Key West (04.29.12)

Oh... My... God.

I suppose I should start at the start. Yesterday, I had a special show with my buddy Lyndon Heart, with whom I've been performing dual-streaming shows in Second Life for quite a long time. Key West owner Liz Harley had put together a terrific weekend as a Relay for Life benefit fundraiser. Both Saturday and Sunday, she hosted nine straight hours of musical performances with dual streams. The schedule featured some of SL's coolest musicians performing as duos or even trios via the magic of multi-streaming, where one artist sends his/her stream to another, who then adds their part and sends it into SL. Among many others, the teams of performers included acts like Phemie Alcott & KevinMThomas Carpool, Lexie Luan & Zorch Boomhauer, Maximillion Kleene & Marky Helstein, Voodoo Shilton & Mulder Watts, Frogg Marlowe & Jaycatt Nico, and many more.

Well, having done probably 7-8 shows as a dual-streaming team at this point, Lyndon and I pretty much have this wired. We take turns being "on top" of the stream )i.e., being the one who leads the song, while the other one adds harmony and lead instrument parts), and Lyndon was driving the bus this time. I was concerned right at the start of the show because when Lyndon's stream first came in, it was a distorted mess of sound. However, he did a quick restart and everything was fine... for most of the show.

He'd chosen some cool tunes, many of which I'd never done before (and several of which I'd never even heard before). However, I'm a quick study, and we really didn't have any difficulties with the songs throughout most of the show. We got all the way through to the second-to-last number, "So Into You" by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, when Lyndon's audio stream spontaneously went back into psycho robot mode. Listen to the example below... the first 30 seconds or so show you the previously good-sounding performance we'd been doing when all hell broke loose.

LISTEN: Zak & Lyndon: So Into Robotic Madness

As you can tell in the recording, I started laughing uncontrollably when my musical partner turned into RoboLyndon. I mean, I was hysterical after awhile. I could not stop laughing. Just when I'd get my shit together, I'd start trying to play along and I'd lose it again. As a result of my reaction, the crowd also began rolling with laughter (in a virtual way). Here are some quotes during this moment of craziness:

• Rosa Gardner: Lyndon is no longer able to generate his human form
• Spiral Silverstar: ......and a new genre of music is born!!
• adina46 Magic: He has been captured by alien music lovers
• Phobe Cazalet: Lyndon spilled coffee on his equipment?
• Triana Caldera: it's like lyndon manson
• Noelani Lightfoot: Lyndon acid rock
• Kat Claxton: It's like a Zak Claxton and Number Johnny Five duet!!
• Maali Beck hands Zak a Depends
• still Braveheart: THIS IS SO WORTH JUST HEARING ZAK CRACKING UP
• Grace McDunnough: I have concern for Zak's spleen

When your friends and audience members start expressing worry for one's internal organs, I'd say that's the true mark of an excellent show.

We had a great crowd at this RFL benefit show at Key West. Photo by Kat.

The crowd boogies and makes donations to RFL while Lyndon and I rock, little knowing what insanity is about to befall us. Photo by Kat.

Zak and Lyndon, doing the voodoo that we do so well. Photo by Triana Caldera.

Key West RFL Set List
Stuck In The Middle With You (Stealer's Wheel)
The Joker (Steve Miller)
*I've Just Seen a Face (Beatles)
*Three More Days (Ray LaMontagne)
*Lyndon's Jimi Medley (Jimi Hendrix)
*And It Stoned Me (Van Morrison)
*Home (Marc Broussard)
*Drop Baby Drop (The Mana'o Company)
*I'm A Believer (The Monkees)
*We Are The Ones Who Read As Children (Lyndon Heart/Salome Strangelove)
*I Am So Into You (Atlanta Rhythm Section)
*Back in the USSR (Beatles)

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

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported Relay for Life, and enjoyed the show! Lyndon and I appreciate all of you!