question for you, only you can,. There is another saying that goes, If You Can't Say Nothing Nice Don't Say Anything At All, but I would add, if you are only saying it to have something to say, or for how it makes you look and you don't really mean it, those words can be just as damaging as being unkind, in fact it is a form of unkindness and does not honour you or the person you are aiming the words at.
One more thing, I have found that to be gently honest brings the reward of a deep and satisfying peace and in our hectic sometimes crazy world inner peace is a treasure beyond compare.
As always I  welcome any thoughts anyone might have on this or any other comment I have made, or in fact anything you folks out there would like to share with me.
Till next time, may peace, goodwill and honesty be yours in abundance.

ALL CHANGE

Hello lovely people,
Another week gone and things are changing. We did our last show at the pub on a Wednesday last week. We started at a later time as Gweeb was unable to do his show due to an RL commitment, so instead of finding someone to take his place we decided to take that slot. I noticed we had more folks in than when we played the earlier time slot and we have come to the conclusion that the 11am slt  time is just not a good one for most people, therefore apart from the odd one, we will be dropping those from the pub calendar. In stead we will be running an extra day for two shows. Sunwolf and I will be opening on Saturdays,and this week we have the amazing Rock Doghouse following us.  I am so looking forward to that. It will be the first time Rock has played at our venue though we have been going to his shows whenever we can. Rock's songs can move me to tears they are so lovely and so heartfelt. He mainly plays piano, but does the odd song with guitar and if you have not been to one of his shows then you have been missing out so make a point to catch one if you can, I know you will enjoy it.
But, I am jumping ahead of myself. Monday, Wolf n Hawk played at Southbound. Before us was Jed Tharnby another great Muso and a friend who often pops into the pub when he can spare the time. We would love to have Jed pay there, but unfortunately, we can't seem to find time time slot that is good for us and him. Still maybe one day we will be able to set that up. Though we caught Jed's show, we missed a set by Mamaa Saiz . Serves me right for not paying attention when the notification came out. I have now made a note to get to the venue early as we like to catch Mamma's show whenever we can.
Ari, our little Dragoness followed us. A nice set with some lovely gentle tunes.
Tuesday saw us at The Drunken Drow, one of our favourite venues. We opened and our dear friend Cailidgh Spires followed us. We glad glad to see her back after her shoulder injury and though her throat was playing up a bit it didn't spoil a good set.
Wednesday, as I mentioned above we played at a later time and it seemed more folks were able to make that one. It was so great to see them there. Speaking as a performer, you always get a warm feeling when you see the audience out there it gives more meaning to what we are doing on the stage.
For the first time we had our very own hostess as Blackdwarfbud has very graciously agreed to help out when we are playing at our own venue. We are so grateful for that as it makes things a little easier than trying to host and do the show at the same time. Bless her she was a bit nervous before hand, but did a sterling job and everything ran very smoothly.
Our lovable lion Ringo followed us and it was a great set thoroughly enjoyed by us all.
Thursday was a special day at Spice. Our dear friend Katja Runo was having a 5th Rez day party that her Co owner Tim had organised. Quite a few people came  to celebrate with this very popular lady. The musicians were doing half hour sets so they could get as many of Katja's  favourite performers in as possible. We saw
Torbin, who does a wonderful electronic instrumental set of moving tunes, Tim Anadyr, Mash Rhodes and Mamaa Saiz. All wonderful sets. We would have stayed to the end but unfortunately We got a call in RL and were needed there so somewhat reluctantly we had to leave.
Friday, saw Wolf n Hawk doing our usual set at Guthries. Dottie was unable to be there as a tree had fallen  on her house and damaged the roof necessitating urgent repairs.It always seems strange to be at Guthries without Dottie, but Sahana Fall graciously stepped to host the shows for that morning and did a wonderful job of it. We stayed to watch Moses Rae and Lazarus Doghouse before we had to get back to RL.
Friday evening( well it is for us) it was time to host our own venue.

                                                   A GOOD FRIEND DANCING AT THE PUB
                                                       (he knows who he is.........????)

