A while back my personal life was reduced to ash. I'll spare you the details as they are not relevant to the theme of this blog.
I have a new life in a new place and more time to devote to musical matter then I can ever recall before in my life. However I've been spending a lot of time in a mental haze. Adjusting to such a sudden and drastic change can disorient the best of us.
While I might not have my feet under me just yet, I recognize the need to move in that direction. It's time to employ a bit of discipline and work toward furthering my music goal. Perhaps even redefine them.
I plan to start woodsheding on the other instruments I play. Keyboard, Banjo, Dobro, and (Gasp)the electric guitar. While I don't intend to alter the nature of my show to include these instruments, it's good to keep yourself immersed in musical thinking.
I'm also considering a bold experiment in broadcasting a live video show. More information of that as I come up with a reasonable way to go about it.
I'm plotting some wild musical collaborations, but that is tip top secret until the details are hammered out.
The new music collection (remember fall is coming) is already percolating in the back of my mind. The title of the next MP3 collection will be “Ashes and Dreams”.
There has even been talk of an official “Zorch the band” release.
Lots of good ideas and perhaps even time to make some of them happen. All I need to do is settle down a focus. My first step toward getting more done is being more disciplined about updating the blog. So make a habit of checking back.
I'm not referring to a technical specification here,but rather expanding upon a concept in the last entry I made (Tale of Two Quitters).
Perhaps a better tag for this phenomena would be "The Talent to trash ratio".
I'm personally very invested in the Second Life Music scene. While I would never refer to myself as a member of the (Mythical) all inclusive music community, I am one of the performers available to book.
People often sit around and talk about the music scene exploding, and how to go about lighting the fuse. The sad fact of the matter is the majority of people refused to acknowledge the major impediment to significant growth.
The problem really is not a lack of talent as many would suggest. The problem is the glut of questionable talent that swell the ranks of the talent pool. Add to this a never ending cavalcade of clueless venue owners that will book anybody, and you have the musical equivalent of the Special Olympics.
Of course there are people that support the Special Olympics, but you never see updates about it on ESPN.
The only real area of growth is to make inroads toward the general population of residents in Second Life. Just about every human being on earth has an interest in some kind of music. But you'll find there is only a very tiny demographic that loves Crap music. People want something of value even if all they are investing is there time. When you start talking about "Real money money", the value must be greater.
There is incredible talent in Second Life. People that bring to much to every performance. However if you look in the "Live Music Events" section of search, you find a litany of musical turds mixed in with the diamonds.
The path to significant growth is more talent less trash, more signal less noise.
Once upon a time there were two quitters in the Second life music scene. I'm sure there are more then two, but this is the tale of just two.
Rather then bring personalities into this, let's just call one "Psychotic Genius Quitter" and the other "Psychotic Joe Average Quitter".
They both have so much in common. Both are Psychotic, both bail the moment their itty bitty feelings get hurt and both are such drama Queens they may actually be drama Empresses.
When they come out of retirement... and they always come back, the only difference is you realize you wished the "Psychotic Genius Quitter" could get his shit together because the music is actually good.
When Psychotic Joe Average Quitter make his comeback, and then quits again, outside of the few friends he's managed to embroil in his own personal drama, nobody cares. There is plenty of average to go around.
I wish both quitters, instead of staring at their guitar on it's stand and pondering if the resident of Second life deserve a second, third or fourteenth chance to bask in their musical gifts, would just hone their quitting skills to the point where when they go they stay gone.
While this might sound harsh, and it probably is, I only say it because it's best for the people that actually try and accomplish something interesting in the Second Life Music Scene.
These in and out and then back in again types only ad static to the signal. People that wasted time at either one of the quitters comeback performances would be better served attending the concert of somebody with the balls to keep at it.
The old blog as been kind of quite this month. This is due in part to the fact fewer people are really pissing me off, but the major reason is because I'm so freaking busy. Yes I'm playing a lot of shows, but that is normal for me. The real center of activity is the upcoming release of my next collection of songs.
Shadow and Light
While all my "Collections" have been freaking awesome, this one is defiantly raising the bar. How much better can it be? Well I'm listening to the "Roughs" right now, and even with out "Mixing" and "Mastering" it's awe inspiring.
