Abby Jaidov Live @ Boicott
December 13, 2021
I first heard Abby sing about six weeks ago while on assignment at the club "Boicott." However, an unavoidable technical issue, and taking into consideration that she was not expecting me (I don't like to sneak up on the ladies especially when there are photos involved. Guys don't seem to care), I decided to catch a future show.
Tonight, I am back at Boicott, a new venue that opened in April of 2021, owned by Andi and Cassie Wonder. Created to provide a safe, anti-transphobic, anti-racist, multicultural atmosphere for the LGBTQ community. Over time, according to Andi, Boicott has evolved and "grown into a safe place for all." Operating under the motto "Be YOU because you are beYOUtiful," Boicott entertainment includes DJ sets as well as live performances.
Abby Jaidov, from North Carolina, is a primarily self-taught musician whose only formal music training was the saxophone in school. Her early music influences were Concrete Blonde, the Indigo Girls, Matchbox 20, and Melissa Etheridge. As a result, her current song list is a mixture of Rock, Pop, and Country music spanning from the '60s to today.
After completing high school in 1991, Abby started performing professionally in various bands, playing drums and acoustic guitar in North Carolina and Virginia. Later, she toured the East Coast and San Francisco with an Independent band playing the bass guitar and drums. Unfortunately, In 2013 a health condition eventually made it impossible for Abby to haul her equipment from venue to venue, bringing her singing career to an end.
Joining Second Life eleven years ago, Abby started her SL entertainment career as a DJ. Eventually leaving that behind in 2019 when she realized she could do what she wanted to do, which was to live sing! In Abby's words: "I bought a lot of equipment my first year singing in SL so that I could try to be a one-woman band' because I recognize that a lot of people like full sounding live music too and I wanted to be able to keep those entertained as well, so I loop my instruments live, drums, bass, guitar, and lead guitar and sing on top of it. I love doing this, and often just whatever mood I am in makes each song a one of a kind with my distinct style, and I hear good feedback that some people really enjoy that. My leads are improving, and seldom are they ever the same, but it's great fun for me :)."
Abby started the show, using her deep sultry voice, with a Christmas favorite, "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee; "Try" by Colbie Callait; "With Or Without You" by U2; "White Christmas" and "Moondance" by Van Morrison. Among others was "The Little Drummer Boy," initially written by Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, performed by many artists. Then continuing with "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack and finishing with "Do They Know It's Christmas" by BandAid.
The ambiance in the club tonight was very relaxed and stress-free. The staff was friendly and welcoming to everyone who entered. I felt very much at home and will be going back with my family in the future.
Thank you, Abby, Andi, Cassie, and the Boicott staff, for the dedication and hard work it took to bring this performance to us and keep music alive in SL.
"Amateurs practice until they get it right, Professionals practice until they cant get it wrong :) " - Abby Jaidov