NOCC Out Cancer!

We finally have the lineup ironed out, and graphics done up, so here we go....

We will kick off the event at 4pm, with our very own Sean Qendra (whose wife we honor with this event), then our usual Wednesday night performers: Rose, Pit, Timber, and Dilah, then we have Kitty Zeddmore at 9!

4pm - Sean Qendra
5pm - Rose Skupik
6pm - PitViper Paine
7pm - Timberwulff Ivanovic
8pm - Dilah Halostar
9pm - Kitty Zeddmore

You can see their events in the calendar over on the right here. (Everything is in SL time, of course, which is the same as Pacific Time in the US.)

Remember, all the proceeds will go to NOCC! I will probably leave up the donation posters after the event, so if you can't make it Wednesday, you can still participate. And, even if you don't have any lindens (L$) to give, you should still come to the event and show your support.

We have gone with "NOCC Out Cancer" because... well, it fits the organization's name, and it helps us to remember that this is a fight. The butterflies honor Veronica and Sean (Sean has raised and released Monarchs for a number of years and they were a delight to Veronica), and it all sort of flowed together.

Ovarian cancer is a particularly troublesome demon, since it usually goes undetected until much too late. If it can be caught early, the five-year survival rate is over 90%. NOCC works (partly - along with working for a cure and helping survivors) to help catch OC early so it can be beat more and more often.

When we send the donation in to NOCC, it will be a memorial gift in honor of Veronica Qendra (using her RL name). Help us make that gift really memorable.

Remember to come out and help us NOCC Out Cancer!

Upcoming charity event (24 Sep)

We will be having a charity event on the 24th of September, to benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)*. This is "Ovarian Cancer Awareness" Month, and we wanted to do something to help.

We have a couple of reasons to help out with this specific charity on this specific date. A longtime hostess for the club (and a good friend of all of us at the club) was taken from us over two years ago by ovarian cancer. It is a particularly ugly cancer, as it is very difficult to detect in the early stages, so that when it is found it is already entrenched and strong. Veronica Ogleby Qendra fought it long and hard, and we thought it had gone into remission - but it came back with a vengeance and took her from us sooner than life should have. Her husband has been donating to NOCC ever since.

The other reason for this event, is that the 24th of September would have been her 36th anniversary with Sean Qendra, one of the other members of our club family (he's now our manager). So, to honor V and to honor Sean, we will be hosting this event on Wednesday, 24 September 2014.

Every L$ received on the 24th will go to NOCC. (You will see the funds going to Signor Cheviot in SecondLife, so that we can keep the funds separate from our regular accounts and make certain that every L$ donated goes to NOCC.) All our performers are therefore doing their shows this night totally out of the goodness of their hearts, so please drop by and be generous. If you don't have anything with which to be generous, then just drop by and give your support - it does matter. And, please wear teal.

I will make another post at the beginning of next week.

*The NOCC's goals are to make more people aware of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer, provide information to assist the newly diagnosed patient, to provide hope to survivors, and to support caregivers. Their website is here.

A month along

It's been a month since I had to reorganize, and more changes are on the way - though hopefully none of them will be drastic or shocking.

We've had a couple of really slow weeks. It's been vacation time for a number of performers, and a few have had their schedules changed around for the end of summer. A bunch of last-minute RL things have also cropped up. Tonight we had ONE of our four sax players for our Saxy Tuesday.

I'm still working on the Facebook page. I don't always get events posted, but I'm working on it. I hope to have a nice graphic for each of our events, too, to make it easy on the eyes. Please come on over there and give me feedback.

We will have some performers shuffling around in September, though it shouldn't be too bad. And, I do have a few spots open if you know someone who might fit our family of performers.

Please drop in and enjoy some music and some romance.

Changes at Cafe Casablanca

I have horribly neglected this blog for a year and a half. But no more!

A lot of changes have happened in the last year. Ownership has changed a bit (I am now sole owner). We have seen performers come and go. I have (with a great deal of help from the lovely and wonderful Dawnia) made some small changes around the club. And there will be more. (For one thing, I have to fix the landscaping.)

