Gaius Luminos, CEO of Galaxy Productions (Inworld)
Rock music milestones are infrequent occurances at best, but last Friday December 12th 2008 will go down in history as as a bona fide new chapter in Rock. On that day, Greg Hawkes, former keyboardist for Rock greats 'The Cars' and current founding member of their offspring 'The New Cars,' stepped onstage at a venue called 'Pop Art Lab' to begin playing an hour long solo set.
But what made this particular gig unique, was the fact that everything about it...the venue, stage, lighting, instruments, even the cheering audience members and indeed even Greg himself existed not in time and space as we know it, but virtually, inside the popular real time internet game 'Second Life.'
Second Life, (for the non-net gamers amongst us), is referred to as a 'virtual enviroment,' this being a complete virtual world, whos real world 'inhabitants' go about their virtual lives running business,' building and living in homes, shopping and - yes, going to rock shows, as real time controllable 3d characters called- 'Avatars.'
The game has actually been knockin' around The Net for about 8 years now, quietly building an International 'population' of 4 million plus users, all of whom daily cast aside the trials and tribulations of our real World, to don an immortal game character body, and frolic unencumbered by time and space, within the free wheeling Edenesque delights offered by SL's virtual 'inworld' enviroment.
If it sounds like a sci-fi movie, well...it is...but one in which the plot is self determind, as if the audience of a theatre could participate first hand in the events on screen.
And so it was that Greg Hawkes, virtually speaking that is, teleported into this brave new world..and onto the stage of 'Pop Art Lab' last Friday, to an exited and - virtual - crowd of cheering 'avatars'.
Armed only with his real world live weapon of choice...a Ukelele...he proceeded to blow the 3d doors of the place with a beautiful and hauntingly eloquent 60 minute set comprised of in parts, Cars classics, songs from his up and coming alternative band 'Fierce Tibetan Gods,' and-of all things..Beatles songs, these last from his latest cd 'The Beatles Uke (2008 Solid Air Records).
An hour and some change later, Mr Hawkes exited stage left, after politely thanking his ecstatic 3d audience ("Its been a virtual pleasure...")
No doubt, 'tis of these innocent and seemingly modest moments that History oft is made.
You really shoulda 'been' there.....
Greg Hawkes is represented in Second Life by Gaius Luminos, and Galaxy Productions.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
