Lutz City of Templemore (10.22.26)

Onstage at the Old Library in Lutz City of Templemore for a special "Chapter & Verse" deep cut session. Intriguing, isn't it? Photo by Kat.

Hello there. It is I, Zak Claxton — musician, political rabble rouser, and former child fashion model — here to tell you about a special live music show I did at Lutz City of Templemore in Second Life. And I must say, among the myriad shows I've done both in the flesh and online, this one had a very unique aspect, and it's worth documenting.

A Message from Jayda

This story starts a good seven weeks back. On September 1, I was having a typical day when I saw a message pop up via Facebook. It was from Jayda Purz, one of the people associated with the beloved Templemore sim in SL. I hadn't spoken to her often before. Her note read...

Hi Zak, im not sure you remember me, i feel we met at least once via templemore but it was a while ago, i would like to speak to you about an idea I have.

I always like ideas. A couple of weeks went by before we followed up, and then she explained it as thus...

The concept itself is we ask artists to step away from their usual setlists and perform the songs people rarely get to hear, deep cuts, obscure covers, forgotten favourites and unexpected originals.

Well, that's all right up my alley. I told her I'd do it, and later in September, she revealed some more details with the opening event in the series she was calling "Chapter & Verse." The first event featured my fellow Second Life performer Aufwie, and apparently went well. The following month, it was time for me to give it my own shot.

No Shameless Self-Promo

So, the first thing that made the "Chapter & Verse" show at Templemore a bit different from my usual gigs: part of the allure of the series is that the identity of the performing artist isn't revealed until moments before the show starts.

That meant that unlike literally every one of the hundreds and hundreds of SL shows I'd done before it, I made no announcement beforehand. No promo graphics to share on social media. Nothing. I didn't even inform my own fan group about it until shortly before the start of the show.

The mysterious promos for my "Chapter & Verse" show at Templemore.

I wasn't sure that without the proper level of notification to the general public, we might not get a decent-sized crowd to the show. That proved to not at all be an issue; Templemore has its own robust base of people in their close-knit community, and Jayda — along with the Templemore team — did a very impressive job of promoting the mystery artist in the days preceding the event before revealing me hours before the show itself.

Oh look, it's me. Surprise!

Another Note on Templemore

As I've mentioned here time and time again, there are few places in the entire Second Life grid that have an impressively artistic design as Templemore. And, as always, a lot of the credit for that goes out to the incredible skill and environmental design eye of its cofounder, Luis Lockjaw. This show was in one of my absolute favorite of the sim's many live music venues, the Old Library... which, I should add, was absolutely perfect for the introspective vibe of the songs I'd chosen. More on that topic below.

The details that go into every inch of Templemore are far beyond impressive. Luis is the fucking man. Photo by Kat.

How'd The Show Go?

I'd say first and foremost, my shows are only as good as how inspired I am to make them good (combined with a little musical luck of the draw in terms of how my singing voice and guitar playing hands are functioning that day).

But once Jayda has described the vibe she was after at this series of concerts, I knew immediately what would be the right repertoire to curate for my set. I didn't feel any need to bring the mood up with fast or funny tunes. These were all songs that inspire thought and cast a deep vibe... not necessarily sad or morose, I should note. But my set for "Chapter & Verse" was purposefully introspective and interesting and full of imagery. And — having booked the right artist for the right time of year — the songs were very much in my "sounds of autumn" wheelhouse that I tend to pull out this time of year... though not usually all at once.

Before starting my show, I had the unusual experience of coming face to face with my real-life self on the promo graphic inside the venue. That's something I've only very rarely experienced at an SL show.

Doing special tunes, carefully curated for this themed event at Templemore. Photo by Kat.

Everyone there seemed super focused on the tunes (which I like) and expressed gratitude in every way (which I also like). I felt good about the performance overall... the set had a good flow and the voice and guitar were functioning as expected.

