Homes For Our Troops (02.28.16)

Enjoying a Sunday evening while rocking for a good... no, a great cause. Photo by Kat.

After I wrapped up what could only be described as a very successful fundraising show for Homes For Our Troops at Veterans Isle in Second Life on Sunday night, I turned to Kat and said, "If nothing else, my karma bank seems to get a deposit when I do these things."

That's actually a pretty selfish way to think about it, but it's true: even if we hadn't raised a dime to help the HFOT organization, it's the thought that counts, and one can hope that somewhere, somehow, there's some kind of multi-dimensional ledger of sorts that tracks the good and the bad you've done in life. A lot of people -- most of the people in the world, it turns out -- really do believe in such a thing; the entire concepts of heaven and hell in Christianity is pretty much based on this premise. Do well in life? You go up. Do badly? Take the down elevator.

Do I personally believe in these concepts, in a literal sense? No, not at all, nor do I believe in the strict sense of karma from a Hindu/Buddhist point of view where I would be reincarnated with a better future existence based on my actions in this life. Just for the sake of this discussion, let's imagine an existence where this is all we have. You live, and then you die, and there's nothing at all afterwards. You're just gone. What reason would anyone have to go out of their way to do things for others? What reward would be waiting for you at the end? Why bother?

The answer is that the reward happens all the time, all around you, in every possible way. I mentioned during my show that we -- the people doing the fundraising -- don't get the benefit of seeing a disabled combat veteran get out of a car and head toward the new custom house that's been built for him or her, seeing it for the first time. We don't get to experience the emotion that they must feel when being handed the keys to the place where they'll be able to live, a place designed so that they can have a happier and more productive life. We don't get to see them come home. We don't witness the payoff for our efforts. But we do know it happens. And we know the result.

I like to imagine that I get to meet the people whom I help through various charitable shows I've done. I generally don't, but I also imagine that they'd like to meet me. Photo by Kat.

So I ask again: what does someone like me get out of this? Answer: I get everything. The world around me literally becomes a better place. And again, going back to the selfishness part... I awoke today feeling like I did something good for someone. Whatever the opposite of guilt is -- pride doesn't seem right, but in that vein -- I get to experience, and rightfully so. I literally improve my own life right now -- at this moment, not after I die -- by bringing help to others. And hey, if I'm wrong about things like heaven and hell or reincarnation, then I have a better shot at getting those kinds of rewards too. But most of all, I get the wonderful feeling of having used my own ability to play music and entertain people for a cause in which I do truly believe.

Side note: should private citizens and non-governmental organizations be necessary to help the most seriously injured combat veterans? No, absolutely not. If a country sends its people to fight on their behalf, the very minimum that should be expected is that those who are injured be taken care of by that country. And, on a bigger picture, my ultimate dream is that war becomes a thing of the past, placed in the history books as the primitive and anachronistic way of settling disputes that it obviously is. Since neither of those things is going to happen any time soon, we remain tasked with the job of taking care of our veterans. I should note that at least last night, our efforts in that regard were very successful. After the show of my pal Lyndon Heart and my own performance, over L$90,000 -- around $400 USD -- had been generously donated by the attending crowd, with the huge help of the event's primary organizer and contributor Frets Nirvana (who was putting up matching fund challenges and really driving the donations in a big way). I don't know what the grand total was, but I'm pretty sure it was seriously impressive for one evening in a virtual world.

One other note about the show, having nothing to do with any of the above. This weekend marked the real life birthday of one of my best friends, Triana Caldera, and it was a big birthday. She turned 40, and like most people, I knew she'd been feeling rather trepidatious about the whole thing, so I also used the occasion to do a set of songs from her birth year of 1976 to cheer her up about the event. I also did some other songs I hadn't done before, because variety is the spice of life.

Birthday girl Triana Caldera, who got a whole set of songs from the year 1976 as my present to her. Hey, it was all I could afford. I think she liked it, though. Photo by Kat.