We just love having Russell's Eponymus family with us, they are all such nice folks, the atmosphere is so friendly and warm. As for Russell himself, he never disappoints. His shows are like the cream on top of the milk.
Following Russell, was his friend and ours, Mash Rhodes. Another artist I could listen to for hours.
Cailidgh Spires brought the female element to this line up and the warm feeling continued.
It was a wonderful evening, and if you were not there then yes, you did miss out on a great time.
Saturday is a busy day for us in RL but we managed to get to Cuddlers Cove for Mad Saturday. There had been no Cuddlers on Friday, so no way were we missing Saturdays shows.
First up was Sylar Morrisey. We had not heard him before. I would urge you to to catch a show of his if you can .
Next was Twin Ghost with a wonderful set. This guy is so able, both as a guitarist and vocalist Another one to make a point of catching when you can.

After Cuddlers , it was a quick dash over to Feed a Smile to catch Laid Back Celt, another good friend,
doing his bit to raise lindens to feed the children.LB Rocked our socks off with yet another really enjoyable show.
We would love to have been able to stay to catch Rock Doghouses set here, because frankly we could listen to him for hours, but RL  had to be given attention at this point, so reluctantly off we went.
Sunday is our day for staying off line if we can and this week it wasn't hard as we had the added treat of  an RL visit from Cailidgh and her new friend Wildman as well as little Lilly.
It was a great afternoon. Lilly played with our Malamute Ka, who doted on her following her about like a puppy. We also jammed a bit, we think Wildman is definitely a budding percussionist. We had not met him before and yet it didn't feel like that at all. All too soon it was time to say goodbye but we hope to be getting together again real soon.
So that was the week, full of changes and new experiences, good times, laughter and wonderful music.Sunwolf and I really do have a lot to thank SL for and we do. It isn't perfect but neither is RL and we have met so many lovely people since we joined, folks we would never have met any other way. Facebook pales by comparison.
Well Guess it's time to sign off for this week
So till next time, Peace, Love and all things positive.

DECISIONS DECISIONS !

Hi folks, here we are again,
if we think about it our whole life is governed by decisions. Even if you choose to sit on the fence it is still a decision, or if you just go with what life throws at you rather than try to influence your circumstances, that too is still a decision, you get my drift!
Recently I have been trying to make a few changes in my RL and SL circumstances to make both work a little better than they have been in the past. I have had to admit that I needed more time away from the PC to concentrate on other issues in my life and other commitments too. So I am having days away as a regular thing now. It was a hard decision to put into practise because I have so many friends in SL,that I like to spend time with and places that I like to go to, but try as I may, I cannot go everywhere I want to, or see everyone I want to, as often as I would like.There is no limit on love, you can love as many or as much as you wish, but unfortunately there is a limit on time and what you can cram into it. I have always been a quality rather than quantity person, wanting to do my level best in any and all circumstances. So where is this leading, well, I suppose I am just saying, though I may not be around as much on the grid, I care just as much as I ever did about the SL music scene and the folks who make it happen, ie the Venue owners, Hostess's , Musicians and Audiences. Now I have got that out of the way, I will get to our weekly forays around the grid.
Monday, is a day I do not log in until an hour or so before our show at Southbound. This is such a nice little place, we feel comfortable playing here. I was a little disappointed to realise we had missed Mamaa Saiz, who had played the hour before we got there as his lovely tunes always sound so good to me.
Dusty Smythe, was on stage immediately before us, and as I have said in the past, he is another performer who always makes me smile. I so enjoy his sets, and felt quite proud that we got to follow him.Performing after us was, Mr joker himself, Gweeb. Clowning around while delivering some wonderful tunes for us to enjoy.
Tuesday, was our night to play The Drunken Drow. Another venue we feel at home in, and for us that really matters. A gig is never  "just another gig", to Sunwolf and I. We feel each one is special in it's own way, like going to a friends house for a musical evening.There had been no one playing before us and there was no one after us, which is always a little disappointing, but we had a good show. The audience was  quite small, but seemed to be enjoying themselves and that is what it is all about for us, though I am reminded of what I said last week about the venues needing the audience support to make what they are doing worth the hard work that is put in.
We ended our evening at The Playhouse, where we enjoyed the tunes of Steely De Costa and Lyn Carlberg.
Frank Molko, Scarlett, and Isis were in the house and were later joined by Tim Anadyr and Katja Runno and my dear friend Blackdwarfbud was also there. We felt surrounded by great friends and with the rest of the folks who were around that night too numerous for me to remember, it was a great way to wind down before bedtime.
Wednesday, Sunwolf and I were performing at our own venue and then hosting for Gweeb, Ronnie Mayes and Ari, our little Dragoness. It was a very quiet night, though it did pick up towards the end. Everyone who plays live music works hard to give of their best, and hosting, notice posting etc is also not so easy. It is always somewhat disheartening that folks do not show up to enjoy what we are offering, though my good friends Katja Runo, Blackdwarfbud and Butterfly Maiden were in and it is always good to see them.Mash Rhodes also came over. He is opening an art gallery on the same sim as us to show his wonderful watercolour paintings, two of which we have hanging in the pub. Take some time to go see them and buy one or two if you can. All that talent could make me quite envious if I were that way inclined. There were one or two other people around at the venue, but audience numbers were well down. Now maybe some folks would say I should not admit to that, but the truth is the truth and I have never been one to be dishonest as I believe it is only yourself you  really hurt by doing that.

