I live in what I consider to be an idyllic little neighborhood, in a city called Redondo Beach, located in the greater Los Angeles area. I've spent most of my life in this general vicinity, and have lived in the same place since 1995. There's a reason: I like it here! I've traveled around the world and have seen and experienced some wonderful places, but none give me everything I have here at home.
Anyway, enough bragging about my hometown. The fact of the matter is that in addition to being in a nice area near the beach with good schools and low crime, there's also an element of community here that makes it great for a person like me. It seems that more often than you'd expect, something odd or funny or cool or interesting is happening around here. Hell, it probably happens where you live too; you just have to look for it.
Yesterday, while sitting here working on a pleasant day with my office window open, I heard the unmistakable strains of a violinist performing. I knew who it was; Jefferson Fara is a young guy with a big talent who hopes to become a part of the L.A. Philharmonic someday. In the meantime, he does what a lot of great musicians do: he's worked as a barista in a coffee shop, as a server in a sushi restaurant, as a salesman for a music store, and has given tons of lessons to other aspiring musicians. I've heard Jefferson play many times and have wanted to feature him on one of my own recordings, but in the meantime, I wanted to at least capture his talent. That's why I grabbed the camcorder and ran out the door. The results are above.
I plan to do more videos in the "Zak's Neighborhood" series, but these things can't be forced. If I notice something weird happening, though, I'll be on it.
I had fun with the crazy playa people. Photo by Kat.
Three hard-core Zaksters: Triana, Kat, and Diana. Photo by Triana.
A new perspective on my performance. Photo by Triana.
A short while ago, Diana Renoir somewhat timidly asked if I'd like to perform at BURN2, the Second Life version of the well-known Burning Man event of real life. I jumped at the opportunity; I knew from experience that freaky-ass people tend to like my music. Plus, it was an opportunity to do some covers that I'm not always sure will be appreciated at less open-minded venues.
Despite it being my third show in as many days, I was really pumped for it, and ended up having a fantastic time playing there. I think that scheduling it for Friday at 4PM was a good idea; I was particularly glad to have ended my work week and playing for a big, enthusiastic crowd was a great start for my weekend. To celebrate the moment, I also threw in a tune I'd never done in SL before.
BURN2 set list... This Afternoon (Zak Claxton) California (Joni Mitchell) After the Gold Rush (Neil Young) You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton) *Hey You (Pink Floyd) Falling Down (Zak Claxton) †Terrapin Station (Grateful Dead) Go Easy On Me (Zak Claxton) Redemption Song (Bob Marley) Shine (Zak Claxton) Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
*Indicates first time I've performed this song in SL. †Last performance of "Terrapin Station": August 2, 2008
It's my fault. Between crazy work schedules, recovering from my cold, and other aspects of my zany life, I really didn't do much to announce my ninth show on StreamJam until late in the day of the show. Also, instead of my regular Wednesday night shows, this one was moved to a Thursday due to a schedule conflict on my behalf, throwing my whole mojo off by 24 hours. The result was to be expected; I only had a few good friends in my audience. It's like when you plan to throw a party but forget to send invitations... don't cry when no one comes.
But despite that, we actually had a super fun time. With no one there but some friends who will excuse me from being a fool, I felt no qualms about taking my foolishness to the extreme. That included taking odd requests (including some covers, which I've never done before on StreamJam), and doing an entire song blindfolded with a flannel shirt wrapped around my head. It was, in a word, silly. But it was a fun way to spend an hour, and God knows I enjoy any excuse to play guitar and sing for an hour on a random weeknight.
SJ IX Set List... Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Time Never Waits for You (Zak Claxton)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Shine (Zak Claxton)
*Welcome to the Machine (Pink Floyd)
Waxing Gibbous (Zak Claxton)
Waiting for This (Zak Claxton)
Go Easy On Me (Zak Claxton)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton) -- performed blindfolded
*The Thin Ice/Another Brick in the Wall Pt 1 (Pink Floyd)
*Indicates the first time I've performed this song for a live audience
Thanks to my great pals who dropped by last night! See you at the next show!