The level of generosity from the crowd at Veterans Isle was mind-blowing. Photo by Kat.

Final thought: even if I got nothing personally out of performing for HFOT and the many other charitable institutions to whom I've lent my time and talents, the basic idea is along the lines of a well-known Greek proverb: "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." Selfless acts aren't generally part of normal human nature, but I believe in trying to leave the world a better place than it was when I entered, and I'll do whatever I can to try and make a contribution where I'm able.

More Info on Homes For Our Troops
From their web site: Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar donated to Homes for Our Troops has gone directly to our program services for Veterans. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives.

HFOT set list...
Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)
*Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)
Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band)
Golden Years (David Bowie)
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon)
Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
America (Simon and Garfunkel)
*A Trick With No Sleeve (Alain Johannes)
*Bring On The Night (The Police)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Gardenia (Iggy Pop)
Tea for the Tillerman (Cat Stevens)

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

Huge thanks to everyone who contributed in any way to this very successful fundraising show! I don't have a complete list of who you are, but these were the folks who appeared in my chat logs afterwards...
Frets Nirvana, Bri McMahon, gjackie.winkler, theadee, jovie Kearny, dahlea.milena, Jessie Kleiner, PitViper Paine, Woodstock Burleigh, Casidhe Brissot, lacey.latrell, Flynavy Beerbaum, bctigercat, Sesh Kamachi, Triana Caldera, Kat Claxton, Lyndon Heart, Sabryne Hotaling, Keja Keegan, Cyrece Delicioso-Wylder, Christine Haiku, Shaye Dezno-Jonstone, tex.seesaw, Daisy Coronet, ransomtalmidge, Gary Jonstone, shaggy Verdigra, CREAMY Dudley, daviddudley, and danijela.diker.

The Islands of New England (02.10.16)

What's a typical day in the life of a virtual rock star like? I'm glad you asked.

First, you wake up before dawn. Why? Because you have a job, and you have a kid to get to school, and tons of other responsibilities. You work all day, hopefully being a productive member of society. You experience the typical successes and failures, elations and frustrations, that most people experience in the ongoing rollercoaster that most of us recognize as a typical life. But then, toward the day's end, instead of doing whatever it is that most people do, you strap on a guitar, set up some microphones, and you forget pretty much everything that you did previous to then, because at that moment, your sole purpose in life is to bring joy to others, and lose yourself in the process for an hour or so. And then, when it's done, you thank people, and maybe 30 seconds after that, you're doing things like making dinner, taking out the trash, helping your kid with his/her homework, and other things that people generally do.

Exciting, isn't it? So basically, your day goes "wake up, normal person, normal person, normal person, normal person, normal person, ROCK STAR, normal person, normal person, sleep".

You may laugh, but personally, I think we have an advantage over those rock stars who are, um, actual rock stars. For one thing, I can go to the grocery store without people staring at me. I can eat in a restaurant without constantly being besieged by autograph seekers. And there's not a long line of people wanting to sponge off my fame. Granted, we virtual rock stars don't make the money that real rock stars do... except many of us do, because we have jobs and stuff. You'd be shocked at how many relatively well-known performing musicians don't make nearly the income that you would suspect they do, especially in an age where music sales can provide only pennies for dozens of plays. They make their dough on touring and merchandise sales, which brings up another thing. I can wrap up a meeting for my actual vocation, and then be playing a show a few minutes later, without all the hellishness that comes from traveling from city to city to do tours. Again, the grass isn't always greener.

Photos by Kat.

I suppose at this point, I can tell you that last night's show at The Islands of New England was really pretty great, but then, why wouldn't it be? It's a cool venue where my friends and fans feel welcomed, with a great set of hosts. I've never felt pressured to play in any particular musical style there; they are totally accepting of whatever I feel like doing, from the normal to the extremely weird. There are no dress codes there. It's purely a place where people can come out and enjoy themselves with music performed live, and I ask for nothing more. One extra fun note, don'tcha know; I performed directly after my friend (and fellow Maali Beck Entertainment artist) Taunter Goodnight, which is always a pleasure.

