"My Father's Place" at Aero Pines

By Bixyl Shuftan

"My Father's Place" was a music venue in Long Island New York which ran for sixteen years, from 1971 to 1987, with about 3000 musicians performing close to 6000 shows, some broadcasted over radio, some recorded. In Aero Pines park, the music club has been recreated, where visitors can listen to music and dance, read up about the real club's history, and more.

My Father’s Place (MFP) presents a live video webcast series from Long Island, NY. Featuring original musicians and songwriters, as well as famous recording artists. At the Virtual MFP venue, you can experience live mixed-reality shows, explore interactive photos from the book, listen to archived shows, watch the WLIR documentary, play rock trivia, dance, and mingle at the bar.

Dropping by recently, even though this was a time of day fewer people are in Second Life, there were several people inside. Most were dancing away, playing the trivia game, "Question 35 of 50: The band White Snake was rumored to be named after the lead singer, David Coverdale's….?", or both. There were also a few people outside nearby doing some fishing. Near the front door was a display of the myfathersplace.com website, showing the times of broadcasts from Glen Cove, New York. On the inside, the place was done much like a real life club, with a bar area separate from the dance floor, with stools, a few booths, even a couple 80's video games. On the wall were a number of pictures of the real life location, and a little history.

"There was a time in Long Island's cultured history when the whole world looked here for the next big trend in Rock n' Roll. This was between 1974 and 1980, the heyday of My Father's Place, a cabaret in Roslyn and Michael Epstein, known as Eppy, ran the whole shebang. Along with My Father's Place, which opened on Memorial Day in 1971 with a concert by Richie Havens, a confluence of entities created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." The New York Times, August 27, 2001.

Cindy Bolero, the owner and manager of Aero Pines, was also there. "It's kind of (a) live venue and museum," she told me, "a 3D version of the legacy rock club's book and documentary." She went on to say of their broadcasts from Glen Cove, "Every couple of weeks we have someone famous. So far this summer we had the real China Crisis from Liverpool, Denny Laine from Wings/moody blues last week, coming up Mike Peters of the Alarm." She mentioned the Facebook group so far had close to 10,000 fans.

Cindy's big challenge was getting fans of the venue who hadn't been in Second Life before to the place, "Been working hard at getting it easy for noobs. ... The 3D venue is still experimental. The hardest thing to do is get new users to Second Life, but these guys have a lot of enthusiasm. ... Secondlife viewers are the deal killer. Too complex and overwhelming, frustrates new users, they don't come back. Things need to be simple, simple, simple. Linden Lab wont do anything about it. ... and they wonder why its still less than ten percent stay and play. ... the complex interface keeps it from being more popular with the masses."

She went on about the club, "I feel its not just another club either. We stream bands, which is rare in Second Life because it takes a crew to live mix and shoot. We also stream famous artists, but its a challenge getting them to understand the virtual bar and get them to talk to the avatars. And its hosted by famous music promoters and radio station DJs that have a name in the industry. They are based in New York and I had much history to learn, but it is parallel to what I was doing in the 70s and 80s here in the San Francisco market. Basically when we were all in our 20s and 30s working in the music industry, We dealt with the same artists, and same music industry ecosystem of  'Band plays club, Newspaper does reviews, their record in the stores, and their record on the radio.' Now I'm trying to bring them up to speed with social media, live video webcasting, online label, activities to promote that, and that wacky virtual bar they wanted to try. Many many challenges on this journey. We've had an artist deny the video webcast at the last minute because their agent was paranoid about something or other. Meanwhile a whole crew just set up everything. We don't make music. We showcase new and famous talent. We meaning the MFP productions team.

"The history is the My Fathers Place rock club (300 seats)  from 1971-1987 featured pretty much any band or artist you can think of in that era. Just search a band with My Father's Place. Like 'Police My Father's Place' or The Ramones 'My Fathers Place.' Or Billy Joel, who got his start there as well as Bruce Springsteen. And even through the disco years they stayed a rock venue. Doing a historical build in SL is a lot like doing a documentary. So this is basically a reboot of how things were done and how entertainment companies are trying to survive today.

