Twostep Spiritweaver @ Merry Pranksters 03/04/23
Its a rare day for me today as I am I finally getting out of my no motivation phase and writing a blog. Its been a long time since I dug out the Droppin' The Stream staff issued notebook and pen, so long in fact that the pages had started to yellow and ink in the pen had started to dry, but after flipping to a new page and giving the pen a good shake I was ready to rock n roll so to speak. Flipping through events thinking "hmm maybe this person, hmmm no maybe not", my mouse stopped when I saw Twostep Spiritweaver listed as playing at Merry Pranksters. I have heard Twostep a few times now and Merry Pranksters is an institution in SL with so many established and new artists having not only played there but continue to do so. With this in mind I hailed a cab and went on over.
Twostep was already on stage when I arrived, not yet singing , but it sounded like he was maybe tuning his guitar while he waited for the hour to tick over for his set to begin, or maybe he was just playing while waiting. Either way I was enjoying it and soon enough that voice, so guttural, like its been dragged through broken glass came though my headset with a gritty rendition of Midnight Rambler. Before I had time to fully process the song he effortlessly moved straight into Cant Find My Way home. This is one of the things that I enjoy so much about Twosteps performances, he just flows from one song to the next, not pausing to fill up time with inane chat but keeping things moving along so to give his audience the most of him during his hour long set.
One of my favourite songs was up next (I seem to have a lot of favourites), Willin by Little Feat, now who doesn't love some country/rock from the late 60's, early 70's band? This song just makes me smile for some reason and Twostep's version had me quietly singing along. Free Fallin showed off the delicate finger picking that is Twosteps style, although I am sure that I did detect some subtle electric guitar looping in there as well. Closing my eyes I stopped my note taking for a moment and just allowed myself to be fully immersed in his sound.
Don Henley's Heart Of The Matter had Twostep tugging at my heartstrings. An emotional song of forgiveness after your love has found someone else. Twostep stripped it back bare, giving such a raw quality to a well known song, that my eyes were watering as I felt every word that he sang. Its not easy to forgive when it comes to matters of the heart but its something we should all strive to do, moving on when we need to and leaving the past behind in a box of memories.
Johns Lennon's Imagine was as Twostep described, a universal prayer for peace, and don't we all need that in our life.
I am not going to continue to list all of the songs that Twostep sang but I will mention a special song that he sang for a lady that is sadly missed by many in SL. As many of us in the live music world know Yvie Caproni sadly passed away recently at the Tampa SL Jam in Florida, a jam that Twostep attended, as did many SL performers. Twostep gave a beautiful, emotional rendition of Yvie's favourite song, No Hard Feelings by the Avett Brothers.
"When my body won't hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free
Will I be ready?
When my feet won't walk another mile
And my lips give their last kiss goodbye
Will my hands be steady when I lay down my fears, my hopes, and my doubts?
The rings on my fingers, and the keys to my house
With no hard feelings"
Wrapping up the hour, Let It Be Me by The Everly Brothers, had Twostep tugging at my heartstrings again and pondering just how music can invoke different emotions in us. It can make us laugh, it can make us cry, it can bring back memories good and bad but most of all it allows us to feel in a way that nothing else can.
Thank You Twostep for taking me on that wonderful rollercoaster of musical emotion.
