X Factor (05.31.09)

When I got into Facebook awhile back, one of the more interesting and fun people I met there was Diana Renoir. She checked out a show of mine at some point (probably after shameless self-promotion on my behalf) and has come to a bunch of shows since then. When she threw out the idea of having me play at the grand reopening of X Factor, the store she owns with her hubby Xerxes Ninetails, I was happy to accept. Plus, I just happened to be looking for a show to play this weekend, so it couldn't have worked out better.

Started off with a light crowd, but then as tends to happen in SL shows, people drifted in over the course of the hour. By the end, we had 20+ there and folks seemed to be enjoying themselves. I had fun, so I can't complain either. Oh, and to liven things up, I threw in a new cover... of Depeche Mode on acoustic guitar. Hey, you only live once.

Song Sample: "Come Around" (Zak Claxton)

The Set List, Maestro!
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)
Time Never Waits For You (Zak Claxton)
Nobody Home (Pink Floyd)
Fire & Rain (James Taylor)
*Everything Counts (Depeche Mode)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
If You Could Only See (Tonic)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)

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

Thanks to the people who helped support my show!
Golan Eilde, Bushido Contepomi, Jordan Hazlitt, Josetta Foxclaw, Horizon Darkstone, Kat Claxton, Triana Caldera, and our hosts of the day, Diana Renoir and Xerxes Ninetails!

New Zak Songs: "Come Around" & "Waxing Gibbous"

I am always happy the day I can premiere new studio tracks to my small but mighty group of fans. Today is one of those days. I have two songs to show you... right now! Please check the top two songs on the player here... "Come Around" and "Waxing Gibbous". In case you're wondering, you have two very different tunes to choose from depeneding on your listening mood of the moment. "Come Around" is a poppy hard rocker, with lots of big guitars and drums. Conversely, "Waxing Gibbous" is a solo instrumental piece on acoustic guitar. So, try one and (hopefully) enjoy! And as always, feel free to leave any feedback.

Get Back: Fibber Magees (05.20.09)

For those of you readers of this blog who are also my personal friends, you already know that we had a tragedy in my family this month; my sister Danielle died from a brain hemorrhage on May 8. Needless to say, my attention has been on my family recently, and I needed to get past the deep grief I've felt before jumping back into SL and playing music.

I"m not going to dwell on the sadness we've experienced, at least not here. If you want to learn more about my sister's life, by all means please visit Dani's Memorial Website. But things are slowly getting better for me, and today I did my first show after going through this ordeal, at Fibber Magees in the Dublin 3 sim. It was a show I'd planned long ago and finally got rolling today, and I was really, really glad I did. It felt very natural to get back into playing my tunes. We had a nice-sized crowd of 26, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, as was I.

Today's set list...
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
California (Joni Mitchell)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Jane (Barenaked Ladies)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Time Never Waits For You (Zak Claxton)
I Am A Child (Neil Young)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)
Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix)

I did dedicate that last song to my sis. Other than that, the show was pretty upbeat and I'm glad to be back in the swing of things.

Thanks to the folks who supported today's show at Fibber Magees!
Roni Navarathna, Triana Caldera, HomeLess Martian, Stickboom Pinion, Adrianna Bracken, Gracie Kendal, Steely Decosta, Diana Renoir, Wes Dewoitine, Aurelie Chenaux, Maycie Blackheart, KarlPeter Kohime, our hostess Ginger Marseille, and the always-amazing Cher Harrington!

New Demo Song: "Fade Away"

Here's another demo for another tune. As I've explained before, for those of you who are interested, a demo is merely a sketch of a song so you can capture the idea while it's fresh. For my music, I'll use a demo like this to show my musical collaborators the basic idea of the song so they can start thinking about their parts (drums, keyboards, audio engineering and so on). Then, later on, we meet at the studio and put the real version of the song together.

Anyway, here it is! Enjoy!

Molaskey's Pub (05.03.09)

Yesterday, I was getting ready to perform at Inspiration Cove, and my IM chimed in. It was Katydid Something, who'd had a performer be unable to play as scheduled and asked if I could fill in. I've played at Molaskey's before and I've also seen some shows there and enjoyed the vibe, so I was happy to oblige. Interestingly, for not having very many shows scheduled recently, this ended up being my third show in four days, all of which had been set up in the last week. Good times. :)

I arrived and had a nice group of my friends/fans pop in pretty quickly. Honestly, for having played so much recently, I'm always surprised when I get people coming in time after time. I'm just lucky to have some good pals who don't mind me yodeling at them every so often. We also had a few Molaskey's regulars pop in, and I think they enjoyed themselves as well.

The Molaskey's surprise show set list...
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Just Like Starting Over (John Lennon)
Time Never Waits For you (Zak Claxton)
Jane (Barenaked Ladies)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
A Day In The Life (Beatles)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
One (U2)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)

Thanks to the people who helped support the show!
Triana Caldera, Dallas Titanium, cre8tivefemme Chemistry, Kat Claxton, Jordan Hazlitt, and our Molaskey's Pub friends Mia Kitchensink and Katydid Something!

Inspiration Cove (05.02.09)

Kat and I had been talking for awhile about putting on a show at her island, Inspiration Cove. It had been awhile since I performed at any of the locales we own in SL, and it's a fun way to spend the start of a weekend.

We had a small but fun crowd, mostly friends and a few Zak fans. I decided once again to reach deep into the archives and pull out some tunes I don't do very often. I think we all had a good time.

Inspiration Cove set list...
Wonderwall (Oasis)
We Are The Champions (Queen)
Triana (Zak Claxton)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
Court & Spark (Joni Mitchell)
Suite: Judy blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
Rikki Don't Lose that Number (Steely Dan)
Loser (Beck)
Lines On Your Eyes (Zak Claxton)
Edith and the Kingpin (Joni Mitchell)
Down By the River (Neil Young)

If you want to relive the magic (lol), click here to listen to the entire performance.

Big thanks to the people who supported my show today!
Triana Caldera, Samantha Poindexter, Cisco Lilliehook, Jordan Hazlitt, TS Darrow, Aurelie Chenaux, Basil Brooks, and my lovely darling Kat Claxton!