In my humble opinion, I believe that Jimmyt49 Dukes and Jeff Plumday are THE two premiere guitar gods that are currently defining modern Blues in Second Life. They are setting the bar very high for its presentation, and in a short while, they will be appearing together, live, for a dual artist concert presented by Ms browneyes Magic and Temptation Falls on Tuesday, May 31. There will be a special venue location and the Landmark will be announced in notices from the regular fan groups for Temptation Falls' and JimmyT in the usual manner, prior to the show. Also see below.
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The outstanding Hogan Baily and his "Hi-Steppers" will be kicking off the festivities with their high energy style at 4pm SLT. Hogan is an incredible performer and has impressed me each and every time I have seen him perform. His sets are a lot of fun and he works hard with his Hi-Steppers to provide a very entertaining hour of varied music. His song list is EPIC, with over 1200 (yes! Twelve HUNDRED) tunes! So have your requests ready!
Hogan has been singing and performing since before he turned 14 years old. His passion continued to grow along with his experience. Hogan's vocals are impressive to all.
He says, "I truly enjoy performing. If I can make someone smile through my talent, there is no greater joy to me. Once I take the stage, I hold nothing back." (I vouch for that 100%... when he is done, I am panting like a dog in August and in a sweat from the non-stop onslaught of high energy and hi-jinx! If you haven't yet seen him yet, you are missing out, BIG TIME!
This entire event is not to be missed, and I believe it will be one of the highlights for live music in SL this year. So block out your time from 4:00pm through to 7:00pm SLT on Tuesday, May 31!
Following is a transcript of an interview about this event, we had over coffee at Temptation Falls with Ms browneyes Magic, her Man Friday, Mr. Gib Dix, JImmyT49 Dukes, Jeff Plumday and Ms Valana Spencer, Jimmy's Manager.
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Jason: Hello All! and Thank You for giving me a little time to talk to you today. I know you are all busy with the last minute details of this long-anticipated event so I will try not to take up too much of your time.
I'd like to begin by asking Jimmy and Jeff the same question:
Who was your biggest influence on the musical style you present today?
Jimmy: I definitely gravitate more towards the style that Mr. Stevie Ray Vaughn was creating for the world... I mean... not to down play any other players but he ATTACKED that guitar in a way that was just visceral... I mean it was torn out of the soul of that guy and that's what I want to get from this instrument. It might take me another 20 years to even feel like I have gotten close but that's where I want to be.
**You can study up on Jimmy and hear most of what he does live, on his website:
Jason: Thanks Jimmy... and Jeff... How about you?
Jeff: My most favorite guitarist in the world is Mr. Frank Marino, from Mahogany Rush but I'm a bit ahead of myself here... I started out with Hendrix, rolled into Robin Trower and he's the only one that got under my skin and just made my blood boil... and when my blood gets to boiling I know I've got something.
I've been playing guitar since the age of 13, learning and honing some guitar chops by playing along with 8-track tapes of legendary guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, and many others. I guess you could say I am a child of the 60's and 70's musical influences that include music from the Psychedelic era, Motown, Classic, and Prog Rock. Blues came later in life when I discovered that the Hendrix licks I was learning were just highly amplified blues. From there, artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joe Bonamassa and other modern bluesman became a big influence.
** Unfortunately, at this time Jeff does not have a webpage where we can go and have a listen to him on his own. Hopefully that will change REAL SOON! stay tuned. **
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Ms. BrowneyesMagic had a few questions and she mentioned that we only hear Jeff in limited quantities at Jimmy's sets, but she has heard him playing and singing in Jimmy's studio while on the phone with Jimmy, as he stands outside his studio. She's been very impressed by Jeff's vocals and virtuosity, with Jimmy agreeing wholeheartedly.
Jimmy: The "studio" is inside a barn and it's not bad at all! (Jeff: It's cozy...chuckles) Yeah!... cozy but plenty of room to do what we do... He (Jeff) has his station over there and I got mine over here and its like, yaknow... call it "The Enterprise"... NCC 1701!
**The studio is a box-type RV trailer that Jimmy has modified, restructured and insulated to suit its new life as his studio, and to make it more comfortable during those hot, humid summer days coming up, Jeff recently donated a window-mount A/C unit that he's been hauling around for the last 20 years or so. **
Jeff: ...and I've moved around 11 times in the last 10 years! I've been hauling that thing from the closet to the car to the closet. Finally got a place for it... and a separate place for me!
Jimmy: and ya got your humble abode, "Newport News"
Jeff: "Newport Blues!"
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Jason: What brought you both to Second Life?
