Here Are Your Very Favorite Second Life Music Performers for 2010 -- Who Are We Missing?

Here are the top seven favorite Second Life music performers for 2010, as chosen by New World Notes readers from several open forums and surveys last year, talented artists who span rock, electronic, blues, pop, and folk. These seven will be finalists in our next and last vote to select NWN Readers' very favorite all around performer in Second Life for 2010:

• The Black Stripes
• Chouchou
• Cosmic Haystack
• Juel Resistance
• Komuso Tokugawa
• Skye Galaxy
• Von Johin

If you think there's an SL performer who should be in this finalist round, please nominate them in comments below. If many readers show a clear and obvious preference, we'll add up to three more in the voting finals. Here's some nomination criterion after the break:

• Include a short description of each nominee, and ideally, links to their website(s) and YouTube performance video.
• Artists specializing in covers can be nominated, but those who perform at least some original work in SL preferred.
• To qualify as a "music performer in Second Life", the artist must have performed at least three live in-world gigs last year. (SL machinima videos also considered.)

Final selections for the ten finalists by next week, so get your nominations soon!

Comments

[Bree Birke]

Montian Gilruth - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PchLAEOaMiU and more: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=montian+gilruth&aq=f

This is also the man who organized the Montreal Musicians' Meetup a year and a half ago - he *always* gets a good crowd who are, along with him, engaged and engaging, making for some of the best concert experiences in sl.

[Komuso Tokugawa]

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh...I don't want to be involved in this at all.

I know, it's silly of me huh? I should be milking it for all the "exposure" I can get.

I might even get a ...gasp...RECORD DEAL out of it!!

Whatever..." Swimsuit Competitions" in music with "winners" are just the most ridiculous thing, for a long list of reasons I won't even begin to go into.

I hereby willingly cede my coveted slot in this wunnnerful musical simsuit contest to whatever desperate musician feels they need it. Don't forget to spam yur fans kids, get those votes in!

[Kain canare]

poreter paquot and fez fatale
Porter give countless performances and showcases many other original artist in sl. No one is more deserving

[Kain canare]

Sorry I misspelled your first name
it is Porter Paqout

[Jake]

PORTER PAQUOT & FEZ FATALE!!!

[brinda allen]

PORTER PAQUOT & FEZ FATALE....
Great interview here... http://rockinthekasbahsl.blogspot.com/

For a fairly complete sample of Porter and Fez Fatales music, here: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/869516

While Porter performs often (sometimes 3 shows a day) she gets Fez Fatale to perform live about once a month.

[brinda allen]

@Komuso Tokugawa Just curious why you would troll here.

[Phoenix Gerhadsen]

PORTER PAQUOT & FEZ FATALE and MYSELF!!!! Phoenix Gerhadsen!!!!

[Chestnut Rau]

I don't think Komuso is trolling. He is suggesting, quite accurately, that fans of some performers gamed the polls. Look at Porter's fans here in the comments you will see that he is right.

[Komuso Tokugawa]

@brinda Please check your definitions.

Def: In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

What I am posting is none of the above.

a. I explicitly request to be excluded from this "competition" (for the second time I might add) for reasons stated above
b. I'm a working musician, one of the longest in SL I might add, who is entitled to put forward my own opinion of musical "contests".
I never have and never will partake in any SL music popularity contests.
c. Thanks to whoever nominated for me, but I'd rather see you in world at a gig.

Polls/Contests like this are more about ability to marshal a small group of fans to spam a "voting" system than about celebration of musical diversity and quality. There are many, many more fine musicians in SL (and outside SL) than some arbitrarily small number than 10, then boiling it down to a "winner". Some musicians may feel they need this to validate their existance, but personally I just find it denigrating to all musicians in general.

Surely there are better ways of showcasing the talent playing in SL?

[Komuso Tokugawa]

@Chestnut ty. I rest my case.

[hexx]

The poll ain't about who's the most popular artist in SL, methinks. It's about who's the most popular artist according to the visitors of this blog.

[Libby Iwish]

You are missing Bluemonk Rau! One heck of a blues singer and piano/organ player. This guy really knows his boogie woogie!

Bluemonk has over 35 years professional performance and recording experience. He has performed in such large venues as Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic ( 4 times ) and once at Farm Aid.

When performing in Second Life he only uses backing tracks he recorded himself that include only bass and drums though he does occasionally perform with no backing tracks, depending on the venue.
In addition to his originals he performs covers by artists such as Percy Mayfield, Willie Dixon, George Gershwin, Ray Charles, Elmore James, Gladys Knight, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Gary Moore, Joe Jackson, The Neville Brothers, T-Bone Walker, Memphis Slim, etc.

[Hamlet Au]

Komuso, Rolling Stone magazine has been running a similar reader poll for decades (whence the idea for this one came), and no doubt a lot of musicians don't like being in that one either. It's not a perfect solution, but I do think this is a fairly good way of publicizing a number of SL performers with some level of democratic input. However, this has never been strictly a raw popularity contest, because we have a system for weeding out blatant gaming. I understand you don't want to be nominated, but as you know, rock stars lose a certain level of control to their fans. I bet Justin Bieber isn't happy that a lot of his fans maintain sacrificial altars to him in their bedrooms.

[Leondra]

I like many of those mentioned already.

