Ziggy Sixpence @ The Shack 07/04/2023

At the end of last year we, sadly, lost some great venues in SL. Fortunately, we still have many. I appreciate that SL venues come in all shapes and sizes. In my younger RL days, I had occasion to lose vast quantities of time, money and brain cells in a couple college towns, where blocks of bars lined a couple streets. Everyone was filled with a cover band, coeds and young men like me. Sure, some of the decoration differed from location to location, but that was about it. Not so in SL. We're never more than a TP away from something that is just what we need. Today's need was for a live musician, so I headed over to The Shack, where owner Poppy Threesocks only books live acts. In addition the stage The Shack features a dance floor you can dance on just by touching it. The tip jar is the hippy to the right of the stage. One of the remarkable things about The Shack is the investment Poppy has made in couples dances. You call these via the floating treble clef above the right side of the stage. I particularly enjoyed the Cowboy and Stroll Off dances, as well as variety of dances that would fit most any genre and/or relationship. So make sure you bring a friend (or even an ALT) and take advantage!

There are some fantastic track singers in SL. I appreciate them tremendously. I also appreciate the work Poppy does to find and book live musicians. Its not an either or proposition for me. Having these choices of venues, artists and technologies is what makes the SL music scene the amazing place so many of us benefit from. Today's performer at The Shack was Ziggy Sixpence. I'd bumped into Ziggy (this time) at the Kultivate Gallery last weekend and knew I had to blog him. It was great luck that he was appearing at The Shack when I had a break in my hectic Friday schedule. Ziggy opened with John Denver's ode to returning home, "Country Roads" and then Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" As he sang this song perfectly, I was struck by the fact I don't encounter much of The Boss in SL, in fact, I can feel a special blog coming on about what music we don't hear in SL (and maybe why). The next song was "Only You" from an English act called "Yazoo". I've shared th

at while music trivia knowledge is worth note, my technical understanding of music is limited at best. That being said, I was able to realize the deft skill Ziggy applied to perform a synth pop song on an acoustic guitar.

Ziggy jagged a bit and took us down the Mississippi with The Band of Heathen's "Hurricane". The lines "I don't mind the strain, Of a hurricane" might relate to some of the serial relationship people I'm come across in my SL journeys, but that's none of my business. I mentioned synth pop early, and Ziggy delivered again with Johnny Cash's version of "Personal Jesus". In my mind I could hear Depeche Mode in the background and was transported back to a club in El Paso in the mid-1980s. Siiiiiigh. Speaking of which, the next song, as if on cue, was Chris Stapleton's "Cold" (but I'm over it, really, sniff, sniff). The next song was one of those gems I’m sure I knew back when the APFT was just a thing I did, I had hair, and grossly overtipped waitresses. Ziggy's guitar playing and singing absolutely riveted me with "Through the Barricades" from Spandau Ballet.

Not content with wowing the audience with synth on an acoustic guitar, The Boss done well, and a pop classic, Ziggy showed us a mastery of country with Garth Brooks, "The Dance", then Elton John's "Your Song". My friends know I'm a huge fan of the Elton John's particularly the older stuff. So, when a classic like "Your Song" comes on, I get hyper critical (yes, yes in fact I can). I was absolutely not disappointed in Ziggy's performance of this beautiful song, nor were my fellow "Shacksters" this afternoon. Next up was one of the most powerful breakup songs I know, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison. Ziggy poured himself into this and we all felt it, as we noticed the hour as almost over, the impending spit of this ad hoc group was coming near.

The next song was from a person I'd never heard of before (and am correing that), Gregory Alan Isakov, "If I go, I'm goin'". And the last song in this amazing set was an SL touchstone, Chris Isaak's, "Wicked Game". I say touchstone, because I've heard many, many performers sign this song, particularly live musicians. Ziggy showed us why he is among the top live musicians in SL. And with the last notes of "Wicked Game" this hour of fun was over. Those of us who had shared it said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, but I hope not far, no

r for long. I hope you at a Ziggy show soon, preferably at The Shack.

Ziggy is a passionate and talented Swedish born acoustic guitarist and vocalist with many years of live performing and an extensive song list. He has been singing soft rock and soft pop songs throughout his entire adult life. He gravitated closer to softer bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Toto, then progressed towards more pop and soft rock. When you experience Ziggy's live acoustic performance, it's like he's singing to you. Join us for your favorite soft rock and pop requests and dedications!