SecondLife Singer/Songwriter Showcase

 

PREVIEW.

Showcase 4, August 10 2013

With August just around the corner that also means another night of superb songwriting skills will be on display at SL’s “Originals Cafe”. So if you come along on the night of August 10¦ you will hear the amazing talents of Xara Fiasco, MoonDoggirl and AcousticEnergy. All in all it will be another fabulous night of original music played by some of SL’s finest.


Xara, Another Aussie singer-songwriter (where they seem to be breed musical talent by the truckload!), will grab you the moment you hear her touch the keys of her piano. With a style that can range from Gershwin to Tori Amos, Xara will hold you in her musical web as she confronts you with her personal lyrics of life. Hard to adequately describe her style, I think she says it best herself by calling her music “Indiepunk” and Xara will “punk” her piano at “Originals Cafe” in August!

Musical emotion and attitude don’t come any better than MoonDoggirl. With a bit of country, a dab of swamp, a sprinkle of blues and a dash of pop and rock, Moondoggirl’s original songs are as fresh as a sweet Sunday morning in July except this time it will be a sweet Saturday night in August at SL’s own “Originals Cafe” and you really don’t want to miss it!


When AcousticEnergy (aka “AE”) plays his original songs, people stop and listen. His skills are that obvious to anyone with an ear for good music. Once he starts a song you are magnetized and have to hear it till the end because AE’s songs have a habit of taking a left turn when you least expect it! He likes to develop his songs in front of an audience and use their reactions in finding the perfect words and arrangement to make each and every song very special. An AE show is one you have to hear and you can do that in August at “Originals Cafe”!


For more information and a Q & A about these performers, please follow the links.


XARAFIASCO

MOONDOGGIRL

ACOUSTICENERGY


See you there! From the OC Scribe

SHOW REVIEW.

An mp3 sample of each performers performance appears on their individual pages.


Xara Fiasco

First up on tonight’s “Original’s Cafe” showcase was the extraordinarily talented Xara Fiasco all the way from downunder (Australia).

Xara’s instrument of choice is her piano (though she can play guitar too) and she has a style all her own – Jazzy, Bluesy with hints of Broadway and a pile of edgy New Wave/Alt thrown in for good measure.

Xara started off her all-original set with a song about being a “Rock Star”. The very quirky “Free Your Mind” followed. At this point I would like to say that Xara’s lyrics are not your average.. they have a tendency to go places you least expect with images that can be almost shocking at first if you haven’t heard her before. She uses metaphors that are somewhat confronting at times but this is pure Xara… very deep with meanings probably only she really understands. Songs about her experiences and relationships are all backed by her awesome piano style which is probably closer to Tori Amos than anyone I can think of.. lots of different rhythms and unexpected twists are the perfect vehicle for her lyrics.

One of her set’s highlights was her left-field love song “In My Elbow” which immediately caught my ears. Just wonderful. Mixing the topics of poltergeists and relationships worked much better than you would think in her song “Switchblade” and “Liver” was all about her times playing on the pub circuit in Sydney, Australia where she would play for food and beer!

“Vampire” was a very moving song all about her father’s hidden grief after the lose of his brother and “Steel Trap” reflected on the world of internet dating and all the weird people she had met. Another highlight was her final song, “Paper Mache” which told about her recovery from an addiction - quite an amazing and touching song.

By the end of her show, Xara had drained me (in a good way) and at the same time uplifted me into her world, which is both unique and very positive, if you view it from her quirky side of the fence lol. Xara may not be everyone’s cup of tea but if you take a sip I can guarantee you will be addicted to her amazing original songwriting.



MoonDoggirl

I hadn’t listened to “Moon” for a long time and had forgotten how great a songwriter she is. Her set contained mainly songs she has recently recorded for her next album and wow were they ever good!

If you had to pigeonhole her style I guess you could call it “New Alt Country” (not that I know what that really sounds like lol) but despite a number of the songs being written in Nashville they weren’t necessarily country in feel.. just damn fine catchy songs. Tonight Moon played songs with just her acoustic guitar but I can’t wait to hear her CD to see what amazing arrangements these songs were given with a full band treatment.

She began her set with the wonderful “Montana’s Child” which is about a woman she had met in Montana. The darker “Pretty Pill” followed which was all about hiding from things and “keeping the scars on the inside”. An early highlight of her set was the very moving song “Eye of a Needle” which was all about the recent loss of both her parents. Very beautiful. Moon upped the tempo on her next song, “One Stop Diner” which really did scream “country” to me and a band version I’m sure will be stunning. the chorus contains the catchy line “Love’s a one-stop diner with a neon sign”.. pure Nashville!


Possibly the best song of the night for me was “Mary Jane” (I hope I got the title right) which was a dark sort of song that felt like a mix of Tom Petty and “Ode To Billy Jo”. Really wonderful. A very moving song came soon after in the form of “Good Little Soldier” which was about a young boy whose father was killed in a war and how he grew up to be a soldier too. The beautiful love song, “Completely” was up next which Moon co-wrote with two experienced Nashville songwriters at a workshop she had attended. Magnificent song that could easily become a country hit.

What a pleasure it was to listen to Moon and hear all these new songs she has written. As good a collection of songs I have heard in a long time. Hopefully we will see more of Moon around SL as she starts to promote her upcoming album. A truly gifted songwriter that everyone should get out and listen to!


Acoustic Energy Nitely

AE’s shows are a journey. A journey mainly through his relationships with people with the main theme of love filtering through most of his original songs. A bit hard to describe AE’s style but its probably close to alternative rock/pop with a hint of blues and jazz at times.

He began his set with a slower song called “Shatter Me” which included the great line “You are closer than my yesterday”. The really beautiful sweet song “One By One” followed.. a highlight of his set. The more uptempo and almost rousing love song “Feel The Love” came next and then we were given another highlight, the almost ethereal at times “Carolina” with the triumphant “You Are Free” lyrics. The gospel tinged  We Ran” contained another great lyric.. “Pouring silence onto these lips”. These all contain great examples of AE’s wonderful lyric writing skills where he will come up with dozens of magnificent gems that get stuck in your head for hours!

A crowd favourite was soon requested - “All Night”, which is about a few of the different types of girls that are out there in AE’s world! The very evocative song “Silent I Fall” came towards the end of his hour and proved to be another highlight. Again it contains some wonderful lyrics like “Broken I Crawl… Silent I Fall”. The almost epic love song “Fall Into You” closed AE’s  evening’s set and it’s a tour-de-force with some of his best ever lyrics and imagery.

AE proved once again that his songwriting craft is at the top of it’s game and it seems it will continue for some time to come. Wonderful show, wonderful songwriter and performer.




That brought an end to yet another stunning array of talented songwriters who call SL their home and “Original’s Cafe” was very proud indeed to have them drop by for a visit and to share their magnificent songs with us.

So until next time (September) this is the OC Scribe who is now all reviewed out and is heading to bed!