How many times have we heard these words? "Music soothes the savage beast"...or "Music is good medicine"...or "Music is the international language"...and so on. Well - it's all true. I can only speak for myself - so I'll admit that it's very, very hard for me to shove aside and clear my mind of cruel trends in the world, the news about all things horrible. But I get to go to lovely places with lovely names - like the Redwood Cafe and the Blue Heron Inn - to play music with people I love, for people I love. For just a few hours, there can be no tragedy, no earthquakes, no war, no greed, no global disaster - when music floods my brain. Last night the Thugz were in Cotati, playing for a small but kindly bunch - folks who smiled, danced and graciously applauded. Today, we'll be in Duncans Mills, our old stomping grounds, playing for, we hope, a happy crowd, dancing to stay warm in the foggy mist, celebrating the good fortune of great friends. Once the music starts, we have an invitation to enter a different realm - to lose ourselves in a special kind of communication. I want to think about Drew and Maris and the little Thugette. I want to focus on life and hope and promise. So off I go to the Blue Heron for another gig. I am so fortunate. I can't do a lot to make the world a better place, but I can try to share a few tunes. Take care. Love, Sylvia