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Jack Dryden
When it came time to decide who to feature for our January artist and bring the blog into 2022 it was an easy choice for me as the artist that I chose, Jack Dryden is one of the kindest, sweetest and most humble people that you will ever meet, and that he happens to have an incredible voice is a bonus. Another no brainer for me was who should do the interview with Jack and of course my dear friend and owner of my favourite Aussie venue The Woolshed, Spike Upshaw was the logical choice. Thankfully he agreed. So I now hand it over to Spike - Harlow
Spike - Hey Jack , Thank you for accepting the offer to be Musician of the Month for January 2022, the start of a new and hopefully better year than we have had the last couple of years. Its been really great having you back at The Woolshed singing again. You have gained a lot of loyal fans and followers since I first heard you here at The Woolshed where I seem to recall Ed introduced you and you got up on stage to do a few songs. I am doing this interview as a guest writer for Dropping The Stream which is run by Harlow who you know very well. Anyway, I will get on with the questions mate, and again, thank you.
Jack -
Hi Spike!
It is an absolute pleasure, thank you to Droppin' The Stream for choosing me for this, it's a huge compliment to be chosen as Musician of the Month for January (my birth month!). Yes hopefully 2022 will bring us better times on a global scale as we do seem to be in some sort of mini dark age at the moment, the last few years have been on crack but luckily we've had music here to keep us all from descending into madness. We still do go mad but it's at a venue and in controlled bursts (most of the time LOL)
Yes my group has grown very quickly and I've began to build myself a small but growing community of friends and "fans" but I don't like to call them that, feels too serious and formal. I think I'll call them "fams" from now on, the family of people who come to hear me sing, that seems better and I think I might have just invented a new word.
Yes Ed helped me a great deal when I first started to sing in SL, he has supported me no end and is one of my best friends. I see him like a brother, genuinely I do.
I've had some GREAT times at the Woolshed, every venue has a vibe and you make a different memory or story every time you sing somewhere new and the Woolshed has just been one of those solid venues to me, it's a great place that I am certain will stand the test of time.
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I ALWAYS say it. Aussie crowds are some of the best! You guys know how to have a good time.
Spike - Jack, tell us a little about yourself, like where you grew up and when you began singing?
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Jack - Well I grew up in a little Village called Clarborough till the age of 6 or 7 then we moved to Clayworth which is literally 3 miles down the road so I've always been in this area. I lived in Newark-On-Trent for a bit and attended open mics there as as the time it had a really vibrant music scene. That is also where I recorded the song I wrote for Lilli. In a studio owned by another English Artist and a Belgian Artist. I also have lived in Sheffield.
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I began to sing around age 13. I started teaching myself guitar when I was around 9 so a few years later I wanted to be able to sing with the guitar as well but I sounded terrible, like really terrible haha
Spike - We all have some kind of interesting story about how we discovered this amazing place we call SL, could you share yours with us?
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Jack - Sure! My brother and I had both always loved video games and so throughout my life he'd tell me about new games he'd found and so on. When I was around 14 he told me about Second Life. He said it's a massive virtual world with real people in it and you can explore and get freebies and stuff so naturally I jumped straight on and my first years in SL were basically just collecting funny freebies, racing around in bad quality freebie cars and occasionally shooting at someone in a sandbox. This was my first account and although I think I could still remember the login I have left that avatar buried in time never to be logged in again.
Then I came back to SL when I was around 16 and made this account (hence the name Johnnycash Stromfield) as I was big on Johnny Cash at that age. I used to mainly just log to listen to Shaye Dezno and Gary Jonstone sing as Shaye was one of the first people I met in SL, I've known her about 12 years now! Between the ages of 18 and 25 I logged in sometimes for a day or two or even minutes then off again for another year or two but around January 2020 I came back again and now it has become a huge part of my life.
So it finally grabbed me and pulled me in LOL
Spike - Jack, you have told us a bit how singing in SL has helped you personally in your RL, but can you tell us how you first started singing in SL and what was your motivation?
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Jack - I'm not sure exactly what sparked me off to start singing in Second Life. I think when I came back in January I realized that I needed Lindens to really be able to travel and go to shows and tip and just like delve into the game more. You can of course play for completely free but I noticed the difference in quality between free and non-free items so I thought I need a way to make money. I looked at hosting of course, DJing and even being a stripper! LOL but then I thought you know, there is SO many singers in SL and I'm sure there is a place somewhere for me. Even if I don't become a known name and just sing at karaoke places. So I downloaded MIXXX and used my gaming headset with a little bit of reverb and sang "Tom O'Dell - Another Love" and O-Lounge Karaoke and people were so kind and really enjoyed it so I put together a set list and did my first show at Spirit Of The Outback and the rest is history!
