HolliVals Allen started performing in Second Life during March of this year and quickly developed a following for his unique combination of alternative acoustic rock and blues. He met April Clapsaddle and soon after they had a conversation where he asked her how she was. She let her verse reply for her. These were the lines she had penned there and then in answer to that question and what she sent him:

Just one day without tears
Tears that fall down my face like rain
And who see’s inside me this pain
The whole world looks the same, and yet
It will never be the same again.

His response was… “Do you have a melody to go with that verse?” He asks April if he can take the verse and put it to some music. Within an hour he is sending her a song. That was how ‘One Day Without Tears’ began and how April's words and Holli's music fell into bed together but this was not to be a one night stand.

They then began a collaboration with more songs. Holli asked for more lyrics to go with a melody he just couldn't seem to find words for and ‘One Day’ is joined by ‘Nadia’. Both of these songs are to be featured on the forthcoming EP, out in July. ‘Nadia’ is about lost love. It’s sung from a guy’s perspective but written from a woman’s so Holli had the idea to have a female narrate the last few verses in wistful fashion over the music towards the end of the song. That female is April. Imagine all this happened in a matter of weeks all because an SL musician asked someone he barely knew how she was.

Holli and April bought an SL island, a place to consummate their words and music, seeing as how they seem to like being in the same bed. It’s a little piece of creative paradise, an island muse where ideas breed ideas. This is where you appreciate the true power of the internet. It brought them together where otherwise, being in separate countries, they probably would not have crossed paths. It also enabled them to bring their words and music together, using Skype, so they could create literally on the fly and that is how ‘Breathe’ came to life one Sunday afternoon. Holli plays beautiful melodies at one end of the skype line and April tap tap taps away at the other and feeding him words and together they turn the melodies and words into songs. By the next day that song was on the Hollivals myspace page and by the next week it has been listened to 173 times. If you are not one of the 173 that have already listened and you would like to be go to www.myspace.com/hollivals and listen to ‘Breathe’.

The ideas keep on coming, they seem to be each other’s inspiration, or at least a big part of it. They have bought another small piece of land in SL and a loft to go on it where they will stream their songs and people can come hang out and listen and buy if they want to. They can watch the video they are planning to accompany Breathe. There will also be their story available in a portfolio, with pics and lyrics and even a ‘how to play the songs on guitar’ guide. You can visit the loft at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tawny/94/80/49/

If you want to join the HolliVals music group please IM HolliVals Allen or April Clapsaddle in world for an invite.