Something I also enjoy about sets like these: I'd like to think that if someone was first introduced to a song I performed by an artist like Sun Kil Moon or Nick Drake or the like, they might end up seeking out that artist and discovering the artist's amazing catalog of work. Or sometimes, it's an artist whose hits they know, but never was exposed to the deeper cuts and b-sides and so on. I like bringing those tunes into the light where they belong.

Singing songs that make people think, and maybe even feel. Photo by Kat.

Addressing the Templemore folks directly. Photo by Kat.

A very memorable Templemore show in every way. Photo by Kat.

And a Heartfelt Review

I often get a ton of very complimentary comments during and after my shows. Those are always appreciated and are always nice to hear. But awhile after I'd finished my set and sat back down to chill and get out of rock star mode, I saw that Jayda Purz had made the following social post, which I'll share in its entirety...

Having one of those days where theres so much noise in my head, I've been running on two hours sleep, fighting headaches and suffering the worst case of brain fog I've ever experienced. 

Then it was time for Chapter & Verse. 

I ask quite a bit from these artists, to deliver something new, something meaningful, something from the heart. Its never about being better than any other set, its just something a lil' different, and in a wonderful way.

Tonight Zak Claxton reminded me why I love this community, he delivered a truly remarkable set which was a joy to listen to, I found myself forgetting how bad I was feeling physically and just enjoying the moment. I couldn't of asked for more, thank you Zak Claxton for bringing the music and the memories to Templemore. 

And thank you for being so open to new ideas and for putting your own creativity into bringing them to life. 🫶

Um, wow. That is pretty fucking cool. As I said, it was one of those things where the very moment Jayda started describing her vision of "Chapter & Verse" to me, I knew exactly what I'd want to perform for the event. Pulling the set together was fast and easy; I knew that moment exactly how to capture the vibe she wanted. I'm really grateful that it all worked out the way it did, and especially for Jayda having brought her plans to fruition and successfully making it work. 

Templemore/Chapter & Verse set list...

Hannah Sun (Lomelda)

Half Moon Bay (Sun Kil Moon)

Bird of Paradise (Cory Hanson)

River Man (Nick Drake) 

Falling Down (Zak Claxton)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Sex Kills (Joni Mitchell)

Blew the Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon) 

Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)

Furry Sings the Blues (Joni Mitchell)


Here I Land (Nicholas Stevenson)

Huge thanks to everyone who came by my special show for "Chapter & Verse" at Templemore, with extra special giant super thanks to those who helped support it!

ImNotAplayeR Resident, Stevie Basevi, Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, and most of all the great Templemore team... Luis Lockjaw for building the stages and keeping them rumbling, and most of all to Jayda Purz for putting together a uniquely amazing musical experience in SL!

Hotel Chelsea (08.04.26)

Doing the tunes that only I do. Photo by Kat.

Still catching up on reports from my shows in Second Life. This was a typically fun one at Hotel Chelsea, where I have a standing "first Tuesday of the month" show. While I don't have much time to spend getting ready and performing for shows in SL, I do like keeping this show rolling at Chelsea. They're good people and I always have fun there.

I look nice and comfortable in SL. Here in reality, it was a summer heat wave and I was a sweaty mess. photo by Kat.

Makin' tunes, makin' friends. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)

Our Lips Are Sealed (The Go-Go's) 

On A Plain (Nirvana)

Roxanne (The Police) 

God Only Knows (Beach Boys)

Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles)

Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O’Connor)

Right Down the Line (Gerry Rafferty)

Loading Zones (Kurt Vile)

Bag of Nothing (They Stole My Crayon)

Jesus Ranch (Tenacious D)

Bull Black Nova (Wilco)

Big ol' thanks to everyone who came out to the show, with extra super special thanks to those who supported it!

Hotel Chelsea (07.07.26)

Feeling the good vibes on a Tuesday night at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Still getting caught up on my show blogs. This evening at Hotel Chelsea was excellent. Grabbed a good crowd and the voice and guitar were both functioning at the top of my expectations.