One big change: as of today, the club's Facebook page is open. I will be posting events there, as well as on the club's Google calendar. I will figure out linking to SL event listings from there, as well. (Bear with me, radio was new technology to me when I started this club.)

As of right now, we have 14-15 live performers (depending on the week) and one DJ during the week, all between the hours of 3pm and 9pm SLT. We are open 24/7 for dancing and listening to the stream. And, of course, there's the beach, the dock, and the patio for sitting or snuggling up.

If you have questions or suggestions, please send Conlaoch Gustav a notecard inworld. You can also comment here or on Facebook.

The leaves have turned, costumes are put away until next year and it's time for Cafe Casablaca to dust herself off and get ready for a fantastic new season!

What a treat we had this Monday!

The incredible Mar Biddle has been gracing us with her amazing talent for quite some time now,  but the winds of change have finally blown in our direction and she will be a regular at Cafe Casablanca.  You can now hear this beautiful artist every other Monday at 1pm SL.  Her next show will be November 19th!

We had an added pleasure this week that I want to share with you all!  Robert Little, one of the best videographers in SL filmed both performances Monday afternoon. Mar Biddle and JC Farstrider will be featured and Robert has agreed to let us share with you!   The film will appear on his site sometime in the next couple of days.   Be sure to check the links below and see two of the premier artists in SL!. 

http://www.youtube.com/rpbizzle#g/u
http://www.dailymotion.com/rpbizzle

We have added some of the best SL has to offer to our schedule.   Not only do we have Ms. Mar, but be sure to come and join us for all our fine artists including:

Kitty & Bud -  A wonderful real life performing duo.  Their style is unique, slightly irreverant and definitely good fun!  They perform Friday at 6pm.  Come catch them on November 16th.

Timberwulff Ivanovic -  One of the newest artists in SL.  We are proud to say he debuted with us and now he's a regular part of our lineup on the alternate Fridays!   You can hear him next on November  9th.

Nehama -  A truly fantastic artist, Nehama brings something very unique to SL.  She sings a variety of music in English, German and her native Russian.   It's an experience you don't want to miss every other Wednesday at 1pm.  Her next performance is November 14th.

We've added these great performers to our already spectacular lineup which includes:

JC Farstrider
Eponine Dench
Paulette Oldrich
MrMikieString
Mezzo Silverweb
Eddie Santillo
Declan Greenfield
Kev Tyson
Joaquin Gustav
PitViper Paine
Sonny Trenchcoat
Dilah Halostar
Glolo Ling
Brett Hansome
Alatiel Pessoa

You just can't find better!

If that wasn't enough,  we also have two of the best DJs:

Cameron Greybeard -  It's always a good time filled with wonderful music and great friends.  DJ Cameron thrills us with his vast library every Wednesday afternoon. 

Starlytz Dayafter -  This silky voiced beauty will bring romance to your Thursday nights with a blend of old favorites spanning many eras.

We don't have the reputation as one of the most friendly and romantic clubs for nothing!  Come find out for yourself!  

An Adventurous Spring

Well, we had an interesting couple of months, as Ilsa got stuck without an exit visa in Tunis. And, I had to make several treks over to the Kasserine Pass with intelligence.

However, things have settled for now. Oh wait, no they haven't. Dadgumit. NytEyes is going to be moving in RL soon, and things will be crazy until she settles in in her new abode.

We also have some openings in our schedule, and are bringing on some new talent to fill those holes. We might be trying a new thing or two, also.

I also want to reiterate how important our patrons are to us: you are why we do this. We love getting the club full of folks listening to wonderful music and spending time with each other. So, if you have a regular that you come to hear, great! But, consider coming to hear someone else, too. You will probably find a new obsession. If you don't have a regular, get one! Or several! We love having you here.

Cafe Casablanca is closed until 24 May

The club will be closed until 24 May, to honor our friend and manager, Veronica Ogleby, who was taken from us by ovarian cancer on Monday, 14 May. We love you, V. (Our next event will be DJ Julianna Michigan on 24 May.)

