As of May 4, it's Summer time in Greece. Families come together from all over for Easter and celebrate it for days. It's a marvelous time and it's so much cooler than what the tourists see! Two men who know how to kick up Summer time in a big, big way are Michi Renoir and Aldo Brizzi and both of them kicked it way, way up at Cat's Art MusikCircus last night.
At first Michi Renoir was playing some really twisted (i.e. excellent in a bizarre way) stuff which I love as he uses all kinds of voices to do it and the first thought is, man, where are we going this week! He loves to improvise and he's expert at it. What's very cool about that is more people are getting hip to it and coming around to hear him play. What I noticed was that people kept coming during the course of the show but very few left after listening to him. There are many ways you can give love to a performer as in sending tips and calling out BRAVO but staying to listen is what says it more than anything.
It was all very cool as Michi took us traveling and there were some comments about a previous show he did at the MusikCircus in which he was working with themes from Stockhausen ... but then he kicked into a voice that was very much an electric guitar playing hard distortion. Ordinarily I don't like it when someone plays 'guitar' on a synthesizer as there is a fundamental difference between the instruments. The strings are offset by fifths on the guitar whereas the notes on a keyboard are linear so the lead lines one will play are usually not the same. That didn't matter at all last night as Michi was blowing the walls down! Maybe calling him Maestro Michi Hendrix will give you an idea!
Michi was rockin' it hard for about the last half of the hour all the way up to the top of the hour and I say again BRAVO MAESTRO MICHI!
Reis and Aldo have been touring and recording for the best part of a month but last night was their return to the MusikCircus. Unfortunately, Reis was stuck in traffic and she was trying the whole time to get there but just couldn't manage it. Aldo was giving us updates but the show must always go on and he played and played. He's an excellent composer and you can hear his work on the Aldo Brizzi Web site.
Part of what Reis and Aldo was doing on their tour was a show in Grenoble but Reis was not singing for that one so what he was playing last night was much like what he was doing in Grenoble. He is a synthesizer master and he uses the most incredible rhythms in his performances for sounds that will amaze you.
What was interesting to me was that some of the people who came to Michi's show left when he finished his set and the same phenomenon happened in which more people came to hear Aldo and, just as with Michi, they didn't leave. Hopefully at some point, everyone will realise both men are masters at what they do and staying for both shows makes for a fantastic evening. Cat very deliberately stages them on the same evening as their music complements each other's work so well.
While Aldo does a fantastic show playing solo, he and Reis call it the Reis Project when he works with her and you have read of my praises for the magic they make together. You can learn more about them on their Reis Project Facebook page. We send much love to Reis Alter, as I know the tremendous frustration in being trapped in traffic when a show is coming. We had hoped to hear her last night but she will be singing next week.
While Aldo Brizzi was playing, more and more people were coming and Cat was curious as to which countries were represented. I asked and discovered Sweden, Romania, Australia, Italy, United Kingdom, Greece, and Germany. There was probably at least one person there from France as well. This is one of the magical things about European gigs and particularly shows at Cat's Art MusikCircus in that they show the best of the international flavor of Second Life.
It was very cool to see JaNa KYoMooN at the show and go ahead to tell me again that Second Life musicians are amateurs but then I'll tell you she is a synthesizer artist as well and she has worked in productions of Cyndi Lauper's music. Xara Fiasco was there as well and she's a fantastic Australian singer. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to schedule Australian performances as it was about midnight in Germany but it was eight in the morning in Australia. We will find a way!
Aldo gave us a brilliant performance and all the while Cat and I danced:
What I liked about this shot is that Mel Hammerer and Riana Magic were doing the same dance behind us. Every couple can be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Second Life!
For the last few weeks, I had been playing a set after Michi and that was wonderful fun but I didn't lose anything in giving that time slot back to Reis and Aldo. I love to hear their show, particularly on the same night as Michi, and I'll be playing instead tomorrow night. I'm still hoping Sonya Jevette will get her technical problems resolved soon and come back for her Thursday night show and I will just as happily move again when she's ready. It's all part of the magic at Cat's Art MusikCircus!
