Tag: Frank’s Place

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Join the New, Classy, Elegant LOVE Club for Free (But Today and Tomorrow Only!)

Love is under new management, with a new formal dress code and new rules, and I have found it to be a worthy and elegant successor to the Frank’s Jazz club(s) of yesteryear.
Vanity Fair, a photo taken by SL photogapher Aggie Rowlands in the LOVE club, April 3rd, 2024 (Flickr link; be sure to check out her photostream!)

As the uncrowned freebie queen of Second Life, I have tended to devote much of my time to posting about fabulous freebies in SL avatar fashion to my blog and to my Steals, Deals, and Freebies group in Second Life (more often lately to the latter than the former, as I have been slowly scaling back on my coverage of Second Life). But today I wanted to share a different kind of freebie: a limited-time opportunity to join a wonderful club I have found, before they start to charge a group membership fee to members!

I have greatly mourned the loss of Frank’s Jazz dance club, which used to be a place where you could throw on a suit, tuxedo, or ballgown, and listen to smooth jazz and golden oldies in a beautifully appointed, elegant environment. After the original shut down, several copycat upstarts popped up, but eventually all closed down. *

However, I recently chanced upon a place which I have been spending a lot of time at over the past week, and I think it is a very worthy successor to the Frank’s of ye olden days! It used to be a slightly seedy tag dance club which encouraged female nudity, but it has recently changed ownership, and imposed some new rules and standards of behaviour, and a new formal, non-sexist dress code.

I must confess that it has been truly wonderful to find a place where I can get all dressed up, and hang out in an elegant, romantic ballroom, listening to the smooth musical classics of yesteryear and more recent times: from jazz, swing, and R&B, to current adult contemporary ballads: Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Eva Cassidy, Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Bublé… the list goes on and on. In fact, I often leave Vanity Fair or a similarly well-dressed avatar standing in a discreet corner of this club, turn up the volume on the stream, and have it on as some relaxing, nostalgic background music while I do something else in another Windows tab on my PC, or even while tackling the dishes or a little housecleaning!

Vanity Fair (dressd to kill in a brand new ballgown from Son!a Edge), hanging out near the bar at the new Love club. Much more satisfactory than listening to the radio!

The name of this club is, simply, Love. I am on a much-needed vacation from work this week, and have been popping in at various times of the day and night all week to check this place out. Love appears to be quite popular, with anywhere from 20 to 70 avatars at any time, both during the day with a more European crowd, and in the evening with a more North American crowd. In addition to the default Legends Jazz music stream, Love’s new owners quite often schedule guest DJs, live singers and performers, and tribute acts.

Here’s the freebie part: you can join the Love club group for free, but only today, March 31st, and tomorrow, April 1st! Starting April 2nd, 2024, Love will require a group membership to attend most events. In a recent notecard posted to the group, the new owners state:

…Pass[ing] 2500 members and still striving to provide our members with the best possible services and high-quality experiences, as well as for enhancing our exclusive offerings, we have made the decision to ask for membership fees for all new members from 2nd of April, 2024.

It means that :

  • From 2nd of April, all new membership will cost L$790;
  • Current members will naturally remain members without any fees;
  • Access to the LOVE venue will be then [for] group members only from April 2nd;
  • “Love” group members will also have special access to special Noir’Wen events, activities and offers [Noir’Wen is the name of the region where the Love club has its home].

The group membership will give us scope to schedule and plan for Live Performers (singers, dance groups, DJs and Tribute Acts), offer a stipend to our official LOVE photographer and Cigarette Girl, as well as organize specialist “themed events” on a monthly basis.

We will be arranging regular “Open Nights”, and events which will give temporary access to non group members and guests.

Under the new management team and formal dress code, we want to assure you that we remain committed to providing value and quality to your SL experience. Your continued support enables us to innovate, grow, and provide you with the quality experience you deserve.

Anyways, I have found a place I feel quite comfortable visiting and enjoying, and wanted to give Love a shout-out in my blog, and alert you that you only have a couple of days to join Love’s group for free! The name of the group is “Love” (yes, with the quotes), and here is the group’s URI, which you can copy and paste into text chat in order to join the group: secondlife:///app/group/0ecc3e77-afdf-129d-cc5a-21dd9647e9f8/about. (There’s also a group join sign at the entrance.)

