Agatha Knowles @ BBW Heaven 09/04/2023

I really enjoy blogging for Droppin' The Stream and I mostly find the blogs easy to write. This is not one of those. Someone here IRL is undoubtedly going to be cutting onions in my office before I'm done. The venue in today's blog is BBW Heaven. You may not know, but the longtime owner and manager of BBW Heaven, my dear friend, Yvie Caproni, passed away, suddenly in January. She was at the Tampa Jam when it happened. It’s fitting she was there, because music was a huge part of Yvie's life. From supporting and running BBW for over a decade, to encouraging singers in SL, to organizing and attending numerous RL Jams (find one, seriously, go), her love of live music, particularly the Avett Brothers, Yvie's life was filled with musique, and if you were fortunate enough to bump into her in any life your life would have been too. Much of the effort as BBW since her passing has been focused on the grief so many who loved her have shared. From our initial shock, through the acceptance, the fond memories, the sharing, we've worked to lift each other up, just as she did for each of us over the time we were blessed to know her. The staff at BBW has courageously stepped into new roles to keep the tiki torches going and the shows coming. Today was a perfect example of that.

I was able to catch the second of two shows today, the incomparable Agatha Bunny Queen Martin (aka Agatha Nowles) followed the sultry Jesika Wirefly, opening a fantastic hour with Fleetwod Mac's "Gypsy". Agatha's voice evokes every warm memory I've ever had of listening to Stevie Nicks. Next up was a song that might be subtitled "(The Ballad of Radslns)", Elvin Bishops' "I Fooled Around And Fell in Love". After saying hello to her adoring fans Agatha delighted us with "My Life" from Billy Joel, and then the beautiful Spanish language "Ojos Asi" from Shakira. My high school spanish is pretty rusty, but looking around the BBW Heaven beach, I think the lyrics mean "I'll make the audience melt".

Next up was "Highway Tune" from Greta Van Fleet, which in fact, not a single female act. It’s hard to think of an Agatha show without an ABBA song and today's was "Mamma Mia", which she delivered flawlessly (someone should make a movie or two around ABBA music. Between "Waterloo" and "Fernando" I can see an AWESOME war movie). Agatha's next song was a tribute to the optimists in SL, KC & The Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight". Touching on all the oldies she launched into "Vienna" from Billy Joel and then a solo member of Fleetwood Mac with "Trouble" (probably from getting down?) by Lindsey Buckingham.

I'd like to think the next two songs were just happy coincidences and not the start of some SL rock opera, but with Agatha, one never knows. The first of the pair was "Physical" by the gone too soon Olivia Newton John and then "Steamy Windows" (um.. Yeah. That's kind of a natural thing after getting physical (as I recall)) from Tina Turner. The next song was "Sublime" from Badfish.

Agatha shows are all about fun and excitement. They are also about relationships, and her last two songs today reminded me how important some things are in healthy relationships (in any life). The Captain & Tennille reminds me that through good times and bad, crashes and lag, miscommunications and RL setbacks, and even death, "Love Will Keep Us Together". And there is no shortage of love at BBW Heaven. Agatha closed with "Make It With You", the classic love song from Bread, which reminded me of the value of intimacy (yes Jenny, you can be intimate with your clothes on).

Agatha is not only an exceptionally talented singer, blessed with a beautiful voice and incredible range, she is also hysterically funny and down to earth. Singing from her home in Brazil, Agatha’s strong, smooth and sultry voice will take you down the alleyways of Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Pearl Jam, America, and her Bossa Nova will simply take your breath away. Her intimacy and easy manner will make you feel like you’re sitting in her living room, singing your favorite songs together, sharing some laughs, a forgetting all your cares for this enchanting hour. If you miss an Agatha show, you are truly missing out on something special.

I am reliably informed that Agatha does own all the Anatines. I can't vouch for that, but I can tell you that rents them out.

Yvie wasn't the first friend I've lost in SL, nor sadly the last. She was the closest friend I've lost. I have been so moved to see the love that flowed from so many to Yvie's memory. The staff at BBW has really come together to honor her. I hope you get a chance to visit, catch a show and stay to wander around, particularly the beautiful garden created in Yvie's memory.