Ministry of Trance

By Netera Landar

You never know where I may pop up because of curiosity. I heard about Ministry of Trance and thought I might check out what it had to offer. I mean, who can say no to Trance?

DJ Ravie was playing the “Other Side of the World Extended Mix” by Craig Connely & Haliene when I walked onto the dance floor. The forest-and-water setting was lovely, with a boardwalk surrounded by pink-leaved trees, each nestled in a planter. There was a big welcome sign and a promotional poster listing the DJs for the day. 

 

Sitting on her unicorn was DJ Puddles, who is a fairy. She’s into tech, and you can tell from how the venues are run.

Before DJ Puddles took over the venue’s ownership, the DJs hosted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They presented high-quality, live-mixed Trance music in a laid-back, friendly atmosphere. When the previous owner decided to close the club, DJ Puddles, who was a DJ there, took over to keep it running. The other DJs and dedicated staff stand beside her in their commitment.

I asked her what changes she made nearly 4 years ago.

“We kept the focus on the music, only Trance (and PsyTrance), that’s the club’s most important identity. But we also put a huge emphasis on community, fun, and friendship,” said DJ Puddles. “We don’t try to fill the club to capacity every night, but we do have a very loyal family of friends, and everyone is welcome.”

She also incorporated AI into the outdoor venue and the Fairytale Palace. DJ Puddles stated that Ministry of Trance was the first club to use AI NCP characters. There’s a grumpy host named “Minime,” Puddles’ vane sister who thinks she’s the boss, “Fairy Puddles,” a polite gentleman bartender “Phoenix,” and a lazy security guard named “Fred.”  DJ Puddles said that some people think the NCP characters are robots. It’s actually brain surgery and fairy dust that makes them work. She’s currently working on a project to have a fully animated club manager. 

“MotBot is the latest project from my Lab,” she stated. “She is a very advanced robot. She will support the managers by assisting staff and guests 24/7 so we can drink Pina, party, and sleep more,” she joked. “MotBot will be able to greet guests and assist them with any questions, but her main duty will be running the staff schedule. DJs and hosts can ask her in our Groups, Discord, or via private messages, using normal speech in any language, to deal with things like holiday cover, and she will take care of it.”

Another interesting fact is that the club runs spaceunicorn.radio. This allows for both an internet audience and an in-world audience. Guests can listen to the club stream and chat live with those in the club on their smartphone, tablet, or computer. This year, 128 countries have listened to the stream.

Those in-world can also visit the main stage, which is the Fairytale Palace. Not only is it the residence for the Fairy Royal family and Unicorn cavalry, but they also host special events there. One of which is Nuvolino’s laser and light shows with his musical sets. There are Cinema nights and live video parties. They watched the Artemis Space launch, moon orbit, and splashdown together. They have a 12-timezone New Year’s Eve party and celebrate regular guests’ birthdays.

Ministry of Trance also has seasonal theme stages, such as Halloween, Spring, Summer, and Winter. There’s also a pirate ship, a hollow asteroid, a space station, and “Bladerunner.”

 

“We are blessed to have a team of skilled volunteers who help build our theme stages. I love seeing their imaginative ideas come to life so we can party in some beautiful and extraordinary places,” said DJ Puddles.

And then there’s staff. Ministry of Trance has 25 resident DJs with sets every week. There are also occasional cover and guest DJs. 

“Our automated system means even when the club is closed, any DJ can start a show whenever they like, and my sister will automatically send out set notices. Our wonderful team of hosts supports our DJ shows, and normally our club’s core hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. All our DJs mix live and have passed a rigorous audition to prove their amazing skills and keep standards high,” said DJ Puddles.

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TRance%20Island/176/82/23 

 

Netera Landar

 

The Willows

 

By Netera Landar

 

I found out about The Willows through the events directory. Faleen Renard, the club’s owner, mentioned they were hosting a pre-Valentine’s Day event and invited me to check it out, which I did, and I wrote a short article about it. I came back to attend their pirate event. Who can say no to stepping back in time when men and women didn’t follow the rules of social conformity?

Within the large venue, men were dressed in buccaneer costumes, with frock coats, shirts, and breeches, and women in corsets, low-cut bodices, and skirts. The DJ was surrounded by an outdoor market run by pirate vendors, whom you wouldn’t want to bargain with for the best deal. You might lose more than just your coins.

What I like about this club is that almost everyone welcomes you to dance with them. They seem comfortable in the setting and with each other.