Here are a few more of my favorites:

Maxamillion Kleene who does some mixed reality events. He also was the artist that hooked me on live performances in SL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smYTkQG1wF8&feature=related
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Y_QoPsv2M&feature=related

David Csiszer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRaKWw53ODA

Geos Copperfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYM1YfukdSY

[Matthew Perreault]

Surprised no one's mentioned strum Diesel. Hell of a songwriter, and always puts on a great show:

http://www.seankagalis.com/

[Niko Donburi]

Can we nominate Komosu for his ambient stuff as well? http://www.sonicviz.com/music/sonicviz/

[Wizard Gynoid]

Jana Kyomoon and Cypress Rosewood have been playing live in SL for ages. i think they both deserve a mention.

[Thadicus Caligari]

I second adding David Csizer to the list. He has been at SL music at least 5 years and is an amazing guitarist.

I would also add Lyndon Heart to the pile. He is the only SL artist I know who comfortably can handle a 700+ song playlist. He teaches guitar and used to be a session musician in LA recording studios. Hyper talented. His originals rock.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Lyndon+Heart&aq=f

[Thadicus Caligari]

I should add Lyndon Heart has organized music events at SLCC several years. He is a musician's musician and promotes friends as much as himself.

[John]

Katia Keres

[June Stormcrow]

http://www.seankagalis.com/
My vote is for strum Diesel. First musician I caught live in sl and still my favorite a year later. Great originals. All covers have a twist. Simply awesome.

[Komuso Tokugawa]

M Lidnen. His dissonant Jazz orchestra took SL by storm. Their version of "My Way" was an outstanding innovation in the anal's of atonal noise, with every member playing a different scale at a different tempo, all while M - as brandleader - conducted them facing away from the band and looking into a mirror (but I don't think it was to see the band...)!

It was an incredible experience, and left me so totally drained of energy I had to leave SL for a time to recover my senses.

[Bacon Hellershanks]

Winston Ackland aka Bruce Lash.

"Can You Feel It" is the best fake Beatles song I've ever heard.
http://brucelash.bandcamp.com/track/can-you-feel-it-love-song

"Washed Up" is the best fake Bowie song I've ever heard.
http://brucelash.bandcamp.com/track/washed-up

"All The Little Fishies" by Toxic Menges is the best Second Life machinima I've ever seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHL9-aaGmIQ

[Amanda Dallin]

Digby Smalls has been great for years.
Lyndon Heart certainly deserves it as much as anyone.

@Komuso - That last comment was defiantly trolling.

[Bacon Hellershanks]

My comment wasn't trolling. Komuso, I think you were referring to the comment preceding mine.

A few things that I forgot to mention about Winston Ackland aka Bruce Lash... He wrote the music and the lyrics. He played all of the instruments. He sang in harmony with himself. He recorded the songs with the help of his computer.

[Bacon Hellershanks]

Amanda not Komuso. Sorry!

[Bacon Hellershanks]

My comment wasn't trolling. Amanda, I think you were referring to the comment that preceded mine.

A few things that I forgot to mention about Winston Ackland aka Bruce Lash... He wrote the music and lyrics. He played all of the instruments. He did all of the singing.

[Komuso Tokugawa]

@amanda "@Komuso - That last comment was defiantly trolling."

That's a freudian slap if I ever saw one!

[Mariko NIghtfire]

I would like to nominate two performers:
Shantu Selene
AroRa Chadbourne

[Ann Otoole InSL]

ColeMarie Soliel

[Fiona Haworth]

Grace McDunnough!!

http://phasinggrace.blogspot.com/p/graces-music.html

[Joshua Philgarlic]

I like to nominate nnoiz Papp. He's a german electronic musician and created the amazing soundtrack for CARP's "Metropolis" show.

[Winter Seale]

I've got to nominate Shannon Oherlihy (Shannon McMahon in RL). She writes her own music and sings and plays guitar live, often several times a day. She's amazingly dedicated and a wonderful singer. She primarily performs folk music.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Shannon+Oherlihy&aq=f

http://www.shannonmcmahonmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/shannonmcmahonbruchal

[Karmannghia McGinnis]

I'm with @Amanda.....Digby Smalls has quite a set of pipes on him!

[Porter Paquot]

Strum Diesel is not only a wonderful musician, songwriter and performer, he's also filled with love and is one of the most genuinely nice people I've met in SL. I'm honored to call him my friend. He is well loved by the masses, and well respected within the community of musicians in SL.

I would also add Kellee Blaylock, TwinGhost Ronas, RoseDrop Rust, Guitar Zane, Max Kleene, Lexie Luan, Pol Arida, JordanReyne Diesel, LizAday Solo, ReggieSunset Rookswood, Obeloinkement Wrigglesworth, Fran6 Parkin, Lauren Andretti and SO MANY MORE...

I would agree with the idea that popularity contests are sort of silly because how does that measure ones worth as a performer? Well it may not measure your skill level, but it gives the fans a way to get involved and feel part of your work in SL. Like it or not, when you start playing in SL this strange contrived fame begins to happen and although we are all what I like to call "Underwear Warriors", we are still public nonetheless. So while I applaud Komuso's humble swimsuit competition secession, I do think that these things can be fun for fans and it doesn't hurt anything so why not have fun? All you have to do is just keep playing music and doing what you love to do Komuso :) I haven't had the opportunity to hear you, but I definitely will come hear you now! Congrats on your nomination - someone thought highly enough of you to suggest you to others, here, publicly. I think that's the highest compliment you can get as a performer. I look forward to your show!

[Xanshin Paz]

Cypress Rosewood.

He's an elf, not a troll ;)

Jana Kayomoon

Moshang Zhao

[OhMy Kidd]

Is it too late to nominate Guitar Zane? This guy just exploded into the SL music scene last year, and has bought some fabulous music to SL at a high standard of performance, and he has been very generous in his approach to SL music.

[Franko Box]

I realy miss strum Diesel, he is one of the most talents voices all over SL.