We returned to the River Theater Thursday night (11/14) after a week of zooming around. Mike was in L.A., Chris went to the mountains, and, meanwhile, Jerry Knight's crew worked on putting the Theater in order after a wild and wooly Halloween with JGB and friends. When we returned on the 14th, Bradley was off to L.A. So, we had the chance to have Shawn Britton back on drums. Shawn played the Theater gig and returned the next night for the Jasper O'Farrell show. It was seamless, effortless - since Shawn had worked with us for such a long time. He's still wearing his top hat when he plays, and he's still a master of one-liners, but he's playing really well these days since he's had some time to heal his bad back. It was nice to have him there because he and Chris work closely together and Shawn has learned how to read Mike's musical signals. Since Shawn kept the beat going and going and going, Mike had the chance to push every foot switch on his pedal board and play some wild and wonderful guitar riffs. We had two glorious nights of "out there" jamming - just my cup of tea. It wasn't all because of Shawn's input. Mike came back from L.A. with new resolve to energize the music and push the limits. I've decided to push my own limits after yet another birthday. It's time to get rid of that critical voice and relax with the music. In addition, there's a full moon on the horizon again - a sure sign that our musical efforts will rise with the proverbial tide. I knew the Thugz were super pros Friday night at Jasper's when we had to play the entire night without monitors. There was no way we could hear ourselves sing, much less each other. It was a crap shoot - but it worked - and we had so much fun. Whew! Now we'll move along to our next River Theater Thursday - this time with the regular crew and a good sound system. Then, on Saturday 11/23, we'll try an acoustic night at the Redwood Cafe in Cotati with another associate, our wonderful Stephanie. I'm hoping to play the cafe's piano - no amp, no buttons to push - just 88 glorious keys. The Thugz are quite blessed to have such talented associates and friends. I really feel so thankful - appropriate for the season. Take care. Love, Sylvia