A lovely Monday evening at Crystal Sands (07.28.08)

As I may have hinted earlier, I was itching to do some new songs, and that I did tonight at Crystal Sands -- three of them, in fact. I don't have much to say about the show other than that it went really well, with no stream problems, a nice-sized crowd, and an overall easygoing vibe. Got a request right before I started to do "Tribute", which I was happy to do as well. Let's cut to the chase- er, the set list.

"Blue Morning, Blue Day" (Foreigner)

Here's what I played!
*Drive (Incubus)
*Take It On The Run (REO Speedwagon)
*Blue Morning, Blue Day (Foreigner)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Old Man (Neil Young)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Mother (Pink Floyd)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Carey (Joni Mitchell)
Tempted (Squeeze)

*Indicates first time I've performed this song in SL

Thanks to the people who helped support my show:
Carrie Laysan, Ictus Belford, Rykk Ferraris, Kat Claxton, Haroldthe Burrel, Elsbeth Writer, samsam Newbold, Aurelie Chenaux, Triana Caldera, Torch Weinstein, Alex Barth, Grateful Stryker, Sharpie Sommerfleck, and most of all, Sandi Benelli!

Stoned at Stonehenge (07.26.08)

Let's get the complaining out of the way first: I think I need to change off this 3:00PM slot on every third Saturday at Stonehenge . It's not that I don't love the venue; I do, very much so, and Lyn Carlberg and Tessira Soderstrom are about as cool and nice people as any I know in SL. But I can't, for the life of me, get a great crowd there at the start of my show, and I don't seem to run into that problem at any other place in any other time slot. I may ask to switch over to the 4:00 slot so I can at least have the benefit of someone else playing before me.

But regardless of the light crowd for the first 4-5 songs, I had a great time and I felt like both the voice and guitar were working with me all day. I like when that happens! I'd have to say the highlight of the show was the "Suite", where I stretched out and played a little guitar strummin' between lines.

Song Sample: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

The Set List:

Carey (Joni Mitchell)
Southern Man (Neil Young)
Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Stonehenge (Spinal Tap)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Any Major Dude (Steely Dan)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Thanks to the following people who supported my show!
Rhiannon Stradling, Nikki Mathieson, Kat Claxton, Raden Heliosense, Sally Silvera, and especially Lyn Carlberg and Tessira Soderstrom!

Fibber Magee's -- Dublin (07.24.08)

So this one time, on my way to the virtual venue...I got lost!

First time for everything I guess. When I got my information pack to play at Fibber Magee's, I was inadvertently given the wrong LM, but it happened to be to another club in Dublin, the Blarney Stone! So, I walked into the wrong place, and rezzed my shit on the stage. I'm like, "Hi everyone!" and no one's talking to me because they're probably going, "Who's this cheeky fuck, dropping shit off in our club and putting on a guitar?"

I'm still laughing my ass off about it now but at the time, I was saying, "Oh shit! I think I'm in the wrong place!" and to make matters worse, I'd already sent out notices with the wrong address attached. DOH! But then found the right club, went there, and sent another volley of "OOOPS" notices with the right one, and then went on with the show. Ah man. SL imitates life in every way. Too funny.

So, despite those shenanigans, I did actually get started right on time, and I think the show was fantastic. We had a decent-sized, very enthusiastic crowd, and everyone seemed to be having a good time, and I know I had a blast playing for my first show in ten days!

Song Sample #1: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (Steely Dan)

Song Sample #2: "Tribute" (Tenacious D)

Here's the set list:

Wonderwall (Oasis)
Help Me (Joni Mitchell)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Nowhere Man (Beatles)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Any Major Dude (Steely Dan)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Six Underground (Sneaker Pimps)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
Soul Kitchen (The Doors)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Emmie Fairymeadow, Freyja Merryman, Allister Philbin, Lilli Landar, Niky Zenovka, Soundcircel Flanagan, Ray Weyland, Rawnie Lane, Otawan Fouquet, Danton Thirroul, and most of all, Cher Harrington!

Last show for ten days: Crystal Sands (07.14.08)

Well, I have a short forced hiatus from performing in SL. Due to some RL obligations, combined with my show scheduling, I have a ten-day break from playing in SL at all. I know I'll miss it after a few days, but part of this vacation from playing is spending some quality time with my darling Kat, which I am VERY much looking forward to. So all is well.

