Inside Zorch’s head: POL Arida

There are a few “Popular kids” in Second Life. They have HUGE support groups and crash Sims like it’s all the rage. However, their popularity has absolutely nothing to do with talent. Some would say they play music, but I prefer to think of it as “Mc Music”. Stuff that’s not very good but most people can stomach.

I bring this up as a preface to the following comment or statement of fact. POL Arida is the best artist performing in Second Life today.

He does not have the largest group, and I’ve never seen him crash a Sim. This is primarily because artists don’t get mass attention. They are the gourmet food of music in a fast food world.

With this said, I’ll go a step further and say that the people that make up his audience at any show are probably the true music lover in Second Life. They seem to approach music as an expression rather then a consumable commodity.

You may be wondering how all this might give you insight into my head? Well in a nutshell POL and the people that support him have really changed my approach to my music in Second Life.

He’s shown me the guitar can be a powerful flexible texture to use in support of a musical theme. He’s inspired me to seek new technical paradigms for playing an instrument that I’ve played for 34 years.

As to my personal style of Hammer guitar, I find it markedly different from POLs. The rhythmic signature is different. POL plays deep in the hole and I tend to stay up on the neck. And finally, POLs style has more drive and ROCK to it. My style is more about pixie dust and odd synth like drones.

But it’s not the guitar style POL uses that inspires me most. It’s the drama of his music. The depth, and the artistry of it. His lyrics are astounding, and more to the point he has developed an artistic voice. This inspires me to step up my music.

As inspiring as I find POL, if not for the people that seems to “GET” his music, I would have probably gone a safer route. Songs like “The Mourning song”, ”Everything you know”, and “Hide your tears” would not be in the set.

While I can’t claim to be good friends with POL, we do seem to have an informal alliance formed… possibly an UNHOLY alliance if you ask the popular kids. I hope in some small way, I inspire him.