Be Thankful, y’all!

As we all gather around our collective Lucinda family Thanksgiving table, there is much to be thankful for. The economy might be in the toilet, the music industry sinking and lost in the digital sea, but hey, the music isn’t going away!

So let’s be thankful for the fact that Lucinda is still writing new songs, 30 years on.

Let’s be thankful for frequent releases of new Lucinda records; and that the pre-Car Wheels blockage is long, long past.

We can be very thankful for the fact that Lucinda is still playing and touring like a 20-something.

We can be thankful that Lucinda still enjoys her great, older songs enough to perform them at shows — giving even the grumpy among us something to be thankful for! 😀

We can be thankful that there are fans who care enough about Lu’s health and well-being to post concerns on this website, even if the (alleged) anecdotes might be a bit more than we wanted to hear. (I’ll drink to Lu’s health and well-being…. pass the Pinot Noir, please!)

I am thankful that members on this site feel free to speak their mind. I am thankful for cheerleaders, yes, but also for those who call ’em as they see ’em and honestly share their observations. I am thankful that we are not all marching in lockstep, down the Lost Highway.

I am especially thankful for those very thoughtful, carefully-considered reviews by a few members this year. And I’m thankful for the cheering section for other singer-songwriters who I’ve discovered because of their fans on this site.

I’m thankful this site doesn’t censor, but I’m also thankful that members rein each other in once in a while. I’m smiling — and thankful — that it is almost always interesting, entertaining, and spirited.

I’m thankful to Lucinda and management for trying new things like the LA and NY album shows last year. Or for technology that allows us to hear a great concert live from Minneapolis, and even if the audio stream breaks up, so what, it’s got that extra live authenticity.

We can be thankful for Lucinda’s awesome current band, Buick 6.

I am thankful that Lu is still perfect in all her imperfections. I’m glad her performances are still unpredictable, often have rough edges, she can be feisty (or rude, depending on your view), and will re-start songs if she doesn’t like the way they sound. I am thankful that she hasn’t completely abandoned the intimate, small club/bar approach to performing.

I am thankful that Lucinda is so down-to-earth. And nice to her fans.

We can be thankful Lu has a social conscience and political edge. And that at times it inspires her music. (We can be thankful that Lucinda’s candidate for President was elected by a large majority and that sad other guy’s policies are being tossed into the trash heap before the turkey-day scraps.)

We can be thankful that Lucinda’s place in American musical history is firmly cemented — and as a result she can be thankful that she can pretty much do whatever she pleases at this point. 8)

I am thankful that Lucinda can do whatever she pleases, too.

Let’s recognize that there are very few turkeys here; we’re all loving fans. Yes, we’ve spilled some wine and cranberry sauce and gravy on the nice tablecloth, and a few string beans fell on the floor, but
we’re all having a good time, aren’t we?

Thanks Lu! Looking forward to some ’09 visits to the Philly/NJ/mid-Atlantic region…. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all.