Fun Fact: I actually only had 48 mins of tracks ready for my first show so I knew I had to do at least 12 mins of talking over the hour to wing it LOL
Spike - Your favorite genre of music seems to be country with a little pop rock thrown in and without a doubt, you sing it extremely well mate. Can you tell us who has influenced you the most with your music?
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Jack - Yep. Country Music has always been my "go to" genre. It has always been there in my life in some form or another. When I was a kid I'd always hear people like Willie Nelson, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, Don Williams, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks and lots of others playing on either a cassette in the car or on the stereo at home. As I got older (13-18) I discovered people like Hank Jr, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and in fact I seem to recall "Hey Porter" being one of the very first Cash songs I heard. I'd say Musician wise my biggest influence has been Waylon Jennings, he is my favorite Country Music Artist. It's just the tone of his voice and the relaxed manner in which he performs, he is cool but without being trying to be. In real life I'd say my Mum has been the biggest influence on me in terms of Music.
She has been my window into the great artists of the 60s,70s and 80s. She introduced me to Pink Floyd, Bob Seeger & The Silver Bullet Band, Dr. Hook, Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, Jimmy Nail and many many many other amazing bands.
Spike - Now, one question that is most likely burning on everyones lips, The Dinky? How did you bring this avie into being and has it caused some controversy? I have to agree with the majority though, Mei is cuter,,chuckles.
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Jack - The thing with the Dinkie Cat started when I first began to perform here in Second Life. I was at a Scottish Venue called Caledonian Pub or something along those lines and this Dinkie Cat got on stage and started playing guitar next to me. It was the funniest and most adorable thing I'd had happen to me on stage at that point and I took a screenshot. I never did find out who that Dinkie was but after that it was always in my mind but I had struggled so hard to find out what the avatar was called.
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Quite a few months later I found out where to get the avatar and Me and Mei went to look at them. It took us to a wonderful place called Raglan Shire which is a group of sims dedicated to Dinkies and Tinies (Tinies are the older avatars that come in all sorts of species, I have a tiny Hedgehog and a tiny Owl Avatar to) and we looked around a HUGE shopping area there and got ourselves the avatar and a few clothes and now I think I actually have more Dinkie Outfits than Human ones LOL
For a few months after that we mixed with the Tiny Community and lived at Raglan Shire taking part in events and I honestly have to say that Raglan Shire is one of the sweetest and friendliest places I've found in SL. Any avatars are welcome there, you don't need to be a Tiny and they are so welcoming and silly and fun that I'd recommend that anyone who has a bit of time should hop over there and take a look at it.
I don't always use them but I have lots of high quality animals avis including the TWI Wolf and Fox, the Birdmart Eagle, an Indian Cobra and even a full on Merman outfit complete with tail and stuff (My brother in law genuinely nearly died from laughing so hard when I turned up as a Merman.
At this point, I , Harlow am going psssst Spike you haven't asked the most important question. He looks at me ..."Whats the most important question? I have covered all I can think the readers would want to know."
Shakes my head MEN !!!!!!!!...I am jumping in
Harlow - You have a gorgeous partner in Miss Mei, how did you come to meet and how has that meeting changed both of your worlds?
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Jack - I do indeed! Miss Mei is an absolute Angel. I've never met a woman like her in my entire life. In our upbringings, faith, morals and a few other things we are absolutely polar opposites but through communication and just sheer love for each other we are making it work. On the 22nd of this month we will have been together a year and if all things go well we will be meeting up in the next 3-4 months. She has changed my SL and RL like no one else has before. She supports me in every way you can support someone you love and I honestly don't feel like I deserve her but I am so looking forward to building a future with her. I genuinely believe she was a divine intervention in my life. I'm blessed to have her by my side.
back to Spike
Spike - Jack, I believe, along with your growing band of loyal followers, that you have one of the best voices on the grid and want to thank you for sharing that with us. Is there anything you would like to share with us, and your loyal followers?
Jack - That is really kind of you to say mate, thank you. It's an absolute pleasure to be able to sing from my little bedroom here in England to all of you wonderful people. The effect that singing in Second Life has had on my confidence and overall mental health in real life has been astonishing to say the least.
So I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who comes, has been or will come to one of my shows. I don't work currently in real life due to some mental health issues so you guys and gals give me a reason to get out of my bed every morning (or afternoon LOL) and give me a place to be and also give me the love and support I need to keep going.
Thank you to you Spike for doing this interview, thank you for your wonderful venue The Woolshed and thank you to Harlow and the rest of the DTS Team for inviting me to do this.
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Be safe and be kind to each other :)
Jack xo
Thank You Jack