Hotel Chelsea (01.02.24)

Playing some tunes and having some fun at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Hello, and happy new year to everyone. My name is Zak. I make music sometimes. Here's a report on my most recent live show, held as usual on the first Tuesday of the month at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life. But first, some general bullshit as I am apt to do.

How's Everything?

All over the place. Some stuff is great, some is super challenging. I finally ended up visiting the dentist the week before Christmas, and that was a good first step to a major improvement in my quality of life. Unfortunately, there's so much going on with my teeth that the first visit was purely diagnostic, as well as the process of negotiating through thousands and thousands of dollars of fees.

Long story short: I do have a plan, but there's so much to do that we weren't able to schedule the big portion of the work until early February. Until then, it's just a matter of being super careful not to further exacerbate the situation while still being able to do things like... eat food, drink liquids, and talk. It's not fun, but it is manageable. So that's where it stands for now. I'm okay.

A view I never want to see again if possible. Not much longer to put up with this bullshit.

What Else?

Oh, you know. Heading into an election year when the entire fate of democracy of the USA and the world hangs tenuously by a string. Doing my best to raise and maintain awareness of things that I think are super important, like women's reproductive rights, and the insane proliferation of gun violence, and the inherent problems of income disparity. None of these are new issues for me; I've supported them all for many years. But we seem to be heading toward another crossroads that will have long-lasting effects on my life and that of my countrymen and women.

That will continue to escalate through the year until we get through the election season in the fall. I'm awake and aware and ready, and have plans on how to use my various skills to help the causes I support.

So there's that stuff, and there's the typical crazy workload heading into January. You have to realize, due to the pandemic, it's been four years since I had to prepare for a January NAMM Show. Heading into a new year as a marketing person, with new product introductions and such, is always a daunting task. Doing it with your industry's biggest trade show looming adds a whole other dimension to the workload.

But that's just life. Everyone in every industry has spikes of being overworked and frantic and running on adrenaline for weeks at a time. I'm not special. It'll all work out, and I'm pretty sure I'm doing some of my best work ever. On the bright side, at least we're past the holidays so my focus isn't being pulled in a thousand directions at this point.

Me at work at a previous NAMM show, being a spokesmonkey for companies that make musical instruments and pro audio gear. I've had this same role for the most part since 1993.

Okay, How About That Show?

The show was great. It's a funny thing, and I've said it a bunch of times before. I can be working like a madman and realize I have a show on the schedule, and my first reaction is annoyance. "Why did I book this show? I should have known I was too busy to do this. Now I have to prepare a set list and warm up and I don't have time for any of this shit."

And then I do the show and it's the perfect thing for the moment. It lets me pull my focus away from work for a couple of hours, which ends up having the effect of staving off burnout. While I'm playing music, I am not thinking about deadlines and meetings and responsibilities. I'm just trying to remember the next chord and the melody of the pre-chorus, or just being a goofy goober while chatting up my audience between tunes.

We had a good crowd throughout the show, and it seemed like everyone was digging the tunes and the performance. Photo by Kat.

Digital me being digital me. Photo by Kat.

My view from the stage. Photo by Kat.

It always feels good from the moment I strum the first chord. I'm always glad I did the show. It's sort of like my daily workout that way... dreadful before I start, exuberant after I finish. And something I probably should know much better at this point in my life: my work and other elements of responsibility actually improve when I step away from it for awhile.

I mean, duh. But it's too easy to convince yourself that you're somehow being a flake by not producing work every waking moment. Sometimes your more important and necessary work is actually the other stuff that doesn't show up on a paycheck.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)

Shame Chamber (Kurt Vile)

Perfectly Calm (They Stole My Crayon)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)

This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)

Trouble Child (Joni Mitchell)

Jaywalker (Andy Shauf)

Tea in the Sahara (The Police)

Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake)

Don’t Ask Me Why (Billy Joel)

Radio Free Europe (R.E.M.)

Your Song (Elton John)

Our Lips Are Sealed (Go-Go’s)

*Max Takes the Stage Improv (Zak Claxton)

Big ol' thanks to every person who came out to my show, with super special thanks to those who helped support it!

Buck Dezno, Spyker Xenno, Rusty Seisenbacher, cristoofarr Resident , Trouble Streeter , Kat Claxton, Alex Zelin, Lanai Jarrico, ninjaantwoord Resident, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko, and Chelsea's great staff.