LETS ALL CONNECT

Hello my friends ... How are you today? Is it just me, or does our world seem extra crazy right now? If i'm not the only one feeling like this i'm guessing that, like me, you're doing your best to make your every day existence as positive as possible ... Right? At the moment i see a lot of things going on in our world that i believe are designed to keep us occupied, and are designed to divide us ... I refuse to play this game! It is my belief that we all have the power to make ourselves, and each other, happy ... Its really quite simple ... But not often easy when were getting bombarded with 'noise' from all angles. Believe me when i tell you i know its not easy ... Simple rarely means easy. BUT, here's my simple answer to the current 'noise' ... WE CHOOSE TO CONNECT RATHER THAN BE DIVIDED And we do that with kindness, as well as strength. Yes, i do say STRENGTH, because it's harder to be strong in the face of adversity, and not lower our personal standards. So we need strength, and we benefit from waiting a moment and reacting with kindness. LOVE based thoughts and reactions equal empathy and understanding for each other. FEAR based thoughts and reactions equal defensiveness and aggression. Now i know some people would rather musicians and artists would leave these so called 'deep' subjects alone and 'just sing' /'just play' etc, but i'm not that guy. Oh and guess what? Neither are so many great artists that i admire. Anyone know these names? Mavis Staples, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Janiva Magness, Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, and, and, and ... So i'm saying to you ... Lets all take some time to look out of the window on the difficult days. Lets all look around our neighbourhood, listen to the birds singing, notice the children having fun, smile at the couple walking along holding hands ... And ... NOT reduce ourselves to slamming people for having different beliefs to ourselves ... NOT spend / waste our energy screaming at 'the enemy' in person, in print, or on social media. I'm not saying don't stand up. Far from it. I am saying i choose to do something nice for someone, even when they try my last nerve, (and believe me again when i tell you i can be very reactive!). At least by doing something nice / positive, at times when we feel like doing the opposite, we can feel good about ourselves, rather than getting all angry and stressed out. Happy, confident, strong people don't get totally wound up and out of control. I'm inviting you to dive into love and kindness. I believe that if we all work on ourselves, in order to be stronger and happier within ourselves, we will end up out numbering the people who are stuck in anger and fear. I know this news letter may seem off track ... But, here's a question. What does music do for you? It makes me more relaxed and happy. How do you feel when you mess up and someone is nice to you despite whatever you did? I know it lifts me up, and i feel better. When i go out to play a show for you i forget all my troubles. 99.9% of people are super nice to me, and i do my best to give you the best show i can, and talk and listen to as many of you as i can. I LOVE that. Its amazing, and very inspiring because music is about connection to me. We are all in this together ... So, this is my hope ... That we work from a place of LOVE. If you have any opinion on this please share it with me. Connecting with each other without fear of judgement is a beautiful thing. I love to read your comments, points of view, and more, so please join in and connect. If you listen to a certain song that makes you feel good, or a painting you love to look at, or a video you love to watch, feel free to post a link in the comments.

THANK YOU ... and as another wonderful artist said ... LOVE IS AN ARMY X