To mark the occasion, I decided to have a special show at Crystal Sands where I only did the work of two artists: myself and good old Neil Young. I know how much Sandi Benelli enjoys Neil's music, and I'd been neglecting him a bit lately, relegating him to one or two songs per set at most. So, it was all Neil/Zak night, and I think it was fun.


I really love Crystal Sands. I usually do my best shows there since it's where I'm the most relaxed, like being in a room full of appreciative freinds. Thanks to Triana Caldera for the photo!

Song Sample: "Always Tomorrow" (Zak Claxton)

Set list!

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)
I Am A Child (Neil Young)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
My My Hey Hey (Neil Young)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Alabama (Neil Young)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
A Man Needs a Maid (Neil Young)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
*Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Ohio (CSNY)
Old Man (Neil Young)

*Indicates first time I've played this song in SL

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Kinder Torok, Tinder Torok, lofthesedazimgonnacutuin2ltlpc Rust, Kat Claxton, Elvis Duffy, Triana Caldera, CuteMandy Hesse, Fable Sinatra, Pmann Sands, and the always terrific Sandi Benelli!

New 30-second song clip at zakclaxton.com

My Pro Tools system is working again, after doing a little updating at the Digi site, so I put a little teaser clip of the rough mix of You're Like a Cloud on the site. Visit the music page of zakclaxton.com here to listen to the clip from the studio version!

Opening for Max Kleene at Inspiration Cove (07.13.08)

I admit it: I'm an SL gigging whore.

Keeping in mind that I wasn't planning on playing at ALL this weekend, I ended up playing Friday, Saturday, and now Sunday as well. It's not my fault, your honor. I really was going to relax, but first I couldn't pass up playing for Bree Birke at Nitida Ridge, and then yesterday Urusla Cinquetti had me fill in at Triumph Cove.

But since Kat had already scheduled Maximillion Kleene to perform at Inspiration Cove, and I had that little taste of sponging off Max's crowd yesterday, I decided to volunteer to open for Max again today. You know, out of the goodness of my heart, not at all having to do with the 10,000,000 people that tend to show up at every Max Kleene show. Purely altruistic, I am.


Thanks for coming (to see Max)!


"You're Like a Cloud" went over well! See how happy I look! Thanks to Triana Caldera for the pics.

So, I used the opportunity for a quick half-hour show of my originals only, the first time I've done that in SL, ever. And it actually went well! Had a tiny crowd at the start (doing shows on the half hour in Sl is always risky at best), but as more folks drifted in and Max's crowd began to arrive, it was a really great opportunity to showcase my tunes.

Here's what I played:

This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
CuteMandy Hesse, RoseDrop Rust, Revika Quintessa, Hathornefer Gaea, Triana Caldera, Luka Mikoyan, Tessa Rhiadra, Stella Silvansky, Alex Barth, and most of all, my love Kat Claxton!

Surprise! Zak at Triumph Cove (07.12.08)

I awoke today being aware that for the first time in awhile, I wasn't going to be performing on a Saturday. My only plans of the day involved hanging out with my son, doing some grocery shopping, and general laziness. That was, until noon or so, when Ursula Cinquetti dropped me a message to see if I could fill in for Charles Coleman at Triumph Cove at 5:00. At first I was a little hesitant, but then she also let me know who was playing after me... Max Kleene. Well, every time I've played before Max, I've enjoyed the benefit of being there when his massive crowd started to filter in. This time was no exception. It was a fun, totally unplanned show, and I think the folks who were there had fun. I definitely did. :)


Zak in the round.


Pretty sim, nice crowd, can't ask for more.

Song Sample: "All-Star" (Smash Mouth)

The set list, maestro:

Help Me (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Nowhere Man (Beatles)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
Tempted (Squeeze)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
Six Underground (Sneaker Pimps)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
*All-Star (Smash Mouth)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

*Indicates first time I've performed this song in SL

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Jer Vought, Kat Claxton, Grant Herrey, Maria Schreiner, Ian Banach, Sandi Benelli, and especially Ursula Cinquetti!