Before I learned about the club, I wanted to find out what motivated her to come in-world and what her learning process was like. She said she discovered Second Life through her real-life job. 

“I was involved in a project for Teen Second Life, when it existed,” she stated. “I had quite a learning curve back in 2007, because I worked in online community management, but none of it mirrored my experience joining Second Life. It took me some time to convert my mindset from text-based to the visual experience, to experiment with avatars, and also to participate socially. I thought I would be done at the end of that work project, but 19 years later, I’m still here.”

Her exploration in Second Life led her to music venues and social spots. She discovered that she enjoyed meeting new people with shared interests. 

“Within a couple of years, I became a hostess at one of the popular ballrooms. I progressed to training and managing the hosting staff and then became a general manager,” she said.

Afterward, she managed several other venues before deciding to open The Willows. Her launch date was Jan. 16, 2012. Faleen said she learned a lot over the years and felt ready to provide the kind of experience she had grown to love. She continues to pursue her goal of “making the club feel like home,” where people feel welcomed, comfortable, entertained, and included as part of the family.

Faleen said that people come in-world for many reasons and like to be entertained in different ways. One of the first people that she met in Second Life was a woman with physical limitations. 

“She told me that, in Second Life, she could do all the things she couldn’t do anywhere else. I learned that fun and changing experiences made people happy and kept them engaged. I decided that a themed venue was what I wanted. Music, décor, and style of dress would change nightly,” she said.

Faleen designs and builds her settings and has learned, improved, and expanded what is offered. She’s acted on guests’ requests for specific themes. She credits her dedicated team of talented DJs for knowing what everyone will love hearing, and Steverino and Kylie for backing her up and supporting her, especially when real life keeps her off-line.

So, what themes can you expect there? First, there are “fixed nights.” All-Country Monday, Formal Saturday, and Sock-Hop Sunday. Faleen has numerous settings for these events. The themes are categorized by music, decade, and holidays. 

“Specific examples would be 60’s (Feelin’ Groovy,” Woodstock, British Invasion), Disco, several 80’s styles, Biker Bar, Blues Night, beach parties, Tiki and Toga parties…and I try to catch all holidays (even the silliest ones!) from Valentine’s Day through until New Year’s Eve. It’s an extensive list!

You will find The Willows open from 7 to 11 p.m. SLT every night. Also, three mornings a week at The Willows Open Air: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. SLT on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. The Willows Winter Serenity, a cozy winter area, is open year-round to visitors. The teleport system is available at the fixed landing to have a look around the area. 

I asked Faleen what her plans are for the club’s future. “Going forward, it is my hope to continue to build, to continue to offer new and expanded themes, to highlight great DJs and to meet and welcome more of the Second Life community, including beyond the North American time zones,” she said.

 

SURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Donatelli/104/187/3753

Netera Landar 

 

Design 

Cafe Lilardo

 

Friday February 6 was the grand opening of a small new club, Cade Lilardo. Located high above the Crest sim, the music started at 2PM with DJ Rex, and would go on throughout the afternoon and evening, with DJ Juana at 4PM, DJ Whiskey at 5PM, DJ Squeaks at 7PM, and finally DJ Gwen playing from 9 to 11 PM SL time. Several times there were contest with several thousand in prizes given out. 

 

The venue is owned by Ardo Topaz, with LilyBethPatterson helping to run it. "Our grand opening was this evening and our goal is to be a venue for theme events, coffee talk and great vibes," she told me, "I have been a manager at Scorn and co-owner at SIN so with that experience we wanted to own a club or venue that had a feel good vibe. So with Ardo's experience and mine...we were dancing one evening and chatting and decided to give it a try."

Of the club's structure, a green-framed building of glass , Ardo would say, "I was perusing LEONs when I came upon the greenhouse pavilion. I had seen the huge one at Merrymount and I thought it would make a nice cafe and hangout. Extend the idea yet shrink it in scale."  Ardo would also say he's going to install a Bellisserian passport stamp terminal. 

A counter would show 71 people in total dropping in that day and evening.

 

As of now,  a weekly schedule is still being drawn up. Lilybeth says they should have something available soon.  

 

The club is located in http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Crest/98/224/3502

 

Addition: On Sunday, Lilibeth would post this message:

 

The Grand  Opening at Café Lilardo’s was a great success!!  We had around 71 guests (friends and family) who stopped by to support our venture.  The evening was filled with fun, laughter, jokes and dancing.  However, the most impressive moments of the party were the friends and family who took the time and effort with their love, guidance and advice.  I would like to take this moment to give a special shout out to the following people because without them ,we would have not been able to succeed the way we did.

