Hello. Music makes a difference. We spent the weekend in Omaha soaking up the music like a biscuit on gravy. We saw eight bands in two days! Oh, to live in a city with a real music scene. It felt so good to be able to walk from venue to venue catching one original act after another. Saturday night in Benson was awash with music flowing from doorway to doorway. This quaint near-northside neighborhood is rich with venues. It was uplifting! Read more about the thriving Omaha scene in the July SPIN magazine, http://digital.spin.com/spin/200807/?pg=120.

A couple of the shows we enjoyed were benefits to raise money for toys for the children of the Pine Ridge Reservation in north central Nebraska. The rez is considered to be one of the most impoverished areas on the planet! Many of the families live in shacks with no electricity or other modern conveniences. Christmas can be very solemn for a child in these conditions. A young musician by the name of Lash LaRue organized the events. Prior to the show we watched on Sunday they had already raised over $3500 and "tons" of toys. Lash actually distributes the toys himself! It is so cool to see musicians and their fans coming together for a great cause.

The show we saw Sunday was hosted by the Blues Society of Omaha. All of the proceeds went to the children of Pine Ridge. We saw first hand how a group of music lovers can make a difference. The show was first class with a great lineup, including the Side Effects, a blues band of teenage musicians sponsored by the Society. The headliners, Mike Morgan and Jim Suhler were feeling the vibe as they filled the room with smokin' hot guitar licks. Everyone was loving the music, growing the music scene and making Christmas more special for some children worlds away. It felt cool to be part of it. Peace.