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Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Kat Chauveau, long time SL venue owner, Safadonna, fellow Anatine and friend to many. So when it came to writing the intro who better to ask than the Queen Safadonna herself Agatha Martin. Thank you ladies
"Kat is an intelligent woman with an attitude. Brave enough to raise kids by herself being mom and dad and also succeeding in this mission really well. A lovely and caring daughter who prepares fabulous meals to her parents every sunday not only showing her finest taste for food and wine but also how she excels at cooking. She is an entrepreneur who loves what she does sharing with those who surround her passion and commitment about everything she does, be it rl or sl. I cherish this friendship and I absolutely adore Kat, as good Aries girls we can have honest and straight forward talks and we understand each other perfectly . We were also wild enough to leave our countries to see Stevie Nicks in the US for 1 nite only… I mean… who has a friend that sells you on crazy ideas??? I do babe ! Em qua "- Agatha Martin
Harlow: Kat, thanks for taking time out of what must be a very busy schedule to give me an interview for DTS. You are a veteran of 14 years in SL, can you tell us how you came to be in SL and what makes you keep coming back?
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Kat: I'd heard about sl while studying for my Masters. I didn't have time to explore it but once I finished my studies I decided to head to Paris- lost my passport in the airport....found it but missed my flight and was waiting for the airline to get me on the next available flight...so Kat was born over a glass of wine in the airport lounge. I keep coming back because I have made some amazing friends here and of course the music! SL is just such a place of creativity and I am always amazed at the imagination and potential of sl. Like many things in life, it's the people that I enjoy spending time with though, that keeps me coming back.
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Harlow: You have a very successful live music venue in Love Kats, that has been in operation for many years (please forgive my ignorance at not knowing the number of years). What prompted you to open your own venue and why do you think it is still such a success after all these years?
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Kat: Love Kat's started in August of 2009 as a DJ venue with live music once a week. I decided to open a venue because I had some friends and we had been hosts at a place and we just really enjoyed having fun and spending time together so I opened a venue with the hopes of creating a great community. It was a 7 day a week venue back then - as I was more exposed to live music it evolved and became live music only. I think Love Kat's is successful because we're stable-have a great line up and been around a long time. We have approximately 15 shows each week and I think people enjoy the vibe. I very rarely miss a show so I get to know a lot of the people that come to the venue.
Harlow: Following on from that you have had a wealth of talent pass through Love Kat's doors over the years. What's it like to have people play at your venue when they are just starting out and getting to see them find a fan base and go ahead in leaps and bounds? Do you feel like a proud momma?
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Kat: It's truly amazing! I am always so impressed with the talent here. And yes! it is so great to see the hard work of the performers pay off and see them with a great fan base. I feel very humbled to be part of their success in a small way. I also love hearing all the stories from the performers that have been playing here for so long. I would urge everyoen to get out and listen to some of the pioneers of live music in sl and the new talent on the grid- there's definitely something for everyone.
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Harlow: What changes have you seen in the live music community over the years and is there anything that you would like to see improved or changed in any way?
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Kat: It always makes me sad to see venues close. I totally get it - it's a big expense to open a venue and maintain it. I'm not sure there is a solution to that but it would be nice to work with Linden Lab to see if there were any options to make it easier. I think it is harder for new performers to break in when there is a limited number of venues who have regular live music shows and it is a great addition to the sl community to have places to go and live entertainment.
Harlow: You have been to a number of SL Jams in RL. How much fun is it to catch up with the people that you know as avatars, getting to hang with them and watch them come together for a weekend of music?
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Kat: If you have never been to an SL jam - it needs to go on your bucket list. I would say an SL jam is like adult summer camp. It's is soooooooooooo fun. I've had the great fortune to attend a lot of jams and I've met some amazing sl people. It really does bring your sl to a new level. You get to know the people you hang out with inworld and make new friends. The whole jam weekend is so much fun and it really brings the sl music community to life.
Harlow: Can you tell us a bit about unManageable Venue Management Group? What does it stand for, what does it do and how much support is there between venue owners in SL?