TIONE set list...
Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)
Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
Starman (David Bowie)
I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Bag of Nothing (They Stole My Crayon)
Sleeper in the Valley (Laura Veirs)
California (Joni Mitchell)
Gardenia (Iggy Pop)
Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
Loser (Beck)

Massive thanks to everyone who came out to TIONE and checked out my show, including the following who helped support it!
Sheila Morlim, Brooklyn Breen, Richy Nervous, Rey Tardis, Alexis Fairlady, Kat Claxton, RansomTalmidge Resident, Tpenta Vanalten, Aurelie Chenaux, TheaDee Resident, Taunter Goodnight, Sassy Nicely, Smidge Frimon, my excellent manager Maali Beck, New England host Sesh Kamachi, and its great manager Christine Haiku!

Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show (02.06.16)

Here's a little story. I got up on Friday morning in a pretty typical manner, taking a quick peek at the news on my iPad before getting in the shower and moving ahead with my day. I also happened to notice that I had a message via Facebook, so I took a quick peek. It was in regard to the live show I was supposed to perform on Saturday in Second Life... which had been canceled. It really never bothers me much when an SL show doesn't happen as planned. My only disappointment is for any of my friends/fans whom I'd already invited to the show, but even then, it's hardly the end of the world.

But while I showered, an idea came to me that more than made up for the cancellation of my SL show. I'd been planning on doing a Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show -- my live music event that I host every so often on Ustream -- for quite some time, and I hadn't done one for about a year and a half, since November 2014. Now I had a perfectly good reason to do just that. I quickly switched over the details of my planned event, and let folks know that I'd be rocking on live video rather than in a virtual world. For those of you who are interested in doing such a show, let me point out a few differences.

1. People can see you. The actual flesh that makes up yourself. Yes, that's the point of doing a video-based show. If you can't handle the idea of being seen while you play music, you can always just stream your audio, or put up a video of something other than yourself. But really, what the hell is the point of that? You, however you look, in whatever kind of shape you're in, at whatever age you are, are you. No one else can be you. Own that shit.

2. Clean your damn room. Seriously, do not do a live video show that tempts people to start memes about your underwear that's draped on a bedpost, or that week-old pizza slice on top of your amplifier. You don't have to build an elaborate stage set or have laser lights or anything. Oh, that having been said...

3. Make sure that people can see and hear you clearly. It's not hard. Test your audio and your video before your show. Set up whatever camera you're using at an angle that is good for watching a live music show (like, not on the floor pointing at your socks). Don't do your show in a room so dark that your viewers have to guess which set of pixels is you.

4. Acknowledge the camera. This especially goes out to my fellow Second Life performers, some of whom may have less experience doing live shows where they can physically interact with their audience. Think of the camera as a friend who is chilling in the room with you. Watching a show of some person staring at a music stand off to their right is just slightly more exciting than a show about paint drying, no matter how well the person is performing music.

Image captures by Kat.

My only last bit of advice about doing live video shows is that if you're not enjoying it, don't bother. I actually welcome the opportunity to have people see me play live. I can do things that I can't do at an SL show in terms of how the audience can connect with and relate to me as a performer. There are many video-based music performance platforms out there in addition to just using a service like Ustream, so whether you're a player or a music fan, check them out.

ZCHFS set list...
Radio Free Europe (R.E.M.)
Northern Sky (Nick Drake)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
*Gardenia (Iggy Pop)
Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)
On a Plain (Nirvana)
Underwater Underground (They Stole My Crayon)
It's Choade My Dear (Connan Mockasin)
*Appetites (Jib Kidder)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Tribute (Tenacious D)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song live

Thanks to my people who tuned in to watch me rock. More ZCHFS events coming soon!

