TAO TOGETHER AS ONE
From our reporter
Taila Saenz
TAO was started by the SL and RL musician Winter.
He had supported other charities long before that and now wanted to continue doing this under his own direction.
The opening of TAO was in winter 2020. On this occasion, a collection was made for Feed a Smile. Also an organization that helps needy children in Africa.
The festival takes place four times a year, always on Easter-Summer - Halloween and Christmas. The current festival goes to the benefit of KIKA, a Dutch organization that supports children diagnosed with cancer.
There are 2 sponsors who made themselves available for the smooth running of the event. On the one hand there is Pangea Estates, they provide the land on which the whole thing will take place, as they did last year. Second, it is also like last year, Vside Radio Streams, which offers a stream that all artists can use in order to secure the music transmission without problems.
When I asked what motivations he had for founding TAO, he answered me very spontaneously. Winter: We stand together, unite and ALWAYS support children's charities. Because children are our future. Helping a child because they are unhappy, not because they did something wrong, but only because of a life situation, gives me the greatest sense of achievement.
Virgil Flowers
I wanted my first blog about the TAO Festival to be dedicated to Virgil Flowers Virgil is like Winter, one of the very first musicians I was able to experience after my return.to Second Life.
I was immediately hooked when I saw him on stage for the first time and whenever I can, I go to his concerts.
Virgil plays a mix of blues, pop and rock and he has an
incredibly impressive and diverse playlist including his own pieces, which I would love to hear more about. But as is usually the case, an hour has passed far too quickly.
On this afternoon he played U2-With or Without you, Heroes by David Bowie, Tom Betty’s American Girl,
Creep by Radiohead and Joan Jett - I Hate Myself For Loving You, where he was able to prove his playful quality with a breathtaking solo.
He is one of the very few musicians in SL who plays Stevie Ray Vaughan songs and I love Virgil's Bluesy Fender sound, which he exhausts completely and makes me feel between drifting away and electrifying. Just awesome!
Virgil is a musician through and through, he gives each of his songs his very own interpretation, and plays with the greatest passion and that resonates with the audience.
I like this guy and for me he is the symbol of a rock musician with love and devotion to music and a sexy charisma.
Each of his concerts is worth a visit! Convince yourself ...
To end in Virgil's words ... "Peace Love and Rock n Roll!"
Merkabah Oh
Merka, as his fans call him, is a musician from Spain.
When I came across him by chance, my Spanish heart blossomed. Finally someone who brings this rock but also the very gentle, emotionally charged loads from the Iberian Peninsula to SL.
He has a huge fan base, including myself, who feels completely taken over by this music. Honestly, who knew there was such a big rock music scene in Spain?
You just have to look at his enormous song list and you get a feel for it.
Merka catapults me back to my youth with his songs, to the vacations under the hot sun and the night of partying. Every now and then, when it's not Corona, I still treat myself to it;)
Yesterday, his focus was exclusively on rock music, in English as well as in Spanish, which, as always, he delivered sensationally and completely live. Songs like Judast Priest- Electric eye, Winds of Change by the Scorpions, Héroes del Silencio - Entre dos tierras and Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive.
He is an absolute professional, has the gift of captivating his audience and whether it's loud or quieter, he always brings just the right feeling and passion into his songs.
Lucky ones who heard him yesterday can hardly believe how gently he can interpret even the greatest Spanish cuddly songs with the accompanying Latin vibe. You have to experience his concerts. An absolute recommendation!
Aaron Cabott
Aaron is a singer / songwriter / guitarist from Philadelphia.
I didn't have the pleasure of seeing him on stage before, I just knew that he had been successfully presenting his music in SL for many years and had already released several albums. So I was very excited to see what to expect.
He started with the Rolling Stones-Start me up, and literally started his program with the veterans of rock and roll and put the audience in the right mood for a wonderful hour of blues and rock music. I was immediately amazed by his energy and his broad voice.
With songs like Cry to me-Solomon Burke and With a little help from my friends-Joe Cocker and Behind blue eyes-Limp Bizkit
he shows his very own bluesy rock sound, which he really lives and his quality as a guitarist.
He also closes his remarkable program with the Stones and the title You can't always get what you want, and he leaves me with the desire to definitely see him again in the next show. Rock and blues at its best and highly recommended!
Ugly Bill
Ugly Bill, as he calls himself, isn't that ugly at all. He has a heavy Scottish accent, considers himself rough, doesn't take himself too seriously, and claims to be unable to multitask, which I find very likeable.
But when you experience one of his concerts, with his noticeable love of folk music in particular, you quickly notice that behind this facade there is a completely different Bill. How else could you interpret songs like Joe Jackson - Is she really going out with him ?, Make you feel my love - Bob Dylan, Beatles - Oh darling or Paul Wellers - Wild Wood as wonderfully soulful as he does?
