Hello, and happy August to you. Whenever I think of days and dates, I think of my friend Jace, with whom I've been close since our college days in the late 80s/early 90s. Jace's obsession with dates and numbers in general borders on a fetish. I think it might stem from the fact that he's a drummer, or perhaps it's the other way around (i.e., that his fascination with time and timing led him to the drums... who knows?). Anyway, for a guy who you'd figure would be some kind of mathematics whiz, Jace ended up being an acclaimed fiction author. Funny how life is like that.
I'm very different in that regard. While I'm good at associating dates with events (I know that Live Aid was in 1985 because I was at Berklee College of Music that summer, for instance), the actual numbers themselves are meaningless to me. The Gregorian calendar itself is based on a rather arbitrary birth of a guy in the Middle East over 2,000 years ago, and as we eventually discovered, a year -- the time it takes for the Earth to travel one loop around the sun -- isn't even 365 days exactly. Add to that all we've learned about the relativity and elasticity of time itself on a grand scale, and the result is that my impression of time and numbers in general is much more nebulous than the precise and predictable aspect that I believe Jace enjoys.
One thing for which I do find calendars useful is arranging a moment in time when I can show up somewhere, and have other people be there so I can perform live music for them. And that, friends, is what I did last night -- the final day of July 2012 -- for my regular Tuesday evening show at the Whisky A Go Go in Second Life. Unlike the past few weeks at the Whisky, I didn't have a specific theme for the show. That lack of framework and guidelines can be freeing; I didn't limit my set list to any specific direction. I played what I felt like at that moment, and sometimes that's a good recipe for an entertaining show.
At the Whisky, doing what I do. Photo by Kat.
For some reason or combination of reasons, my recent shows at the Whisky in SL have been pretty well attended. I've also noted a few folks showing up there week after week who hadn't come to my shows at other places. These are the types of people who eventually develop into fans, and it makes me happy to see them out there. Add them to the support of my Zaksters who come to most of my shows, and it turns into a really good, energy-filled evening.
Speaking of energy, I kept the pace pretty high last night. A little too high, at points, if you ask me. I was really sucking wind at a few points. However, while I finished the show as a sweaty, drained mess, I think the crowd dug it, so it was worthwhile.
Whisky Set List...
Athena (The Who)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
†Brown Eyed Women (Grateful Dead)
Broken Day (Zak Claxton)
In My Time of Dying (Traditional)
Big Bad Bill (Van Halen)
Into the Mystic (Van Morrison)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello)
In My Life (Beatles)
The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)
Let's Pretend That Everything's Okay (Zak Claxton)
†My last performance of this Dead song was, ironically, August 2, 2008; nearly four years ago to the day. It could be that subconsciously, I was aware that it's Jerry Garcia's birthday today; hence the same song on nearly the same date. Take that, Jace!
I usually make it off the stage without collapsing. Don't ask. Really, don't. Photo by Kat.
Big thanks to everyone for coming out to my Tuesday night Whisky show, and special kudos to those who helped support it!
Kitten Alecto, Triana Caldera, Leyah Renegade, KarenMichelle Lane, CYAN333, Cicadetta Stillwater, Kaeko Freenote, Crom Vyper, Kat Claxton, my great manager Maali Beck, Whisky host/DJ Dmitri Polonsky, and owner Cameron Trenchcoat!
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