Key West (01.27.16)

Hi there. Yes, I missed you too. And frankly, I hadn't expected to be writing a post about a Second Life live music performance for awhile longer. As some of you know, just last week, I'd been working at the NAMM Show, a big trade convention for the industry in which I work. It's pretty typical for me to be either sick or completely without a voice for a week or so following NAMM, but for whatever combination of lucky reasons, just a few days afterwards I was feeling good enough to perform music.

But I still didn't have a show scheduled until February 6, so the point was moot until yesterday morning, when my manager Maali Beck pinged me on Facebook.

"Hey Zak, want to gig at Key West tonight night at 6 pm?"

It's always obvious when one is being solicited for a show as a fill-in for someone else. No one with the organization skills of Key West owner Liz Harley waits until the day of an event to book her talent. That having been said, it took me roughly three-tenths of a second to tell Maali that I was indeed interested in performing. For years, Key West has been one of my favorite places to play in SL, and remains so today. I quickly sent out some notices to people that - surprise! - I'd be doing a show that evening, and later spent some quality time with my guitar that had sat dormant for far too long while I was immersed in my business activities.

Photos by Kat.

One thing that was clear to me; it was my first show since a large batch of musical heroes, some very important to me, had passed on. Without wanting it to be any kind of morbid affair (my shows are fun, dammit), I couldn't do the show without giving some kind of acknowledgement to those recently-deceased musicians. I think it went really well, and my audience seemed to agree. Bowie has always been a regular in my set list, but I enjoyed doing the Glenn Frey-penned Eagles tune, and any opportunity to play "Ace of Spades" is welcomed.

Key West set list...
*Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
*Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles)
Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake)
Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
Pretty Pimpin (Kurt Vile)
Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Bag of Nothing (They Stole My Crayon)
*Ace of Spades (Motorhead)
Pancho & Lefty (Townes van Zandt)

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

Massive thanks to everyone who came out to see me at Key West, particularly the following who helped support my show!
Triana Caldera, hildegard269 Resident, RoxxyyRoller Resident, Diana Renoir, BruceCampball Resident, Jenna Dirval, GMetal Svartur, madison252 Resident, Christine Haiku, Sesh Kamachi, Mulder Watts, TheaDee Resident, Alyss Whitewood, Kat Claxton, Aurelie Chenaux, RansomTalmidge Resident, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Key West host Tommi Bayn, and owner Liz Harley!

David Bowie (1947-2016)

It's awful that my first blog writing of 2016 is about the death of David Bowie. The last thing I'm going to do is write an obituary; there are already many great ones all over the Internet... here, I can Google them for you if you'd like. Instead, I'm going to share a few personal observations that you might enjoy.

The First Real Music Video I Ever Saw
MTV started broadcasting in August 1981, but music videos had been around before that. Most of them were simple videos where the band would uncomfortably pantomime performances of their song, but there were a few that were mini-movies that used the song as a soundtrack to images that comprised an art form unto themselves. It shouldn't be surprising that Bowie was one of the earliest video innovators in this regard.

A very vivid memory of mine stems from 1980. I was in middle school, and was spending the night at my friend Ian's home. We did things that kids often do, like staying up way past our usual bedtime. I recall that we were watching a show... perhaps "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" or Wolfman Jack's "The Midnight Special", and this thing came on. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. David Bowie was shown in scenes alternating between being in a radio station DJ booth, and walking the streets of New York being accosted by multiple people. I was impressed by both the song and the gender-fluid performer in the video. It remains great to this day.


Everyone Else Gets It, and I Get Annoyed
By April 1983, I was a freshman in high school, and had gained a good level of familiarity with Bowie. After all, he'd already reached an iconic status via his many artistic personalities that spanned from his youthful "The Man Who Sold the World" era through his early rise to international fame on "Ziggy Stardust", through his less popular but critically-acclaimed work in his "Berlin Trilogy" era. I was a huge fan of what was then his most recent work, the album Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).