My debut at Nitida Ridge (07.11.08)

Despite being well-planned and well-coordinated by the amazingly organized Bree Birke, my first show at Nitida Ridge did not start with a bang. First off, there were like 100 shows happening simultaneously at 6:00 on Friday in SL. Okay, maybe 20 shows -- I'm prone to exaggeration. But in any case, there were lots of live music acts for people to choose from, and I think we spread the audience pretty thin. Next, I noticed that I didn't receive the notices that Bree had sent, and sure enough, there seemed to be some difficulties in the "blue notes" going out. Pretty typical in SL from time to time. So I resent some notices about two minutes before I played which actually went through; thank you, ye gods of Linden.

But in any case, when 6:00 rolled around and I got to the mic to play, there were only about 5-6 people there. And then, adding insult to injury, my stream computer starting acting wonky, and sure enough, it cut out twice within the first few songs. LOVELY! My favorite thing, he said with a sneering sarcastic tone.

But then, everything fell into place all of a sudden. The computer/stream decided to behave, and by 15 past the hour, we had another 10-12 people saunter in, making it a decent enough crowd to feel like I was doing a worthwhile show. Beyond all that negative stuff, I felt like the music itself was really going well. Voice felt good, playing felt good. So, despite the weak start, I finished strong and I think the folks who were there (as well as Bree) had a good time. That's all that matters!

I should add here that Nitida Ridge is a gorgeous build. While I'm claiming that this was my debut at the venue, I actually did play there once before, as part of the premiere party for the "Get It Together" project, but that was only a half hour and didn't really represent my full show, so this was indeed the first time I played there on my own. Anyway, it's very pretty and lush, and hats off to Bree Birke for her artistic eye on creating the place.

Song Sample: "She's Always A Woman" (Billy Joel)

Here's the set list:

California (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
She's Always a Woman (Billy Joel)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
Soul Kitchen (The Doors)
Driven to Tears (The Police)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Tessa Rhiadra, katy Ballyhoo, Carter Liveoak, Funkyfreddy Republic, sable Valentine, Keary Flanagan, Gillian Carthage, Triana Caldera, Chestnut Rau, and most of all, Bree Birke!

End of the marathon: Crystal Sands (07.07.08)

Ahhhh, I survived my "four shows in three days" run, and all in all, I think it went very well. I know I had fun! Fortunately, my audience seems to have fun when I'm doing so as well.

Tonight was my usual Monday show at Crystal Sands, but my pre-show warmup routine got a wee bit out of kilter. First, I managed to forget/repress the memory that a string on my D-18V popped the night before. So, 15 minutes before the show, I had this "OH SHIT!" moment and ran across to the guitar, pulled it out, and then went to go get my extra set of Martin SP strings. Strings? Strings? Where are you, strings? Minutes ticked by while I rifled through my music gear, looking for the set, and thankfully finding them. Five minutes before the show, I was frantically putting the new string on the guitar (yes, the G string, you perverts) while sending out notices and talking to people in the crowd. Multitasking at its finest, and one of those rare times that I really could have used my own manager there! Speaking of which, Crystal Sands owner Sandi Benelli was traveling, so the lovely Suka Nishi came over from Cuddlers Cove to handle hosting duties, and was great as always.

In any case, it all came together seconds before Elvis Duffy left the stage, and I jumped up to do my thing. No warmup, no set list, no problem. I actually made it fun, and just pulled my Big List of Tunes out and had "Random Night", where I pulled out whatever came next... making sure that I threw in some Zak Claxton tunes in between the randomness. I may be random, but I ain't stupid. :D

Here's the set list:

The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
Losing My Religion (REM)
Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Just Like Starting Over (John Lennon)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Carey (Joni Mitchell)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Alabama (Neil Young)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
What I Got (Sublime)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
TenneseeJed Freiman, Patti Boyd, Samantha Poindexter, Distilled1 Rush, Kat Claxton, Quinton Whitman, Alexandri Ashbourne, Doug Drakes, Elvis Duffy, Aurelie Chenaux, Robert69 Little, Alex Parsons, Leyah Renegade, Jaleia Collins, PukaD Dingo, tonight's hostess with the mostess, Suka Nishi, and Sandi Benelli.

Rocking the Rezday: Triana's Music Trivia (07.06.08)

Heh heh. See, I knew that Triana's rezday party was coming sometime soon; I just didn't realize it was today until after I'd already told Kat that I'd play her grand opening party today. I generally don't like to play more than one show in a day. I'm always concerned that I'll either blow out my voice, or burn out and not sustain high energy for the seond show.

