IWD - Beth Odets and Mimi Carpenter
Livestream for March 8th: http://198.27.68.65:8112/stream
“Making music together is the best way for two people to become friends.” - H. Hesse
True confessions. Although I have heard both of these women perform - alone and with others - I have never heard them play together. This has me a little worried. Not because I’m concerned about the quality of their set (they are both consummate pros), but because they both have slightly goofy, off-the-wall senses of humor that could take us down some rib-tickling rabbit holes. So prepare yourselves :-)
So who are these women? Let’s begin with Mimi who has a warm, sultry voice that is both versatile and captivating. Her sets are always punctuated with observations about life that make her laugh. Originally from Dijon, France she now lives in Toronto, Canada. She describes herself as “a French singer, musician, gamer, and traveler. I sing in English, French, German and also enjoy trying in Spanish, Italian and Japanese. I may add more in the future. I play the guitar and loop a little bit. If you're down for some laughs and cozy vibes, then join me!”
Mimi’s musical adventures began when she was about six years old and her mother asked her what she’d like to do outside school - sports, music, dance, martial arts, etc. - and she said music. Mimi initially wanted to learn the violin, but there were no teachers where she lived, so she took up piano. Unfortunately, her piano lessons involved a lot of boring music theory. The upside of all that theory was that it made chord progressions easy when she started writing her own songs. Once she has the chords, the melody and words follow, though she says, “the words are the hardest part ever and usually slow me down the most in the songwriting process. It can take me several years between songs before I write something new... However, when I get to write a song, it can be done as quickly as in a day... It's odd.”
These days, Mimi is focusing a lot of attention on live performances in Twitch, which she sees as an extension of Second Life. She is one of the content creators working on Women's History month on Twitch (https://twitch.tv/mialymusic). Her immediate goals are to go on writing new songs. “I'm currently at six songs, and I'd love to collaborate with other artists and maybe learn more about music production.”
Mimi first entered Second Life in 2006 where she and Beth met and began performing back when live performances were few and far between and therefore “special.” Like Mimi, Beth quickly established herself as an excellent musician. She is probably best known for her skills as a violinist who can accompany just about anyone. “I like dual streaming because it gives me an opportunity to play with people from different places and different perspectives all around the world,” she says. “Lots of different kinds of music and backgrounds. Plus I’m good at it. I tend to like things that I’m good at.” She also has a voice that lends itself to harmonies, and though she will do solos, prefers to provide backup. “I really enjoy taking the supportive role in a musical duet rather than the lead,” she says.
Now for the weird and wacky humor. This is from the bio she provided:
“Beth Odets (Beth Brown in RL) has been playing violin for 34 years. She is mentally stable. She is a classically trained concert violinist who threw it all away to become the greatest itinerant fiddler in Second Life. A champion of the environment and alternative energy sources, Beth is currently touring Second Life in a '69 VW micro-van powered by hippies on a treadmill.
”You can expect a wide range of songs along the musical spectrum from this sweet-voiced lunatic! She plays originals and covers - an eclectic mix that ranges from blues and bluegrass to Mozart and Metallica. Her shows are entertaining with a side order of funny! Beth is known for her ability to dive into almost any musical situation with her violin. She has streamed and/or played live with over 160 different SL LIVE musicians (she's a ho).”
See what I mean?
To hear more by both of these remarkable women, visit the links below:
Mimi
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mimialy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MialyMusic
Beth
Second Life concert with Cylindrian Rutabaga:
The Matthew Show
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=297951948603486
P.S. If you would like to make a donation to cover the costs of hosting the event and paying these amazing musicians, you can do so here: https://paypal.me/BraidedLives?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Braided Lives is my project and Joanne is my given name :-)
If you are interested in being a sponsor of the event, with your name mentioned and logo displayed, please email me at JenaBall@CritterKin.com
Thank you!
Jenaia