I have never not had a fun time performing live at Fibber Magees in Second Life. Seriously, I've played there at least a dozen times over the years, and each time am blown away by the professionalism of the hosting staff, and the fun crowd they bring in. Today was no exception, and being that it was my first show back in SL after a month-long hiatus, it felt great to get up in front of people and do my thing!
I am still getting over my cold, but I'm on the tail end of it, so I didn't interrupt my music too many times with coughing, which is nice. I think I picked some appropriate tunes, given today's gray and rainy vibe.
Fibber Magees Set List Du Jour... This Afternoon (Zak Claxton) Space Oddity (David Bowie) Falling Down (Zak Claxton) Polly (Nirvana) Fire & Rain (James Taylor) Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton) You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton) Jane (Barenaked Ladies) Go Easy On Me (Zak Claxton) Love Hurts (Everly Brothers) Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
Huge thanks to all who supported my show and made it a fun day at Fibbers! Fable Sinatra, Doug Glenfadden, Nicholas Esharham, Phooka Heron, Alexis Fairlady, Uke Takashi, Mike00 Carnell, Isobela Capalini, Kat Claxton, Jane1 Bookmite, Aurelie Chenaux, Snowangel Fallen, and my hostess today, Otawan Fouquet!
On Friday October 8, Kat and I packed up our rented SUV and headed east to the Mojave Desert.
We'd planned this trip for months; not long after she got me my first good telescope in June, we knew we'd have to depart the light and air pollution of the Los Angeles area to really get a good look at the heavens. So, we looked around online and found a place to stay that seemed pretty cool, and filled out their online reservation form.
As the date got closer, about a week before our trip on a whim I decided to give the place a ring and confirm our reservations. "Reservations?" asked the older-sounding gent on the phone. "No, we couldn't have taken reservations for that weekend. We have a scrapbooking convention in town. Been booked for over a year. Whadja say your name was again? Nope, nothing in my system, sorry."
Well, that wasn't good. We'd made all kinds of arrangements to be out of town for the weekend and timed it for a new moon for the best skygazing environment, and now we seemingly didn't even have a place to stay. For a short while, things weren't looking very promising. I immediately started looking all over the web for alternative ideas, but every place I found either seemed outrageously expensive or was some craphole on the side of Highway 62 where we absolutely did not want to stay. Finally, a few hours later, I stumbled across a bed & breakfast place called the Desert Lily. The pics on the website looked cool, and I felt even better about it after calling and speaking to the innkeeper, Carrie Yeager. Not only did it seem like the perfect place, but it was actually cheaper than the place that lost our reservation. More on Carrie and the Desert Lily in a bit.
Hitting the Road So Friday 10/8 came along, and the first thing we did was go pick up a rental car that would be appropriate for our journey. Kat had reserved a small SUV for the trip, but when we arrived at the rental place, someone pulled up with a car they were turning in. It was a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo X 4x4, and the rental guy at Enterprise asked if we'd like to use this vehicle. Well, duh! I have nothing but good things to say about this car... spacious, smooth as silk on the freeway, and able to easily tackle the dirt roads and hills of the desert. Plus, it had good AC and a nice stereo. Massive win.
After getting the car, we swung by the grocery store for supplies, then by Target to get a few necessities (sunblock, a new backpack, a first aid kit and so on). Then, after a brief stop for lunch, we hit the road! Uh... well, I should say we got onto a parking lot that doubled as the 91 East freeway. It was Friday afternoon at about 3:00 by then, and Los Angeles traffic is notoriously horrible before weekends. It was bumper to bumper for the first 70 miles of our trip, but Kat and I were in a great mood, listening to music and chatting as we rolled slowly along. The route we chose took us along the 91E, up the 605N, and east along the 60 until it turned into the 10. Then, straight up Highway 62, which leads directly to Joshua Tree... a nice 150-mile journey through Southern California.
Our journey to the desert and back again.
Finally, after four hours on the road that should have been no more than 2-1/2, we found ourselves pulling off 62 and heading down Park Boulevard. By this time, it was dark, and as I took a right onto the dirt road leading to the Desert Lily, I hit the brights on the Jeep. Suddenly, we were surrounded by cactus, scrub, and the ubiquitous Joshua Trees. Kat's eyes were big as saucers, and we continued down the bumpy dirt trail (very thankful we were in a large SUV) until pulling into the Desert Lily.