"What I was getting to, is back then the club got too famous for its size. So the famous underground rock radio station started bringing a truck and did live broadcasts. And since then much of the recordings have been released or bootlegged all over the web. You can say they were the first 'sharing' social media by broadcasting the shows live so more could listen."

Cindy eventually had to head out, "I'm excited to be a part of something that may actually give virtual venues a boost outside of Second Life."

For more information, check out the website, http://MyFathersPlace.com , or the Facebook group:
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/FriendsOfMyFathersPlace/

Equus (50/129/29)

Bixyl Shuftan

Aero Pines Harvest Festival and Halloween Trail

From Gemma Cleanslate

Found another great Halloween place to visit ! It is also in one of my favorite set of sims and will be another place to wander following the Halloween Trails. It is in the Aero Pines Park and is great fun. The annual Harvest Festival and Halloween Trails is going on with loads of games to enjoy and right next to it a wonderful Haunted House. 

”Welcome To Morgan Mansion ! When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers,‘tis near Halloween. Gemma Cleanslate” was the greeting to me offered by Julianna, one of the Morgan chilren as I neared the mansion.  Not only can you wander through the house but you are invited to log in as a character in the family and become a part of the home. Outside the home are some fun rides and games to enjoy. Hop on the Carousel or the Sky Swatter or get dizzy on the Spider Ride. Whack a Mole , Zombie Meltdown and Ghost Busters are just a few of the games at the fair. I stopped in the Greifer Processing Center and disobeyed the rules not to touch anyone which is definitely scary. 

The trail begins nearby and will take you to various sites . The first I visited was the Witches Camp and made some potions while there .At the Spider Grove I nearly became spider food as the webs entangled me . I passed a man-eating plant by the side of the road  rapidly after that experience. The ghosts in the Haunted Prison were not friendly either. The crowd at the Guillotine was after blood .Down the road it in a field it was fun to watch a shortened version of The Birds,  the Alfred Hitchcock film, while surrounded by screaming gulls and crows. My last stop was at the pumpkin patch where I wandered through the  Corn Maze bumping into the walls for a while. As usual the entire park is full of lovely foliage of  the season which makes the visit there more of a delight. I often go there to take a horse ride when I have time. Seasons change in this Park.

Take a bike or ride a horse along the roads littered with falling leaves seeking out the Halloween sites but enjoying the always lovely terrain. There are more games to play and sites to visit than I have mentioned so plan on visiting for a while. There is a cute jack-o-lantern ride you can rezz for your tour. Watch for it.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Equus/15/207/23 Pick up the map and Landmarks here and in the folder you will find the special Halloween Trails notecard with landmarks for some scary places . All will remain until early November according to Cindy Bolero , the owner of the regions. 

Gemma Cleanslate

Winter Update

 

By Gemma Cleanslate  

 

 I wanted to update you on the still existing winter fun places. I bought some lovely winter skating and skiing and walking outfits so want to use them before packing away in a box . I took a quick tour and some of those I wrote about have already started to melt, like Calas sims which will be closed for February. but still has skating and skiing until the end of the month. Horseback riding there is always great fun. I went over to Palma to check and took the tram tour and tho winter decor is there. Valentines Day is the theme at the moment. and it is absolutely beautiful. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Palma/218/223/32. I get the idea this is a place where friends love to just hang out and chat. 

 

 Aero Pines is still covered with snow and  ice and the festival ends January 31 so take a look. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Equus/52/197/22  . But, I see the Football stadium (American Football Superbowl   Feb 2. )  is in place for the big game Sunday and there will be a big party going on.There are some cute outfits and players uniforms available for purchase nearby. Cindy Bolero also sent out a message to say that the lovely Mer village has moved to a new location . Pick up a brochure at the Park to see all the fun activities open to you there. 