That's when Bowie exploded into mainstream popularity once again with the release of Let's Dance, which is probably the most pop-oriented work he ever did. And that was another first for me; it was the first time that I felt the hipsterish emotion of, "Hey, I've been into this guy for years... who do you people think you are? Where have you been? What right do you have to like Bowie?"

The answer was that they had all the right in the world, of course. I've managed to suppress those feelings for the most part in times since. Bowie did his "Serious Moonlight" tour after that, which I saw in August 1983 at the Forum. He had already headlined the US 83 Festival in May, which I'd sadly missed.


My Most Covered Artist
This is probably not a big surprise to any of the Zaksters of the world, but I've actually covered more Bowie songs that any other artist. More than The Beatles, more than Neil Young, more than even Joni Mitchell. Here is a list of the Bowie songs I've performed... occasionally with bands, but mostly as a solo artist (since his songs tend to translate well to just about any performance style). In order of their original release:

Space Oddity, Letter to Hermione, Black Country Rock, The Man Who Sold the World, Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, John I'm Only Dancing, The Jean Genie, Rebel Rebel, Young Americans, Fame, Golden Years, TVC 15, Heroes, DJ, Ashes to Ashes, Fashion, Let's Dance, China Girl, Modern Love, Loving the Alien, Blue Jean, Where Are We Now?, Valentine's Day, Boss of Me, Heat

That's 31 songs from one artist, and that doesn't count the dozens and dozens of other artists' songs I've covered that were blatantly influenced by Bowie. It's not that there haven't been plenty of other great musicians whose music I loved enough to want to play it in front of other people. But there were none whose collective body of work was so amazing that I was continuously compelled to play it over and over again. Please note that I've continued playing even the most recent music by Bowie, doing multiple tunes from his great 2013 album The Next Day.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Somewhat ironically, the directly previous post on this blog was one I wrote on December 27, and it was my list of my "Top 15 Alternative Songs for 2015". Note that one of those songs was Bowie's brand-new "Blackstar", a song that was as innovative and mind-blowing as anything he'd ever done. Here was a man who knew he was dying, and yet was capable of cranking out a song that was every bit as vibrant and incredible as one would expect from the man who basically originated the entire "art rock" genre.


It's my prediction that 50 years from now, kids will still be discovering Bowie as I did in my youth, and still understand instinctively that this was an artist who went beyond the limitations of his peers. His music will last for eternity, or close enough to it as any musician could hope to accomplish. Instead of immersing myself in grief over my loss of David Bowie, I'm choosing to consider myself as being so lucky that I lived in the same era as this man.

Top 15 Alternative Songs of 2015

Ah, music. How dare we presume to judge this ethereal art of the muse with the basest of subjective opinions from one presumptuous listener? I'm sure there were actually more like 1500 great alt music songs that various people made in 2015 (and that Kat likely bought most of them), but the 15 below managed to grab my attention more than the rest. So, here they are in alphabetical order (since attempting to further rank them would be even sillier). Note that I only included one song per artist; many of their albums should be examined for multiple great tracks. Giddy up.

Andy Gabbard “Fluff”

A member of Cincinnati-based rock band Buffalo Killers, Andy Gabbard reportedly cranked out his entire solo album during an inspired 12-hour session. The result was Fluff, including the title track here. A neat combination of grunge and power pop, its cool melodies and hypnotic chord progression have made it a regular on my new music playlist this year.

Buy on iTunes

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Beck “Dreams”

I don't love every piece of music Beck does, but I always pay attention when he puts out new music, because... Beck. "Dreams" was released as a single right at the start of summer, and while it's extremely poppy for my typical tastes, it has tons of hooks and dammit, I'm allowed to enjoy fun music as much as anyone. I'm naming this 2015's "Best Song To Dance To In Your Underwear".

Buy on iTunes

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C Duncan “For (Autumn Rebuild)”

Oh man, am I glad I found out about C Duncan recently. He's a youngish guy from Glasgow who is the child of two accomplished classical musicians, and I haven't heard much from him, but it's been impossible to stop playing this tune on repeat over the course of the fall season. I am very much looking forward to any new stuff he puts out in the near future.

