My boss Mark Nova at Legendary Estates, invited me for some rest and relaxation on Saturday night. He took me to a live performance by ll ƜIƝƬƐɌ ll ƜIƝƬƐɌS.
I don’t go out much socially I have to admit, being a workaholic in Second Life, but one thing I have learned is that Mark has some pretty good tastes where live performers are concerned so I went along with it. From the moment we arrived, Winter was already in full performance mode. He’s a striking charismatic figure and sings a range of songs, with his acoustic guitar, in the acoustic rock – hard rock – blues genre and more.
Some research showed me that Winter is from Cyprus and began playing piano at 6 years old. He was 15 before picking up his first guitar.
As I listened, I closed my eyes. I’ve been on the radio playing songs on-air for over 25 years, and I have to say with all honesty, Winter is a polished and creative performer. I sometimes think to myself that some live singers in Sl are good, but need some fine-tuning. Not with Winter. He’s the real deal right out of the box. So it comes as no surprise to find out he’s been the “WINNER OF THE VIRAL VOICE SEASON 4” contest.
The bonus for me though is that Winter worked hard to make everyone feel welcome and put his heart and soul into the live performance on stage. This is a guy who is not only professional sounding, but professional on stage too. His act as a whole is tremendous.
I took a look at the repertoire of songs he makes use of in Second Life. I’m a soft rock fan myself, from Stevie Nicks (ex Fleetwood Mac) to Journey, from Styx to Bon Jovi, from The Scorpions to Supertramp, Barclay James Havest and Genesis. So imagine my excitement to see a list of songs that I not only knew well, but love.
During the performance, Winter spotted Mark Nova in the audience. They are both well acquainted, proven by the fact that Winter sang a song request from Mark, Thin Lizzy’s ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ who are a band from Dublin, Ireland which relates so well to Mark as he is from Northern Ireland. It was a sign, to me, that Winter looks after and cherishes his audience. He even sang to a riff dedicated to those who were there watching the show. Another nice gesture. He sang: “I see Anthony.. I see Mark Nova… I see Andrea… I see Damien…” and not content with that, he sang happy birthday to an audience member.
Another special moment for me was when he performed Born to be Wild! I could audibly feel just how much he got into performing that song for us. I can always tell when someone is into their performance totally, and he most certainly was. Then right off the back of it, Winter launched into Dead or Alive, the Bon Jovi classic. It was at this point I joined his group. I’m now a confirmed fan. For me, it was like hitting the ‘golden buzzer’ in appreciation of a performer on the X Factor where I was an imaginary judge.
Next time I see him I will ask him to sing Boat On The River originally done by Styx. I suspect I’ll be in heaven listening to him do that. Winter is also the member of a band in real life, and he says he’s the owner of the Together As One (TAO) Festival. He quotes “ALWAYS AND ONLY to raise money for Children in need!”. This man not only has love for his music but has a good heart too.
The biggest surprise for me was still to come. His last song? What if God Smoked Cannabis… I fell off my chair in squeals of delight at this clever interpretation of the song ‘What If God Was One Of Us’.
And yeah, yeah, God rolls great
Yeah, yeah, God smells good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
What if God smoked cannabis
Do you ‘spose He had a buzz
When He made the platypus
When He created Earth our homes
Does He like Pearl Jam or The Stones?
And do you think He rolls His own?
Up there in heaven on the throne
And when the saints go marching home
Maybe He sits and smokes a bone…
In summary, Winter gave a stunning, memorable performance throughout. If you get a chance, check him out. I take great pleasure in showing you how.
Book him for your event:
Contact his manager Kaysie Michigan.
secondlife:///app/agent/43ffe623-d117-4384-a501-1644f1f08646/about
Add him on FB here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090609673026
Look him up in-world:
Hes’ ll ƜIƝƬƐɌ ll ƜIƝƬƐɌS (Winter Blitzen).
secondlife:///app/agent/43ffe623-d117-4384-a501-1644f1f08646/about
Check out his Market Place store:
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/249580