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Kat: unManageable was formed by myself, Syn Xubersnak of the Grand Strand and the late My Maria of Neon Moon. As venue owners it can be hard to get some time away from the venue and we also faced challenges from time to time with rl and with hosting. Recognizing that we all have rl commitments and sometimes things pop up that are unavoidable, we wanted to have some back up. We decided to just come together and when needed fill in at each other's venues, share resources and ideas and basically support one another. We are happy to invite other venues to join us if they need support or have support to offer. Just send myself or Syn a notecard.
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Harlow: You are a huge supporter of Relay For Life and the Music Co-ordinator for Camping For A Cure. What makes you so passionate about being involved in these events?
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Kat: Cancer has touched the lives of my family and friends. It's such a horrible disease and I feel that even the smallest things make a difference. I knew of Relay for Life and did a few small things over the years and then Jenny Anatine "found me". I really love not only the fund raising side of the Camping for a Cure team, but more importantly the sense of community and the desire to bring people together. Jenny has a beautiful way of fostering community and caring. I love being part of that and I am always amazed at how generous people are with their time and efforts to support Relay. There is so much talent and heart in all of the people that give their time- from organizing, hosting, building, making items to donate for sale, hosting , performing...it's just amazing. At the root of it all- I relay for my Dad who courageously battles cancer everyday.
Kat talks cooking
Harlow: From your FB posts, you are an amazing cook. Are you professionally trained, if not where did you learn cook and make every dish look so professional and delicious?
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Kat: No, I am not professionally trained- cooking is just something I have fun with and I've watched a lot of cooking shows ...lol. My Mom is a fantastic cook and so I learned a lot from her over the years. I really enjoy cooking for family and friends- that makes me happy. I think a lot of my family are glad that I enjoy it so much and are pretty good food critics.
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Harlow: Family and food seem to go hand in hand in your rl, what does it mean to you to bring your family together around the table?
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Kat: My family always ate dinner together. It was a time just to catch up with each other and check in. I like to have that time to sit around the table and chat, enjoy some good food and have some meaningful conversations. Life is so busy and it is easy to get caught up in rl responsibilities so I like taking the time out of the week to just hang out and stay in touch. It's become a thing for my family and often my kids will bring a friend or two, so it's a pretty fun way to spend some time.
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Harlow: If you had the chance to have a RL dinner party with SL people, who would be at your table and why?
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Kat: That's a tough question!!!! I'd have to have a week of dinner parties! I think the first one would be the Safadonas...my little circle of gal pals. Then I'd love to show some appreciation to all the performers that grace the Love Kat's stage and their staff as well as the gang that supports me run the venue. I really enjoy the creativity of cooking and I love sitting around the table having great conversations over good food and wine so for me that is the ultimate in a great experience. Add some music to that and it's fantastic...I grew up with kitchen parties where my parents would invite friends over, they'd bring their musical instruments, have some drinks and food, then the music would go into the wee hours of the morning- so I guess food and music are in my DNA.
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Harlow: In a world where drama seems to run rampant, there is a network of women within the SL live music community that band together and support each other without hesitation nor ulterior motives. There needs to be more of this in both worlds, maybe more so in SL where its easy to hide behind a keyboard. How important is it in SL to have that support and to just be there for each other?
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Kat: I have had the greatest opportunity to meet many people from sl in rl because of the sl music jams and some of them are very close rl friends now. I've vacationed with them, done some crazy last minute trips to see a concert, and most recently attended my best friend/sister's wedding in rl. So sl relationships can definitely grow and become very special. I've had the same great connections with people that I haven't met in rl and those sl relationships are important to me too. I think at the center of it is that we all just really appreciate one another and see how much love and joy we bring to one another. We really make an effort to foster and care for our relationships with one another and try to be present. It's a circle of acceptance and I think this amazing group of women enrich my sl experience and my life in general. We laugh a lot and we all need that!
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Harlow: In closing I just want to thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do within the SL music community.
me.
Thank You Kat