•    Brandi:  You are a beacon of positivity, a burst of energy and an all-around superstar.  We are humbled and thankful for your friendship, support and guidance.  You ROCK on all levels!!
•    Maliit:  Thank you for the time, grace and coaching you have always shown.  We are forever grateful for your love and unwavering support.
•    Juana:  We beam with pride that you carved time to support our goals and vision. We are forever grateful for your love.
•    Whiskey:  Thank you for coming through and always being the supportive back-up that we need.
•    Gwen:  Thank you for your counsel and presence in our lives.
•    Zee:  What a rock she is!! You always bring THAT VIBE wherever you go! 
•    Rex:  We are happy you have been a part of our journey with your love and support.
•    Jade and Noc:  We are blessed for your cheerleading spirit and support.

There are so many more people to put on this list and you know who you are as we extend hugs and love to you all.  Café Lilardo has been placed on the map as we plan and prepare for our next BIG event.  We are READY!!  So, be on the lookout for our next event. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

The Pharmacy

 

By Netera Landar

“All you Hotsy-totsy dolls, and rollin'-in-money gents, get your sweet little selves over to Pet’s Pharmacy”

The Pharmacy is the cat’s meow!

The exterior of The Pharmacy appears to be an average business. Go through the passage and you'll know differently.

Creating a Speakeasy in a virtual world dominated by oldies, blues, classic rock, jazz, and heavy metal venues requires extensive research.

That’s exactly what Pet Pinklady and her team did.

Pet owned a rock-and-blues club before The Pharmacy. When someone suggested creating a venue that captured the vibe of a speakeasy, she thought that was a great idea. Pet closed her club and opened The Pharmacy during COVID, when everyone was homebound and needed something uplifting.

“I did a lot of research on speakeasies and found that a lot of them were in basements. If you glance at my building, you think you’re looking at a drugstore. You have to go through a secret passageway, like you had to sneak in during the 1920s. The entire venue is decorated in that era’s style. It was so much fun,” said Pet as she sat with me at the venue’s bar. She’s wearing a silky pink gown, a white stole, and a long strand of pearls. In her hand, a swirl of smoke rises from her cigarette holder.

Pet said that she wasn’t familiar with swing music until she opened The Pharmacy. Through DJ Suzie, who spends hours every week finding appropriate music, and Thomas Crown, she learned about the genre. Suzie, who is the club’s DJ on Saturdays, plays revival swing, which isn’t the original records. They are more of a modern-day swing. Loren is Tuesday’s DJ. He prefers original swing music and throws in electro-swing.

Asked if it was challenging to find period-specific furniture, drapery, and décor, Pet replied that she learned many of the speakeasies had black-and-red interiors. When she first opened The Pharmacy on the July 4thweekend of 2020, she had a red-and-black design, but she decided to change it to black-and-gold. 

There are two different builds. The exterior presents a pharmacy that actually masks a second building, accessible only through a wall portal. Click the arrow, and your avatar crawls through the wall and enters the club. Pet purchased the build from Marketplace, took it apart, and retextured everything.

The elegant interior of the speakeasy is inviting.

“I probably shopped for months. It was a labor of love. Everything you see here, I purchased separately. It was challenging, but when I was done, I was really pleased with how authentic it was,” she admitted. 

It took her a long time to find the right dances to pair with the music, but she did.

Attendance gradually grew as her regulars from her previous club started attending the shows. Then, in October 2020, Angela from Focus Magazine wrote an article that increased attendance. Pet promotes her venue through Events, Facebook, and word of mouth, which play a significant role in attracting attention to the club.

As for the hosts, she has three regular and one substitute. Arella Soren and Laurianya rotate on Saturday. Eve Thornhill works on Tuesday, and Piper Waterfalls is the substitute. Piper is also the social media manager. She posts events on Facebook.

Asked what brings the venue’s regulars back week after week, Pet replied, “The feeling of belonging to a family.” That was another reason she opened the venue.

“We talk a lot in chat about what’s happening in everyone’s lives,” she said. “People tell me that they don’t get the same feeling in other clubs. Top it off with good music. That always brings people back.”