Please note that, while the female dress code is now much less sexist, and any lewdness and nudity will probably get you quickly ejected, that this is a club where tag dancing is still allowed (with rules). According to “Love” group description:

Welcome to “Love” a tag dance and romance venue. For flirtatious, glamorous, charming patrons with a creative sense of distinction. A stylish, sophisticated venue for intimate and romantic rendezvous. We encourage tag dancing in our ballroom dance venue, where patrons may cut in on a couple by politely touching a dancer on the shoulder. “Love” is a friendly elegant tag venue Tag Dancing, Jazz, Music, Romance and Sensual Fetish. Formal dress code applies to all,

Also, from a notecard recently posted to the group:

Welcome to “Love” a tag dance and romance venue. Our new luxurious and high-class venue for dance, romance and seduction with an elegant and smart theme.

Tag Visitors, share dreams of intimacy and romance.. We respect diversity and cultural differences, whether this be relating to gender, sexual preferences, ethnicity, or other identities.

Please, follow some basic rules for making this beautiful place yours and give respect to all Visitors and Staff.

FORMAL DRESS CODE : is expected to be formal dress and emphasize seduction and sensuality while remaining elegant and chic.

For Men, we suggest a smart style such as business or chic casual suits or a formal tuxedo, slacks & suit jacket, or simply a blazer. It is a must for respecting and honoring women… Yes Sir. You are here to seduce and to flirt, so look like you mean to do that!

For women, we welcome your good taste and your seductive creativity, whether formal, sexy, classic or more daring… Dresses, gowns, cocktail dress, evening suits (with pants) are encouraged. Emphasizing seduction and sensuality while remaining elegant, chic and at the same time feeling desirable if not sensual.

For fetish and more “kinky desires”, we will regularly organize specially “themed” dedicated events and activities, so during these themes you can “WEAR WHAT YOU DARE”

,,,

Please give genuine respect to all. This will be the base of our flexibility and [rapport]. This is an exclusive venue for humans, and no other living species will be permitted in the club. [In other words, adult human avatars only; no furries, dinkies, tinies, centaurs, etc.]

No nudity (showing genitals), no t-shirts, jeans, shorts, sandals or beachwear.

Wear our club tag as much as possible, please. And remove any commercial [i.e. visible group] tag such as “escort”, “prostitute” or “pimp”.

No financial dealings or operations will be accepted. As well as no harassment of any kind.

Try also to remain light in terms of scripts, as it causes lag and will jeopardize movement.

If you require a change of outfit or costume before arriving in the club, you will find a cabin at the landing space to do so.

Of course, we won’t accept weapons of any kind other than your seduction and tantalizing powers.

We will not accept or tolerate any misogynistic language, behaviour, or attitudes.

We will not tolerate or accept any child related porn, relations, childlike avatars or pedophilia.

We will not tolerate any racist abuse, language, behaviour or attitudes or any racial slurs.

So, if after reading all this, you are somewhat intrigued, and especially if you (like me) have really missed the grand old days of Frank’s Jazz club, Love might just be the place for you! I have taken advantage of the free group join to sign up both my main avatars and small army of alts. 😉 I must admit that I quite like the club, my female avatars and alts have not been pestered, and it looks like I will be regularly spending time here, listening to the oldies and looking fabulous as always!

Coupon Clip, dressed to kill, and listening to the Legends Jazz sound track in the classy environment of the Love romance club under new management!

And so, I cordially invite you to check out Love for yourself. Here’s your taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Noir%20Wen/91/225/32.

UPDATE April 2nd, 2024: Well, I do hope that you took advantage of that free group join while it was available! Here is a 40-second video clip of my main male and female avatars, Heath Homewood and Vanity Fair, out on the dance floor at Love:

UPDATE April 5th, 2024: Just a couple more shots of Heath and Vanity dancing at LOVE. This is where ye olde system-layers-and-flexiprims ballgowns of yesteryear still really shine! Some things just cannot be improved upon, after all these years.

Heath and Vanity do some groovy dancing
Heath and Vanity dance the classics at LOVE

*Please note that Frank’s still has an Elite VIP club, which I believe costs L$1,000 to join as a member, but which is, sadly, a subdued echo of the original, powerhouse dance club. Vanity Fair was once a member, but as a freebie fashionista, I decided I had to keep all of Vanity’s spare group slots free for stores and events! Priorities, people!! 😉

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Pale Beauty

I am in a resolutely foul and cranky mood this evening, for two reasons.