Buy on iTunes

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Courtney Barnett "Pedestrian at Best"

I really love good debut albums, and I love fun, vibey music. So while I tend to eschew any artist that rock critics seem to universally adore -- almost every critic has this album on their "Best of 2015" list -- Courtney's album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is full of good stuff, particularly this song that helped put her on the map. Plus, she's a cool Aussie chick. What's not to like? If you enjoy this one, check out the rest of the album. It's got a lot of good stuff.

Buy on iTunes

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David Bowie "Blackstar"

Trying to explain David Bowie in mere words is a pointless exercise. Take the ten minutes and immerse yourself in his latest work of art. And don't bother trying to explain it to others; why bother? Just listen and thank whatever god you believe in that you live in a world where there's a Bowie.

Buy on iTunes

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Deerhunter “Duplex Planet”

Deerhunter creates some very evocative music. Led by main songwriter and frontman Bradford Cox, this band really grabbed my attention with their 2013 album Halcyon Digest. While that probably remains my favorite of theirs, the new album Fading Frontier made almost every list of the year's best for good reason. The songs may be less confrontational and thought-provoking, but they are truly enjoyable. Most people focused on the lead single "Snakeskin" (a surprisingly funky track for Deerhunter), but I've always preferred the more ethereal side of this band. Good stuff.

Buy on iTunes

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Here We Go Magic “Ordinary Feeling”

The words "indie band from Brooklyn" are usually a big warning sign to me. I don't get into music for the sake of being a hipster, regardless of what anyone else seems to like. But Here We Go Magic retooled its lineup for the new album Be Small, and I truly enjoy "Ordinary Feeling", a song that uses its airy sparseness to envelop you in a great vibe.

Buy on iTunes

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Jib Kidder “Appetites”

Jib Kidder will likely win the award for "artist you have least likely heard of" on my list for 2015, but he's also one you should check out... with a caveat. His voice takes some getting used to, and he tends to process it very heavily, and after about six straight songs of that vocal sound on the album Teaspoon to the Ocean, you might yearn for something a little more organic. That having been said, his psychedelic collage-based songs are terrific, and I seem to have an affinity for people who are both visual and musical artists, as is the case here. Anyway, the guitar playing in the fadeout of "Appetites" is worth the ticket on its own.

Buy on iTunes

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Joanna Newsom “Sapokanikan"

Admission: I didn't get Joanna Newsom in the earlier stages of her career. Her voice was too little-girly. I thought she was a poor person's Kate Bush. And of course, this was all my fault for not giving her enough of a deep listen to really get her genius in both lyrical composition and tremendous musicianship. My bad. I made up for it a little bit this year with my repeat listenings of her new album Divers, and especially what she did on "Sapokanikan"... a daring arrangement and production that truly doesn't sound like anything else (which is apparently really hard to do in this day and age).

Buy on iTunes

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Kurt Vile “Pretty Pimpin”

Unlike most of the artists listed above, I was already a huge Kurt Vile fan for the last few years, and when I heard that he was working on this album in Joshua Tree at Dave Catching's Rancho de la Luna studio, my fanboy brain nearly exploded. When b’lieve i’m goin down came out this fall, it didn't disappoint; a lot of critics feel it's his best effort ever, and as I continue to immerse myself in it, I'd be hard-pressed to disagree (though my love of his last album Wakin on a Pretty Daze is still pretty overpowering). Kurt is pretty typical of the musician I tend to like; pretty weird, rather awkward, and seemingly not able to express himself very well until you put a guitar in his hand. But the moment I heard "Pretty Pimpin", I knew this album would be among my favorites of the year.