Netera 

 

Tiki Grove Resort Welcomes Singers From Around The World

 

By Netera Landar

It’s half an hour before the open mic comes to life at Tiki Grove Resort. Dancing cheek-to-cheek are singer Gabriel225 Greymoon and his lovely lady, Chrys. Gabriel is singing before the audience arrives. He’s been performing in Second Life since 2012. You’ll find him at venues, open mics, and at concerts. He takes a few steps towards the stage. Minutes later, he’s singing “Your Everything” by Barry White. He’s wearing a stylish black jacket, white shirt, and black pants. Greymoon owns La Tangueria, an Argentine tango venue.

 

Next in the queue is CeliMarie Orman in a shimmering gold mini dress. She’s singing Sting’s “Every Breath You Take,”

while the Tiki’s owner, Sarge Darkwyr (SgtPinback Darkwyr), plays the guitar and greets his guests. 

 

Ananspaz wears a sweet, strapless pink dress. She’s singing in Portuguese. The audience cheers her on. 

 

After Betty, from the Philippines, sings, Leo Emmanuel, from Argentina, performs. He has a sexy voice and style, garbed in a long coat, matching pants, and a comfortable tan sweater.

The entrance to the venue before the show began.

I return a day later to interview Darkwyr when he isn’t juggling his responsibilities as a venue owner. The tropical setting is calming, and no one is dancing on the large aquarium dance floor. As we sit at a bistro table, his poodle jumps up, excited to be with her dad.

Years ago, Darkwyr managed the ~O~ Lounge on the open sim grid Encore Escape. Clearly, there’s a connection. He goes by the name Cowboy Bob on other grids. 

“Canipanic, who owned the ~O~ Lounge in Second Life, recently retired and closed it,” he explains. “He had a venue set up that no one used. I found it and wanted to put it to good use. I started doing an open mic in Encore Escape about six or seven years ago. Canni approved. We had a lot of people who came there.”

Then Encore Escape’s grid closed. Darkwyr said the lounge was moved to a Canadian grid, but it wasn’t the same. When that grid closed, Darkwyr decided to ease back into Second Life. Diesel Muircastle, a friend of his, showed him his sim. 

“I asked if I could do an open mic there, at the Hog’s Breath. We were there for a year and a half, and everything was going great. When the land changed ownership, we were nudged off. He moved and went with the name Tuscan’s Island, and I had Tiki Resort there. Then we moved to Zenith Island, and I’d say we’ve been here for five years,” said Darkwyr.

Tiki Grove Resort is located on an eighth of a sim. There’s a smaller stage on the other side for more intimate performances. Urban Harvey and CTM Underwood modified the venue. CTM built the aquarium, and Urban helped with everything.

“It took three weeks to build, reconfigure, to change colors, make the railing, and purchase the furniture,” recalled Darkwyr. “The open mic items on the stage came from Urban, as well as the logo and big banner. He was instrumental in decorating and redesigning. The basic club was bought on Marketplace.”

The open mic queue helps organize the event

The open mic events are on Wednesdays, from 6 to 9 p.m. There have been times when the event has gone longer. Participants can sing one or two songs when it’s their turn. Many attempt to sing in English, or they can sing in the language they are most comfortable with.

Asked what’s involved in running this type of event, Darkwyr said, “Lots of patience. We are an open mic location. You do not have to be a professional performer. It’s for anyone to come here and express themselves. I supply the club stream, which can only be used at the club. They can also use their own stream.”

Darkwyr said that the open mic participants tend to be from overseas. 

“We’ve been dealing with them for quite some time. We treat them with respect, help them with their streams, and help them solve problems when they sing. Catdanc can help them more because she’s a singer. We’re both encouragers.”

There are also individual singers on stage on Tuesdays, on alternating weeks: Southcity Genesis and Star-Menna, and Wayne Rhodell sings every week.

As with any venue, click the tip jar to support the open mic. If you need a DJ for your special event, call on Sarge. Not only does he know the popular songs of several eras, he’s also a great entertainer.

Netera Landar

Urban Furry's Winter Area

By Bixyl Shuftan

Some clubs just set up a Christmas tree or wreath for the holidays (or perhaps a perverted snowman). Urban Furry did more than that. The club's staff created a winter wonderland area emcompassing a quarter sim. The center of the area consists of a frozen pond one can skate on, with the club's logo under the ice. At the edge of the pond is a DJ booth. Around the place are winter trails and paths, leading to cabins, campfires, a Christmas tree, a crystal cave, an outhouse, and more. Next to the pond is a skate-giver, which provides a pair of skates just by touching it.

