Molaskey's Pub (09.26.13)

I'm going to tell you about my show at Molaskey's Pub, but first, a few long-overdue words about someone very important to me in Second Life. There are probably many people in SL who do an outstanding job as managers for musicians. That having been said, I am convinced that my manager, Maali (pronounced "Molly") Beck, is the best of the best. Since my recent show at Molaskey's featured three of Maali's stable of musicians (Sassy Nitely, myself, and Lyndon Heart in order of appearance), I thought I'd dedicate this post to her, but first I'm going to explain why a musician in SL needs a manager at all.

Really? A manager for a virtual musician?
Yeah, really. And I can speak from both sides of the fence, having managed my own shows from 2006-2011 before meeting Maali at the San Diego SL Jam and hearing her proposal to manage me. Most managers in SL, just like real life, operate by taking a reasonable percentage of the artist's booking fees and tips. In return, at least in my case, I get a lot more than what I pay her. Maali books all of my shows, so I don't have to deal with spending tons of time and effort chasing after venues that will pay my fee. She also negotiates those fees, and then also acts as a promoter, maintaining my in-world fan club and helping to spread the word about my shows via various in-world groups. I can't tell you how worthwhile it is having Maali handle those things, allowing me to focus on performing.

What makes Maali so great?
This part is easy.

• She doesn't overbook me. Obviously, it's in a manager's best interest to book as many shows as possible for her clients. However, I told Maali early on that performing in SL is but one aspect of my life, musical or otherwise. I also am a single dad, I run my own small business, and I'm a recording artist who needs time to write new songs and record them. She has always respected that, and my guidelines to her (about 1-2 shows a week on average) has always been followed.

• She knows when to break my rules. Maali knows me well enough to jump at opportunities in which she knows I would want to get involved. We both are believers in using music for charitable purposes, and Maali works just as hard for those shows where neither of us make any money.

• She still checks with me first. Some managers probably assume their artists want to play every big show that comes up. I don't, and Maali always drops me a line before adding shows to my schedule.

• She comes to the shows. All of them. Even on the rare occasions where two of her artists are booked in the same time slot at different venues, she'll spend half of the hour with each artist. While there, she has a great balance of helping to spread the word about my music without being annoying by overspamming the crowd. Love that!

• She's a genuinely good person who really loves music. If I thought that she was only in it for the money, or if she wasn't such a nice and pleasant person to be around, there's no way I'd want her to manage me.

Back to Molaskey's
Enough on my fantastic manager. On Thursday night, three of Maali's Kids played at Molaskey's, where I've performed dozens and dozens of times over my years in SL. It's a great venue mostly because of the people who help run it. I got there much earlier than my usual arrival time so I could hear some of Sassy's show. Obviously, living here on the West Coast, my time is the same as SL time, so I'm not always able to jump in early (since I'm still wrapping up my work day). But it was fun listening to Sassy, who was sounding great.

Photo and top photo by Kat.

Photo by Kat.

Photo by Triana.

Probably the first in-world hangout of They Stole My Crayon since 2006. Bunny, Kat, and I enjoying Lyndon Heart's set. Photo by Kat.

My set went well. Neither my voice nor my guitars were cooperating at a 100% level of greatness, but that's okay; I'm not a perfectionist, and the vibe of my set was good. I was happy to have the rare occasion of both of my bandmates (and best friends) Kat and Bunny attend the show. Bunny in particular is almost never in Second Life, so his surprise appearance in my crowd put a big smile on my face. Since Bunny, Kat, and I were headed out in real life the following night to the Troubadour in Hollywood to see Unknown Mortal Orchestra, I threw in a first-time performance of one of their songs.

Molaskey's set list...
Golden Years (David Bowie)
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
On the Way Home (Neil Young)
So Glad (They Stole My Crayon)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
*Swim and Sleep Like a Shark (Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel)
Creepin' (Stevie Wonder)
Mad World (Tears for Fears)
What Are You Like? (Indigo Girls)
You Can't Always Get What You Want (Rolling Stones)
Tea for the Tillerman (Cat Stevens)

*Indicates my first ever performance of this song in SL.

Thanks to all who came out to Molaskey's, especially those who helped support the show!
Maurice Mistwallow, Jukebox Diesel, Triana Caldera, Kat Claxton, Cicadetta Stillwater, NeCole Chiantelle, Sesh Kamachi, Christine Haiku, Sassy Nitely, my manager Maali Beck, and Molaskey's GM Mia Kitchensink!