Thank you again to cohenzee for taking last night’s diary — there was NO way I was going to be able to write anything coherent on the sixteen hours of sleep I’d had since Thursday. I was in Toronto from Thursday until Monday morning with a group of people that are absolutely one of my dearest families of choice: my JamFam. We’re a group of people who have avatars in the virtual world of Second Life, where there is a large, vibrant and active music scene that predates pandemic online performing by fifteen YEARS. Some Jammers make music, others are shy to get up on mic but join in with groups or from our seats (Me, I’m talking about me here), and others are simply music fans who love being with all these wonderful people.
I wrote about my first Second Life Music Jam back in 2011, then again in 2017 and 2019, and most recently in 2022. The Toronto Jam was my tenth (there have been at least 25 if my count is right, but I can’t attend them all!) and without a doubt lived up to our standard proclamation that whatever Jam just ended was The Best Damned Jam Ever tm (until the next one). The attendees were a mix of longtime friends I’ve known in person since 2011 and folks I’d never met or heard play before. The fact it was in Canada made it possible for many people to come who hadn’t since the LAST Toronto Jam in 2018, and also meant some Jam Regulars didn’t get there because passports. [PSA: give yourself at LEAST six months if you have to get/renew one, because they’re really backed up.]
My takeaways on attending Jam, lots of which also apply to attending Netroots Nation if you substitute music with politics…
1. Even if you’re a wallflower introvert, everyone chats to everyone else at a Jam. We’re all there for the same reason, we love to make or listen to live music. I sat and talked with a bunch of people I’d never gotten to know before and it was like catching up with a longtime friend every single time.
2. There are a whole lot of utterly amazing musicians who perform in Second Life. You may never have heard of them, but I’ve paid a fuckton of money to hear lesser musicians in real life over my lifetime, while in SL I listen to amazing artists from my home, in PJs, for a couple of dollars. If this seems like something you’d ever like to do, PLEASE kosmail me and I can walk you through getting set up in SL. There’s a LOT to do there besides music, and well worth checking the place out!
Here’s just one video from the weekend’s music. There was a wedding mixed in with the music too, but that’s on the Saturday night video from the same youtube channel.
3. Whether it’s Netroots Nation or a music Jam… the whole point of getting together is to have fun, learn, and build community. What you can’t see in that video are the folks teaching each other, watching and learning chords, and growing as musicians. Just like we all do at NN except with less music and more activism.
4. There’s no room for drama. None. We’re there to have fun and if you can’t do that without making it about you and not about the group, then this isn’t the place for you. And woe unto those who take potshots at the concept of JamFam as chosen family. (About that wedding… a longtime Jammer got married recently and wanted to celebrate with vows before this family too. Poor groom had never been to a Jam before. He married into a family with a bazillion inlaws who all hugged him congratulations, then probably said “if you ever hurt her…” He rolled with it and he can stay :).
5. Unlike many areas of my life, there is ZERO room for politics with my JamFam. Yes, we come from an entire spectrum of political persuasions and individual thoughts. We come from different countries, too. Some of the people I adore most at Jams are people who hold very different views and voting records, and I’ve talked with them about it only to say “I know out there we’d disagree but here, it doesn’t matter”. And then we hug, and after that I listen to their freekin fabulous music forever glad that we’re friends.
I hope you have a family of choice that makes you smile the way this one does for me. I’m beyond lucky to have two such families, because my dKos/Netroots Fam is as dear to me as my JamFam. I can’t believe that I get to see them both in a two month span.
Tell me about the music you heard, or the family of choice that makes you happy, or how much sleep you got last night in the comments! I’m here for it all!! But check out the Tops too before you hit the comments :)
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There were no nominations in the past 24 hours. However, I found a nomination accidentally in my personal kosmail from this weekend and because I’m a generally good person most of the time, I’m including it here even though it’s outside the range. However, sending to the TC mailbox is MUCH preferred!!
From Mathy Kathy:
This comment by stevemb, from Nocaster7’s Chuck Todd out at Meet the Press - Kristen Welker tapped to replace him.
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Top Mojo for yesterday, June 5th 2023, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
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