Music in our Bones

Last night in San Francisco, people came together on a Monday night for a benefit to support Bo Mahoney. Bo spent fifteen years of his life working with Blue Traveler as a sound engineer and also worked with Gov’t Mule as a sound engineer and guitar tech as well.

Bo was forced to quit because of a degenerative eye condition and his health in general continued to decline. Finally after several attempts to find an answer, he was with ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death.

Blues Traveler performed at the Bo Benefit last night and it was a sold-out event. There were endless auction items that people donated and the night was an incredible success.

Pamela, Bo’s wife, and Bo are the founders of BISS List which is a promotional music mailing list and weekly calendar for diehard Bay Area music fans. This is where they continue to fulfill their passion for live music.

The thoughts and feelings that I had over the course of the night and as I reflect today is that music IS energy. It’s a powerful force that connects the human spirit, it can heal our minds and hearts, it gives us the opportunity to be in the present in the moment and be right where we are, with who we are.

I know in my heart of hearts that everyone in that room could attest that their lives would not be the same without music. The engineers, guitar techs, promoters, supporters and enthusiasts are just as much of what makes up the music and it’s energy as the musicians themselves. There is no separation. It’s a reminder of the fabric in which we are all connected.

Bo’s life has been fueled by his passion and it makes perfect sense that his healing resides in music, and that love and light live in those vibrations.

Ironically and harmoniously, it was my soul sister’s birthday, Diane Izzo. She was one of the reasons I started playing music. Although she didn’t survive her battle with brain cancer, I witnessed the healing, love and energy that music brought to her being and throughout her struggle with the sickness. I truly believe it extended her life.

I was proud to be there and proud of all the parts that everyone gave to contribute to the whole. In my eye, that was the greatest success, above and beyond what any dollar amount could provide (although I know it helps a lot ; )).

The New Up’s Music Revolution

So I know that everyone thinks they’re gonna start a revolution, but they hardly ever do. That’s not stopping The New Up from jumping in headfirst. You see, we’re not thinking about your run of the mill revolution where the status quo is overthrown in a violent upheaval of all things evil. No, those never work out and they’re always replaced with something just as bad. We’re starting a revolution that focuses on connecting people by showing them that we’re all the same underneath it all, and we plan to do this 1 day, 1 life, 1 human being, 1 step at a time.

We no longer live in a world where we have to cut each other’s throats to survive; the whole predication of our existence on this earth has done a 180. With so many of us on the planet now, we all stand to gain so much more by thinking about the viewpoints of people with which we wouldn’t naturally empathize. We’ve turned an important corner. When we look back at this time from the perspective of the future, we’ll realize that this was the pivotal time that determined the future of our existence; and that the decisions that were made today were the difference in determining the fate of humankind. No joke, it’s that serious. But we’re gonna do it without taking ourselves too seriously. And that’s what this revolution is about. Changing lives, one at a time, while having the best time ever doing it. That’s why we want you to join with us in this journey, and there is no better vehicle to deliver this change than music. Let’s get it on.

Here’s a link to our campaign: http://bit.ly/142ZVw8