Me being me. Photo by Kat.

Giving the people what they want. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Northern Sky (Nick Drake)

This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)

Summer Breeze (Seals & Crofts)

Hannah Sun (Lomelda)

Doin' Time (Sublime)

Shame Chamber (Kurt Vile)

Time Stand Still (Rush)

Carey (Joni Mitchell) 

Straight On (Heart)

If I Had a Tail (Queens of the Stone Age)

Barely Breathing (Duncan Sheik) 

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

Tribute (Tenacious D)

Huge thanks for everyone who hung out for my show, with special thanks to those who supported it! You rule!

Hotel Chelsea (06.02.26)

Getting down with the fans like a rocker man. Photo by Kat.

Continuing to get caught up on show reports from Second Life. This was my typical "first Tuesday of the month" show at Hotel Chelsea, and once again... small crowd, good tunes, good time.

I've been doing shows here for almost six years now. Great place for real fans of live music. Photo by Kat.

I seem to be immersed in my own performance. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Save It For Later (English Beat)

One of These Things First (Nick Drake)

So. Central Rain (R.E.M.)

Fire & Rain (James Taylor)

Perfectly Calm (They Stole My Crayon)

Beyond the Blue (Martina McBride)

Rocky Mountain High (John Denver)

I Believe When I Fall In Love (Stevie Wonder)

The Arrangement (Joni Mitchell)

Hunger Strike (Temple of the Dog)

Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead)

Alabama (Neil Young)

*Hotel Chelsea Improv (Zak Claxton)

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

Big thanks to all who came out to my show, especially those of you who helped support it!

Hotel Chelsea (05.05.26)

Another Tuesday evening at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

We're playing catchup with a batch of show blogs I've been neglecting to do. Just the basics: fun show as usual. Hotel Chelsea is a great place to play for a crowd of 10 or 100. This show happened to be on Cinco de Mayo, so I have a feeling a good number of people who would otherwise have attended were out eating tacos and drinking cervezas. 

What a cool place to be in SL. Photo by Kat.

Me, looking into the distance for reasons unknown. Photo by Kat.

  

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Airport Bar (Martin Courtney) 

California (Joni Mitchell)

Losing My Religion (R.E.M.)

Something Else (Zak Claxton) 

River Man (Nick Drake)

Waking Light (Beck)

Carry Me Here and There (They Stole My Crayon)

Pecan Pie (Golden Smog)

Mother (Pink Floyd) 

Pickles (Zak Claxton)

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

*I Love Everyone at Hotel Chelsea Improv (Zak Claxton)

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

Thanks to all who came, and special thanks to those who supported the show!

Hotel Chelsea (04.07.26)

First Tuesday of the month, you'll find me onstage at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Continuing our series of very brief show reports, we had a good one Tuesday night at Hotel Chelsea. My musical theme, inspired by the exciting Artemis II space mission, involved songs that reference space. Good idea, huh?

Me. rocking as I tend to do. Photo by Kat.

A small but happy crowd at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Getting offstage for my final song so the next performer can get set up and started on time. It's the nice thing to do. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelseas set list...

Pink Moon (Nick Drake)

Man On the Moon (R.E.M.)

Space Oddity (David Bowie)

Swing Lo Magellan (Dirty Projectors)

Across the Universe (Beatles)

Brain Damage/Eclipse (Pink Floyd)

Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)

Big Empty (Stone Temple Pilots)

Say Goodbye (Beck)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)

Hummingbird (Seals & Crofts)

Lola (The Kinks)

*Hotel Chelsea In Space Improv (Zak Claxton)

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

Big ol' thanks to all who came out to this show, with very special thanks to the following who helped support it!

dottydigit Resident,  Trouble Streeter, daallee Resident, Kat Claxton, my great manage Maali Beck, and Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko!