Before somebody accuses me of hyperbole, let me assure you there are two good reasons for the vast improvement.
My last collection was released on March 16th, my rez day, This is the largest gap between collections ever. In the interim, I've had the opportunity to play theses song live dozens of times. Seems every time I play them I'm doing pre-production in my head.
The secondary reason for the vast improvement in this project is the interaction with other musicians recording it. The re-interpretation of musical ideas can lead to fascinating results.
Great songs with great arrangements make for a great recording. The massive groove is palpable even in the most laid back song. Mark your calendar for August 1st, the release date for "Shadow and Light". It will change your opinion on what music can be in Second Life.
Here is the List for song to be included.
This is the place Close you eyes and Dream Accident of Fate Pay no attention So into you Rubber Sky Different Knave of hearts Cynical bastard Marital Bliss
Of course "Different" has been on the list before and not made the final product. But I think it's ready this time. There are also a few songs I'm thinking about adding if time permits. But for now they are a secret.
This is the first collection planned to be released as a CD, in addition to an MP3 collection. While I have been critical of the business reasoning behind CDs, I'm doing this simply because I can and if I don't sell one, I can absorb the cost of my mistake and still maintain profitability.
The great steam powered air armada.
I have a crazy dream. A while back I built a Venue/Home that is suppose to be a steam powered airship. I call it the "HMS Arrogant Bastard". Shortly after building the big version, I created a smaller version you can actually fly. I've been Flying it around North Norway and having a great time, but I can't help but imagine the sky full of "Mini bastards" and I want to make my dream come true.
On August 1st I plan to stage a fly over of north Norway with as many "Mini bastards" in the air as I can sortie.
Mini bastards are not that hard to fly, and I have no idea how many people would be interested in such and event, but the coolness factor is so high I've gotta give it a shot. I would like to get a video of the fly over, and have "Ride of the Valkeries" playing in the background.
While August 1st will be a busy day, to prepare for it requires a lot of work in July. So if the blog is a bit quieter then normal, don't panic.
Got a comment submitted today, looked at the entry is was commenting about, could remember writing a entry with the subject title, but I could not remember what the entry was about for the life of me. So I looked for it.
Scroll down the front page... not there. Page back, page back, page back...... (hummm)... page back... ahh September of 2008, and there it is. That is like eleven months back.
Now for someone to have issue with something I said almost a year ago, one of two things had to happen. Either they read backwards every entry until they found something worth bitching about, or some intermediary did that.
I'm inclined to think it's an intermediary because this is not the first time someone has taken issue with a blog entry from antiquity. This means some bored individual has no better motive to read my blog then to report back to people I may have been critical of.
For the record I stand by my criticisms and feel anybody offended by them take a moment to think about my comment.
Lately I've not been naming names and pointing fingers. Just talking about the activity that bug the crap out of me and allowing people to jump to their own conclusions. Most the time those guilty of the offense never see their face in the mirror, so while nobody is "Older but wiser", nobody bothers to post a comment I have to reject.
For the record, the comments are moderated and I won't let anybody make and ass of themselves. That is what public forums are for. Feel free to have a dissenting opinion, but state it intelligently.
Oddly, the majority of crack pot comments come from "Music Management types" (AKA Fucktards). So cutting to the chase, all you guys (and gals, lets not forget ThroughTheseWalls Loony.... er Moody) are a waste of pixels and everybody's time.
Sometimes warm fuzzy platitudes get accepted as fact when they are not based in any form of reality. The United States of America is founded on such piffle. "All men are created equal".
Ummmm pardon me, but they are not.
All people are created different, and unless you deny the value of anything they are not equal. Some are stronger, some are smarter, and some are born severely handicapped. There is a massive spectrum of potentials locked up in every individual but please keep in mind this is a spectrum.
Michelangelo was an artist for the ages.
Leonardo Da Vinci was also and artist for the ages, an inventor, an anatomist, and the creator of the shroud of Turin.
Leo's pallet of accomplishments were a bit more diverse then Mike's. He had a broader spectrum of potential and seems to employ most of it.
