Everywhere and Nowhere: Places I've Played in SL

After a recent flurry of performing at venues I've never played before, I started wondering how many different live music venues in Second Life there were where I'd performed scheduled events. Luckily, since I'm so anal retentive about documenting all this silly crap, I was able to not only put together a list of the venues, but the date of my debut there. Some places I've only played once, and others I've played 50+ times since then. Many venues are still active, while others have gone to the great pixel graveyard. But here's the big list, in order of when I made my debut there! Feel free to recommend other places where I should have played by now, if you want.

Coyote (4/12/07)
The Shelter (5/3/07)
Hanging Gardens of Babylon (8/31/07)
Artisan Gallarias (9/14/07)
Neil Young Archives (09/29/07)
Crystal Sands (10/12/07)
Bubblegum Music Factory (10/24/07)
Merry Prankster (10/22/07)
Cuddlers Cove (10/30/07)
Space Odessy (11/5/07)
Encore Design Group (11/17/07)
La Scala Opera House (11/26/07)
The Warehouse, Ir Shalom (12/5/07)
Rocky Shores (12/8/07)
Tabitha’s Hard Rock Cafe (12/13/07)
Woodstock (12/14/07)
Stonehenge (1/12/08)
Pink Ice Club (2/7/08)
The Zone! (2/12/08)
Relay for Life I (2/17/08)
New Berlin (2/19/08)
Triana’s Music Trivia (2/24/08)
Artisan Square (3/2/08)
Summertime Blues Club (3/8/08)
DD Party (3/9/08)
Nitida Ridge (3/22/08)
DarkStar (4/2/08)
Sunshine Daydream (4/6/08)
TCH Yacht Club (4/10/08)
NYA Stage (4/18/08)
Relay for Life II (5/14/08)
SL5B Hippie Bus (6/27/08)
SL5B Main Stage (6/27/08)
Inspiration Cove (7/6/08)
Triumph Cove (7/12/08)
Fibber McGee’s (7/24/08)
The Notes Shack (8/6/08)
The Galleria (8/11/08)
The Falls (8/28/08)
Rastafairy Beach (8/30/08)
San Diego in SL (8/30/08)
Belford Beach Bums (10/19/08)
Blarney Stone (11/11/08)
Bay Vista Dragon’s Pearl (12/2/08)

... and many more to come! I have two places that are new for me (Ashlea's Music Loft and Molaskey's Pub) on my schedule before the end of 2008 alone.

Debut at Bay Vista Dragon's Pearl (12.02.08)

What a fun and cool-looking venue the Dragon's Pearl stage at Bay Vista is! It was a great mid-day break for me, and my audience seemed pretty happy as well. Cutting to the chase...

People having fun and stuff.

Nice shot from the Dragon's Pearl stage.

Here's what I played...

This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Ramble On (Led Zeppelin)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
If You Could Only See (Tonic)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (Steely Dan)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Court & Spark (Joni Mitchell)
You’re Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
Redemption Song (Bob Marley)

Thanks to everyone at Bay Vista, especially the ones who helped support my show!
creola Deledda, Gretchen Capalini, Kanja Sands, hexx Triskaidekaphobia, jsmn Yao, Winston Ackland, TyeDyeFlyGuy Jonson, Katzy Rigaud, and Silas Scarborough!

5 Reasons This Time of Year can Suck

A lot of people find themselves in a less-than-optimal mood during this time of year. Some of the reasons are pretty obvious and affect a pretty wide percentage of people in general, and others are custom-tailored for lucky individuals.

I'm lucky... despite all the reasons not to, I still love the concept of Christmas. Look past the crass commercialism, the issue of not being able to afford all the things you'd like to get for your loved ones and so on, and I still feel Christmas (and the other winter holidays) give humans a once-a-year reminder to give a shit about their fellow man. A more pessimistic person would probably find it depressing that people can't be that way for more than one out of twelve months, but screw it; I'm a "glass half full" person.

Still, I'd be a fool to completely refuse to acknowledge that December's arrival can bring in an off-putting element to many lives. Here are a few aspects of December that I, personally, could probably live without.

