I was invited to see a live show at Lacy’s one fine
morning, and was delighted to hear Xara Fiasco’s beautiful songbird-like voice,
accompanied by her piano. After she finished her one-hour set, we agreed on an
interview.
Star: Hello again! Still
wired from the show?
Xara Fiasco: Hiya, yeah, still pretty pumped!
Star: Okay! Obviously you
didn't learn the piano on SL. How long have you been playing?
Xara Fiasco: I’ve been playing piano since I was 7.
Xara Fiasco: I’ve been playing piano since I was 7.
Star: At the concert, it was clear that you can take a tune and put it through a blender, and make it your own. How do you accomplish this?
Xara Fiasco: How I make the songs my own? I can't really describe it.
It’s like I'm making beats with the piano (it is after all a percussion
instrument) and I just get musically turned on to that rhythm… so I just
improvise with my voice. It's a mash up but nine times out of ten, it
works.
Star: You must have a solid knowledge of music theory to be able to do that.
Xara Fiasco: Umm, I’m self-taught.
Star: Who are your main musical influences?
Xara Fiasco: Piano people mainly... Definitely Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell... those women saved my life. Regina Spektor is another one, and Carole King and Billy Joel the other culprits. I wish I'd been born inside a piano, I love them so deeply.
Star: Yes, I could hear the Tori Amos vibe clearly. Your voice could be described as fresh, and "ethereal". Do you practice, hone it regularly?
Xara Fiasco: I don't practice my singing at all… like scales etc… again I'm
self-taught. I’m getting pretty good with my SL gigs. Sometimes I'll sing for
three hours (i.e. three gigs). it teaches you to pace yourself. One thing I think
helps is that I don’t smoke.
Star: That's solid advice for everyone of course. How many gigs do you do weekly, and do you perform in RL?
Xara Fiasco: I'm averaging about 5-7 gigs a week. I'm currently only performing in SL and Street Jelly and Numubu that are cam performance sites: you go on cam and people see you perform.
Star: Where do you perform on SL, and can you single out any favorite venues?
Xara Fiasco: Wow, that's a hard one... I'm at the moment performing at The Colour Factory, Lacey's Place, B&B's, The Manor, Dirty Grind, and The Virtual Chelsea Hotel, which is a replica of the Chelsea Hotel in NYC, I really love that venue to bits! All of these venues are pure joy to play as the people are lovely to work and perform for.
Star: At the concert, I could see that you reacted to the local chat. Do you wish SL had more direct audience interaction?
Xara Fiasco: I think local chat is a really great and democratic way for the audience to interact with the performer and vice versa... there's no audible chatter during a performance and you can get a real sense that the audience is into what you're doing. IM is great too, but can get a tad overwhelming if too many people IM me at once - but I usually get on top of it. I’m not sure what more SL could do in order to facilitate more direct audience participation… Maybe a live cam feed. But then I'd have to wear pants!
Star: Do you go to see other SL performers, and are you willing to give any recommendations on those, for our readers?
Xara Fiasco: Oh yes!! It's an obsession! My favorites would be Krysania Eramos (brilliant guitarist/singer songwriter) who is not just a fabulous and interesting performer but also a super awesome person, Kelly Weeks who melts my soul, Rosedrop Rust who is a fantastic guitarist, piano player and poet. That man is amazing! Finally, Gweeb who sings like a musical banshee on acid and makes me realize why we do this!
Star: You play both covers and originals. Do you change he tunes often by whim? (I really appreciated your taking Neil's “Rockin' in the Free World” like that, on the piano)
Xara Fiasco: Hah thanks so Much Stareyes. Yeah, that was a risk but worked!
Star: Newcomers to live
music on SL come with varied expectations. What advice do you have to anyone
wishing to check out live music on SL?
Xara Fiasco: There are all different
levels of musicianship in SL, some are quite new to performing , other
musicians have toured with professionals and are playing music in RL ...
I'd say just attend as many live performances as you can and choose which
performer you like. There is so much great music in SL… the musicians I
mentioned earlier would be a great start for someone new to SL shows as these
people are seasoned professionals who know how to make an audience feel
welcomed and immersed in the musician's music.
The musicians I have met on
SL have, without exception, proved very collegial and this attitude was also
evident with Xara. I will certainly follow her suggestion and check out artists
that she recommends. I also suggest anyone interested in the music scene should
go see Xara play, and fans will surely appreciate getting in touch with her and
liking her on Facebook!
Xara on Facebook:
Live Cam Shows:
Xara’s SL schedule:
Posts
I love this interview. I have a love for music artist that can play a music instrument. The piano is such a beautiful musical instrument. I wish Xara Fiasco all the very best.
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