On Friday, the Thugz gathered in Forestville at the Backyard restaurant for a great gig. On Saturday, the Thugz, minus our fearless leader, gathered in Occidental for the KOWS radio benefit. What a difference a day makes, and what a difference it makes when Mike is up front and calling the shots. I think we all played really well at the Backyard - everything came together to make a distinctive, interesting, unique Thugz sound. We did OK without Mike, but we were all a bit tentative - especially after we started out not hearing each other and missing the downbeat! The KOWS show was at the end of a long day of their benefit with only a few stragglers left. The KOWS staff was great, trying to be positive, but they were obviously pooped out and ready to pack up. We did our thing, and I think our "Althea" was fabulous. In contrast, Friday night was a blast - nobody wanted to leave, but we had to shut down to let the neighbors sleep. We had Mike's leadership and fantastic trumpet licks to add to the mix, and the magic happened. It was all an interesting exercise in "bandology." The whole is greater than its parts - even though each part is special and polished.
Take care. Love, Sylvia