Friday, September 11, 2009

Rockin' and Rememberin' with Shantu Selene

Shantu Selene's Rezzday Performance at Nantucket
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Friday afternoons at 2:00 pm SLT at Nantucket is a special time and place because Shantu Selene will be performing onstage at Nantucket's open air theater. Musician, singer, and composer, Shantu is among the most popular live performers in Second Life. And it's no wonder. Spending an hour with Shantu is a guaranteed good time. He will rouse you and set you rocking with one number and touch you and leave you sighing with another. His warmth and personable style on stage connects with his audience, and his fans adore him.
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Fridays 2 pm at Nantucket - A Special Time and Place
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In real life, Shantu is Danny Bowman. His bio on his website tells us that "Danny was flirting with music long before he picked up his first guitar. His mother favored country artists, but he couldn't stop singing Elvis tunes. Even as a child he was arranging, singing into a vacuum cleaner hose to create reverb." To the delight of his fans, he still loves to sing Elvis. He gives Elvis, Beatles, Hendrix, and Clapton as influences on his music as well as old time rock and roll with touches of blues and country. Shantu sings the songs he grew up with; but, the highlight of his performances are the songs that he wrote himself. Songs of joy, sorrow, passion, and love sung with the depth of feeling and experience that fathered their creation. This Love is perhaps his signature song and displays his considerable talent with the guitar. And what girl's heart doesn't flutter when Shantu sings Come Dream With Me? But, it was Dance With Me that made me a fan.
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This week's performance at Nantucket was a most special event. Nantucket and Shantu's fan group planned a celebration of Shantu's third Rezzday in Second Life. And Shantu was truly surprised and overcome by the show of affection for him at the performance. Second Life allows us to explore and become. Always a lead guitarist, Danny Bowman wanted to be a singer. As Shantu Selene, his voice and musical talent have won him the devoted following of fans in Second Life. Memories were being stirred at Nantucket that day, and my thoughts went back to my first Shantu concert.
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Erin Kinkade, my best friend at the time and a Shantu fan, brought me to Nantucket. It was early in my second life, and not only was it my first Shantu concert, it was the first time I attended a live performance in Second Life. Naturally, I was impressed with Shantu and found his music irresistably danceable. Bored with doing homework while inworld, I got out of my chair and started stepping and swaying to the music. The song was Dance with Me. Closing my eyes, the music and lyrics drew me in. I became so dreamy as happy emotions lifted me ever higher and higher. Too high. My knees went suddenly weak and my legs tottered. I grabbed the chair to steady myself. I was stunned. Such a thing has never happened to me, should never happen to me. I always think of myself as highly rational and collected. But Shantu Selene made me swoon with his music and poetry. It's from that moment that I became a devoted fan.
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Happy Rezzday Shantu
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I hope to see you at future Shantu Selene performances. Shantu takes requests. I highly recommend requesting Walking in Memphis as Shantu's rendition compares with, if not surpasses, Marc Cohn. For sheer exuberant fun, request Sally Anne. And please request Dance with Me. Request it for me.
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Shantu Selene on YouTube:





















Danny Bowman (Shantu Selene) website with free downloads of his music:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=423184

Interview with Shantu Selene on Metaverse TV:



http://metaversetv.com/blog/2009/10/the-whole-note-3/


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