First, I realize that I have spent EIGHTY CANADIAN DOLLARS to change the name of one of my Second Life avatars, which, even for someone who loves SL as much as I do, is an filthy, obscene amount of money; and…

Second, I am still struggling with bouts of anxiety, depression and anger at having to self-isolate in my apartment because of the coronavirus pandemic. I started working from home March 16th, 2020, and I feel as if I am slowly starting to fall apart at the seams, and it hasn’t even been ONE FULL MONTH YET. And today Helen Branswell reports for STAT:

A modeling study on the new coronavirus  warns that intermittent periods of social distancing may need to persist into 2022 in the United States to keep the surge of people severely sickened by Covid-19 from overwhelming the health care system.

The research, published Tuesday in the journal Science, looked at a range of scenarios for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus will spread over the next five years. Those scenarios included variables like whether people who are infected develop short-term immunity — less than a year — or longer-term protection. But, overall, the research concludes it is unlikely that life will return any time soon to the way it was before the virus’ emergence.

2022? 2022?!??

And, just to add insult to injury, I have developed an ugly, painful reddish-brown rash on the backs of my thighs from spending 16-to-18 hour days perched in front of my personal computer, sitting on one of my wooden kitchen chairs, and it has has just made me even more cranky, upset and ill-tempered. (I plan to drive out to my office in the science library tomorrow, to pick up my lushly upholstered and much-missed executive office chair, praying to God that I can fit it into the back of my subcompact car, so I can bring it home.)

As a virtual hermit who largely lives his life on the internet, all of a sudden I can no longer sit for long periods in front of my computer! (So much for my admittedly unhealthy coping mechanism.) In between sessions on my PC, I lie on the sofa, with my legs propped up, rubbing a corticosteroid cream originally prescribed for my eczema on my thighs, seething.

So, no, I am NOT a happy camper today. I am not a happy camper at all.

However, I still take some small amount of pleasure from my weird little hobby of designing a complete Second Life avatar look from head to toe. So tonight, I have plunked down an avatar at the side of the (New) Frank’s Jazz Club, listening to the music stream as I lie on the sofa:

Here’s a few more shots of my avatar from the front:

This avatar is wearing:

Mesh Head: The Limited Edition Bento head from Akeruka (L$1 group gift; the Akeruka group costs L$150 to join, and I would strongly urge you to pick up this Bakes on Mesh head before it’s gone, which comes in eight different skin tones and with matching skin appliers for Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, and Omega-compatible mesh bodies included). The beautiful mesh eyes are also included in the package.

Mesh Body: Juliet by Altamura (a limited-time group gift from Valentine’s Day 2019, which I turn to again and again on this blog; at the time I joined the Altamura group it was only L$50, but it now costs L$100 to join their group; this Juliet body is now for sale at the full price). In order to use the Serenity II skin below, I needed to buy and install the Omega system kit for Altamura (available for L$99 at this exact SLURL), as well as use the free Bakes on Mesh relay available at the Altamura store.

Skin: This beautiful pale Serenity II skin with blonde eyebrows is a Bakes on Mesh skin by Alaskametro (available for free from The Free Dove freebie store). This was my inspiration to get creative tonight!

Hair: This elegant updo is called NO.KEY and is by NO.MATCH (it was a freebie during a short period of time last year when the store was giving away a free gift each day).

Dress: This truly lovely retro Celebrate Spring! dress in opal is by steampunk/historical roleplay outfitter Cog & Fleur, and it was a free hunt prize in their recently-concluded Good Eggs hunt.

Shoes: Jai pumps by Rowne (free group gift; unfortunately, the Rowne store seems to have disappeared from the grid).

Necklace: This is an oldie but a goodie: the Glazed Heart necklace from Eolande’s (remember them? they have long since closed up shop).

TOTAL COST FOR THIS AVATAR: L$300 (L$151 total for the Akeruka head, L$50 to join the Altamura group to get the Juliet body, and L$99 for the Altamura Omega system kit)

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: A Tale of Two Frank’s

A rather amusing situation has developed in the wake of Frank’s Entertainment Group closing down most of their Second Life venues: two dueling Frank’s Jazz Clubs have arisen!

Frank’s Jazz Club (The Upstart)

The new club, which is variously called Frank’s Jazz Club, the New Frank’s Place, the Sinatra Jazz Club, and the Frank S Jazz Club, depending on which sign you’re looking at and which landmark you pick up, is the new kid on the block, obviously hoping to lure Frank’s previous clientele. (I’m quite sure that Frank’s original owner, Nanceee Sinatra, is rather ticked off about this development, but there’s not much that she can do about it. I rather doubt she trademarked the name Frank’s.)

The music mix is much the same as Nancee’s original Frank’s, but I note that you can make song requests for the DJ to play using various signs placed around the venue, which is a suitably large and impressive space, tastefully decorated for Christmas.

