Hello Kasbah Friends, it's time for another chat, this time with Harper Messmer. I will admit, I was a little shy about approaching Harper. I had never really spoken with him before and I wasn't sure how he would respond to my inquiry. I needn't have worried. He was enthusiastic and friendly from the door! We met at my favorite quiet place to get to know each other a bit. We both chose to sit on the grass, no easy feat for me with a new sit animation and a dress! Once we were settled I asked Harper about his return to SL music. He had taken a break and when he returned he had a blow out comeback show. It struck me that things must have changed greatly in the months he was gone. He told me the biggest change he thinks is the economy and how it effects SL, watching venues close and new ones pop up so often. He also spoke of the influx of new musicians to SL and how cool it is to have the opportunity to listen to so many different styles of music from all over the world. He says he enjoys the chance to hear different renditions of the same songs and that since his return he has heard a lot of new talent. "The music scene has grown and I believe it will keep on growing!"
Harper has been seen at many of the new artists' shows, but he can also be found at some of his good friends' shows participating in something called TP WARS! I asked him to tell me how it got started and who was winning. I could hear the mirth in his voice as he described the events that led up to the first war..."I thought it would be fun to tip one linden at a time, just something to make the artist on stage laugh. The favor was returned shortly thereafter. Then Max (Maximillion Kleene) came up with the genius idea of incorporating a TP in among the tips....so basically we try to trick the singer on stage to take the TP as they are clicking through the one linden tips." Harper laughed and said that he is definitely not the one winning as he has only been able to trick one person so far. "I got AMFORTE Clarity, and umm...she wasn't thrilled, but she forgave me....I have been tricked by Raspbury Rearwin as well as Max lol."He also said that it has gone so far now that even when they are not performing some of the players just send random tips.
I have witnessed TP Wars at several venues including Kasbah. Since this is the Kasbah blog, I thought it prudent to ask Harper his thoughts on The Kasbah. I don't know if you know this, but Harper is very entertaining to talk to, his first response was "I hate that place!" Of course, he was kidding and went on to say that he thinks the idea to marry the two arts, music and painting is awesome. "It's the only venue I know where you can watch a painter as she paints and hear the live stream of a musician. I think it's innovative and it makes for a quick and entertaining hour."
When he mentioned the live stream a thought struck me, would we be seeing Harper on live video anytime soon? He explained that years ago, he used to do live video on yahoo webcam but has no real plans to resume that kind of thing in SL. He did say it was not out of the question though...hmmmm. So, if live video is not in Harpers immediate plans what is I asked. "I plan to bring back The Loft in the fall" The Loft is Harpers venue where every Tuesday there was an awesome lineup of musicians! Harper went into detail about how The Loft came to be at Triborough. He thought the 20 connected sims were just right and he set about convincing Panacea Luminos (the owner). I could tell he was thrilled with how hard she worked to make his venue fit in with the overall look and feel of the sims.
If you have ever been to one of Harpers shows, be it at Kasbah, The Loft or any other awesome SL venue you would see his huge group of fans. We talked about how humbling having fans is to him, because, as he said, he sings other peoples songs for the most part. "At the end of the day, I feel like I am really lucky, I was in the right place at the right time. SL music is a hobby for me and I enjoy it." Harper went on to talk about how great it is to have the opportunity do meet and hang out with the people that enjoy his music. He said that he is well aware of the dangers of putting yourself out there, and that if you don't have the right mindset it can break you. I think Harper definitely has the right idea, being cautious but not allowing it to go to his head or change the way he acts. He also went on to say how he believes that SL fans are the most loyal, and how they have stayed with him throughout his SL journey.
It was nice to hear such a fresh perspective. I looked up from taking my interview notes to see that our time was fast approaching the end, so I asked Harper my usual question, did he have anything he wanted to say to his fans before we said goodbye. In Harpers gentle voice there was so much warmth as he said "A big thank you, I don't deserve a lof of whats been given to me and I appreciate the love and support I have received. Performing in SL has been life changing in a great way, it's one of the best curve balls thrown my way and a big learning experience." He talked about how he has grown up musically and how his knowledge of bands and musicians has increased drastically since being in SL. His last words...."I would not have been able to continue on as an artist if it weren't for the fans, I have been given the opportunity to perform with amazing artists and share trade secrets, it's been a really cool experience and I have the fans to thank! Oh...and AMFORTE loves random TP'S!!!" See, I told you he was entertaining lol. It was a great chat and I look forward to catching Harper's show again soon, that's all for now, until next time, Tessa1 Beck
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