just be it Just Be It is a practice of presence that recognizes the limits of language. When aware of silence there is a state of inner still alertness. You are wholeheartedly present.

Oh the times are a changing as summer shows signs of yielding to fall.  We hope you can join Ride at The Square on one or more of our dates, for summer’s end, for celebration and honor to the staff, or to usher in fall.

Famous bluesman, Otis Spann, sings, “When you in trouble, blues is a man’s best friend. Blues don’t care where you goin’ and don’t care where you been.”  There’s a tremendous healing quality that comes from the depth of the belly, found so solid in the blues.  We invite you to come out and share this energy with us.

On Sunday, Sept. 5, we play outside on the patio, 7-11pm, in honor to all the hard work performed by Washington Square staff.  This is a Labor Day celebration and we hope you’ll come out to help us honor their dedicated work and service.

Come join us for a gratitude circle hosted by Christ Lutheran Church, April 14 and 21. Each session runs 45 minutes (6:45-7:30 pm) and focuses upon the nature of gratitude and how we can implement a daily gratitude practice for lasting joy. Simply Google Christ Lutheran, Marine on St. Croix, for directions.

Notice: Ride plays Washington Square this Saturday night.  We’d love to have your energy in the house.

Our motto is “you can’t stop the wave, but you can learn to RIDE it”.  We chose March 20 since it’s the Spring Equinox, we’re into Daylight Savings so it’s effectively an hour earlier, and many of you had complained about the difficulties in waking after our typical Thursday night of partying.  We also took off January and February, to offer a little space.

Anyway, Spring’s a great time to let go the pain of a long winter and meet the hope of a new day.  That’s basically what the blues is and why we hope you’ll join us in leaving the suffering of the world at the door as you come into the party of the moment.

I recently watched the Minnesota filmed movie, Sweet Land, and was taken by a phrase used by an aging woman, gracefully speaking to her cultivation of “different kinds of happiness”.  We’ll never again touch the happiness of days gone by.  Change happens, but we can always touch a different kind of happiness.

If you’ve ever attended one of our events, you know we resonate in response to one another.  We’re all connected energy, the Blues knows this, and we hope you’ll consider coming out to vibrate with us, if for no other reason than to share a toast to Spring’s arrival.

Whether you make it or not, please know that the Ride crew will forever be grateful for the energy you’ve provided in the music we’ve created together when you have shown up.

Come out and play with us this last gig of 2009.  We’ll be transforming for the first quarter of 2010, so Spring will be our next roll out.

Join us this Sunday for PeaceMeal, 6-8pm.  Standards and some holiday specials in the blues/jazz format.  Always a great sidedish to your meal.