Musimmersion II - 1 June 2009

By Shellie Sands

I was invited to attend an exclusive production on June 1st at Blank Canvas of the second Musimmersion, a fantastic and mysterious showcase of theatrical sets, or "scenes" as described below, accompanied by the wistful, soulful music of SL's sultry songbird, Ms. Grace McDunnough.
When asked about her motivation for embarking on Musimmerision, her response was, " I was motivated to see if I could break out of the normal live music experience and take people on a something more like a journey. I believe that music is actually a transport vehicle and the places you go, the things that you see and feel, and the people you are with, all shape your connection with the music as much as the lyrics and melody."
Invitations were sent to group members initially (fortunately, I am a member of her group), due to the limited seating (20) at the "arena stage."
Upon my arrival, I saw in front of me a structure that brought to mind not only a stage, but a stage of the traveling medicine man ilk.
I took a seat; all the seats were suspended in air. The atmosphere was hauntingly eerie, in a mysterious, rather than scary, sense.
Scene 1: Initially shrouded in black, the scene appeared. To the tune of "A Fairy Tale," there appeared a castle, with a giant dragon head coming out of the top. Absolutely magical! Fade to black....
Scene 2: We are in a setting reminding me of the 1950s shake shop, yellow taxi in the background. A picture of Jane Eyre and a scroll on the floor, possibly an excerpt from the book. Through this scene, Grace played "Avenue A" and one of my personal favorites, "Plain Jane and Proud Elizabeth," a song about two woman who guide a young woman through her life.
Scene 3: A scene straight out of the bayou, wooden shack, gator on the deck. The tune was "Honey." Back to black...
Scene 4: Next appeared a vision of bubbles dancing through the air and the words "uh oh" floating about, appropriately accompanied by the song "Whispers."
Scene 5: Suspended over the sea with white foam, as though seeing the Earth from space. Grace played "Fly."
Scene 6: Enter a scene with crates stacked precariously on top of each other, surrounded by bubbles and a planetary feel. With an asteroid spinning above us, and orbital objects floating rapidly by, there were shooting stars while Grace played "Tempest" (in a teacup).
Scene 7: Shrouded figures, one in black, one in white. A dark and mysterious sky loomed above. "Gypsy Moth," a recent original by Grace.
Scene 8: Sitting in fields of wild flowers, focused on a giant cage with a dead tree. Birds on the tree and one flitting about in a dark sky. Grace played "Canary in a Coal Mine," a song about surviving without someone you love.
Scene 9: A giant star propped on a stilt-like structure. The song was "Wish for You."
Final Scene: The audience is brought "back to Earth" as it were to an Italian cafe (in my mind), with black and white checkered floor and white clothed tables for two.
As you can see, it was NOT the typical musical performance in SL. I left there both breathless and awestruck. Grace did most of the construction and the ideas and songs were hers. Some assistance with lyrics on one of the songs and construction of one set goes to Ms. Salome Strangelove, a talented lyricist and owner of the Freudian Slip. I look forward to the next installment Musimmersion.

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