And I do see many familiar faces from Frank’s here already! Which just goes to show that the concept was a good one. It was very smart of someone to step immediately into the void left when Frank’s closed.

Even better, there are gifts of free formalwear for both men and women at the entrance! What more could a freebie fashionista ask for?

Here my avatar is wearing the free black ballgown, which is quite lovely and has sizes to fit most classic system and mesh bodies (this is the version for Maitreya Lara, which fits this Altamura Juliet mesh body perfectly):

She is also wearing:

TOTAL COST FOR THIS ENTIRE FORMAL OUTFIT: FREE!

Frank’s Elite Jazz Club (The Original)

On the other hand, there is Frank’s Elite Jazz Club, which is under new ownership after the previous sim owner stepped in to save it when Frank’s Entertainment Group was going to shut it down. It is a members-only club with a rather steep membership fee of L$1,000 (I had joined when the group fee was only L$500), but they sometimes have events which are open to everybody.

I must confess that I do have a soft spot for this venue, which is beautifully decorated for the holiday season:

One of things I do like about Frank’s Elite Jazz Club is the variety of talented live performers. I also appreciate the fact that the exclusivity of the club tends to attract a higher class of clientele (I did get rather sick and tired of being hit on all the time at Frank’s original club; being a drop-dead gorgeous female avatar does have its disadvantages 😉 ).

Vanity Fair is wearing her standard go-to ballgown, the Au Revoir red silk gown by Snowpaws—simple, beautiful, effortlessly elegant.

To go with the ballgown, I am also wearing:

  • Antigone gold and ruby earrings (a long-ago free gift from Kouse’s Sanctum, a store which has now closed)
  • Gigi crimson pumps by Garbaggio (not shown; my favourite shoe store!)
  • And a gold wedding band by Su Xue (as a warning signal to keep the male pestering to a minimum 😉 ).

Vanity is also wearing:

UPDATED: Frank’s Entertainment Group Is Shutting Down Frank’s Jazz Club and the Rest of Its Locations in Second Life After 13 Years

I just learned today that one of my favourite go-to places in Second Life, Frank’s Jazz Club (a.k.a. Frank’s Place), is shutting its doors for good on November 23rd, 2019. This news comes as a bit of a surprise to me, because Frank’s was still one of more popular clubs in Second Life, with a good crowd most evenings. Frank’s was famous for insisting on a strict formal dress code (tuxedos or suits for the men and long gowns for the women); if you showed up in jeans and a T-shirt, you were quickly ushered out the door, politely but firmly, by whatever host or hostess was on duty. The name is a bit of a misnomer; Frank’s actually played much more adult contemporary and easy-listening music than actual jazz.

And not just Frank’s Jazz Club is closing, but all the enterprises operating under the umbrella of Frank’s Entertainment Group (FEG):

  • Frank’s Elite Jazz Club (a separate, members-only club)
  • Bogart’s Jazz Club (a competing club bought by FEG and operating in the Galleria shopping mall adjoining Frank’s Jazz Club)
  • Chateau d’Elite Restaurant (a roleplay high-end restaurant)
  • The Galleria shopping mall (covering two sims)

In a notecard sent out to her Frank’s Elite group members, FEG founder Nanceee Sinatra-Dante explains why she is closing up shop:

I enter into a new chapter in my life. I have found joy in real life, yes, from a relationship I made here in FEG. Eric and I are now fully together in real life and expect to marry in the coming months. We enter real life with great expectations for the future. It is a future bright in both of our minds and hearts. Because of my desire to fully experience the real life we are creating, we have decided to close FEG in the coming weeks. This has been a difficult decision for all of the reasons expressed above, but it is with a realization that there is only so much time in a day.

FEG’s last official business day will be November 23, 2019. We have en amazing 2 final days planned and hope you can join us as we go out with a “bang”.

I offer my congratulations to Nanceee on having a Second Life relationship successfully carry over into her real life! And keep your eyes peeled for announcements of wind-up events during these final two weeks of operation. A quick glance at the Second Life Map shows that all three of Frank’s Jazz Club, Bogart’s and Frank’s Elite are busy tonight!

Frank’s faithful clientele will no doubt move on to other clubs. But it does indeed mark the end of an era. (Personally, I am hoping for a few clearance sales at the stores in The Galleria shopping mall!)

UPDATE Nov. 23rd, 2019: It has been announced that Frank’s Elite Jazz club will continue operations after the rest of the venues run by Frank’s Entertainment Group shut down, running under a new proprietor. This is good news, and I look forward to future visits!