                                               Feed A Smile in Action :)

Click Photo to enlarge

Thursday, saw us with a change to our usual activities.We did go off to Spice to see Tim play, but then we had to leave as we were playing ourselves at Brique's, Easter Parade, event. It was the first time we have played  for Brique and the Feed a Smile charity. I was a little nervous as I always am playing in a new place and the fact that Aminius Writer was on before us made it just a little worse as he is such an awesome performer. Another one to catch if you haven't heard him. Our set went ok
Following us to the stage was, Kevin Carpool Thomas, and he did a wonderful job of enthusing everyone with the importance of what we were doing. Unfortunately, we could not stay to the very end of the set, but when we left the meal total was over 200 and still going up,we were proud to have been a part of it.
Friday we played our usual show at Guthrie's, this is music in it's purest form and we love it.We stayed to watch Moses Rae and Lazarus Doghouse, but then had to leave as RL was needing some urgent attention. Still it had been an immensely enjoyable three hours for us.
We were back on line a few hours later to host our own venue. Steveeolio opened for us with a wonderful set.I love his voice and skilled guitar playing The audience was small though and that is always disappointing both for the musicians and for the venue.  The lyrics of a well known Joni Mitchel song come to mind, " Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone...." Maybe we are opening our venue too early for folks to get in. This is an issue I will be looking at over the next few weeks.
Things picked up a bit when Mel Cheeky did her set. What a lovely voice she has. I am a little choosy when it comes to female voices and some, however pretty, do not appeal to me. This was not the case here, I could listen to Mel for hours and she seems such a lovely person too.
Bones Writer, was our last act on Friday. He was filling in for Cailidgh Spires who had pulled her shoulder the week before and wanted to take a weeks rest. Bones played an all instrumental set, truly wonderful to sit back, relax and listen to. Bones is a true professional, and so very kind to help us out, a big Thank You to him.
Sunwolf logged out after the venue closed, but I went with Blackdwarfbud to Chez Roz to listen to my dear friend Russell Eponym. I don't get to hear him anywhere near as much as I would like, another amazingly talented, professional and lovely person . I logged out just after midnight for us here in the UK. Tired but happy,  who could want more than that!
Crazy Saturday at Cuddlers Cove was also different this week, as Quinton Whitman who usually opens the proceedings is away visiting his son in Hawaii so we had just two acts. First up another great friend, Laid Back Celt, with his brand of raw rock and soulful tunes. I just love the energy in LB's sets.
Mash Rhodes finished off the line up and he is another guy I could happily listen to all day.So if you haven't heard him yet make a point to do so. In fact we are proud to say he plays at our little venue, so you could kill two birds with one stone and come on bye to hear great music and say hello.
Blackdwarfbud and I then went off to Art n Music Fusion to see Max Kleene. A nice set but marred for us by the heavy lag that seemed to hang around the place. As Blackdwarf is on quite a small PC, she could not really enjoy being there.  I have a whacking great 8 gig PC, but even I was struggling, so we decided to call it a night.
Sunday was one of my days for staying away from the PC and doing some thinking about how to effect improvements to how the venue is running. Sunwolf and I have decided we will not play on Wednesdays after this week, but will be opening an extra day for a shorter programme on Saturdays. We are also going to be more flexible with the opening times for the venue on Wednesdays and Fridays and see how that goes.It may take a few weeks for us to orchestrate the changes as a lot of organisation  and shuffling things around will be needed, but it is worth trying to improve things for both us, and the artists who come to play for us.As to whether that will work, watch this space.
So my last thought for this week is this.
It you are a live music lover, please consider buying a less expensive outfit, shoes or underwear ( that lets face it hardly anyone sees), and give the extra lindens to the venues you like or to, or the artists enjoy,  both would be even better.Mash told us the other night that, Buddies Bar, had closed down this week Yet another venue gone. It always makes me so sad to have to write that, and lately I seem to be saying it every week. I just hope against hope that I won't be having to say that about Ye Olde Wolf n Hawk sometime soon. As I have stated before, Sunwolf and I do not expect to make money from the venue, but neither can we afford to subsidise it too heavily as neither of us have the available cash to be able to do that.
Till next week,
 I hope you remain well and life is good to you.

