Gather together an industrious, visionary band of hippies and what do you get? ...a complete transformation of a Petaluma C&W/line dance hotspot into a new venue for folks who love the tribal spirit - with fabulous food, a juice bar, an incredible sound system, creative art, a warmhearted, hard-working staff and a thoughtful approach to booking bands who match the scene. The transformation took many months and plenty of hard work on the part of the owners and staff. Everybody wanted west county to have a big, beautiful, comfortable gathering spot for all of us. Finally, Zodiacs opened, and the people came. Last night we were a part of their "pre-official" grand opening, and we had a fantastic time. All the usual band challenges had been thoughtfully taken care of - ramps for load-in, patient sound dude, fabulous food service, and a "Green Room" to die for - with couches, a turntable and vinyl selections, art work from a local collectables store, and beverage deliveries from the management. We were excited to be there, and we did a good show. Of course, lots of the fans there wanted Dead tunes, so we pulled out several and invited one of the staff up to sit in. It turned out Katie Freeman was a musician in the "Incubators," knew the tunes, and had a marvelous voice and added great harmonies. Mike's horn playing was a great hit, and Andre played some fancy licks on a beautiful, hand-made guitar a fan let him use for a while. Dancers were twirling, whirling, and mouthing lyrics to familiar tunes - it was great. Zodiacs official opening will be March 1st, and it would be a good idea to check out their Facebook page to get information about the music scene. We'll be playing our grand Mardi Gras spectacular gig at the Rio Nido Roadhouse that night, but we certainly hope to go back to Zodiacs someday soon. Our tribal hippie under ground zone is certainly expanding - the world can use a little love! Take care. Love, Sylvia