Please meet Dallas Horsefly

photos property of Dallas horsefly used with permission

Born in Bakersfield, California to a mother who was friends with Buck & Bonnie Owens and Merle Haggard, you can bet that country is truly at this girls roots, but the Allman Brothers Band also had a big influence on her.

When she was fresh out of high school, working in an all night greasy spoon, The Allman Brothers Band came in for breakfast. Her tip was a backstage pass to see Greg Allman’s “Laid Back” tour in Santa Barbara, where she apparently made herself indispensable, and was asked to join the roadie’s bus traveling across the U.S. for the remainder of the tour. Several of the roadies messed around together and formed a band, calling themselves “Almost Brothers” in which Dallas sang at times. There were times When Gregg used ‘Almost Brothers’ as an opening band. “An experience I will never forget”, says Dallas.

After a couple of years hanging around Macon, Georgia, Dallas moved back to California where she is still raising horses. Dallas sang with a few local country bands, but it wasn’t until she bought a computer and found PALTALK and the LIVE music rooms that she decided she wanted to learn to play guitar. Dallas took herself down to a local music store, pulled a Takamine off the rack, headed home and learned how to play from PALTALK musicians in the chatrooms. This was only about four years ago, the woman has come a long way in only four short years.

I heard Dallas perform at the Sterling Vineyard’s grand opening, and was taken aback with her humorous writing and her slightly gravelly sensuous voice. Country may be in her roots, but she is something special that is not country.

Dallas and I had a nice chat after her performance that night, but as I wrote I had a few more questions, So I emailed them to her the following is verbatim her responses.

Weirdharold Cave: How would you personally describe your musical style?

Dallas Horsefly: I guess I would call my musical style ‘Country/folky’ leaning more on the ‘Folky’ side
Weirdharold Cave: What do you find most enjoyable about performing in Second Life?

Dallas Horsefly: Having a LIVE audience is GREAT!! Being able to sharpen my skills not only as a singer/musician, but as a PERFORMER….I believe that there’s a lot of singers/musicians that have trouble relating to a LIVE audience and ‘performing’ is something all together different. I can always sit in my living room and play to no one……that’s easy, but to actually capture and HOLD an audience’s attention for an hour and keep them wanting MORE is a lot more difficult….but its all part of the package deal when you want to be a performing singer/musician and performing is SL has REALLY helped me in that respect!!

Weirdharold Cave: What brought you to SL, and what do you get out of it?

Dallas Horsefly: I was playing in a chat server called Paltalk which has chat rooms, and the live players there would get in a line and take turns playing ONE song at a time. I was looking for a program that would allow me the opportunity to actually do a concert, without interruption, and a good friend and fellow musician, DimiVan Ludwig, told me about SL. I downloaded it, and after the normal trials of being a noob (wearing numerous boxes on my head…etc) I was finally asked to open for my friend Dimi at a show on Muse Isle at Cecilias. Nervous as hell, I opened with a 30 min set and have been hooked ever since!! I STILL play at Cecilias every Thurs Night for ‘WEST COAST NIGHT’ and share the stage with another amazing SL musician, Lyndon Heart. My first few dozen shows where ‘iffy’ to say the least ..LOL! But I’m now very comfortable performing and even have a FAN CLUB!! So I feel I do have a following of loyal fans that appreciate my style which is the BEST confidence builder I can say! I would NEVER have dreamed I’d be where I am musically if I hadn’t found SL. I’d still be in paltalk……….doing ONE song at a time……not developing my talent or skills.

Weirdharold Cave: What are the benefits you personally receive out of performing live inside SL?

Dallas Horsefly: EXPERIENCE!!!!! I live in a fairly small town that doesnt have open mics, or venues I can just go and play in for experience. And if there were, I would NEVER of thought I had what it takes to even try. Since I’ve been in SL and performing regularly, I truly believe I have the confidence, stamina and charisma to play LIVE somewhere locally and capture the attention of most my audience (LOL! I have a way of relaxing my listeners when I sing and some I’m sure I put to sleep) I am even to the point of putting together my first CD with mostly original songs!! weeeeeeeee!!

Weirdharold Cave: How important do you think interaction performer to fans in SL is?

Dallas Horsefly: EXTREMELY important!!!! I feed off my audience and they have a DIRECT influence on all my shows!! There are some venues that just have a certain ‘energy’ about them and that’s mostly because of the audience that frequents those particular venues. If my audience just stands there in front of me……..not saying much in chat, not really ‘into it’…….then I dont perform well at all!! I have dropped venues because of that negative energy, its just not worth it to me to stress out over a place where the audience could care less if you’re there and trying to entertain them.

Weirdharold Cave: Are there any people you would like to give credit for your performing skill, abilities, in getting you started performing in Second Life?

Dallas Horsefly: I wouldn’t be where I am without a few people…..DimiVan Ludwig for getting me into SL in the first place, then allowing me the chance to open for him and giving me support and confidence that I soooo needed to make that first step. He has known me since BEFORE I started playing guitar and has helped me numerous times…I say he’s my ‘brother’ in SL and I love him like one!! To Push Chandler for also giving me support and being my partner in SL and encouraging me to do whatever my demented lil mind thinks of to do! To Capos Calderwood (Alex Whitmore) for allllllllll his help when I record, write and play music. He is extremely talented ……not to mention I ADORE this man for all he is. He shares his GIFT and Knowledge of music with me unconditionally, and without him……….well……I just wouldn’t be all I am. And to my SL sis…….Lyn (Evilynda Baphomet) she’s been there with me in SL since day 1 and has helped me as a noob and helped me blossom into the avatar I am today……(be that good, bad or indifferent) I LOVE this woman and we’ve developed a friendship that will stand the test of time!!

Oh, and one more thing she added on her own: In addition to ALL the questions I would like to add that ALL the musicians in SL have been VERY supportive of each other…….a special group of people brought together by the love of music……..held together with their passions for it………we ARE our BIGGEST supporters in SL…….not to mention the BIGGEST tippers! LOL!!

What more can I add except: Dallas is an extraordinary individual whom I thoroughly enjoyed listening, and is extremely friendly person. I would hope you would attend one of her concerts, because like Lays potato chips… I don’t think one will do.

Dallas’s site

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