Jimmy: Well, I had just picked up the guitar probably 2 or 3 years prior to that. It was something I was really interested in messing with, and I got on "Pal Talk". I had a little, cheap, 4 channel Radio Shack DJ mixer (Jeff snickers), everything passive. And I had a Zoom guitar pedal.
Jeff: I know that pedal!
Jimmy: the silver one!
Jeff: Yup! I had that one too!
Jimmy: yup...with its cheesy little amp simulator thing in it, and I used a cheap microphone, an Audio Technica. I was on Pal Talk going through the blues rooms, writing little songs. Then I left Pal Talk for about a year and a half because of work and school and when I came back everybody had gone. Then I found out about Second Life, and one of the guys phoned that night. I am talking to him on Pal Talk while creating a guitar and an amp in SL and then this guy took me to a place owned by a crabber from Alaska called "The Old Salt's Pub". I put in the stream numbers that the owner gave me, put their stream on and played. I got booked that weekend and I've been playing ever since! It just grew into this thing that is... around me now....
MsB: What year was that Jimmy? Because I met you in 2009 or 2010
Jimmy: Yeah... and this was in 2006... 7... 8... something like that.
Basically the day I came into SL was the day I started playing and it was the first time I really strummed a chord for anybody.
MsB: The first time he played at Temptation Falls, and I still got the notecard from it, he had 103 people show up and two of them crashed the sim! And that's why I still have the notecard... because they crashed my sim.
Jimmy: and I remember that night! I also crashed The Blues Wharf and at Junkyard Blues I crashed that sim about 4 times in the first half hour.
MsB: Now Cheyenne at the Blues Warehouse...
Jeff: Yeah! The Blues Warehouse is where Jimmy and I first started playing together... either I went on before him or he went on before me...
Jimmy: Thats Right!..
MsB: See?... its good to have me around huh? lol
Jimmy: well, y'all got the memories, and y'all pluck mine like a guitar string and it wakes 'em up again, but otherwise I'm CRS
Jeff: ahhh... "CRS"...can't remember s**t! *lol's all around*
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Jimmy: but Yeah Man, barring any technical hiccups and stuff like that I got a feeling that this is probably going to be one of the most fun shows, not only for me, and Jeff too, but for the folks that want to come out and listen to it. That's what we're doing it for... It's what we KEEP doing it for... those folks... Our Audience. And Jeff's pushing his limits and I'm pushing my limits and we're gonna keep on pushing...
Jason: There will be a brand new venue for this show too! What can you tell us about that MsB?
MsB: Its not going to be here at Temptation Falls, but it will still be in SL. I've rented a new sim for a week especially for Hogan Baily and these two... Hogan will be starting it all off and he's such an awesome and dear friend I wanted Hogan to be involved in this too. Temptation Falls is here because I have a love of music and the wonderful people who make it and who it interests. Its my way of giving a little of that enjoyment back. Hogan has always been such a big part of that, it's impossible not to mention him and include him when we do something special here.
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Jason To Jeff and Jimmy:
Last Question: How did you two meet? You seem to be very good friends. Had you been friends prior to coming to SL?
Jeff: In about 2008 I went to see Jimmy and loved his electric sound. There were a lot of people picking acoustics at the time, but Jimmy "got it", and he had the "tone", along with the chops, and we just hit it off and started talking.
Jimmy: I had seen Jeff doing Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" and was blown away that someone could cover that incredible tune (which Jimmy does now in most of his sets) We started talking, and then Jeff saw my reverbnation web page, and, as it turns out, we were born in the same town! That got us started jamming together and the rest, as they say, is history. Jeff is one of the best players I've ever seen... He loves to tweak the tone. That really gets me goin, and I get into it.
Jeff: It seems to make Jimmy play better when we are playing with possibilities. So Jimmy gets my hand-me-downs for equipment and we've been doing a lotta tone chasing, which led to all of this.
Jimmy: Well I don't think I am much of a guitar player... I am OK, I think I've got potential, I'm not there yet, but I think I'm a pretty damn good "performer", or "entertainer". I think that's where my strength is.
Jeff: I agree.
Jimmy: And I think the combination of Jeff and I... I mean you got the musicality-thing straight down pat Jeff. All I got to do is show up... and do it soulfully.... and put all "Sookie Sookie" between each word! Yeah!
We're going to have a lot of fun Man, there is no question about it. And Now... we are going to be working on one of our songs today... and I figured out what that fingering was on that third chord... Alright Brother! Unless you have some more questions, then I think we will log off and get back to work....
Jason: I think we've covered about everything I wanted to. This has been great and it's a real honour to me to have been asked to participate in this milestone event. I have to say a HUGE Thank You to all of you for that, and I wish you continued success in all that you do.
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Don't forget! Tuesday, May 31, beginning at 4:00pm SLT, until 7pm SLT. Be there or be square!!
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