I recently met up with Urban Furry owner Whiskey (Thorrin Resident) and some of his staff at the club's new Winter area. Most of the conversations were in voice, so I didn't get quite every word down. The normally canine club owner was in a decorated reindeer avatar. Whiskey told me that the idea for the place came just as they were taking down their Halloween area, "Everyone I spoke to loved the Halloween build." He stated the place had a "decent turnout" that did best during the FCA (Furry Club Alliance) Club Crawl. Once the spooky build was down, "we had the platform available." So they began working on something for the Xmas season.

Whiskey told me he left building the holiday area open to his staff, two of whom stepped forward: Soundshift (Fel Serpente) and Toxicum (ToxTheFox Resident). The snakegirl responded with a bow while the canid humbly commented, "Sound did 80% of the work, I just looked cute." Soundshift chuckled, "She's good at that." "Much better at that than any sort of decorating, heee." "I stepped up to take care of things ... I wanted to do something different." She went on to say they already had a beach area, in addition to their main club area with it's city feel, so they wanted something with a different feel altogether.

When asked what their favorite part of the build was, Sound pointed out the crystal cave, "I like the cave, it's pretty." Whiskey pointed out the circular lines on the ice, looking like they had been made by ice skates, "lines, so people know where to go, like a roller skating ring."

When I asked what events were planned here, Whiskey told me they planned a Christmas party in the winter area on Sunday December 16 from 4 to 8 PM SL time, with a contest for the best Xmas outfit. I heard that they planned to have their partied there between then and Christmas, though if the DJ wanted he or she could have the event in another part of the club. Manager Rayron VR (UNIDJShieldonLLL Resident), who was in an ice dragon avatar, joked, "I apologize to the Australians who aren't used to the snow in December." Rayon went on to say they wouldn't be having events on Christmas Day or New Year's as he wanted the staff to have "real-life time."

There were a few chuckles in the interview as Itzy Mistpaws (TatianaMistpaws Resident) was overheard in Voice talking to her kid in a higher-pitched tone that she needed to use the computer. Whiskey told me, "Itzy here is our designer. She'll be creating our (avatar) mods for Urban Furry." Itzy then resumed work on a Christmas mod, saying she was trying to get the snowflake patterns on the red and white surface just right. I heard from Rayon that they planned a mod release party in January, one that would be sold only at their place, "an avatar mod exclusive to Urban Furry."

Rayron went on to say that the winter area "represents a place people can get away from drama ... a place to have fun 'cause that's what we're all about here. We have some of the best staff to offer, not just to the furry community, but all of Second Life. I'm damn proud of each and every one of them." Whiskey added, "I couldn't ask for a better staff."

Talking more to the staff, they were proud of the "Furry Prom" that they did in September, which Whisky stated averaged fourty-five people at any one time during the four hour event, and maxed out at "fifty-one people of the fifty-three in the sim were on this parcel." They were also talking about doing a "Spring Fling" event in 2019 after winter was over.

To get to Urban Furry's Winter Area, head to the club's main entrance at Mystic Timberland (168,158,2713). From there, walk to the teleporter a few feet to the northwest, click it, select "Christmas Place," and hop on.

Urban Furry is a member of the FCA, which also has Club Cutlass, the Happy Vixen, Club Zero Gravity, and Xanadu as members.

Bixyl Shuftan

Down South

By Kelly Bloodykitty

Welcome to the sim called, "Down South".  This lovely place is the new land of where I used to work which was the Horse Saloon. Even though I haven't been to this particular sim a lot of times, I find it still beautiful in a sense. This club is basically one that centers around country and is group owned by the staff of Down South. It is located in the region of Heracles and is a moderate sim. The reason why I'm doing an article on basically a revamped version of the Horse Saloon I work in is because I wanted to touch on the new land and give a lot of credit to my friend Cheene for showing me the ropes in hosting and for being apart of both teams!

Like it appears this is of course centered around country, and has a strong vibe, especially with the nature as well as the building, which of course is a barn. In front is the sign signaling as a sort of ad, and a tractor too. There's something going on with my mesh settings or whatever it's considered, so it doesn't appear until I get closer to it. The inside is very wonderful too and right now is decorated for the Christmas season but is still in the theme with the barn with some small animals and such. They have a stage for the DJ and hosts, as well as a bar to sit at. 

Overall I have to say I love this sim despite me only being at it once or twice for a visit. I suggest you go down to the location and come and dance and chat with anyone who may be there! When you are there be sure to give props to Cheene for being quite awesome and for being apart of the Down South staff. Besides that I hope to see you too if you come along because I may be working there as a host, especially if I don't have to resubmit an application, so make sure to say hi to me too!

Heracles (30,45,22)

Kelly