Carrie, the Desert, and the Night Sky We'd seen plenty of photos of the Desert Lily as we got ready for our trip, and while the photos were great, none of them did justice to the experience of pulling up to the place at night. It's obvious that much care went into the design of this little oasis in the desert. It's simply beautiful. We walked in and were greeted warmly by Carrie, who showed us around the place a bit and let us know that, anticipating our interest in checking out the stars, she'd invited a sky guide to come over later and give us a tour of the night sky. I especially liked Carrie pointing out some of the little cabins situated around the B&B, explaining that they were a good place to go "smoke pot and have sex" if we were so inclined. I had a feeling we'd come to the right place. Carrie also keeps fresh-baked cookies and a variety of wines out for guests to enjoy at their discretion. The entire vibe there was above and beyond our best expectations.
After dragging our stuff into the room, we joined some of our fellow guests in the back of the main building and set up the telescope. But even without the scope, the sky was exhilarating. Den, the sky guide, was full of information and was an entertaining speaker as well. We saw things in the sky that night that we'd never be able to see in detail anywhere near LA. Jupiter, in particular, was incredible; we saw the four Jovian moons with incredible clarity. Then, with Den's assistance, we learned to located the Andromeda galaxy, and used the telescope to get a picture-perfect view.
As Kat and I watched the sky, you could hear coyotes howling. I'm not talking about howls from miles away; one sounded to be within 100 yards of us. The entire evening was mind-blowing, and after a quick dinner of snack foods and sandwiches we'd brought with us (we were too tired to even think about going into town to eat) and nice glass of merlot, we settled into our room and went to sleep.
Saturday in the Park We made sure not to sleep in too late, mostly because the breakfasts at the Desert Lily Inn were one of the highest rated aspects of the whole place; we didn't want to miss it! And let me tell you, you don't want to miss it either if you visit there. On Saturday 10/9, Carrie made us a meal that began with a fruit dish in a bowl of yogurt combined with cottage cheese, followed by french toast made of cinnamon raisin bread that was stuffed with fruity cream cheese and topped with bananas, pecans, and syrup. It was out of this world. The guests of the B&B -- Kat and I plus a couple from Culver City and a couple from Switzerland -- all ate together outside on the patio at a beautifully set wrought iron table. It was a luxurious way to start the day! Speaking of which, the weather couldn't have possibly been nicer; it was in the high 70s and low 80s with clear, bright blue skies for the entire time we spent in the high desert. Fall and spring are the right times of year to go.
Yummy breakfast time!
The view from our front door.
The Desert Lily is awesome times infinity.
Being that we were on vacation, we were in no urgent hurry to do anything. The area around the Desert Lily, being several miles off the main drag, is basically situated in the park itself, and is a magnificent place to cruise around. We saw tons of lizards, rabbits, desert quail, and other creatures walking along in their natural habitat, all within a few yards of the hotel! I also took the opportunity to allow the desert vibe to inspire me, playing a couple of improvised tunes on guitar that I captured in audio and video recording.
Exploring around the B&B.
Desert session.
A little before noon, we jumped into the Jeep and headed into town (swerving a couple of times to avoid the desert bunnies hopping across the dirt trail). After a quick lunch and a stop by a store to get good wide-brimmed hats, we went back and drove up to the western entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
Full of awe from the moment we enter the park.
Awe!
Kat and I must have sounded like complete idiots; every sound we uttered for the first 10 miles into the park was incomprehensible gibberish. "Whoa! Look at- oh my GOD check out the.. OOH! WOW!" and so on. Pictures do not do this place justice. We cruised along, not having a very specific plan, but with a map at our side and Nick Drake's Pink Moon playing on the stereo, we drove along in awe of the plant life, abundant desert animals, and jaw-dropping rock formations that surrounded us.
