This week we are featuring Mankind Tracer, a.k.a. Seth Regan, who has been playing rock music in SL since 2006. He is a prolific performer inworld as well as IRL and has made several albums over the years.

For more information, please check out his official website.

Q: When/how did you hear about Second Life?
A: I was surfing Yahoo in 2006 from my apartment in New York and saw an ad come up. Of course I had to check out this new thing called a ‘Virtual World’!

Q: How old were you when you started playing music, and what prompted your interest?
A: I originally started piano lessons at about nine years old after my parents saw I was able to play songs by ear. I took lessons for a few years, but made the move to guitar after hearing Pink Floyd and other cool rock tunes I was exposed to at a young age by my five older brothers.

Q: Tell us about some musicians who have been important/influential to you.
A: I have a lot of favorites, so many songs by so many phenomenal artists and bands are crammed in my head. I’d probably say Pink Floyd and other progressive rock bands, some classical tunes as well, and I’m also a big Billy Joel fan. I love so much music from so many different periods and decades. 

Q: Have you been making new music during the quarantine? If not, how have you managed your relationship to music/creativity during a time when it can be hard to feel motivated?
A: I released my last album Covers - Part I in 2020 during Covid. It’s a double album that contains 25 cover tunes that I recorded as acoustic covers and some that I did more full studio productions on. During this unprecedented time, I’ve turned to music, as I always have. It’s my home. It’s my soul, my breath and my guiding light when I just need to regroup.

Q: You've been active in SL for what, about 14 years now? How has the music scene changed, and how has your approach to performing inworld evolved?
A: It seems to be in a constant state of flux, just like it does in RL. Of course with the unfortunate start of Covid last year, many artists were no longer able to play their RL gigs, so they migrated to other online platforms, SL included. My approach to performing in SL hasn’t changed at all. I have always recognized that these are people from all over the world behind the avatars. 
 
I’d also like to add that when a venue, or any business for that matter, is kind enough to book me, I put my name and my all behind the event, including creating promotional graphics and marketing to about 400K+ SL’ers within my networks. I think it’s very important that as the musicians, besides our performances, we do what we can to help promote those who are hiring us to perform for their audience(s).

Q: What is the most meaningful aspect of the SL music community to you?
A: I would have to say diversity. There are so many wonderful, talented artists from all over the globe. This as well as the inherent property of SL itself… the platform. When I first started, I noticed there were some sending a DJ signal into SL. I thought, well if they can send a signal off a board, why can’t I send a live signal. Then I very quickly started my live shows, not before seeing other live musicians were in on it too. It’s an amazing tool we musicians have with SL. I use(d) it to springboard my RL career. I chose to mix SL and RL. Some don’t and that’s perfectly fine. We have that choice. For me personally, I managed to leverage my SL career to gain more exposure for both Mankind and Seth. I am forever grateful.

Follow his socials for the latest news on his music: 
Facebook (fan)
Facebook (personal)
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube

Thank you, Mankind Tracer! If you or someone you know would like to submit content for Music Mondays, please fill out this form.