A Ride Out to the (Virtual) Ranch

A. Whitney Brown (middle) with Atlanta singer/songwriter Michelle Malone and her guitar player Phil Skipper (by Joe O'Connell)

Remember A. Whitney Brown from SNL in the 80s? During much of SXSW, he was emceeing Video Ranch 3D, the latest project from creative guru Michael Nesmith. Called the Global Zone Music Festival, it’s really a big experiment in combining the interactivity of online gaming, the art of live music and the power of the internet.

Fifteen bands performed in front of a green screen at at Austin Studios over five days while an internet audience at videoranch3D.com watched. The bands watched the audience members' avatars on screen and could see their immediate responses to the songs. Fans from all over the world could also chat with each other.

Funding is through Nesmith’s own Gihon Program for the Performing Arts, with hopes of corporate sponsorship that would turn it into a once- or twice-weekly live program shot in Austin.

"Some things don’t change; the music doesn’t change,” said Brown, who first worked with Nesmith in the ‘80s and is a major jazz aficionado. “Music lovers want to listen, but how do you listen to the music and talk about the music at the same time without interrupting the music? It’s a solution to a problem that has plagued humanity since the beginning of time."