Club CasaBlanco's Artists: Friendly Fire

(Friendly Fire's First Performance in Casa)

The GLAMTASTIC Friendly Fire have been playing in Casa since its opening night. Mack and Case play every Thursday in Casa at 6pmslt. If anything strange is gonna happen, or if anything is gonna go wrong, it will in Casa. They have survived Rolling Restarts, and griefers! They have premiered songs, named their cat Go-Go, and rezzed the awesome Friendly Fire christmas tree for the first time in Casa. Recently they have started to play every second FluffyFriday too! Mack and Case are great friends of Casa, the place wouldnt be the same without them. They both took some time out to answer questions for us, have a read and get to know Casa's favourite duo a little bit better :)

(Friendly Fire @ Casa's Paddys Day Party)

MacKenzie Rasmuson

1. Who are you and where are you from?

MacKenzie Rasmuson, Pompano Beach, FL

2. How long have you been playing?

10 years

3. Which instruments do you play?

bass, keyboards, guitar

4. What was the first tune(s) you learned?

Shit, my mind is mush right now, but I know it was a Rod Stewart tune

5. Is your family musical?

Yes

6. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?

I admire Sheryl Crowe because she's a well-repsected woman musician in a rock and roll, man's world.

(The guys celebrating Valentines Day in Casa)

7. Do you write everything yourself?

Case Munro and I collaborate on our music.

8. Who was your first teacher? Other teachers?

My first music teacher was an old man named Mr. Kirchner, who taught me piano. I was afraid of him. Case has also been a great teacher. I'm afraid of him too :)

9. What are your fondest musical memories?

Case and I were able to play with two of our all-time favorite bands...Fortress of Attitude (on Myspace) and The Genders (also on Myspace). Anytime I've been to a concert or have seen seen a great band is up there too.

10. Were you influenced by old records/tapes? Which ones?

I love Johnny Cash, and also Robert Johnson as well as Louis Armstrong.

11. Who are your favourite musicians? Groups?

I'm a Van Halen girl, but I also love the Stones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash. I think those would be the groups I would listen to if I could only pick four. Don't make me pick just one please :)

12. Do you perform in RL? If so where?

We used to perform in first life all the time, all around south Florida.

13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Mistakes? Just blow right past 'em!

14. Do you get nervous before a performance?

There's always a sense of excitement just before we go live, but I don't get nervous.

15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?

Just remember, you're going to fuck up and really, only you'll know it. So don't worry!

(Mack and Case at the Half way to Paddys Day Party Sept 08)

16. How often and for how long do you practice?

We play so much that most of my "practice" is done while we're doing a performance.

17. Was this your life long dream?

No! The music industry is awful! But, I do love it and Case needed someone in the band who wasn't going to quit or that he couldn't fire. He's tried! Oh, how he's tried...but he's married to me :)

18. If you won an award for your music, who would you thank?

Case Munro, my family for supporting me, and all our fans as well as all those who believed in us along the way and helped us in anyway they could.

19. Where can people find out more about your music or keep in touch with you?

http://www.myspace.com/friendlyfiremusic

Just for fun:
- Person or thing you would most like to be reincarnated as
A cat in a household like mine.

- If your house was on fire what one thing would you take with you as you ran out? (NOT a person)
Our four cats count as people I guess, so it would probably be my guitar or pictures.

- If you were on a desert island and could take two things with you what would they be?
My bass and my ipod shuffle

- If you could go back to a particular period in history when would it be?
The Renaissance

- What is your favorite food and drink?
All food is great! Beer!

- What’s your pet hate?
People who are phony and liars

- If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I already live in Florida, but I would also love to live on an island, in a nice bungalow with internet service and people on the other side who would deliver food and such when I needed.

(Case - looks like poor Mack had crashed again)

Case Munro

1. Who are you and where are you from?
We are Friendly Fire (Case Munro/guitar and MacKenzie Rasmuson/bass) an all original rock band from Pompano Beach, Florida

2. How long have you been playing?
I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years, Mack has been playing bass for around 8 years. Friendly Fire was formed in 2004

3. Which instruments do you play?
Electric guitar and bass, along with pre-programmed drums

4. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Country Roads Take Me Home, it was the only sheet music in the house

5. Is your family musical?
My father and grandfather played the guitar a bit, my other grandfather played the organ

6. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
too many to count, but my favorite guitar player is Jeff Beck, because he plays things no one else could think of

7. Do you write everything yourself?

yes

(The guys at Casa's First birthday party!!)

8. Who was your first teacher? Other teachers?
Self taught

9. What are your fondest musical memories?
too many to count, although playing the Hard Rock was cool

10. Were you influenced by old records/tapes? Which ones?
Albums that had a big impact- The Clash, Never Mind The Bollocks, It's What's Inside That Counts by Critical Mass, Get The Knack, The Beatles Rock and Roll music

11. Who are your favourite musicians? Groups?
off the top of my head- Beatles, Stones, Clash, Pistols, Cheap Trick

12. Do you perform in RL? If so where?
not since we found SL :) we used to play all over Florida

13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
small mistakes we just plow ahead, usually we notice more than the audience, major screwups we point out and joke about

14. Do you get nervous before a performance?
every time

(Rockin it out @ Casa)

15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
channel the nervous energy into your performance

16. How often and for how long do you practice?
don't really practice per se, but we work at music for 3-4 hours a day, writing songs or recording or promotional stuff. I noodle on the guitar a lot while watching tv. when we first started the band we rehearsed 5 days a week for an entire year, which really built the foundation

17. Was this your life long dream?
yes

18. If you won an award for your music, who would you thank?
everyone

19. Where can people find out more about your music or keep in touch with you? http://www.myspace.com/friendlyfiremusic

Just for fun:
- Person or thing you would most like to be reincarnated as
one of our cats, they have it made

(FIRE FIRE - Mack is HOT HOT HOT)

- If your house was on fire what one thing would you take with you as you ran out? (NOT a person)
if it was just one thing it would have to be my computer, but I would try and grab a guitar or two if I could

- If you were on a desert island and could take two things with you what would they be?
a guitar and a pot seed

- If you could go back to a particular period in history when would it be?
I would have liked to have been born 20 years earlier when rock and roll was starting out

- What is your favorite food and drink?
tacos and beer

- What’s your pet hate?
willful stupidity

- If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

wouldn't want to live anyplace else :)