 

There was one spectacular region from years past  that I did not find. It was one of the first winter activity place I ever visited in sl at least 6 years ago and I was so sorry to find it missing. The sims on Wolf Mountain Resort had so much to offer all year round. I talked to the former owner, Ṧṇö Winterẘölḟ (peach.fizz). She told me sorrowfully it is gone for now but hopes someday to resurrect it . I hope so too and wish her well. Have a terrific sl  winter before it is gone. I think winter started  a bit early in some venues and ended at the New Year. Well,  I can visit the Aussie winter places in the summer but then I will have to unpack my boxes... too much trouble!

 

Gemma Cleanslate

Thanksgiving at Areo Pines Park

By Bixyl Shuftan

Areo Pines Park and Recreation Area has been holding special events every month this fall. September had a somber event, a Stairclimb tribute to the New York firefighters of Sept. 11th. For October, it was Halloween, with a number of spooky happenings across the several sims. And this November, it's Thanksgiving's turn, with the Areo Pines Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow.

"All Nations and Tribes Welcome!" proclaimed a notecard passed around before the event, "Suggested Attire: Colonial, Pilgrim, Native American, North American Wildlife Avatar, etc. Turkeys and other fowl attend at their own risk! Warning:   This party has been too much fun in the past, so please celebrate and party responsibly!"

The Pow Wow began with a big party on Friday November 16th. Arriving on the scene, most everyone was dressed up either in Indian or Pilgrim outfits, and dancing around a large bonfire. People were having a good time, cracking "paleface" jokes, with the DJ in a chief's headdress. All around, a number of teepees and Indian lodges had been set up. There were also vendors nearby where one could get an Indian or Pilgrim outfit. And of course a table set up with a huge Thanksgiving feast for anyone seated.

Besides the dancing around, there were birchbark canoes at the riverbank. One could board one and take it around the rivers of the park. The part itself has been given an autumn look, with trees leaves having yellowed and reddened, patches of grass and stretches of trails covered with the leaves, and of course the sign of the leaves fluttering down to the ground. The natural scenery was quite beautiful.

For covering the trails, one could do it on foot, or on horseback. Not too far away was a horse rezzer. By mounting it, one received a HUD and a horse. To ride, one detaches one's AO, then wears (or adds) the HUD and steed. After pressing the synchronize button, you're ready to trot. But if you already have your own mount, such as an Amaretto, that's fine too.

The Pow Wow itself is scheduled to go on until the 25th, with Areo Pine's Annual Turkey Shoot sometime during the event. Cindy Bolero, the park's director, told me that it would be a good idea for people to come by and enjoy the autumn colors while they can. After the Pow Wow, a cold front's scheduled to arrive, and bringing snow just in time for the Christmas season.


Equus (18, 241, 22)

Bixyl Shuftan

The Derby at Areo Pines

This is the first time I have been able to get to a Kentucky Derby party in Second Life. I was invited to the 138th Kentucky Derby running at the Aero Pines Park in Equus. I donned my hat and got going! 

Equus, one of the numerous sims of the Aero Pines Park and Recreation center is very horsy, with a stable and a race track. You can rezz a horse to ride the many delightful trails across the many sims. There was an enormous TV set up in the  middle of the race track for the race and a wonderful viewing center with a full bar. The mint juleps were delicious and refreshing as we waited for the race to start. 

There were about 34 people in attendance. The enthusiasm was tremendous. Every one had their favorite horse. Some had money on a horse in real life, so had more invested. A couple were from Louisville so knew the intense interest in the race and everything surrounding it. Most were wearing the “obligatory“ fancy hat that women wear all over the place at Louisville during the race time. 

As we watched the TV feed practically in sync with the real-life feed, Areo Pines owner Cindy Bolero made an announcement, “Other news! The Aero Pines Park Equestrian Center will also be known as Virtual Horse World starting this summer. We're doing a makeover of the facilities to better educate new users of SL with the many types of horses created in SL. As you know it is quite overwhelming for newbies. We're also taking the firefighter training here to another level, but we feel the blend with the equestrian center, airport, and biker roadhouses will still blend well.” 

All in all it was an excellent event and Cindy Bolero is to be congratulated on the build made just for the race.There will be replays on Sunday with parties.  Aero Pines is a wonderful place to visit. There are always so many things going on  according to the season. Take a trip there and pick up the landmarks card.  

Gemma Cleanslate