Buy on iTunes

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Martin Courtney “Northern Highway”

In case you're not as hip as me (and let's face it, few are), you might not know that we're in the midst of a massive trend toward retro sounds. That's hardly unusual, but the way many bands are going about it shows a massive dedication toward the authenticity of the songwriting, instrumentation, and production to the point where many songs that came out in 2015 are sonically indistinguishable from those that debuted in 1965, or 1973, or thereabouts. I find much of this music contrived... a little too purposeful of an homage to be considered innovative. But Martin Courtney, who is also known as the frontman of New Jersey-based Real Estate, created his solo album Many Moons with the opposite effect. The songs may sound like an unearthed treasure trove of unreleased tunes by the Byrds, but there's a feeling of honesty in the vibe, and I can't help but enjoy it.

Buy on iTunes

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Outfit “On the Water, on the Way”

Based in Liverpool, Outfit is one of the other bands on this list that you probably haven't heard of. I wouldn't have either, except for the fact that I go out of my way to find obscure bands for cool sounds, thanks to online resources like Amoeba Music. Not everything this band does connects with me in a big way, but this song from their album Slowness has a cold feel but employs a great progression that sticks with you after the last synthesized note trails away.

Buy on iTunes

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Pixx “Fall In”

If I had to pick a favorite newcomer for 2015, there's no doubt in my mind that it's Pixx, a 19-year-old woman named Hannah Rodgers from the countryside south of London. She's only released an EP thus far and is working on her first full-length album, but it's mind boggling that her music has the depth it shows from someone so young. And i've already planned on stealing the amazing vibrato vocal effect she employs, so keep an ear open for that on some upcoming tune of mine, eventually.

Buy on iTunes

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra “Necessary Evil”

Do I like UMO's 2015 album Multi-Love as much as I went completely nuts for their 2013 album II? No, but I'd be hard pressed to do so, and this album has plenty of great stuff. First, the expansion to being a four-piece band with the addition of keyboardist Quincy McCrary allowed Ruban Nielson to spread his arrangements out a bit, and the vibe is still very cool. Definitely a more danceable album with tracks like "Can't Keep Checking My Phone", my personal pick of "Necessary Evil" has plenty of funk while still being chock full o' the fuzzy neo-psych that attracted me to UMO in the first place.

Buy on iTunes

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Wilco “Random Name Generator”

According to Jeff Tweedy, he had no idea that a new installment in the "Star Wars" film franchise was even coming out this year when he named Wilco's latest album. And then, with no fanfare (or any pre-announcement at all, heh heh), the album came out... and was free. I find Star Wars to be a fun album, with the typical vaccinations between experimental rock and Americana-tinged songs that are the hallmark of any Wilco album. I picked "Random Name Generator" from Star Wars, but give the whole album a listen and choose your own favorite.

Buy on iTunes

A Benefit for Brandy (12.13.15)

One of the best aspects of the SL music scene is how willing we are to help out one of our own when needed. Photo by Kat.

One of the downsides of not having as much time as I'd like to perform in Second Life is the relative lack of blog posts I've been doing as a result. Instead of just telling you about yesterday's successful fundraising show for my friend Brandy Maltas, I should probably fill you in on some other goings on.

1. It's The Most Stressful Time Of The Year
I suppose most people get stressed out around the holidays for reasons that are different than mine. As I'm sure I've mentioned plenty of times before, I work in the musical instrument and professional audio industry, and our biggest event of the year is called the NAMM Show. It's every January, and for people like me, it requires a whole lot of work to prepare for. It's almost laughable how much I have to work in November, December, and early January to make sure my clients are prepared for the show. Like, 14-hour workdays are very normal. If you're in my industry and looking for sympathy about being insane in December, you're in the wrong place.

