12/31/06 – How it all started…
Back in 2005 or 2006, Steve Schrum, a long time collaborator, came to me with the idea of participating in the virtual online realm of Second Life. I have to admit that I was utterly unimpressed at that time. I could not understand why anyone would want to spend hours typing away in virtual chat rooms while an avatar walked across the screen. The creative possibilities seemed interesting, but I couldn’t see how it fit into my practical outlook on technology, music and creativity.
Then, in Fall 2006, I needed a topic for a media influence paper at Bloomsburg University, so I decided it was a good chance to check out Second Life and see what it had to offer. Thus began a rather intense period of participant/observer research, performance and networking. Through that process I began to see just how well developed this realm had become, and that there were possibilities for my own musical talents. It was a particularly good outlet for material that I would not normally perform in a live context at my regular shows.
