Veteran of a Veteran

This audio LOVE LETTER is best experienced by clicking on the video above!

The transcript is below, by Laura.

♪ You don’t want to save me!

Sad is my song

When you believe in things

That you don't understand

You suffer

Superstition ain't the way ♪

-Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"

[Laura's voice] Do you hear those sweet keys twinkling? That is Ken Lykes, the newest member of the Abracadabra Trip!

We played a wonderful little show, just a quartet, without drums at Taps at the Guardhouse on Saturday. It was packed to the gills and people were dancing and clapping. It was such a good time and a relief to know that even as we're a getting into the colder weather, people are still coming out to see music and be together.

Today is Veteran's Day, and I come from a long line of veterans. On my Mother's side, my Grandfather was Marine and on my Dad's side, my Father was actually a 3rd generation West Point grad, and he was so traumatized by the Vietnam War that he didn't want to be a part of the Army anymore, and he became a psychologist, working to heal veterans and himself. His focus was on PTSD.

And so, one of the, the most powerful things that I discovered when he died, is that twice as many Vietnam Veterans committed suicide than those who killed in the war.

When I was 19-years-old, he, like many of these Veterans, killed himself. In fact, 60,000 American Soldiers were killed in combat. And since that time, 120,000 veterans or more have committed suicide.

That is the secret cost of war. The trauma that it does to families, the trauma that it does to the veterans themselves.

And it's something that, is really important to the Abracadabra Trip. We fly the American flag on the back of the bus that I was given at Arlington Cemetery at my Dad's funeral to honor him, to honor veterans for their service.

Abracadabra Trip in NYC for Pride 2022

I also have been focusing much of my own attention and interest in the power of music to heal PTSD because I have PTSD from his death, actually. And also from 9/11, another act of war.

So experiencing these things and having these automatic kind of neurological responses sometimes to things that seem like a threat well, there's research to show that movement and singing or screaming and shouting, are a really powerful way to express emotion and let out pent up feelings. This can be instrumental not only in healing PTSD, but in actually preventing it, if someone's just been through a major tragedy.

I'm fascinated with this healing power of music and that's ultimately why we went to Ukraine with the band in 2022 and put our attention on what we could do to heal and help communities dealing with the psychological issues of war, not just the combat itself. It it affects us in so many ways; economically, spiritually...

So it's interesting because the venue, Taps, where that recording comes from is on a military base, and Taps actually is the old jail, the brig, where they would put the soldiers who were, you know, out of line.

Lowire playing Halloween at Taps, dressed as prisoners & a sexy warden.

Holy moly!  There's such a powerful history there. And now Fort Worden, which was a military base up until the 1950s, is now run by the State Parks. And there's beautiful venues and bars, cafes and a Marine Science museum. The land is beautiful and it's transformed. It's really interesting to be in these military buildings creating music and parties, having fun and eating dinner.

It's one of the reasons that people love to come to Port Townsend, because Fort Worden is such a

beautiful place to visit.

Fort Worden State Park

Our next show is going to be at the Uptown Pub, which is one of my favorite spots. It was kind of the first place I went when I came to Port Townsend. It's a locals bar, really friendly, and there's, a stage and a pool table.

I'm really excited to finally be doing a show there, because I've seen so much other music there. I've gone to open mic many times where I've met a lot of my friends.

So come on down to the...

Uptown Pub

November 22nd

9 p.m.

It''s sure to be really wild and dancey and yeah, staying up late. Can't wait! It's going to be fun.

So thank you all for tuning in and we hope to see you on the dance floor. And if you can't be with us, then please put on some great music and dance in your living room like no one's watching.

Love,

Laura