Reggie Sunset Unplugged @ The Phoenix 5/16/22

The Phoenix, a seaside venue located at Calas Galadhon Parks is a well renowned 13 Sim Estate open to the public and known for its natural beauty ranging from oceans to mountains. There you can enjoy horseback riding, hiking, or a balloon ride through the majestic surroundings. The Phoenix is a grand venue with enough space for the most popular performers and tonight Reggie drew in the crowd!

Reggie began by saying he was going to try something different tonight and play unplugged which means that his electric/acoustic guitar was not plugged in or used with any effects but just surrounded by microphones to produce a natural acoustic sound. Another meaning of the term unplugged is to be presented in a more low-key and intimate context than usual. This was true of his performance on both levels.

I’ve been listening to the velvet smooth sounds of Reggie Sunset’s guitar and voice, for over a decade and have always enjoyed both his originals and covers but tonight was a special show in which he performed almost exclusively originals and gave the back story on how each one came to be. It was an emotional & intimate exchange between artist and audience.

“You’re my Blessing, My Everything” was written for his eldest daughter, but the most interesting part was he wrote it in college long before he had children and had kept a notebook of stories that he wanted to one day pass on to his child. This song is about the notebook that sadly was lost.

“Razor’s Edge” is a hauntingly beautiful piece about the adventures of life and love, which we learned has the deeper meaning of reincarnation that can be found in the lyrics “they claimed another name”. After the song Reggie shared that this is one of his beliefs.

“I’ll Tell you Goodbye”, was a re-write of a friend’s song. Reggie shared that in college a friend was dating a girl that told him she would rather be with Reggie. Of course, Reggie said there was no way he was ever doing that, and so they both said goodbye to the girl!

“So Hard To Explain” was a song written for his mother who passed last year and we all of course are wishing Reggie our deepest condolences for the loss of his wonderful mom whom he was very close to.

“I Can Only Show You What I am”, a tale of unrequited love, is the story of two aching hearts many years ago. “Creature of Habit” is about a passionate night in his college days. It was about 1:30 AM and the bar closed at 2:00 so he took this opportunity to have two very hot dances with a sexy stranger.

Yes, those were the days my friend! Thanks for sharing those intense lifetime memories through your songs and your stories. I believe the entire audience enjoyed knowing you more intimately after this deeply personal performance.

Incidentally, Reggie is one of the only people that I know who can play the guitar & talk at the same time. I can barely chew gum and walk at the same time so I find this talent greatly admirable. But of course, that’s what happens when you start playing the guitar back in the 5th grade. After the show, Reggie and I caught up and I got to dig deeper into how he got his musical start in both real and Second Life.

I asked Reggie what first got him interested in music. He shared that his mom and dad bought him and his sister a guitar back in the 5th grade. After hearing a family member perform at a gathering he was truly inspired and stuck with it from that time. He was raised on country music and grew up on 1960’s AM radio top 40 songs as well as his mom’s favorite picks which included Perry Como, Frank Sinatra & Elvis. Early Influences included, Donovan, Neil Diamond, “don’t laugh”, The Partridge Family, Jim Croce, James Taylor and all of the great 70’s acoustic bands.

Aside from being a regular Second Life Performer Reggie still performs in real life and can be found at establishments in his local area of Lake Oswego, Oregon. When asked about his first memories of writing he recalled that when he was first learning to play, a song came to him in a dream and when he woke up, he wrote down the words as quickly as he could! I personally believe some of the best original songs come from the universe in such ways.

Speaking of things that can’t be readily explained, I took this opportunity to inquire about his belief in reincarnation. As he grew older his family had shifted to an Eastern type of belief system & he confided that he has in fact had strange recalls of previous lifetimes as well as out of body experiences!

I asked Reggie about his start in Second Life. Many years back he used an online program called “Camfrog” where they would host open mics and there, he met the wonderful performer Celtic Maiden Warrior who was one of the first people to encourage him to perform in SL.

Finally, when Reggie was asked what he's passionate about besides music he answered: “being a positive influence out in the world. I talk to as many people as I am out in my travels, say hi to everyone, give unconditional love to as many of my fellow earthlings as I can, open doors for people, smile at people as they are driving by or as we pass in a grocery store, just being an open channel of love to the world”. Yep, that’s our Reggie and we love him back!

Thanks so much Reggie for the wonderful performance and for taking time out to talk with me for Toggle for Music. I’m honored to be the first one to publish you in an SL Blog! I personally feel like I know you so much better now, even after many years of listening to your music and I’m sure your SL listeners feel much closer to you as well!