Lutz City of Templemore (04.05.26)

I love every single venue at Lutz City of Templemore. Photo by Kat.

Continuing our series of brief show reports... I'm not sure I've ever mentioned the fact that when I get booked to perform live music at Lutz City of Templemore, I don't know which of the many venues on that amazing sim I'll be playing. And quite often, it's one that I didn't know existed beforehand... or possibly didn't exist until some recent time. In any case, I often get to discover the venue about the same moment as my audience, and it's always a cool experience for everyone who visits there. Luis and his team there are just genius artisans and designers, using detailed textures and particles and lighting to build out a vibe like no other in SL.

Me, on yet another of Templemore's amazing stage environments. Photo by Kat.

The Enchanted Stage was especially cool, but they all are. Photo by Kat.

Another fine show at Templemore. Photo by Kat.

Lutz City of Templemore set list...

Crime (Real Estate)

Northern Sky (Nick Drake)

Desire Lines (Deerhunter)

Carry Me Ohio (Sun Kil Moon)

Something Else (Zak Claxton)

Don’t Let It Pass (Junip)

Hannah Sun (Lomelda) 

Tea in the Sahara (The Police)

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

Pretty Pimpin’ (Kurt Vile)

Bull Black Nova (Wilco)

Big thanks to everyone who came out to the show, with super special thanks to the following who supported it!

Taj Nishi, Trisha Tellig, Hels Svendsen, Svoxy Resident, Abby Lin, Bonnie Bowenford, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager maali Beck, and everyone at the amazing Templemore (especially my bro Luis Lockjaw).

No Kings III (03.28.26)

Hello readers! Yes, I've missed you too. Life being what it is — especially in the insanity of our modern world — has left me little time to maintain this blog in any acceptable way. No daily news updates, no live music show reports. I promise, I have a backlog of all of them, and I intend on some mythological date in the future when I "have more time" (hahahahaha... Lordy) to get them all posted here.

But meanwhile, some things happen that require immediate documentation in as many places as possible, and the most recent thing that falls into that category was yesterday's No Kings day of national action. It was the third No Kings event thus far. I've attended all three. And, as any longterm reader of this blog is aware, doing street-level protests is hardly a new thing for me. I've been at this shit for years.

Takin' It To The Streets

Despite that tendency for people to become discouraged or cynical about the act of protest, I find the opposite has occurred in my case: the more I do, the more effective I believe they are. And that's an easy conclusion to make in regard to No Kings in particular; at each of the three, they've grown both in the numbers of events and in the level of attendance.

To that end, there's no doubt: No Kings III was the single largest day of protest in American history. There were somewhere over 8.5 million people spread across some 3,200 events in 50 states and territories and international locations. Some are claiming that No Kings III attendance went even higher than that, surpassing the 12-million mark and therefore achieving the well-known 3.5% barrier toward a guarantee of massive change.

Look at the greater Los Angeles area alone. They say that 95% of Americans live within a one-hour drive of one of the No Kings events on March 28. I live within a one-hour drive of like 40 of them.

But that's not what was important to me. There are no data points needed to make it clear to all that No Kings III was a massive success, going above and beyond everyone’s expectations. You don't need me to talk about the thousands of individual events. On a general basis, I'll mention how great it was to see the No Kings events happening successfully in small town and in red states (or both, as was often the case). Almost half of the No Kings protests took place in GOP strongholds. Texas, Florida, and Ohio each held over 100 events yesterday, and even lower-population red states like Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah had events in the double digits.

However, you can read hundreds of news article about all that. All I'm going to do here is to tell you about my own direct experiences at No Kings III for LA's South Bay in Torrance, CA.

Getting There, Getting Parked, Getting Rolling

Torrance City Hall is all of three miles away from my home in Redondo Beach; it's a 10-minute drive. Still, feeling like No Kings was going to blow the fuck up (in the best of ways), Christina and I decided to leave a bit earlier than necessary for an event that started at 10:30, and boy, was that a good idea.

