While Melanie presented the Thugz Free Raffle at our Jerry Show last night, she mentioned it was our 14th year of doing our Jerry tribute show. I remember way, way back when the show was a small gathering at the Blue Heron - but the show always had the same purpose - to honor the spirit and music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Last night was a big show, and we were reminded that it has been 20 years since Jerry's death. I suppose many fans are more tuned-in this year after the 50th anniversary "Fare Thee Well" shows. The Thugz did their best to put together interesting song sets. We had lots of help with our friends Larry, Cody and Drew - playing and singing like genuine pros. It's fantastic now that Stephanie is an integral part of the band, and we get to do some "chick vocal" back-ups. Her singing and musical sense add so much to our humble ensemble. Last night Mike played like a champ - with a lot of energy and emotion. Andre sang with gusto - especially on "Estimated Prophet," and Chris and Ian, as usual, kept things rock solid. I guess all Thugz tribal members need to accept weird acronyms - starting with THUGZ (tribal hippie underground zone) and moving on to TITS (timely inspired Thugz support) - it's all so bizarre...Finally I must say how wonderful it feels to keep the music and spirit of the "heart of gold band" alive. I'm so grateful Mike introduced me to it all - what joy and what fun! Off we go to Gualala next, in an effort to gather more tribal members on the north coast. Who knows what acronyms will pop up in the future. Take care. Love, Sylvia