Warung Beats (08.26.12)

As far as Sundays go, yesterday was a pretty damn busy one. My son starts school again tomorrow, so Sunday was our last free day to wrap up the back-to-school shopping -- both school supplies and clothes. So, Kat and I took the boy to Target and then to the mall, and I think I spent the equivalent of the national defense budget on various binders, t-shirts, and #2 pencils. Once the shopping was done, we had steak sandwiches for lunch, and then headed back home. Truthfully, it took less time and less money than I'd thought it would, which was good; it left me a good while to relax before 5PM, when I did my first show ever at a Second Life venue called Warung Beats.

I wasn't sure what to expect at this place in terms of the crowd, but I needn't have worried; in addition to a really nice turnout of Zaksters, the place filled up pretty quickly with the Brazilian folks who hang out there on a regular basis. One really nice aspect was that I'd been booked for the show by Ursula Cinquetti, who I've known in SL for the last 5+ years. Ursula has only been associated with the better live music places in SL, and Warung Beats was certainly no exception. It's a nice beachside build, with low lag and consistent textures. More importantly (to me, anyway), as I got into playing my show, I looked up and saw a nice big crowd of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves. I don't ask for much more than that, and Warung Beats definitely delivered!

My buddy (and fellow Maali Beck Entertainment artist) Lyndon Heart stands ready to do his show right after mine, while I rock the Warung Beats crowd. Photo by Kat.

Ursula! Though we're not always in touch as much as I'd like, she's been one of the coolest people I've known in SL, going all the way back to our noob days in 2006, and definitely a great supporter of SL's live music scene. Photo by Kat.

Big bunch of Zaksters? Check. Big bunch of cool Brazilian people who like good music? Check. Really good show? Check and double-check. Photo by Kat.

Also good was the fact that I felt pretty confident about my performance. I don't want to jinx myself, but lately it seems that everything -- my singing, guitar playing, and set selections -- have been working together very nicely. When I finished the show (and got out of my sweat-soaked clothes, another sign that I put my heart into my performance), I went over the set list with Kat and couldn't really find any song that I could have done better than I did.

Warung Beats Set List...
Radio Free Europe (R.E.M.)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
On The Way Home (Neil Young)
Let's Pretend That Everything's Okay (Zak Claxton)
1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Northern Sky (Nick Drake)
I Like You (Zak Claxton)
Everyday I Write the Book (Elvis Costello)
I Like You (Zak Claxton)
What I Got (Sublime)
Shine (Zak Claxton)

Huge thanks to everyone who made my debut show at Warung Beats fantastic, especially those who helped support the show!
Triana Caldera, TheaDee, Cicadetta Stillwater, Kat Claxton, Spiral Silverstar, Liz Harley, my manager Maali Beck, and Warung Beats hostess Ursula Cinquetti!