It turned out that the city of Torrance — a full year ago — had scheduled March 28 for some recycling drive event. That meant that the huge parking area adjacent to the court and the city hall buildings was closed to the public. It's the area where we'd parked for every social activism event at that location previous to this one, and times being what they are, I could feel the bubble of paranoia rising up inside me as we were turned around back on to Maple Avenue. "The Torrance conservatives are doing this on purpose to try and crush the rebellion!" I thought to myself for a moment, until realizing how ridiculous that premise was. And the good news? We still found parking directly behind the event, near the library on the same grounds. Ironically, we were actually parked closer than would have been in our usual spot.

Both Christina and I are experienced protesters, so we knew what to expect. After we arrived, we wandered about for awhile, checking out the various pockets of people along both sides of Torrance Boulevard. The mood? From the very start, it was festive and positive and joyous. Exuberant, even. And the first thing we noticed was that while we were still early for the official event start time of 10:30AM, there were already more people there than had been even at the peak of the previous two No Kings events at the same location. So much for parking being a deterrent.

Froggys and Unicorns and Freedom Fighters

Who was at No Kings III in Torrance? Well, first off, let's talk about geography. The South Bay Area of Los Angeles County is comprised of the coastal and coast-adjacent cities southwest of DTLA that includes the Beach Cities (El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach), Torrance, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, other local cities like Carson, Gardena, Lawndale, Lomita, and nearby LA neighborhoods like Harbor City and San Pedro. You may recall Randy Newman singing the line, "From the South Bay to the Valley," in his iconic tune "I Love L.A." This is the South Bay in reference.

This area — where I've spent most of my life since 1975 — spans a wide range of income groups, racial makeups, national backgrounds, political outlooks, and more. It also accounts for nearly a half million people. It's not an insignificant populace, and a good portion of people here lead active lifestyles and are hard workers. And we care about the world around us. At least most of us seem to. I love it here, and always have, and always will.

My beloved South Bay

Again, focused only on the No Kings event that I personally attended in Torrance: I witnessed not a single moment of conflict. Not a single counterprotestor. And maybe I missed them but I never even heard an angry word or saw a raised middle finger from even one of the thousands of cars passing by. Let me throw a caveat out there: I live in a congressional district where Harris beat Trump 68%–29%. I speak from a position of liberal privilege here in Southern California by the beach.

What did I witness? A lot of terrific signs. A lot of smiles and laughter. A lot of people being immensely grateful to be among their own likeminded people. Old people. Young people. In between people. Families. Gay people. White people (so, so many white people), but also Asian and Latino and Black people. Oh, and at least a dozen or more dogs, many dressed for the occasion.

So as Christina and I hung out in various spots — along the tree line near Maple and Torrance, in front of the fountain area where speakers were doing speeches, down toward the west end near the pool, or on the other side of the street after crossing Madrona and looping back around to where we started. Also, at one point, we found ourselves in a pocket of inflatable characters who were pumping dance music out of a boom box, and I got in with them for some techno mini-rave action.

A Few Pics

Between Christina and I, we managed to document the No Kings III event quite thoroughly. I did a few livestream spots on Facebook Live, and she and I both captured a bunch of the scenes around us in still pics. Here's a little pictorial featuring some of them.

Cool Speakers and Attendees

I have to admit: I'm not a big fan of standing around at protest events to hear people speak. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful when politicians, local activists, and the occasional celeb makes it out to these kinds of events. It's way cool. But I'm there to be an active participant, not an observer. Also, the area where the speakers set up in Torrance is around the fountain, and it's kinda crowded and in direct sunlight... not the preferred environment for a vampire like me.

But surprisingly, among the speakers we had the well-liked Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who came by and addressed the crowd, and once again, our neighbor Jimmy Kimmel (who lives not far from me in Hermosa Beach) attended the event with members of his family. Photos below from their respective social media feeds.