At first Michi Renoir was playing some really twisted (i.e. excellent in a bizarre way) stuff which I love as he uses all kinds of voices to do it and the first thought is, man, where are we going this week! He loves to improvise and he's expert at it. What's very cool about that is more people are getting hip to it and coming around to hear him play. What I noticed was that people kept coming during the course of the show but very few left after listening to him. There are many ways you can give love to a performer as in sending tips and calling out BRAVO but staying to listen is what says it more than anything.
It was all very cool as Michi took us traveling and there were some comments about a previous show he did at the MusikCircus in which he was working with themes from Stockhausen ... but then he kicked into a voice that was very much an electric guitar playing hard distortion. Ordinarily I don't like it when someone plays 'guitar' on a synthesizer as there is a fundamental difference between the instruments. The strings are offset by fifths on the guitar whereas the notes on a keyboard are linear so the lead lines one will play are usually not the same. That didn't matter at all last night as Michi was blowing the walls down! Maybe calling him Maestro Michi Hendrix will give you an idea!
Michi was rockin' it hard for about the last half of the hour all the way up to the top of the hour and I say again BRAVO MAESTRO MICHI!
Reis and Aldo have been touring and recording for the best part of a month but last night was their return to the MusikCircus. Unfortunately, Reis was stuck in traffic and she was trying the whole time to get there but just couldn't manage it. Aldo was giving us updates but the show must always go on and he played and played. He's an excellent composer and you can hear his work on the Aldo Brizzi Web site.
Part of what Reis and Aldo was doing on their tour was a show in Grenoble but Reis was not singing for that one so what he was playing last night was much like what he was doing in Grenoble. He is a synthesizer master and he uses the most incredible rhythms in his performances for sounds that will amaze you.
What was interesting to me was that some of the people who came to Michi's show left when he finished his set and the same phenomenon happened in which more people came to hear Aldo and, just as with Michi, they didn't leave. Hopefully at some point, everyone will realise both men are masters at what they do and staying for both shows makes for a fantastic evening. Cat very deliberately stages them on the same evening as their music complements each other's work so well.
While Aldo does a fantastic show playing solo, he and Reis call it the Reis Project when he works with her and you have read of my praises for the magic they make together. You can learn more about them on their Reis Project Facebook page. We send much love to Reis Alter, as I know the tremendous frustration in being trapped in traffic when a show is coming. We had hoped to hear her last night but she will be singing next week.
While Aldo Brizzi was playing, more and more people were coming and Cat was curious as to which countries were represented. I asked and discovered Sweden, Romania, Australia, Italy, United Kingdom, Greece, and Germany. There was probably at least one person there from France as well. This is one of the magical things about European gigs and particularly shows at Cat's Art MusikCircus in that they show the best of the international flavor of Second Life.
It was very cool to see JaNa KYoMooN at the show and go ahead to tell me again that Second Life musicians are amateurs but then I'll tell you she is a synthesizer artist as well and she has worked in productions of Cyndi Lauper's music. Xara Fiasco was there as well and she's a fantastic Australian singer. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to schedule Australian performances as it was about midnight in Germany but it was eight in the morning in Australia. We will find a way!
Aldo gave us a brilliant performance and all the while Cat and I danced:
What I liked about this shot is that Mel Hammerer and Riana Magic were doing the same dance behind us. Every couple can be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Second Life!
For the last few weeks, I had been playing a set after Michi and that was wonderful fun but I didn't lose anything in giving that time slot back to Reis and Aldo. I love to hear their show, particularly on the same night as Michi, and I'll be playing instead tomorrow night. I'm still hoping Sonya Jevette will get her technical problems resolved soon and come back for her Thursday night show and I will just as happily move again when she's ready. It's all part of the magic at Cat's Art MusikCircus!
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