BALANCE, PROPORTION, CHOICES AND SUPPORT.

Hi folks, I hope this finds you all reasonably well and thriving.

It has been a difficult week and one that has caused me to think on some difficult issues, well difficult for me at any rate.

Real life has been quite demanding this last week making my appearances in SL  a bit sporadic and in fact I didn't log in other than to clear notices etc till Sunwolf and I played the Drunken Drow on Tuesday. Blackdwarfbud was away in RL, having a much needed short holiday. I must admit, I missed her support and encouragement even though she has not been in SL for more than a month or so. We have been close RL friends for more years than I will admit to. It is surprising how quickly you can become used to a person being there.Butterfly Maiden, also another lass we usually see regularly, was also away and we missed her too. Though it is always good to see folks turning up to shows, some names stand out as ones who are there regularly and those folks produce a special kind of warm feeling.

We stayed to watch Cailidgh's set, she can always make you smile with her blend of humour and talent, but after her set we had to go back to RL to continue the tasks needing to be done. Sometimes I wish we could just tap a few buttons in RL too.

Wednesday at Ye Olde Wolf and Hawk, was a shorter show than usual. Gweeb, our regular Wednesday performer had to cancel, so Sunwolf and I Aka Wolf n Hawk, decided to play a little later, thereby closing an empty slot.  It can be handy owning the venue you are performing at.

                                            Ari performing at the Pub

                                                                     

Our little friendly dragoness Ari, followed us. She seemed much happier this week and gave a great performance. We were glad to know she was feeling better after her recent health problems and it was lovely to see the tinies in again.

After we closed the venue for the night there was time to nip over to POZ , Poets of Zarahemia to catch most of Russells set there. I had not seen him for what seemed like an age. It was like balm for the soul to hear his skilled playing and wonderful voice. I also love the setting there with all the gypsy caravans pulled around us and Mathoni is such a nice caring sort of person. That was one night at least I went to bed relaxed and without too much on my mind.

Thursday saw us at the new Spice venue. Katja and Tim had moved one space over so they could have the sea on two sides of the venue and I must admit it did look lovely. Katja said it was not quite finished, but it could only get even better. I love this open air venue where good friends often meet up.

We had just settled in when I managed to break my reading glasses. Tim was playing at the time and I so enjoy his sets that I was stubborn and waited till he had finished( even though my typing and applause gestures were largely a matter of guess work) before we made the dash to our 24hour supermarket to get another pair.

We rushed home again just as Lyn Carlberg was about to start his lovely soothing set.  I put the new glasses on only to realise I had got the wrong ones. Oh I could see the keyboard wonderfully, but my P C screen was totally blurred. In the end I sellotaped the old glasses back together and chalked the whole lot down to experience.

Norris Shepherd followed Lyn, and I had not heard him in so long I had forgotten how good he was definitely someone to put on your To See list.

Friday saw us doing our regular show at Guthries and again it was good to recognise some familiar names as well as other artists who had come in early. We were followed by the usual musicians Moses, Lazarus and  Quinton All good shows, well worth catching. Though Quinton will not be there for the next few weeks as he is going away in RL to visit his son. Sunwolf and I wish him safe journeys and a warm reunion.

Fridays are always so busy for us in SL. We get just enough time to eat after Guthries before we are back on to host our own place.

Steveeolio opened for us. He has such a wonderful voice and so much talent with a guitar that I really do not see why more folks were not at the show. We had a small friendly audience clearly enjoying what they were hearing, but I couldn't help wondering where everyone else was. 

Gweeb had thought he got away this week, but then he ended up doing a stand in show for us as Cailidgh Spires who usually plays for us had pulled her shoulder and was unable to hold guitar let alone play it. Bless her, I hope she will be back soon. The Gweebster likes 

to be thought of as a bit of a villain, but actually he is such a sweet guy always willing to help us if he can. It was a great show with plenty of laughs.

