by Phil F. Kearny
All I can say is that Lizaday Solo has a very unique show. I have seen dozens of musicians come through the doors of the club in the last year, but there is something profoundly different about Liz. According to her official press kit, she describes herself as a multi-instrumental vocalist, songwriter, actress, published writer & award winning member of ASCAP whose songs are featured in both films and TV.
I have talked to Liz and the number of places that she has played across the US and the world is truly astounding. She has described one-nighters in Asia including one in Beijing in the fall of 2008. She has shared stages with such Pop icons as Pat Benatar, Micky Thomas (Starship), Big Brother and the Holding Company (as a vocalist). and Rick Derringer. Liz has also worked in the studio with Steve Smith (Journey), Mick Mahan (Benatar), Paul DeLisle (Smash Mouth) and many, many others.
Obviously, Liz is not your standard run-of-the-mill SL musician. This is a person whose sole income is derived from the performance of music. But why SL? Liz herself revealed that answer during a recent gig at Ambrosia. ” I love Second Life”, she said, “because unlike a real life performance I can read the minds and thoughts by what everyone is thinking as they type in open chat and receive direct feedback. That is something that is just not possible at a real live performance.”
Random sips of brandy and impromptu lyrics punctuate her performance to make for one of the more interesting live shows to be experienced. It is obvious to even the casual observer that Lizaday is a real musician and this easy professionalism manifests itself at every show except of course for the usual SL glitches. I will never forget how nervous she was at her first appearance at Ambrosia. Being a musician in Second Life apparently requires a set of geek skills not normally encountered in the life of a professional songstress. Apparently, the best cure for Lizaday’s SL nervousness is to teleport her to her spot on the stage and let her do her thing. Once the technology is out of the way the muse takes over.
Liz’s covers of songs are unique ranging from The Beatles “Come Together to a version of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face that is so different from the original that it does not compel you to drive knitting needles into your ear drums.
Another crowd favorite is a bright version of Closer by Ne-Yo with a driving beat that is so far from the original as to almost sound like another song. Her guitar accompaniment is sparkles with an electric enthusiasm. She is a consummate musician and you can feel her connection with the crowd with every dazzling strum of the chords. Her fingers blur as she rifles across the frets and her voice cascades down ledges of an acoustical waterfall singing with such emotion that certain passages give her “a dizzy head rush”.
And finally she gives out lollipops to the crowd. Does it get any better?
You can check out her MySpace page here.
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