They are not equal at all, but who is better? That depends entirely on the criteria you use to judge worth. Please keep in mind, it' artistic matter the criteria used is very subjective.
You can if you wish, quote me when I say I'm vastly better then most. I honestly believe that, but keep in mind I'm using my criteria not yours. Your criteria probably has a "Humility" slot my criteria lacks.
Why do I have the arrogance to claim superiority? Because on my scale of worth, I rate very well. There are others that do well held up to my criteria, so it's not as egocentric as some seem to think.
So what attributes to I assign value to?
Originality
Simply stated a cover artist is just a musical functionary. They can be replaced by a DJ on a whim. Cover artist appeal to people that don't really like music, they just want to hear something they know, something they are comfortable with.
Original music has value because it comes from one source, the creator of that music. It is the artistic vision of the creator and as such has a greater artistic cache.
Voice
Not the voice you sing with mind you, but the sound of the music. Some have a unique pallet of sounds. While most my readers are familiar with my favorites, Suffice it to say POL Arida, Senjata Witt, Blindboy Gumbo, Lanrete Moonite, Lexie Luan, and The Rails all have their own sound. Keep in mind I'm not talking about a singular sound, but referring to the pallet of sound each uses.
I have heard some very popular act play thier own songs... and for the most part, they sound like the songs they cover. Originality is a matter of content and style.
Depth of Catalog
Every month there is an "Originals" show. A bunch of act come out and play the songs they write. Good on them, I don't have a problem with that.
However doing a 30 minute set doesn't make you a mover and shaker in the world of Original music. It's a start, but just a start.
The real deal Original music commando has a very deep sack of songs to choose from and is always creating new material.
The intangibles
These are attributes hard to quantify, but present. Integrity, vision, drive, and perhaps, "Star Quality". All my favorites have that little extra something that instills value in what they are doing.
On a side note, I remember once seeing a video of a Second Life performer showing how he did what he dose on second life in "Real Life". He used a Looper, and was plugging in a geetar, then a bass, Looping, looping, and yes even more Looping. Plugging Unplugging, and then more looping. It was interesting to watch, until I realized what he was doing was far more interesting then the music he as making. The music actually sucked.
If how you do what you do is more interesting then the music you make, you are not a musician you are a potential "Gong Show" contestant.
Looking at my personal criteria you can probably understand why I'm so impressed with myself. It seems in a world fraught with mediocrity I am.... Better.
It's great to be Zorch. It takes a whole lot of hard work and dedication, but when you stand on the mountain top, the view is breathtaking.
Yesterday I played three Epic shows. I don't always pull that off, even though it might seem that way to the causal observer. I was in the zone. The new songs are working, my pacing was spot on and I was tapping into the deep emotional center of each song.
I was in my glory, the glory of Zorch.
So why do people have to fuck with that? Can't you just leave me alone and let me be great?
The first Epic show I have some person of questionable intelligence asking me NOT to play "Howard Roark and me". She spent the whole show whining "don't play Howard". It seems for some reason she HATE Howard Roark. How could anybody in their right mind HATE Howard? She must be some kind of crazy person. Howard is the fictional embodiment of personal integrity. A man with a vision he will not deny. He is to me an inspirational character, and as such, a feature in a song I find personally empowering.
Asking a person that would write a song like "Howard Roark and me" not to play "Howard Roark and me" is an exercise in futility.
Unless I was a hypocrite, and I try to avoid that whenever possible.
So I come to the end of the set, launch into "Howard Roark and me", and the whining fucktard poofs off in a huff. I feel I should point out, I play "Howard Roark and me" in every show. It's almost my personal anthem (Anthem is the title of another Ayn Rand book).
I end the show with "The passion of me" and "The pipes of redemption". It's classic, each song is impressively performed and the show is just fooking amazing. As I'm getting off stage and basking it the well deserved accolades, a fellow musician sends me an IM, to the effect, "I love your stuff and you sound great, but maybe you would do better if you were more friendly".
Not naming names here.. but he really harshed my mellow.