1. December 8.
I am not... repeat, NOT... a superstitious person. I don't believe in nearly anything that's not explainable by science. But over the course of my life, I've had a number of years where something odd seems to happen on December 8. Self-fulfilling prophesy? Perhaps, but if so, I promise it's within the depths of my subconscious. And it's not always a BAD thing, per se. On December 8, 1980, I performed at my very first public recital as a musician, and did very well. Then, on my way home in my parents' car, I found out that John Lennon had been killed while I was performing onstage. It's not always something that dramatic or memorable, but it seems that I've had an inordinate amount of relationship breakups, injuries/illnesses, career changes, car accidents, and other strange things happen on this date. I should also mention that there have been a good number of years that this date comes and goes and despite my awareness of it, nothing out of the ordinary happens. So, we're a week out from my Odd Day, and I'll let you know how it goes.

2. The NAMM Show.
The NAMM Show is my industry's Super Bowl, or perhaps its World Series, or some other analogy that explains the most important single event of a year in a particular business. in real life, I work in the music and audio products industry, and Winter NAMM is a giant trade show where all the manufacturers introduce their new wares. A good NAMM show can significantly impact the entire year of business for a company in my industry, and a bad NAMM show can really have an adverse effect. A few things about it: first, I really, really, REALLY dislike trade shows. I just do. Second, although NAMM is in January, it's the culmination of weeks and weeks of heavy work for people like me, who help create all the signs, brochures, video presentations, sponsorships, web updates, and other marketing elements that go into a show like this. So every December for the past 16 years, much of my time is eaten by getting ready for NAMM. I recall during one pre-internet year having to go into the office on Christmas Day to get some stuff done. It's not fun, and it doesn't get any easier with passing time. The one saving grace over the past five+ years that I've owned my own business is that I do prefer being able to set my own schedule, as opposed to being at the beck and call of some other person. But in any case, it's a lot of freakin' work, and at this very moment, in fact, I am procrastinating some essential NAMM-related work while writing this blog entry. Bleh.

3. Weather.
Don't laugh at me. Just don't. I live in Southern California, and it can be absolutely beautiful in December. But this morning, I awoke to an incredibly dense blanket of fog and a very surreal feeling of foreboding that came along with it. So, while we get no snow here, and the temperature rarely drops even into the 40s, and it almost never even rains, I still find the winter weather a little bit of a downer. I'll shut up now. Hey, I never claimed these reasons to be bitchy were legitimate to anyone but me.

4. People.
So, here I am, trying to find some goodness within the gloom of December. But let me tell you; the news is no place to turn for happiness and good times. Over the last week, we had a massive terror assault in Mumbai, a crowd of shoppers at a Wal-Mart in Long Island that stampled a poor worker to death, two guys that shot each other to death in a Toys R Us here in California, and more. What the fuck is wrong with people? Every time I start to think that we're making even the slightest amount of progress as a species, all I need to do is hit CNN.com and I'm reminded that we're as bad, or perhaps worse, than ever. And those are just the people whose shitty behavior makes the news. There's a reason why I do all my holiday shopping online, and it's not for the great prices. It's that I don't have any love for circling parking lots for hours, being elbowed while getting on escalators, or dealing with surly seasonal employees at the mall. Anyway, people tend to be at their worst this time of year. Ironic, eh?

5. Money.
Not my money. I don't mind spending my money. In fact, I'd much rather spend my money giving gifts to people I love than limiting its use for mundane crap like paying my utility bills... where's the fun in that? But the problem I'm seeing is that more and more folks I know are out of work, or just not making ends meet, or are finding themselves so far in debt that there looks to be no path to climb out of their hole they've dug. But I'm not in a position to help everyone I know that needs help, and in the bigger picture, I don't know that handing money to everyone I know who needs it really DOES help them. It's just a bummer, even if it's not my personal bummer of the moment.

So, there are five things that seem to suck right now. And I'm really not going out of my way to dwell on those things. in fact, I'm happy and thankful for a lot of absolutely GREAT things that are going on in my life right now, and I never want to appear ungrateful for those things. I'm really not. Perhaps sometime later this month, when I find myself completely infused with the Spirit of Christmas, I'll make an equally nauseating blog post about happiness, love, the kindness of strangers, and goodwill toward men. But for now? Meh. And bah.

