Dusty Smyth and Bearsheart @ The Mumbling Goat Basement 19/04/22

Second Life is full of musicians, singers, venues and events. So many to see and so little time to see them all. While talent abounds, finding someone who feels unique can be a challenge. Finding a place that can be unique equally as daunting. I found both!

Being as I am a performer myself, I will admit I was already familiar with the venue playfully called The Mumbling Goat Basement. Owned by another musician named Lazarus Doghouse and run by his trusted friend, Meg Madigral. It's an eclectic little "hole in the wall" where some of Second Life's more obscure but gifted performers play and hang. Dark, richly colored with assorted thrift store furnishings it beckons acoustic guitars, lilting voices, and a close-knit appreciation of artists. You can almost hear the chatter of the patrons as you step up to the bar and order a beer before the show starts. You can visit it here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caddo/172/156/3704

The mood being set; let's get down to two of those artists in particular:

The dual-streaming pair: Dusty Smyth and Bearsheart, offer up a unique take on what I would label "Folksy Outlaw" music. I don't know if that's a real genre but it is for this article. Together they are warm, easy-going with gentle tunes brought together by Dusty's impeccable guitar style. As Dusty and Bears took us through "The River Knows Your Name" by John Hiatt, I was working overtime trying to think of who Dusty reminded me of. His bass, storytelling voice immediately captured my attention and after collecting many opinions, likely much to the annoyance of everyone present, I decided he reminds me of a cross between Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits with that lack of vibrato and deep, manly tone. Truly, a pleasure to listen to. An adept musician; he plays guitar, keyboard, dulcimer, autoharp and was a fiddler for years and has opened for the likes of Reggie Sunset, Grif Bamaisin and Rosedrop Rust in Portland, OR.

Bearsheart brings a sweet, soprano to the songs they choose with delicate harmonies to compliment Dusty's voice. "Take Me Home" by Crystal Gayle and Tom Waits was proof of how well they fit together and embrace each others strengths. Bearsheart plays the ukulele and I was thrilled to hear how well she played the good old mouth harp! You don't hear that everyday and it added a delightful layer to what we were hearing.

These two are among my favorites in Second Life and I'm not alone as was evident by the turnout at the venue for their performance. I wholeheartedly recommend that you take the opportunity to catch a Dusty and Bearsheart show as soon as possible.

The schedule is at this link: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=dusty.smythe.pdx@gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles or you can just go ahead and join Dusty's group and get a notice when a show is planned here: https://world.secondlife.com/group/f6aa6bb5-daae-5ba5-e80b-f7a7b92dc60e.