2. And The Band Played On
Time and tide, they say, wait for no man. Well, neither does music. It keeps going on whether you choose to remain involved or not. In that regard, my band They Stole My Crayon has a few things happening. Our music is being mixed by our Canadian godlike engineer Spencer Crewe. Meanwhile, last week, we started on a cover recording of a song by Eagles of Death Metal. No, we're usually not a cover band, but this is for a good reason. EODM requested for people to cover their song "I Love You All The Time" so that any sales of the cover could go toward the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks. You might already be aware that EODM was onstage at the Bataclan when the horrible event happened. Anyway, in true Crayon fashion, we weren't about to do a faithful rendition of their original tune. It started with Bunny analyzing the song and turning it into a slower, minor key version. After that, I went to town on an arrangement of the song which came out about a million times better than I would have expected. We're still making additions and tweaks, but by the end of next weekend, we'd like to have it wrapped up. More to come on this topic.

3. Down With The Sickness
It's been a rough couple of weeks among those near and dear to me. Kat had been dealing with a very bad tooth for quite some time, and finally went to get it checked out... way too late to save the tooth. So, she had to have it pulled, which is never fun. Immediately thereafter, she came down with the same cold that seems like 85% of Los Angeles has had recently. And then, it being the season of giving, she gave it to my son and I. There's nothing more lovely than working from 7AM to 11PM for days on end while not being able to breathe and generally feeling like shit. Anyway, the cold is on its way out, but in the meantime, I have that terrible leftover cough. Up until Sunday morning, in fact, I wasn't at all sure I'd be able to perform for the benefit show that had been scheduled for that afternoon. And that brings us to...

A Benefit for Brandy
Brandy Maltas -- also known as Kalli Birman in SL -- is a cool lady. I didn't know her very well until around 2010, when the San Diego SL Jam was being put together. At the time, she was managing a popular SL performer, and I had concerns that the jam was going to become some showcase for that artist, which was not something I was interested in attending. I actually called her at the time and we spoke, and I found that she seemed like a very straightforward and honest person... something I always appreciate. She reassured me that my fears were unfounded, and the Jam -- the first I attended -- turned out to be really fun. Since that time, we've gotten to know each other better, and I think it's safe to say that our respect for each other goes both ways. I'm a no-bullshit kinda guy myself, after all.

It bummed me out when I first found out that Brandy had been diagnosed with cancer. She's a single mom and doesn't have all the resources that some other folks might have in that dire situation. But I was extremely happy and relieved to find out that after her various radiation and chemo and surgical treatments, her cancer seemed to be in remission. Then, not very long ago, she got the news that no one wants: her cancer had spread to other parts of her body. Without going into detail, it's a serious situation, and I was wanting to try and do something to help her. When I found out that her friend Ayesha Lytton was arranging a series of benefit shows to help her out, I was ready to jump in immediately.

A very pretty location for the show, courtesy of Ayesha Lytton. Photo by Kat.

Brandy with her... ferret? Photo by Kat.

We didn't get a huge crowd, but those who came were supportive and helpful to the cause. Photo by Kat.

Of course, life being what it is, I was barely able to croak a sound with my cold-ravaged voice even the day before the show. It was a legitimate concern that I wouldn't be able to sing at all, and that led me to start thinking through how I might be able to do some kind of all-instrumental show. I'm a good guitarist who could indeed pull that off if required, but SL audiences aren't generally known for appreciating live music shows without singing. But then, for whatever series of random circumstances and luck, I got up on Sunday and found that I was at least capable of getting some sounds out of my larynx. It wasn't the best singing performance I'd ever done by a long shot, but I was at least able to do a show that would work under the circumstances.

We had a decent crowd... not as big as I'd have liked, but it still served the purpose of the event, and I'm pretty sure we did pretty well in terms of raising funds for Brandy, which was the only reason we were there. So, that worked out, and I felt good that it did.

Brandy Benefit set list...
Shame Shamber (Kurt Vile)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
California (Joni Mitchell)
Cat's In The Cradle (Harry Chapin)
Friday I'm In Love (The Cure)
The Waiting Boy (Zak Claxton)
Our Lips Are Sealed (Go-Go's)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
Do They Know It's Christmastime? (Band Aid)
Walk On the Wild Side (Lou Reed)

Many thanks to everyone who is helping Brandy through this difficult time, especially all who came to see/hear me perform yesterday!