Only a few miles into the park, we stopped and got out to take photos (which we ended up doing many times throughout the weekend). Eventually we found ourselves at the Hemingway Buttress, a spot very popular with rock climbers. We took photos and watched while people climbed up and rappelled down the amazing formations. I climbed a rock too; granted, it was only about ten feet high, but it made for a good photo op.
I'm on a rock.
The desert is beautiful beyond compare.
Our next stop was at the Hidden Valley Nature Trail. This was one of the highlights of the entire trip. Hidden Valley isn't a long hike; the entire loop is just over a mile. But what a mile! It curves in and out of the rocks, and up and down small hills and valleys. Only a few small signs along the way belie the fact that you're not on your own in the middle of uncharted territory. We saw amazing plants and animals everywhere. I'm happy to report that we were responsible with all of our excursions, taking backpacks full of water (and drinking it all the time), using plenty of sunscreen, and making sure we didn't wander off in the wrong direction. The desert is full of wonders, but many people have died there due to poor planning and inability/unwillingness to stay on marked trails. We were also responsible to the desert itself, not leaving behind a trace and not disturbing anything that was there.
Steak, Music, and more Stars As the sun started to descend in late afternoon, we decided it was time to head back to the Desert Lily. Upon arriving (the folks there patiently listened to us raving about the park... I'm sure they're used to it), we asked Carrie about some dinner possibilities. Kat was in the mood for a steak, and Carrie suggested we go to Pappy & Harriet's, up in Pioneertown. She even made reservations for us. After a shower and a change of clothes, we drove up the steep road and ended up at the restaurant. It's a terrific roadhouse that doesn't have to try and be authentic; it's the real deal.
As it turned out, our trip coincided with the Joshua Tree Music Festival, and there were obviously lots of music-loving hipsters around. We got seated right away thanks to Carrie's pull in making our reservations, and both ordered nearly identical dinners (dinner salad, then rib eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli). The food was phenomenal, and having this honky-tonk band (I'm pretty sure they were called the Shadow Mountain Band) performing while we ate and laughed made the night all the more fun.
After driving back to the B&B, we once again set up the telescope and spent a quiet night looking at the stars and planets. As the night grew late, we found ourselves exhausted but happy. I had a glass of ruby port and some chocolate, and then we headed into our room for some much-needed sleep.
Easy Like Sunday Morning We awoke on Sunday 10/10/10 to another glorious desert morning, and situated ourselves at the patio table. We started with a similar first course of fruit and yogurt (and coffee and juice, of course), but Carrie managed to outdo her previous effort by serving us this unbelievable breakfast pizza. It was phyllo dough topped with cheeses, potatoes, peppers, onions, and an egg over easy, along with asparagus and tomato on the side. Yum!
The Desert Lily on Sunday morning.
Local bunny.
Since our departure that day was the end of our stay at the Desert Lily, we got all of our abundant stuff loaded back into the Jeep, and eventually said our sad goodbyes to Carrie (sad in that we'd have loved to stay longer). As we drove down the dirt path away from the B&B leading back toward the main street, we had another unexpected nature encounter. I slammed on the brakes after seeing something in the road, missing it by mere inches. Backing up slightly, I told Kat to lean over to my side of the SUV; there was a beautiful gopher snake, about 5' long, stretched out across the road. After a couple of pics, we continued on toward the park.
Mister snakey says "Sssssssss."
Our first stop on Sunday was at Quail Springs, a little picnic zone that had rock climbing. We took some snapshots and meandered around for a bit, then hopped back in the Jeep and headed for our highest elevation yet: Keys View. It's at 5,125 feet, but the panorama from the top is unlike anything I've ever seen. You can look all the way down to the Salton Sea at 230 feet below sea level, and within your field of vision you also see San Jacinto Peak at 10,800 feet. You can also follow the San Andreas Fault as it runs north. Just incredible!
Cruising around Quail Springs.
Looking a mile downward (and upward) at Keys View.
After winding our way down, we stopped at Cap Rock, where we sat and enjoyed some snacks, and then walked the very short nature trail there. It was perfect, considering we didn't want to overexert ourselves before the long drive home. As we rounded a corner, we ran into yet another surprise: a wedding was being held at the far end of the trail, and just as we approached them, we got to hear the newlyweds say "I do" and kiss. Another head-shaking moment on a trip that had been chock full of them!