In Memory of Veronica Ogleby

Our beloved Veronica is gone.  There are no words that truly express the sorrow we feel.  We love her dearly, as well as her family.  Please continue to send your thoughts, prayers and wishes to her husband Sean Qendra and their children and grandchildren as they cope with their loss.  No one could have been a better friend or wife and mother.  She gave all of herself to everyone she cared for.  The world has lost a soul today that will never be matched.

A Thank You

To everyone...

From NytEyes and Conlaoch, owners of the "Finest Gin Joint in Second Life" (and beyond, IMHO), to the top notch entertainers that play there, or to the top notch clientele that comes there for good music and good friendship.

There are no words to express how wonderful you all are or how grateful Veronica and I are for this past month where your love and caring for us showed so honestly and obviously.

This may be a virtual world, this place called Second Life...but it is by no means a fake world; and people like you all stand as examples of how much so that that fact is.

Thank you, everyone, from the deepest regions of our hearts to yours.

Veronica Ogleby and Sean Qendra

My Most Important Thank You

Hello Everyone,

I am not going to give the results of the fund raiser for Veronica and Sean or offer my thanks here.  I'm going to leave that to more capable hands.

I do have a very important message that  need to be conveyed for all to see.  This is a special thank you to my husband, Conlaoch Gustav, for all the hard work he put into making this event such a HUGE success.

Many of you only see me at Casablanca during the week.  Especially those of you who come to our daytime shows.  I don't think people realize how much Conlaoch does to make those hours go smoothly.

The fundraiser was a time his work was vital to making sure it went off without a hitch.  From the day we started until the curtain fell at 9pmSL last night, he worked tirelessly. 

He created those beautiful posters to let everyone know what we were trying to accomplish. (If for any reason you haven't seen them, look down to the post from April 11th, which was also composed by Con.

Every event notice and most of the group notices through the month that informed you of what was happening were written by him.

He listened to me whine, cry, rant or go totally postal at every glitch that threatened out success.  Trust me, that was quite an accomplishment.

One very important thing I failed to acknowledge was how wonderful he was with helping my daughter (Caitlyn Nobilis) prepare for her big debut as an SL singer to close out the month.  He listened, offered advice when she ran into technical roadblocks,critqued, helped find tracks and gave her unwavering support through all her nervous moments.

Conlaoch isn't acknowledged enough for his hard work to keep Cafe Casablanca the wonderful club it's become.  There has never been a time I've had a harebrained idea that he hasn't tried to make it a reality.  He works just as hard as I do to make sure everyone enjoys their time at CC. 

This may be more than you need to know, but there wouldn't be a Cafe without his graciously covering the cost of the land from his own pocket.  Those of you with any experience with SL venues know you never make a profit.  We operate each week at a loss.  The club is important enough to us to keep the dream alive by covering what we have to.  From the first day, Con has made sure we have this beautiful venue to enjoy. 

So thank you, my love.  Without you, there wouldn't be a Cafe and we wouldn't have had such a wonderful outpouring of love for Veronica and Sean.

A Month of Love

First, I apologize for leaving this blog stagnant for so long.

Second, and most importantly, we are in the midst of A Month of Love. Our friend and club manager, Veronica Ogleby, is fighting ovarian cancer. We all thought she had it beat, but it has come back with a vengeance. Veronica is fighting hard - along with her husband Sean and the rest of their family - but it takes a toll on a family. So, we are doing what we can to help.

We have replaced our regular tip piano with a donation board for Veronica. All tips to the club through April 21st are going directly to benefit her and her family.

Though we have not asked any of our performers specifically to donate *their* tips, they have all been incredibly generous. We have absolutely the best performers in SL - not just in talent, but in heart. I can't say enough good about them.

We are also going to have a special event on Saturday, the 21st of April. We have 9 hours of performances from Cafe Casablanca performers, as well as some of the best of the rest. Except for one who is going to do double-duty, they have all signed up to do a half-hour in this celebration of our love for Veronica and her family.