My worries, at least tonight, were for naught. Triana's party, help during the usual 7:00 Sunday night time slot as her Triana's Music Trivia event, was a really fun gig, and I think I played really well. Had a little surprise at the very end -- for the first time, a string broke on my Martin! And it was LOUD, man, right next to the mic. SPROING!!!!! But as I said, I was only going to do one more tune, and the show was done anyway, so if it had to happen, it couldn't have happened at a better time.


w00t! Everyone having fun at TMT, live edition.


Good times, good friends. I have fun every Sunday night at Triana's... playing there just made it all the more excellent.

Anyway, I was very happy to play for Trivia's big day today, and hope we can do another live event at TMT again soon. Oh, and I got to do a couple cool tracks: "Raised on Robbery" (a new one for me) and "Triana", a little tune I wrote about the guest of honor.

Song Sample: "Triana" (Zak Claxton)

The set list:
Pigs on the Wing Part 1 (Pink Floyd)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Save It For Later (English Beat)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
*Raised on Robbery (Joni Mitchell)
Mother (Pink Floyd)
Triana (Zak Claxton)
A Day in the Life (Beatles)
Fire & Rain (James Taylor)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Help Me (Joni Mitchell)
My Heart (Neil Young)

*Indicates first time I've played this song in SL

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Kristy McMahon, Mick Majestic, Alchemy Epstein, Rey Tardis, Nakira Tennen, MrNoCal Honey, Kat Claxton, Julianna Osterham, Ursula Cinquetti, Cher Harrington, Jordan Hazlitt, and most of all, my friend Triana Caldera! Happy Rezday, Tri!

Grand opening: Inspiration Cove (07.06.08)

I had two shows today, both of them kind of special. As such (note the set list below and in the post above), I pulled out three songs over the two shows that I'd never performed in SL before. Me likee the new stuff! Keeps me fresh, like a warm summer's eve.

Anyway...

My first show was at Inspiration Cove, the new island owned by Encore Design Group (the SL design business owned by AnnGee Li and my darling Kat Claxton). They were hosting their grand opening, and hired some entertainment to help bring in some traffic. Well, I happen to have an "in" with the owners, so I became the first live musician to play there (there was a DJ last night, Trust Kovacs, who did a great job, BTW).


A lovely lagoon is a good place for a stage.


My view of the festivities.

Didn't manage to get a huge crowd; there's a lot of competing shows at 3:00 on a Saturday. However, those that were there seemed to be having a great time, and enough people were coming in and out that I think we got a decent number of folks being aware of Inspiration Cove, so that's not a bad thing at all. So, we had fun, played some tunes, and even had two brand new ones in the set, as seen... well, right here.

The set list:

*Carey (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
Terrapin Station (Grateful Dead)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
For The Turnstiles (Neil Young)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
*Driven To Tears (The Police)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Soul Kitchen (The Doors)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Go To the Mirror! (The Who)
Old Man (Neil Young)

*Indicates first time I've performed this song in SL

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Ceemore Paine, Sandi Benelli, Steven Hynes, Emme Slade, Bree Birke, Timmie Mehrtens, fabilene Cortes, and of course, Inspiration Island owners AnnGee Li and Kat Claxton!

Performing for the Druids at Stonehenge (07.05.08)

Every third Saturday, I get back to where the banshees live (and they do live well): Stonehenge Arena. Operated by musician Lyn Carlberg and his lovely lady Tessira Soderstrom, Stonehenge is a rather authentic reproduction of the famous UK landmark, and I have two things I tend to do there. First, I stick to my softer set, since it works well for their crowd and usually meshes well with the other musicians who play there (notably, Lyn himself). Second, my giant exception to that rule is playing the Spinal Tap epic tune "Stonehenge" each time I'm there.

Today was no exception. I think it was a good show... had one minor stream issue, but caught it immediately and was back in one minute... and I didn't miss any tunes I'd wanted to play. And during Stonehenge, the stars aligned and Kat was able to snap a pic of my dwarves, dancing around the 18" monument.


And what would they say to us if we were here tonight?


Zak strums away on the altar stone. Piccie, as she'd say, courtesy of Sally Silvera.

The set list:

California (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Stonehenge (Spinal Tap)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Tea in the Sahara (The Police)
A Case of You (Joni Mitchell)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Bara Jonson, Kat Claxton, Debi Latte, Lalania Loudon, Loo Zeta, Vidz Ah, Sally Silvera, and of course Lyn Carlberg and Tessira Soderstrom!