Well…

I’ve been everywhere, man.
I’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
I’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
I’ve been everywhere.

Okay, maybe not that dramatic (and thank you Johnny Cash), but I have absolutely worn myself out traveling this summer.

I’ve been to Boston twice — by car, no less — and to Indianapolis. I’ve been to Wisconsin Dells and to Reno. I’ve spent more time in cars and planes this year than I’ve spent in the last five combined, it seems.

So, all that aside, I’ve not been performing much (or even visiting) in Second Life. It has actually been a nice break, but I’m ready to get back to the swing of things. I’ll be doing more shows as schedules permit. If you are a venue owner in SL, give me a shout. I’m sure you’re already booked for most of September (it seems the number of SL performers has tripled since summer began), but if you have something in mind, we can look at the calendar.

I’ll be co-hosting Open Mic at the Lonely Yak Texas Roadhouse each Monday night with Yxes Delacroix, as usual.
By the way: I hate that roadhouse spam site that keeps picking up my blog posts with no attribution every time I mention the word. Stop it you sleazebags. This message courtesy of Rich Desoto.

Hope to see you all at a show sometime soon!

I posted some of last night’s Relay for Life performance. I did not include cover tunes (for copyright reasons), but did include most of the original material that I performed. I also edited out much of the banter and two of the tunes in order for the show to fit into the SproutBuilder widget that I use.

You can find the performance in the sidebar of this blog page. Look for the title “Listen to Past Shows!” If you were unable to attend the performance, please enjoy the encore! Thanks!

Join me for an hour of music at this fantastic Second Life Relay for Life fundraiser. I am playing just after Tusko Okey. There is entertainment all through a 24 hour period! Be sure to visit the Second Life Relay for Life web site.

Listen on my stream if you cannot make it into the event: thesongster.serverroom.us:9392. You can use iTunes or WinAmp to pick up the feed.

According to the event organizers:

Like many RFL events, this is a benefit to raise funds for cancer research, however, in addition to that specific task, there will be “relayers” … SL residents walking around a path through 35 sims — including our four live music sims — for a 24-hour period. They will be raising funds, remembering loved ones, celebrating their own survival, and encouraging those who are currently struggling. Many of the relayers will be cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors who are visiting SL just for this event!

This will be a special event, indeed.

I wanted to get a post here before the week flies by and I forget.

Open Mic at the Lonely Yak Texas Roadhouse next week should be a great night! We have the following lineup so far:

6:00pm Rich Desoto
6:20pm kelvinblue Oh
6:40pm Joaquin Gustav
7:00pm (open for now)
7:20pm Solomon Brink
7:40pm Edward Lowell

So, please join us at 6pm on Monday, 14 July 2008 at the Lonely Yak.

I’m going to see if I can remember the words to my own songs — and possibly those of other songs that I have known for years but seem to somehow forget midstream. Tonight wasn’t my best of shows. Sigh. Oh well, it’s all in good fun I suppose!

Amazingly enough, I have two performances in SL today. It would be great if you could come to listen!

Rocky Shores

The first today is at one of Second Life’s best live music venues, Rocky Shores. Ticious Trottier and her crew always book some great acts; I’m always humbled to be asked to play.

Show starts at 1 PM SLT. Rocky Shores can be found on the Cascadia sim.

Stonehenge

Lyn Carlberg has invited me back to the druidish (is that a word?) live music venue Stonehenge. I’ll follow Nad Gough, so it should be a fun time [and stuff].

Show starts at 4 PM SLT. Stonehenge can be found on the Windlesham sim.

Studio relocated

I’ve recently moved my home studio to a different room in the house. Yes, Sierra has banned me to the dungeo… erm… basement. But it will soon be this recording musician’s paradise! Until then, however, I’m slowly tuning the room so that it is not so “bouncy” and “boomy.” There may be some unique sounds coming from the area as I perform. We’ll just mark that down as “ambient experience.”

I get a cameo! Woohoo!

Spence Wilder Makes an Appearance

Originally uploaded by Rich_Palmer

It was great to see the long-lost Spence Wilder at the Lonely Yak Texas Roadhouse this evening! He showed up during open mic with Cylindrian Rutabaga on stage. Her ethereal sounds must’ve brought him back to life!

I recently received some considerable criticism for not spending more time in the Second Life environment. I was chastised for not being more “involved” and for not performing more shows. There were references to other musicians that play “every day” sometimes more than once a day. This was the baseline comparison I was given and I was apparently expected to meet this qualification of standard.

I can only say this. Second Life is a great place to network, a great place to find live music, to explore new interests, to learn about new technologies, and more. However, Second Life is not MY life.

I am a very busy person. I have a fairly demanding career position in media relations and safety education with a suburban fire department. I am a voice over talent creating content for clients during my “non-work” hours. I am a singer/songwriter that is also desperately trying to find time to finish producing an album. I have two children, both active in a variety of activities. I produce two independent media programs (podcasts) and one for my employer.

I would say that I do quite well with a performance or two each week in the Second Life environment. I would like to spend more social time, but I have to realize my limitations. With the extended obligations that I have committed myself, I must also find time to spend with my family. They certainly deserve the attention, right?

And, considering that I have been a Second Life musician for going on two years, I believe I’ve developed a healthy balance of reality and virtual presence.

Please don’t give up on me, though. I’m still around, I’m reachable via IM (through my email when I’m not online) or at safesongs [at] gmail {dot} com, or even via this blog.

And please don’t think that I’m not a contributing member of the SL live music community just because you don’t see me every day or that my shows aren’t more frequent.

I’ve added some new ring tones to my Myxer account. Most of these are FREE. Please visit my profile at Myxer or use the widgets here to send them to your phone! (Not all devices are compatible)

You can also text the phrase “richpalmer” followed by the appropriate number to MYXER (69937) from your phone (must have the ability to download from your phone’s browser).

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 3″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 7″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 6″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 2″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 1″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 4″ to 69937 (MYXER)

More from Rich Palmer at Myxer
Text “RICHPALMER 5″ to 69937 (MYXER)

Some of you may recall that I participated in an episode of The Late Show with Angelico Babii on 5 May. I’ve just received the news that the episode has been posted. You can find the show at Metaverse-tv.com and at Metaversetv.Blip.tv.

Here’s the video as it stands. Angelico told me that there may be additional editing (sound effects, transitions, and such). I think it stands well as a top-notch show, though!

Update: Apparently this show widget may automatically update to new shows when they add them. If you see a different episode in the player and want to find the episode with my tunes, please visit Metaverse-tv.com and look for the show featuring Ham Rambler.