12pm Paul Nowles
12:30pm Mar Biddle
1pm Perfezione Fetiocci
1:30pm Morgan Canare
2pm Joaquin Gustav
2:30pm Shawna Littleboots
3pm Rocketman Galaxy
3:30pm Elvera Lerner
4pm Dilah Halostar
5pm Mila Avedon PitViper Paine
5:30pm Brett Hansome
6pm Hayden Sandalwood
6:30pm Sonny Trenchcoat
7pm Paulette Oldrich
7:30pm Mezzo Silverweb
8pm GLolo Ling
8:30pm Surprise artist

I want to stress: every linden in Veronica's donation jar will go directly to Veronica and her family. Please come and help us show our love for our friend.

Lastly, and slightly less importantly, we are in the midst of celebrating Cafe Casablanca's fifth anniversary in Second Life! We have a new look thanks to our friend Dro Millar and the efforts of NytEyes Marikh Gustav. We will have more to say about that in a later post.

UPDATE: The list of performers has been updated, and now includes Mar Biddle and PitViper Paine!

Celebration Of Life

As part of our efforts for Relay For Life, we will be having another event this Sunday, 26 June: Celebration Of Life. Here's the information:

Join us Sunday, June 26th to Celebrate those who have won their battle against cancer, those still fighting and those who are gone from us.

Schedule:

1:00 to 3:00pm - DJ Brookee Romano
3:00 to 3:30 pm - JC Farstrider Live
3:30 to 5:30 pm - DJ Avery Demon
5:30 to 6:00pm - Mezzo Silverweb Live
6:00 to 7:00pm - DJ Conlaoch Gustav
7:00 to 8:00pm - Grand Finale with DJ Conlaoch

This will be an event like you've never seen at Cafe Casablanca. A little rock, a little bluegrass, a little country, some blues and of course..jazz and American Standards!

And! As if that wasn't enough..... beginning Monday, June 20th....you can start adding to the kiosks to Bid the Cafe Casablanca Staff Bald! Yes, you saw that right! Con with NO HAT!!! Sean, Veronica and Nyte with no hair from the 26th right up to the actual Relay July 16th!

So come party on the beach with us, stop in during the week and bid us bald! Let's make this the last year we have to Relay!!

Sponsored by Team Rays of Hope and Cafe Casablanca for Relay for Life.

Vacation Time for NytEyes and Conlaoch

Hello Everyone,

Rick and Ilsa have decided it's time to do a little relaxing and get away from the occupation for a few days, so, Conlaoch and NytEyes are taking a little vacation too beginning at 3pm today. Many of our performers will still be doing their shows while we are gone and we'll pop in from time to time, so please watch your favorite artists groups, the event boards and here in the Cafe Society announcements for their scheduled times. We will return with our regular schedule on Saturday, May 28th! Enjoy the week!

Headliners For Hope results

Well, dang!!! I said that with our generous patrons and performers, that I thought we could maybe make L$50,000 for the event. And I was more right than I knew! We had donations from very small to very large - and they all added up! We hit L$50,000 just before the end of Lance's show, then went on to add even more.

Wow! As of the end of Dilah's show (our last performer) the total in the kiosks at the event was L$62,250! Did you know that even with the conversion rate that Relay For Life in SL has taken in more than US$156,000 this year? And, this event just put about US$250 additional on that.

Do you know that with a dozen performers - a lot of whom sing some similar styles - we had so few repeats of songs that I could count them on both hands? People came and went (I think we had 30 in house at once, 136 total) - though some managed to stay for several hours (especially our co-captains: Sean Qendra and Veronica Ogleby - thank you, you two). The music changed and shifted - some rock, some jazz, some blues, some show tunes, even an SL version of The Streak. But, the L$s kept piling up in the kiosks.