For the Dogs: Weekend for Lucas (11.29.08)

LIke I mentioned before, I had back-to-back shows on Saturday. I never schedule back-to-backs without a very good reason, but this was worthwhile, since it allowed me to perform at "A Weekend for Lucas", the fundraising benefit concert festival to support Smiling Dog Farms. This organization is a last resort for dogs that otherwise have no place else to go. From their web site...

Our dogs come from shelters and rescues all across America. They may be “unadoptable” because they have bitten someone, have medical issues, or have other behavior challenges. Smiling Dog Farms accepts all unadoptable dogs, regardless of age, breed,behavioral or medical issues. If a dog is breathing, he qualifies to come live here!

Grateful Stryker, a friend and fellow musician in Second Life, started this fundraiser last year after his experience with Smiling Dog Farms and one doggie named Lucas who ended up there. He was introduced to dog in a shelter that was scheduled for execution since no one wanted him, and he found Smiling Dog Farms who helped save Lucas's life. Lucas (who was an older dog) lived out the rest of his days with happiness and dignity. Perhaps the bigger result of Grateful's friendship with Lucas was that Grate got the idea to put together a benefit show in SL to support Smiling Dog Farms. In 2007, I performed at the first show, which was a huge success, and this year was terrific as well. They haven't tallied the total yet (the show is a two-day event that's continuing today), but it should represent a sizable chunk of the annual operating costs of the farm.

Zak onstage at the Lucas show. Note that the lower half of my body is Ruthed... nice capri pants.

All that having been said, I'm very glad I chose to look past the hassles of doing two shows in a row and performed there. After my show at Triumph Cove, I teleported immediately over to Sunshine Daydream, where the Lucas event was taking place, and got right down to the business of a) rocking and b) telling people to donate money to this cause. Despite the fact that I was guilting and haranguing people the entire time, I think it was still fun for everyone. And, of course, it was nice to see some of the old Sunshine Daydream gang again.

I also wrote a tune specifically for the event, which you'll find below, as well as performing two other songs I'd never before done in SL.

Here's what I played...

*Every Dog Should Have It’s Day (Zak Claxton)
One (U2)
*Ramble On (Led Zeppelin)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
The Worst (Rolling Stones)
You’re Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Walking The Dog (Aerosmith)
*Here Comes The Sun (Beatles)
Thank You (Led Zeppelin)

*Indicates first time I've performed this song in SL
Grateful Stryker watches the festivities.

TO GET MORE INFORMATION OR TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO SMILING DOG FARMS (a 501(c)3 charitable corporation), VISIT www.smilingdogfarms.org!

Zak gets back to Triumph Cove (11.29.08)

Zak has a fun crowd at Triumph Cove.

I had only performed at Triumph Cove once before, but had been wanting to get back there. It's a spectacular venue, and I tend to draw audiences there of people who haven't seen me before, which I do enjoy. Ursula Cinquetti is a terrific hostess, and my thanks go out to Blaze Columbia for sponsoring such a great venue.

Here's the set list...
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
You’re Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
California (Joni Mitchell)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
If You Could Only See (Tonic)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Drive (Incubus)
Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Zak rocks, Ursula boogies.

Thanks to the following people for having supported my show!
Graciela Shelman, Bevan Whitfield, Triana Caldera, Anaid Daviau, Kritz Etzel, Thadicus Caligari, SeanMcPherson Senior, Maxymouse Piek, Charles Coleman, Hiker Tigerpaw, Torben Asp, and most of all Ursula Cinquetti!

Two Zak Shows on Sat.11/29!!!

Hey all! A quick heads-up. You're not seeing double... there are indeed two, count them, two Zak shows tomorrow, back-to-back, on Saturday November 29.

First up at 5:00PM will be a very fun show at Triumph Cove, the terrific venue sponsored by Blaze Columbia. I'll be playing in between the Born Again Pagans and Charles Coleman, so it'll be a great hang with fun tunes.

Then, at 6:00PM, I head immediately over to Sunshine Daydream where I'm appearing at a benefit concert called A Weekend for Lucas. This benefit aids a dog rescue organization called Smiling Dog Farms, and they aid abused and neglected animals. This is a great cause, and I'm sure I can count on my friends/fans to come by and support this charity-driven event.

That's it for now! See you tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving to you from Zak

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

- Edward Winslow from A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1621