Blogs - Second living
“Lord have mercy!” This is one of the patented one-liners that Rockin Reno Segall aka Ron Whippo delivers so wittily in his many gigs as a Second Life entertainer. And indeed it would really be a pity for some of the many music fans in-world to be unable to partake of the multi-faceted entertainment Reno with his Whiskey Band has been dishing out in SL.
Fortunately, it will be quite difficult to entirely miss out on any of Reno’s in-world performances. Since his rez day that propitiously occurred in the feng shui-friendly triple 8s (08/08/08), this musician based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, must have already toured the four corners of the SL grids. For in any sim or parcel, there will always be one venue or another that Reno’s kind of music will find fit with an audience.
His repertoire consists of more than 200 songs encompassing such styles as blues, country, classic rock and oldies but goodies. Such a versatile song catalog, hence, makes Reno and his music capable of weaving its magic veritably anywhere in SL entertainment places, be it in such formal ballrooms as that in the RMS Titanic or in the more laid-back, easy-going ambience at Cocoa Beach. This versatility was honed by Reno’s real-life performances spanning more than 20 years. From Maryland to California, he has done live gigs in such venues as Wild Horse Saloon and Tootsie’s Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee, where he showed his dexterity not only in singing but the guitar, bass and drums as well.
There have been some bits of a tempest in the teapot that Reno’s “live” performances in-world are just pre-recorded songs, backing tracks, and that there’s no live guitar playing at these SL gigs at all. Playfully, Segall fends off such whispers with his humorous ripostes and witticisms as shown in a recent concert at the RMS Titanic Ballroom. “You two (are) really playing the guitar,” says Reno as he and his two avi guitarists intro into Carlos Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”.
The same wit and humor is a trademark to Reno’s concerts where Segall can spice up the whole show with some side comments and wise cracks reaching up (or is it down?) to the undergarments he’s wearing. Not lost of course is the potent energy in his renditions of such songs as “Smooth” and “Satisfaction”, ever-inviting for the audience to click on that colorful dance balls and do some jigs on a dance floor or to type out some kudos or gestures on the local chat box.Any debate on whether Reno really performs his SL numbers live or not may therefore be immaterial. What he and the rest of the Whiskey Band (Atsuki Zuta, Sandy Beachie, Saduko Weatherwax, Roy Domela, Alexis Hope, Brenda Brodie, Delisicous Sorbet) have so expertly latched on is the medium for in-world music that brings not only entertainment and fun. It is a medium wherein an audience can react instantaneously not only to Reno’s music but also to his craft and everything else in-between. And yes, Lord have mercy indeed, if we can’t find other Rockin Renos in SL.