Not only did we meet and exceed our goal, we had a challenge from our own Sean Qendra. Any of you that know him, know that this is a man who does NOT do shoes! Not sure who prompted it, but he challenged us to hit 60,000 before Dilah's show ended. If we did, he would wear high heels - until the Relay in July!!! Sean, NytEyes and Veronica are going to take you shopping for a nice pair of heels. ;)

I want to mention one other thing. Last week we had our one year anniversary of being the club's owners. We didn't mention it because we didn't want to detract from this event. But, to be honest, we saw this event as a great way to celebrate that anniversary. And, I have to say it was! To achieve what we (that's you and us) did today, shows what Ilsa and I have always said: we have the best performers and the best patrons in SL!

Thank you to all who participated, to all who performed, to all who donated, and to all who prayed or sent their best wishes our way. You folks are fantastic.

We relay so, perhaps, next year we won't have to.

Headliners for Hope at Cafe Casablanca!

If you've been to the club in the last month or so, you have seen the kiosk near the piano for Relay For Life (RFL) or heard the announcements about it. We are proud that Cafe Casablanca is involved with this effort, again this year.

Relay For Life is an offshoot of the American Cancer Society, and serves a couple of purposes. Yes, it is a fundraiser - RFL in SL raised over US$200,000 in 2010. It is also a chance to celebrate survivors, remember loved ones, and fight back. Besides the huge main event July 16-17, there are loads of smaller events around the grid for individual RFL teams.

In support of the Rays of Hope RFL team (of which NytEyes and Conlaoch are co-captains), Cafe Casablanca has put together an extravaganza on Sunday, 15 May: Headliners For Hope! We have twelve (12!) straight hours of live performances, back-to-back. These are not back-benchers, either. These are some of the most fabulous performers in Second Life. The event starts at 9am SL time, and runs until 9pm. The scheduled performers include (in order):

• Gina Gracemount
• Annabel Trafalgar
• Kaycee Drayman
• Jewels Osterham
• RichardScott Barcelos
• Eponine Dench
• Declan Greenfield
• Glolo Ling
  
• MrMikie String
• Paulette Oldrich
• Hayden Sandalwood
• Lance Windlow
• Dilah Halostar

This line-up includes off-Broadway performers, professional choral members, 20-year freelancers, and all-around fantastic artists!

All the performers are donating their tips from this performance to RFL. (We will also be donating venue tips for the day.) And, of course, you can always drop extra lindens directly in the kiosk. RFL in SL raises a significant amount of money (they hit their millionth dollar in late April!) for the fight against cancer and in support of those battling it. So far, this year, Rays of Hope has raised approximately L$246,000. I bet, if all of our marvelous patrons turn out, and bring a friend, and are as generous as we know they all are, we could move this to an even L$300,000 during our event.

We all have had cancer touch our lives in some way: family members, friends, loved ones. Some of these we have lost to the disease, others are still with us, having fought and won, and still others are fighting right now (including one of our team co-captains, Veronica Ogleby). Please come out and join us for this fantastic event. Wear purple (the RFL color) and comfortable shoes. (Hmmmm... you ladies and gents might want to find a store event supporting RFL and pick up a new outfit, maybe some new shoes....)

Celebrate, remember, and fight!

Update: Declan will be unable to participate, and Mr Glolo Ling has agreed to step into his time slot. Thank you, Lolo, for helping out.

An Honor for Cafe Casblanca

Last Wednesday was already a wonderful day when Dilah Halostar took the stage at 8pm. We had a full day of great performers and our terrific patrons. Dilah was going to be the icing on the cake, as she usually is.

Then a lovely couple came in to listen to her show. We enjoyed their company and they fit right in with our friends who make Cafe Casablanca so special. Little did we know, they were there for another reason.

Grace Jovinavic and GypsyCatRider Tenk are the owners of a great newsletter in Second Life called "The Rough Giraffe". They follow the SL music scene and write reviews of artists and venues throughout the grid. We were lucky enough to be included and I received a copy of the newsletter this morning.