I just sat there for a moment pol-axed. Then mustered up the best response I could think of, "Yeah probably". But just between you and I... I didn't mean it.
You might have trouble understanding how stunned I was. How in the world could I have done better?
Great set.
Great songs.
Amazing performance.
Good crowd.
Really good tips (above average, and I mean above pre-frost average).
Good guys win... woot.
How could I do better then that?That is pretty much what I'm here to do.
I'm not very good at being friendly. I try to be polite and personable, but I don't really think I have "friendly" in me. It's almost like finding the one flaw in a masterpiece. Why does he feel the need to ruin my moment? Just leave me be and let me be the musical genius I am. Okay I'm not a warm fuzzy person, but there are so few musical geniuses you should cut me a little slack.
Show number two for the day went down without incident. Yes it was a great fooking set, but it was just part one of a back to back show. The second show is fraught with opportunities to moof up. However I managed to transcend that hurtle and play a near flawless set. Once again all the elements came in to play and people got the kind of show I love to play.
I'm basking in the glow of a show well played when another killjoy shows up. Ahhhh fuck.
This one went from petty annoyance to seriously pissing me off. I get an IM from this woman that had booked me into a venue. It's a new place, I've played two shows there and I'm not going to play any more. She starts "Can I have a moment of your time" and I'm ready to log off, get some food, and maybe a nap. But in an attempt to be a little more "Friendly" I say "Yeah sure". I'm already dreading what she has to say. God knows I'm not permitted to enjoy my little moments.
She says, "well there seems to be a problem with the review of your last show".
I say, "Review???"
She says, "Well some of the VIPs at the club have an objection".
Ohhh an objection. If you know me at all, you know I don't really care. But I'm trying to be more friendly here, so I say, "And what is the nature of the objection"?
She says, "I don't really have that information, you'll have to talk to the boss".
So now I'm officially pissed off. This woman booked me, had me booked into the next month, and she doesn't even know what the problem is. The dude that pulls her chain told her, "Get that Zorch fellow in my IM box... NOW".
Hey, if he's got an issue, he need to look me up in the people search. He doesn't need to send his flunky to tell me to speak to him. I play for tips , he don't pay me enough to treat me like an employee. Actually, he doesn't pay me at all... remember I work for tips?
Now I tell the woman, "you know what, I really don't care what the objection is. and I don't want to talk to your boss. You can't please everybody all the time and I don't even pretend to try. It would be simpler to just cancel the shows".
She says, "Okay the shows are canceled" and I say "Okay".
I don't want to talk to the boss, I know how that conversation always ends. "Do you know who I am"??? No, I never know who they are. They seem to think they are really, really important, but to me they are just guys that pay tier fees.
Now please don't get me wrong. I appreciated the fact they pay those fees and give me a place to work my trade. But I show my appreciation by playing the best show I can, for tips only, and drawing my supporters to his venue and encouraging them to tip the venue.
The two shows I played at that venue featured many familiar faces that would not be there if I was not playing. I know them well enough to know they are inclined to tip the venue if they have Lindens.
I made him money, and he sees fit to treat me like his bitch? Send his flunky to call me on the carpet? Some of his VIPs (hey, get real, the VIPs in these clubs are nothing important. Hell they don't even pay tier fees, they just join a group) have objections? I'm actually quite pissed off about this. Can you tell?
I made about 14,000 some odd Lindens today. I earned every penny, but I deserved more. I deserved my moment to just enjoy a job well done.
I play the best songs I can, and the people that enjoy them seem to enjoy them very much. Don't tell me what NOT to play.
I do the best shows I can every time. I never just "Phone it in". Don't ask me to be friendly, I'm not good at it, and that is not why I'm here.
I support the venues that support me as best I can. But if you offer me up for review by your VIPs don't be surprised if some of them have objections. What I do is not simple entertainment. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the people that love what I do.
My name is Zorch, I do what I do, and I do it very well. You'll never have to guess what I'm thinking, and I'll offer up my best in the sincere hope you enjoy it, and choose to give me a tip. Yes, I do accept fees when offered, but it is, in the end about the music. It is harder work then you might think, but it is a labor of love.