Kat and I enjoy the short walk around Cap Rock.
Leaving Cap Rock, we made one more stop, driving up the dirt road to the start of the Lost Horse Mine Trail. That, however, is a six mile day hike, and we certainly weren't about to tackle that at the moment. Instead, we drove back down, and after a quick stop for lunch, got on the road to start making our way home. I'm happy to report that our drive back was much more smooth than our drive in; there was barely any traffic the entire way, and we covered the 150 miles in just over two hours, even with a stop in Riverside for gas.
Memories Galore Kat and I are unanimous: our trip to Joshua Tree was one of the best vacations we'd ever had in our lives. Even after three days, we felt that we were leaving much too soon, with so much left to see for the next trip. And believe me, there will indeed be another trip. Kat already stated this in no uncertain terms within a half hour of our arrival! I find that I'm already looking forward to our next adventure in the Mojave Desert.
Farewell for now, joshua Tree! We'll be back soon enough!
It was my eighth StreamJam show last night, and once again, it was a good one. I still feel that backing off my schedule to holding two StreamJam shows per month (as opposed to once a week) has been a good thing. It makes each show a little more special, and allows me the ability to do other shows (in SL, in real life, etc.) and not feel like I'm getting burned out (or, worse, burning out my audience).
Last night's show, performance-wise, was pretty strong. Actually, I've been satisfied with all of my recent shows. We had a good crowd... at least good enough to merit more than one "room" in the StreamJam setting. Moreover, we had a fun group of people. In fact, I have direct evidence of this; Kat (in her co-producer role) saved the chat log from the show and I stumbled across this utterly hilarious moment...
Jess Smith: mad guitar riff alert mad guitar riff alert Jeff Iverson: had this been an actual mad guitar riff alert you would have been notified which stream jam channel to tune
I mean, that's comedy gold there, folks. Anyway, the songs went well. As usual, obeying the StreamJam TOS (and just doing the right thing), I performed only my original tunes, and I think they came together nicely. I did the new instrumental again (still untitled for now), and I thought "The Sands of Redondo" and "Falling Down" both went very well at this show.
SJ VIII Set List... This Afternoon (Zak Claxton) Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton) Untitled Instrumental (Zak Claxton) Go Easy On Me (Zak Claxton) Shine (Zak Claxton) Falling Down (Zak Claxton) The Sands of Redondo (Zak Claxton) You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton) Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton) Time Never Waits for You (Zak Claxton)
Giganto thanks to everyone who came by the show! Next StreamJam experience will be on Thursday 10/21!
There's an old saying that the garage mechanic has the worst-running car in town. Why? Well, after he works on everyone else's car all day, he rarely wants to spend time on his own. It's the same way with people who design web sites, which I do as part of my job for the little marketing firm I own. The last thing I want to spend my "free time" on is working on my own web sites. However, the Zak site had some issues... mostly the fact that I'd built a little splash page to the start of the site when my album came out, then started adding to it, and it ended up kind of burying the content on the rest of the site. Sigh. Some web designer I am.
I didn't want to completely change the site; I liked the site. However, I needed to lose the splash page and get to the meat of the site. Also, the former vertically-oriented navigation and the rotating banner was taking up 90% of the space "above the fold" of each page. I slowly became aware that I was making it hard to find the stuff people were looking for, which obviously wasn't my intention.
So, I gave the site a spruce-up, added some new pics and updated some songs and so on, and voila... mostly new site. Here's a little tour (though it would probably be easier just to click the link and see for yourself).
Home
We probably crammed too much in the main page of the site, but you can pretty much see everything you want from there. There are also a few songs for you to enjoy, a bug fat video to check out, and other items of fun and wonder.
Song credits, details, and lyrics
Every one of the tunes from the current album have their own pages, with complete credits, recording notes, and all lyrics.
Pics/Flicks
My YouTube vids, and a gallery of photos to peek at.
Tour
The easiest way to find out about my upcoming shows.
