Mama's Love in Second Life

   This past week I went into Second Life to see a live acoustic concert performed by Mama's Love's Patrick Atwater and Thomas Galloway. Mama's Love is a rock/jam band based out of Athens, GA. Recently they have been gaining a following across the southeast. If you have not heard them, you should check them out on itunes.

   The concert was a project for drummer Ben Torbert's Second Life New Media Class. Torbert is my roommate so I honestly went into Second Life just to mess with him. I got on the stage and played their drum kit while the concert was going on. I was, however, curious to see excactly how a 'concert' in second life would play out. My over all experience: Second Life is an awkward place to see a concert. Not necessarily bad, just awkward; it's new to me. I will admit though, I was impressed with the quality of Second Life's streaming audio. I don't know what kind of audio the UGA new media lab is using, but I could hear everything very clearly.

   I am pretty familiar with SL from my own New Media classes. Last semester, I did a semeste-long project in Second Life pertaining to politics, so I am pretty aware of the dynamics of the virtual world. In my opinion, Second Life has a long way to go in terms of user interaction before it can really be a success. Regardless, it cannot be denied that virtual worlds like second life are becoming a medium for social interaction, business, entertainment and now live entertainment.

   This may concert may have been hastily put together for a class project, but it was very well done. Other artists such as U2, Suzanne Vega, Satin, and Mercedes-Benz have been performing live in Second Life as well as recording machinima music videos that are being posted on YouTube. Keep your eyes and ears open because the next place you see your favorite band might be on Second Life.