With Grace's permission, I'm posting the article here:

CASABLANCA (Mature)

Owners: Conlaoch Gustav & NytEyes Marikh Gustav (NytEyes Marikh)
Performer: Dilah Halostar-Freund (Dilah Halostar)

You must remember this … a kiss is just a kiss … Venues on the other hand are often more then they appear. Café Cassblanca is inspired by the famous Humprhey Bogart-movie with the same title. By many called one of the best movies ever, not unlike the venue I arrived at today.
Café Casablanca is a very elegant, classy place and I was very happy I could get Gypsy to putting on a shirt so he could join me and share a dance while listening to the incredibly talented Dilah.
Dilah was astonishing us with a marvelous concert. Her obviously well-trained is able to pitch (???) perfectly. The power in her voice and the vibratos she makes sound effortless add to the ‘taking-my-breath-away’ feeling I had when listening to her performing some of the best Jazz songs ever written. Dilah accompanies herself with piano and a drum-machine. Everything adds to the beauty and vibe I had when at Café Casablanca.
The décor resembles the one of a Spanish café. With a typical red carpet and red drapes around the stage, it looks elegant. A few tables are located around the dance floor for those that didn’t think of wearing comfortable dancing shoes. Movie posters of the movie are on every single wall you find here. This place looks stunning and all of that because of the two extremely friendly and hospitable owners. A power duo that can take any place and lift it up to a new level.

Grace Jovinavic

If you would like a copy of the newsletter, which covers several artists and venues, please contact NytEyes Marikh, Conlaoch Gustav or send an IM to Grace Jovinavic herself.

We are honored and very happy to be included. Thank you, Grace!

What is 'Live Music"?

There has long been a debate within the Second Life music community about what constitutes live entertainment.

One of our own, Phoenix Gerhadsen has an excellent blog post regarding the argument concerning live vs. "karaoke" performances. She has also included a great article by Loegan Magic on the topic. I had told her long ago I would post a reference to it here and I have been sadly remiss in getting that done. It's a worthwhile topic that should be brought to light.

Before I direct you to it, I would like to add my own thoughts;

Merriam-Webster defines music as "Vocal, instrumental or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody or harmony." Nowhere in that definition does it say, "If you sing, you must accompany yourself".

Many of our performers use what is known as 'tracks', recorded instrumental accompaniment to give a rounded and professional sound quality to their live performance. That is not the same as prerecording a performance and just playing the file when they are onstage. The voice you hear is coming to you live as you listen. That performer is opening themselves to your praise or your ridicule in real time.

Does the fact that this person is not a one man band, strumming a banjo while they turn their head in one direction to play a trumpet and thumping a bass drum with their toes make them less of a 'live' performer? Absolutely not!

There are many wonderful performers who can sing and play an instrument. We are graced with several at Cafe Casablanca; Dilah Halostar is an accomplished pianist, JC Farstrider and Declan Greenfield both gifted saxophonists. They all bring us their vocal and musical talents. They also enhance their performance with added instrumentation or 'tracks'.

A voice is an instrument. Whether the person singing is a trained professional or a gifted amateur, they are offering us the opportunity to share their love of music. Maligning someone for not balancing a guitar on their knee or having taken piano lessons is narrow minded and is a type of elitism Second Life can ill afford.

If you don't believe these same tools are used by many highly paid real world entertainers in their concerts and stage performances, you should do a little research into the arts. From grand opera to garage bands, backing tracks and prerecorded instrumentals are employed more often than you might imagine.

I stand by every entertainer who comes to Second Life to share the joy of music with us. They put hours into giving us the best they can offer and I praise every one of them for having the courage to put themselves in front of us and facing a very demanding audience.

The link to Phoenix's blog post is:

http://phoenixsings.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-not-karaoke-morons-please-read.html

Please take the time to read it. We are a world where the loudest voices usually hold the most sway. Let's make a louder voice for live music in ALL forms being accepted with the respect due.

