Rocking with Edward Kyomoon!
This spotlight is on Edward Kyomoon, the Seattle-based singer songwriter. Hailing from Texas, Ed is known for blending melodies and hard rock in fun show that appeals to many.
Mikalis Karas: Who have been your main influences in your musical life and how long have you been creating music?
Edward Kyomoon: I've been playing music since i was a kid, picked up the guitar at age 9, had always played around with keyboards, drum machines and tape recorders so recording technology was an integeral part of my music background. I was influence by rock and metal bands of the 80's at first to play the guitar, in college i discovered music of the 60's and 70's like the Beatles, the Doors and Pink Floyd, but i still like listening to Slayer or ambient music like The Orb. I learned about jazz and improvising from recording hundreds of jazz musicians in studios as an audio engineer. I dont have a favorite guitarist or bands, it's always evolving. But having said that, I think Pink Floyd has has the biggest influence.
Mikalis Karas: Is there any type of music that you'd consider your specialty and which instruments do you play?
Edward Kyomoon: I play mostly rock and pop music, hit songs that people remember. my main instrument is guitar but can also play bass keyboards and drums if i practice at them. I have created many of my backing tracks with Logic Pro 8 and a Roland keyboard/synth.
Mikalis Karas: What brought you to perform music in Second Life and why do you keep performing there.
Edward Kyomoon: I found music early on, a friend took me to a concert by Kori Travanti with in a few days of being in SL. I was fascinated by the idea of performing live for audiences in a virtual space, seemed like a brilliant concept as a working musician and for music fans to find live music inworld. I started playing for friends on my land, then at open mics, got a few paying gigs and found some people who liked the way I sounded and it has grown from there. 2 years and hundreds if not over a thousand of shows later it has kept me fed and a roof over my head. I'm constantly inspired to learn more songs, write more songs, and play better, sound better everytime for the fans and for the newbies that are hearing me for the first time. It's the perfect combination of live music, recording(which is a science and art in itself) and virtual reality. I could do this in RL but this is much safer and more fun in SL. Teleporting is much easier than loading gear in and out of my car, the club and my house (in the rain/snow). It's very addictive.
Mikalis Karas: Who are some of the other musical artists you enjoy in Second Life?
Edward Kyomoon: I like The Follow, Allister Westland, Onehempcat Oldrich, Anj Gufstefson, srv4u Conacher, Komuso Tokugawa, Noma Falta, Max Kleene, Ohmy Kidd, Mankind Tracer, Quinton Dialovo, Fierce Tibetan Gods, the list is pretty long, lots of great music going on in SL.
Mikalis Karas: If there was something you could do to better promote artists and venues in Second Life what would that be?
Edward Kyomoon: This is something I find myself doing all the time with people in RL - I talk about SL and music. By introducing it to more people in RL, it brings in new fans and SL consumers as well as other musicians who might be interested in performing in SL. Planting seeds and growing the community. I try to let people know about this amazing form of live entertainment you can enjoy online. This hopefully brings in more people to listen to those artists and tip those venues, buy stuff from those malls and so on. Music is the killer app for SL, music is the universal language, something that nearly everyone can enjoy and that has great potential and value for musicians, fans and venues that host live events. Also, I think we need to advertise live music to more areas within SL and the websites associated with SL, working with venders and advertising sponsors to spread the word about live music and helping peopling find the music and entertainment they want to see or hear.
Mikalis Karas: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. One final question, you play a fair bit of Pink Floyd and some Led Zeppelin. If there was a steel cage death match by guitar between David Gilmour and Jimmy Page, who would win and why?
Edward Kyomoon: Although i fear the thought of this idea outside of claymation, but i'd say Gilmour. he doesnt play as many notes at Page... but i think the ones he does play mean so much more... you can 'sing' David's solo's. Then again Page would probably kick him in the face during a solo and maybe set something on fire
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