I really like his smoky natural voice, which has a wide vocal color and the clear sound of his acoustic guitar.
A down-to-earth guy with a lot of humor, feeling and musical talent, which he naturally offers his broad audience. Honest, handmade music the way I love it. Visit him at his next concert and see for yourself!
Wolfie Moonshadow
Wolfie is an RL / SL singer and his reputation for being a true entertainer precedes it. Yesterday I was able to convince myself and all visitors who did not know him before. His first title is so fitting for him: Let me entertain you by Robbie Williams! This theme runs through his entire concert and he exudes an insane dynamic that sweeps his audience along with it.
Other songs like, Addicted to love by Robert Palmer, Demand by the Imagine Dragons, Clocks by Coldplay, I feel you- Depeche Mode, It's my- Live Bon Jovi and One Vision by Queen follow and these are all well-chosen songs with a good mood and guaranteed party feeling. Wolfie has such a strong, energetic and dark voice which is enthusiastic and fits perfectly with the songs and the mood.
This cheerful 1000 volt Wolfie is the guarantee for every party! You should definitely visit one of his concerts!
Jovan Buchsbaum
Jovan is a professionally trained RL musician from Serbia and has been delighting his fans as a singer in SL for a long time.
Yesterday the visitors of the TAO Festival had the pleasure to take part in his concert. It starts with the beautiful Eric Clapton song Layla followed by Fever in the Michael Buble version, She is a Lady by Tom Jones and Sway in the Pussycat Dolls version.
It sings a wide variety of genres from different decades in its own personal way and makes its audience dance and dream.
I love his voice, which has so many facets, it is full, warm, gentle and sexy.
He proved the latter with the title Bad Things by Jace Everett and I think it wasn't just me that got really hot! ;)
Jovan can touch the audience with his voice and let them forget everyday life for a while.
It has long since ceased to be an insider tip but also a magnet for couples in love to spend a romantic time with dance and emotions.
Highly Recommended!
Max Kleene
Maximillion Kleene is a Canadian musician who has been known in SL for many years. He has a musical education and inspires with his enormous range.
I've had the pleasure of seeing him live a few times and I'm a big fan of him.
Yesterday he gave us a taste of his different genres and the audience more than impressed. I honestly didn't know that his earliest musical passion was influenced by the band AC / DC. But if you were able to witness his interpretation of the Foo Fighters yesterday, you can feel how much passion for rock and what incredibly energetic voice there is in him.
But I also really like his more delicate tones, which he has demonstrated wonderfully with titles by Michael Bublé, Ks Choice, Ed Sheeran, Tim McGraw, Jason Mraz and Damian Rice, among others.
His voice is natural, honest and comes from the heart and he sings every song in his unmistakable Max manner and with that he exudes his charm, which many succumbed to yesterday too. If you have not yet experienced it, you should definitely do it!
WINTER
I've already written a blog about the rock musician Winter, but I wanted to show him again from a completely different point of view.
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Winter has put together a wonderful project to help needy children in the world. His charity TAO (Together as One). The heart project of a man with an enormous heart and he has managed to bring sponsors, musicians, hosts and people together to support this good cause. I take my hat off to him!!
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After this 3 day charity he finished the program and after he found his words again out of sheer joy about the success of the event, gave us an hour of wonderful music with true emotions.
The songs for it couldn't have been better chosen. A mixture of tender and intense songs like: Come together - The Beatles, Come with me now- Kongos, St Elmos Fire - Man in Motion (which he dedicated to all guests present) When The Children cry - White Lion, Master of the Wind- Manowar, Not strong enough - Apocalyptica, Forever and one - Helloween, Its a long way to the top- AC / DC, everything sung perfectly and played on his steel string acoustic guitar with the unique clean sound.
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With his breathtaking rendition of Dream on by Aerosmith, he surprised me and really blew me away, even though I have heard him sing so many times. His voice is pure natural energy and full of emotion, just awesome!
Rock on Winter !!!
In Summary........
A weekend full of good music, sensational artists from the most varied of genres, dance, fun, rabbits and Easter eggs gave all visitors a great time.
The event was a complete success and everyone together achieved the incredible and easily trumped the amount of donation we were aiming for.
I was very impressed how much you can achieve together, it goes without saying that all the musicians not only made their art available, but also personally donated large amounts and, moreover, encouraged the visitors to do the same again and again.
We have heard personal stories from them about how much they or their loved ones are or have been affected by this disease. Tears flowed ... but there were also the positive stories that gave hope. Many thanks to Winter and to the entire TAO team for this wonderful charity.
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See you all next time around!
