By Traci Nubalo
Metaverse Tribune - February 9, 2012
Metaverse Tribune - February 9, 2012
Her name rolls off the tongue like honey, wonderfully delicious and sweet-sounding. And that’s a perfect description of Carmel Daines’ voice: tasty and appealing. Stir that up with some delectable guitar work, add a song list chock full of scrumptious originals and succulent covers. You’re all set for one luscious hour of Second Life entertainment.
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I was the newest music journalist on the SL beat back in early 2009. I had four or five published articles under my belt. I’d been hanging around the great NANCE Brody and her wonderfully-zany posse preparing to write a magazine feature on her and her music. NANCE pulled me aside with an idea for another story. “I’ve invited a brand new singer to perform here tonight. I think you’ll like her”, she told me.So the lovely Miss Kristi Renfold and I rezzed into NANCE’s outdoor theatre to catch Carmel Daines in her first-ever live appearance in SL. After a couple of failed attempts to make it to the stage (she was a noob, after all!) Carmel began to sing and within minutes I knew that this woman was going to take the SL live music scene by storm. Miss Kristi and I were both captivated by her engaging one-of-a-kind voice, her rock-steady guitar skills and her heartfelt delivery. We’ve been fans ever since.
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Traci Nubalo: Carmel, I was thinking back to your first SL performance at NANCE's stage. Want to share some memories of that?Carmel Daines: All I can remember is my embarrassment at not even being able to navigate. I walked through walls, etc. I had no idea how to get to the stage.
TN: Yet you sang like an angel.
CD: It didn’t feel like it, but I was oh so grateful to her for offering me the chance. I was brand new to SL and didn't expect an invitation to play.
TN: Wasn't Russ Eponym helpful to you in your early days inworld?
CD: Oh yes! Russell took the time to not only talk to me on SL, but much longer on Skype, helping me learn the ropes, feel more comfortable, encouraging me to be myself.
TN: How long was it before you really felt comfortable onstage in SL?
CD: Well, it's the same as my RL gigs - I still am a bundle of nerves every time. It’s that fear because you don't know how it will go, if anyone will show up, if I'll get a frog in my throat, etc. It’s the same in SL as it is in RL. I hear that I hide it well though.
TN: Yes, you do. A lot has happened for you since those days: better venues, bigger crowds, more gigs.
CD: I’m still just plugging away. But I've got a great group. They really have become friends who support me.
TN: Their input at your concerts shows how much they love you. Open Chat is a love fest.
CD: I have to say that I was very excited and sent out a thank you note to them this past week. I learned that I had the best digital sales I'd ever had in December and January, and many were from iTunes Europe.
TN: Congratulations.
CD: Oh, thanks! I love them, that's for sure!
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Since those first days Carmel has become one of SL’s most-loved musical artists. She’s worked her way to the top venues and has become an audience favorite in them.
There are exciting new developments for Amelia Blake (Carmel Daines in SL). Turns out her music can now be heard in the US on the Pandora internet radio network. She’s also joined forces with two musician friends in Shreveport to rez a wonderful line-and-virtual trio called Airheart. I asked the girl from Louisiana about both fascinating projects.
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TN: Can you tell the readers about your new Pandora deal?CD: Yes. I really have Shannon Oherlihy to thank for that. We got to meet last year in New York and she told me she was on Pandora, which I'd never heard of. [NOTE: Shannon Oherlihy sings on Pandora using her RL name Shannon McMahon].
She sent me the online links, I applied and got in. I also got to add my Christmas CD right before the holidays, too. So there's an Amelia Blake station on Pandora, and an Amelia Blake holiday station there, too. I love it!
TN: Yes, I listen to your album “Old Horses” all the time there.
CD: Yay! Thank you! I love that!
TN: Another new and exciting project for you is Airheart. Want to fill the Metaverse Tribune readers in?
CD: Oh yes, that's the funnest thing I'm doing these days. Dan Garner and I have been friends here in Shreveport for years, and he asked me to play a benefit here. At the same time Paula O'Neal, who I knew only in passing, asked if she could sit in. Seeing as it was a benefit, it's not like it was going to be less money so I agreed!
The harmonies fell into place so naturally that all of our eyes just lit up, and we knew we had to keep singing together. We've just recorded a CD of mostly cover songs and some originals (Dan and I both write), which will be out within the next month or so.
Airheart has played SL twice and we hope to make it a regular thing. The ultimate plan is to synch our RL gigs (at least sometimes) with SL. We don't think that's been done in Shreveport before and we'd love to be the first to try it.
TN: Excellent. That leads right to my final question: what's next for Carmel/Amelia?
CD: I really think Airheart is going to take more of my time, as we've had some offers to play more out of town gigs. But I’m thankful that I have SL to still play my solo stuff, to sing whatever I want to sing, and to play my new songs. And I still plan to do a solo CD, hopefully this year. But I want to keep that connection to the wonderful music lovers and music makers I've met in SL
TN: Of course. You are loved here, Carmel. I can't imagine SL music without you.
CD: Well thank you, Traci.
TN: Thank you for joining us on the pages of Metaverse Tribune.
© Copyright Traci Nubalo 2012. All rights reserved.