Wrapping It Up

Christina and I stayed for nearly three hours, until our levels of being around yelling people and honking horns and bright sunshine and loud music hit their respective limits. It was just wrapping up by then, and we made our way back to our Jeep and back home, ravenously stopping by Carl's Jr. on the way.

I have to say, No Kings III was not only the biggest protest event in U.S. history as measured by attendance; it was also the best measured by that most intangible quality of vibe. All I can tell you is that if this wave of enthusiasm translates into votes this November, there's no fucking way we can lose. Let's fucking go. See you at the next one.

United Rhythms/Aunty Fa Hall (03.21.26)

This was a different kind of show. I liked it. Photo by Kat.

It was probably sometime in January when one day, my friend and Zakster fan Trouble Streeter pinged me to ask if I knew about an SL-based resistance movement. She'd learned about it from my fellow musician and friend Mimi Carpenter. And sure enough, when I took a lot at their web site, it was interesting to me. After all, I'm at least equally well known as a political commentator as I am a musician... and my liberal outlook is never hidden. It's something I'm proud of, frankly.

So when the folks who run that community asked if I'd be willing to do a show there at United Rhythms Aunty Fa Hall, I said yes immediately. And then when they told me a date they had in mind — with a show that was themed "Abolish ICE" — I was even more stoked... it was just a week before what I was sure would be come the largest day of protest in American history, the third event in the "No Kings" series.

Zak Unleashed

There's a reason that I don't have political discussion be the centerpiece of every show I do, and it's very simple... and probably not what you think it might be. As I said above, I am a proud liberal and supporter of both democracy and the Democratic Party in the USA. But I am also aware that political discourse can be alienating to some, and also that people who attend live music shows desperately need a break from the things that cause them stress.

Let me be clear: I do not care — not one bit — about people not coming to my shows or not listening to my music due to my political activism. That has absolutely nothing to do with it. They can all go fuck themselves. What it is about is my own responsibility as a performer, to provide some fun and enjoyment and relaxation. I feel it's an important service for the world.

But this show? One that was booked with my name next to the words "ABOLISH ICE" on the sign outside? With signs and information fully focused on resistance efforts? I figured that literally anyone coming to this show was going to be there specifically to hear exactly those things.

Themed Set List

I think everyone who knows me at all as a musician knows that I curate set lists that are at least somewhat unique to each show and venue I play. Often they are influenced by things in the news, things affecting society, and overall causes and issues that I support continuously. And sometime they are just cool songs that I want to show people. Not everything in life has to have a concrete meaning or purpose.

At this show, though, every single song I chose was there was a reason. If you know the songs in the set below, I probably don't need to explain those reasons on a song-by-song basis. But I will say that doing this show at Aunty Fa Hall was really great. I wouldn't want all of my shows to be in that format, but it sure felt good to go full-bore social activist while also doing some good tunes.

I was in full Antifa mode the whole hour. Photo by Kat.

It was great to be fully unleashed on the political front with a very receptive audience to hear what I had to say. Photo by Kat.

I got sent this from an audience member after the show. Great shot! After I figure out who took it, I'll revise this caption to give them credit.

There was no ambiguity regarding the outlook of the people who created Aunty Fa Hall. Photo by Kat.

Aunty Fa Hall set list...

For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)

America (Simon & Garfunkel)

Either Way (Wilco) 

All You Fascists (Woody Guthrie)

The Rainbow Connection (Kermit the Frog) 

Sex Kills (Joni Mitchell)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)

Streets of Minneapolis (Bruce Springsteen)

It’s Good to be King (Tom Petty)

Redemption Song (Bob Marley)

First, thanks to everyone who came out to this really cool show, and while I didn't put out a tip jar (asking people to donate to various causes instead), I still want to thank those who supported the show anyway!

Guru Witte, theblueyedfox Resident, Mimi Carpente, and the great management/staff at Aunty Fa Hall!