Our lovable lion Ringo played the last set of the evening and it was good to see some of the Robonuts in the house for a lively often hilarious hour as we all messed about and teased one another and genuinely had a good time. Our good friends Brique and Jed Tharnaby dropped in during the course of the evening too. We are trying to get Jed to play at the pub, but as yet we don't have free time when he does . We are crossing our fingers for the future as  Jed is another performer well worth giving a listen too.

As there was no Cuddlers Cove at all this weekend and our RL commitments were screaming for attention Sunwolf and I decided to take the weekend off from SL. We will be back tonight for a show at Southbound owned by the lovely Kitty Rider and run by the equally lovely Crystal Robesphere. We are looking forward to that and hope to see some of you there.

This is normally where I sign out for the week,but there are just on or two things I wish to say before I go.

SUPPORT,  anyone who frequents the SL Music Scene will have heard this word used often, and it is not just meant in the monetary sense, though I will come to that in a moment. I have touched on this once before but I feel it needs repeating. To put your avi on the stage and be in front of a microphone is no small thing. You are laying a piece of yourself on the line and it is good to get some feedback from the folks who are there  listening to what you are putting out. Many venues Sunwolf and I have visited lately have had people in who listen but do not encourage the musicians in any way. It does not take a great deal of effort to hit your applause button or add a little appreciative gesture. You can get them for free at lots of places. Our own  venue has a box of free gestures for anyone who does not have any, as do many others. It can be quite soul destroying to be giving a performance all you have and get no kind of response in return.Think about that a moment, how would you feel? for instance, if you were talking to someone telling them something that you really believed in or felt strongly about and at the end of what you said the other person/s said nothing. After all, if you don't like what you are hearing you have a TP button. I am not saying you must sit at your PC and applaud every song, but come on guys, lets show some enthusiasm at least some of the time.

Linden support is also a necessary part of the live music scene, without it venues fold. One of the things that has been so amazing about the SL music scene is the generosity of the people who appreciate it. Staunch support is often given to the charities that use the scene as a way of getting a little help for their causes and this is a wonderful thing. Sunwolf and I have been delighted to open two fund raising events for Relay For Life's race for a cure. For those who may not know, this is a team of folks headed by the hard working and dedicated Still Braveheart who are raising money to put to finding a cure for cancer. It is a really worthwhile effort and people have been working tirelessly in it's support. The there is Feed a Smile, helping little children in Kenya to get a meal who wouldn't otherwise be ensured any food at all. Again a worthwhile cause, and in fact Sunwolf and I aka Wolfn Hawk will be playing at Briques venue for Feed a Smile this Thursday at 2pm slt, and hope to see some of you there too.Those are just two charities off the top of my head. There are many more, all with sound reasons to ask for your support so do help if you can, but and I think you probably realised there would be a but....

even when the venues and artists are not giving their time or premises for free to these worthwhile causes they still need your help. Here I can only speak for our own pub, but if we are having these problems then you can be sure others are too.

Many folks say they love our venue and that is wonderful, thank you all so much for your kind comments, but we would like to see you here too, as often as you can make it. We only run 2 days a week and then for only 3 or 4 hours each day, leaving plenty of time for other places and other things. Please, if you have a venue you like to frequent, be it ours, or any other, make sure you go there as often as you can and give what you can in lindens as often as you can. Not to make the venue owners rich. That is a myth that simply doesn't happen. In fact sometimes venues  run at a loss and the owners put their own money in to them if they have it, and if they don't the the venue closes. So yes, it is important to support the charities, but it is also important to keep the venues running or in the end the charities will also loose out, as there will not be venues to hold their events in. Really it is just a matter of balance and proportion as I see it. Times for many in RL are hard and money not  freely available. Talking to quite a few other folks, and from our own observations as artists, audience members and venue owners, the numbers of people attending live music shows has fallen off quite a bit. Sunwolf and I love what we do, whether it is performing, hosting or visiting other venues. If the music scene in SL were to fold up  it would not be a nearly so attractive a place to spend our time, and I know there are many of you out there who will agree with that. So if it is worth having then it is worth fighting for and investing in with our time our enthusiasm and what lindens we can spare.  Let us not be the ones who didn't realise how good it was until it was gone. I do hope you who read this don't think I am being overly pessimistic. It is just that I have heard a warning bell and I wanted to sound the alert before it is perhaps needed, rather than when it is too late.

Well that's it for now.

As usual I want to wish you an abundance of all that is good, and to thank you for your patience as |I have tackled some tricky issues here. As always feedback is welcome.

Much love till next time.