Billy Talon
Neo: Billy, first of all thanks for giving "Droppin The Stream" the opportunity to feature you as our September Artist of the Month. I first went to your show when you did the one with Papa Talon, your dad. It was such a great show, and I've been to several since then. Well, when Harlow asked me to pick someone to feature as our September Artist of the month, I immediately thought of you. So why don't we get down to it?
Neo: So Billy tell us a bit about yourself, where you grew up, when you began singing?
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Billy: HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOOO!! haha.. Well.. where to start? I grew up in a small town just outside Buffalo NY. I was an all around athlete and just really enjoyed playing sports and hanging out with friends. My dad was a drummer in bands so as a kid we would go watch his shows on the weekends if it was a family friendly environment. I used to love sitting in the garage watching the band practice and hand out all the guys their beers. Haha, to me they were rock stars. I used to just sing around the house or in the car as a kid but never anything seriously until I was older. I was probably 17ish when I sang in front of people for the first time. It was at an amusement park and they had Karaoke. For years I said, "This year is the year I'll do it" and every year I would chicken out. But that year it was different, I guess I just didn't care what people thought so I went for it. I sang "Garth Brooks - Friends in Low Places" and the place went NUTS. After that you couldn't keep me off a stage or a karaoke microphone.
I now live in England and have been for the last 9 years.
Neo: Most people have an interesting story as to how they found SL. So tell us, how long have you been in SL and how did you happen to find this amazing virtual world?
Billy: I found SL through Sky. For those who don't know, Sky is my Real Life wife and we met through a mutual friend. Of course being 4000 miles apart we used to just talk on Skype and live the "Long Distance" life. In conversation she mentioned that she plays a game called "Second Life", and I had heard of it before through another friend, but I didn't really know too much about it or how it worked. So I created an account 7/12/2012 "funny enough the same day I asked Sky to be my girlfriend, after we talked for a month or 2". When I landed I was confused, adding boxes to myself and sitting in strange places. I had to get going to work so I bought a bunch of Lindens and told sky to make me "Cool". To my shock and horror, I come home to looking like Edward Cullen from Twilight. haha. SL has certainly been a journey, but we don't take it too seriously. To us its a game, people have avatars and they are free to express themselves how they want too regardless of their individual taste.
Neo: How did you get introduced to singing in SL and where was the first gig you did here?
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Billy: My first REAL gig was at The Night Owl 10/16/2018 and I still perform there. Such a great place, great atmosphere and Sweetpea the owner has always been so accommodating and a pleasure to work for. I did a few off the wall shows for friends, but TNO was the first "HIRED" gig I did and that was thanks to another SL performer Laidback Celt, whom is a very good and close friend of mine. He performed there at the time and put a good word in for me.
Neo: Tell us about your Real Life singing experiences.
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Bily: I don't have too many Real Life singing experiences but there are a few that stand out. Other than my first time singing in front of people, I would say a HUGE highlight was singing with my dads band. It was his 50th Birthday party and my mom flew me up from Maryland as a surprise. I was dressed up in drag and placed inside his birthday cake and popped out on him during a sultry tune that his band and him were playing. After, I sang a few tunes with the band and to sing and have my dad behind me on drums was pretty awesome. Also, I have sung Karaoke hundreds of times and won a few local contests, but other than that, singing is just a fun thing to do and I am glad people in SL enjoy it.
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Neo: You obviously are an amazing country artist but are there other genre's you dabble in?
Billy: People ask me this quite a bit, either with song requests or just general conversation. But the truth is.. No. I mean I have a few classic rock tunes I perform and maybe an Elvis tune or 2 but thats about it. I grew up on Country and it was the only station on the radio in my parents houses and cars haha so its what my voice is suited for.
Neo: Billy, you and your wife/partner Sky, seem so happy together. If you don't mind sharing would you tell us a bit about your relationship and how you met?
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Billy: We are very happy together. She is my best friend and my rock and honestly the best part of me. My life would likely be on such a different road, that road leading to nothing like what I experience with Sky on a daily basis. My parents have been married 40 years and share a love that can only be described as perfect and, I am glad that Sky and I are experiencing that type of relationship. To get to how we met.. We met through a mutual friend of ours. He introduced us and Sky was very quiet and shy and avoided me a lot. HAHA but I was persistent as I knew there was just something so different about her. She didn't just throw herself at me or anything like that. She was just wanting to get to know me at her own pace. We both have been through a lot in our lives, and before we got too serious, I made a promise to love her better then anyone, and I am glad she gave me the chance. She is an amazing women and sometimes her quiet nature is misunderstood but she is sweet and believe me the most patient person I know.
Neo: If I've overlooked anything you'd like to share then why don't you do that now.
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Billy: have to say that performing in SL the last few years has been really fun. Of course some ups and downs but all in all a pretty good experience. We went through a pretty rough patch about a year ago when rumours swirled about me not performing LIVE and playing recordings. To clarify I have NEVER done that, so to quiet the haters and prove it, I started singing LIVE on Facebook using a face cam. The FB streaming has taken off pretty well and I enjoy that fans get to see my SL and my RL at the same time and enjoy the whole experience. None of this, of course, would be possible without my fans. They are awesome and so generous. They always show up and help out with the charities I promote and perform for, like Feed a Smile. They are so uplifting and certainly know how to have a good time. I realize that fans come and go but if they enjoyed any part of what I do then its good enough for me. I think what you guys are doing at "Dropping the Stream" is an awesome thing for the music community. Thanks so much for the privilege and honor of being chosen for your September performer of the month. I hope everyone stays safe, stays virtual... I'M BILLY TALON AND IM OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!
Thank YOu Bily