Sentimental Journey

Valentine’s Day is approaching – that most romantic of days – and you haven’t yet decided what you’re going to do with your sweetheart. Well, I’ll help you out: come on down to the Valentine’s Day event at Cafe Casablanca, “Sentimental Journey.”

Besides our regular Monday evening lineup of singers performing their best love songs, we have added three special guests on Monday afternoon, as well. Also, three separate hours of dedications and classic jazz love songs before, between, and after our two blocks of fabulous performers.

It all starts at noon SL, with an hour of dedications and love songs. Then, Annabel Trafalgar sings live at 1pm, followed by Hayden Sandalwood at 2, and Glolo Ling at 3. Then, another hour of dedications and romance. Then another three hours of fantastic live performances from Eponine Dench (at 5pm), Paulette Oldrich (6pm), and MrMikie String (at 7). It is all topped off by another hour of dedications and romantic music from 8 to 9pm.

Now, if you would like to dedicate a song to your loved one, all you need to do is drop a notecard on Conlaoch Gustav or NytEyes Marikh with the following information:

• Which hour you want the dedication in (12-1pm, 4-5pm, or 8-9pm)
• Song (please be specific)
• Performer (if you have a preference)
• Your name and your sweetheart’s name
• The dedication you would like to accompany the song

Submit the dedications before 9PM SL on February 11.

We will play your dedications interspersed with classic love songs of the 20s through 40s. And, of course, all this is just the sounds to accompany your dancing and cuddling and romance. So, come on down and take a “Sentimental Journey.”

Happy New Year!

I know, I know. It's well past New Year's. But, there is still Chinese New Year! So... I'm not really late.

I wanted to, above all else, thank all of our patrons in 2010! Without our patrons, this place has no reason to be. We do what we do so that our patrons have a nice place to come and hear great music and dance and have a little romance.

I also want to thank our fabulous performers! You folks make this place so much more than just a great dance floor. We have up to 20 live shows a week, with 18 performers, as well as our Big Band Night with DJ Suzetta Moonites. For 6 hours a day, some days, this place is filled with marvelous live music.

So, I say THANK YOU! to all of our patrons and performers in 2010! And, I will tell you that 2011 is looking to be even better! We're in the SL Destination Guide now, under Romance. Because of that, we have had even more folks at our shows.

Just please keep one thing in mind: a lot of these folks are SL newbees. So, please have a little patience if they go barreling over or through you while you're dancing. And - as so many folks have in the past week - give them a helping hand. Let them remember how great the folks are, here at Cafe Casablanca.

We also had a great set of people come by in early January from a new group called the Nostalgia Navigators. A group of folks on the SL Forums were looking for places with some old-time style and class (and music), and they chose Cafe Casablanca for their first outing. They came down to dance at our Big Band Night on Thursday, and had a blast. Conlaoch and NytEyes had a great time, too. They do love to see the place packed with people having a good time. They are welcome back anytime! (I tried linking to a picture that Quinn took and put in the Nostalgia Navigators Flickr, but I am not sure it is linking. Go here and then look around.)

I was told I shouldn't hint at plans that aren't solid, yet. And, I won't. But, I will say that we do have big ideas for 2011. Please keep an eye out here for announcements and such. (As a matter of fact, look for a big announcement in the next two days!)

Merry Christmas!

Well, it has been a hectic month. Parties everywhere - SL and RL. Shows left and right. Decorating for the season. I hope no one over-indulged to the point of injury.

We had a wonderful Sand & Snow event on Christmas Eve. DJ Sean Qendra spun some great island Christmas music, mixed with more traditional Christmas fare, out on our beach. It was a fun two hours.

We have our regular lineup between now and New Years' day. We might have a few changes, but not many. We really have a great array of talent at Cafe Casablanca. From instrumentalists to singers, bass to soprano, mellow to lively, from all over the globe, our performers are fantastic! I know some of you have your favorites, but do check out our calendar and swing by to hear someone new.

We have some ideas for special events for the new year, and we hope you will keep an eye on our calendar and the events list in SL. Thank you all for helping to make 2010 a fabulous year at Cafe Casablanca!