They play for steampunks and post-apocalyptics and their metaverse band headquarters is the wreckage of a Soviet troop chopper abandoned in the desert. They're a British trio called Redzone (homepage here), and of all the many bands who regularly play in Second Life, so far they're my favorite. They've been playing in-world since 2006, but as I prepared for my annual trip to SXSW by getting into a rocking frame of mind, I stumbled into their live performance videos, and wanted to know more. While they've been performing as a band long before SL, with their synthesized strings, complex percussion tracks, and ethereal vocals, they somehow seem native to the metaverse.
A fellow London musician known as Alazarin Mondrian in SL first told them about the place, and they explored it as a live performance venue in mid-2006. "After getting the hang of the controls and attending a few shows we decided to try it," they tell me, "and first played in December 2006. We then put the SimuLant Tour together in February 2007, and the Scorched Earth Festival in The Wastelands in May 2007, and we've been enhancing our show ever since."
Why do they devote so much time to performing in Second Life?
"We really like the platform," they tell me, "it allows us to create our own stage sets, equipment, animations and special effects. We like to add to the experience every time, and as a result now have a really great set of friends and hardcore fans who attend repeatedly." They developed a system to run their entire SL show through a MIDI sequencer, and added choreographed animations, particle effects, and video projections, a combination which may make them unique among all SL-based musicians. They also sell their latest album, Abstract Revolution, at their Second Life shows.
Redzone is Cabaret Voltaire (vocals/electric violin), Red Xu (guitar/bass guitar/samples), and Avomatsur Rustamova (synth/electric double bass/theremin). Their next show is tentatively set for June, though you may find them doing impromptu jam sessions at their HQ in the Wastelands. [Direct teleport SLurl at this link] Image credit: Redzone's Flickr page.
Very Cool. As this was very high on my musical wish list during the "what's missing" discussion, I'm excited to know that this exists. Going to have to check them out in world ASAP.
Posted by: Nexus Burbclave | Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 05:41 PM