Idaho beauty on the road

Well, night before last we played the Emerson Center For Arts And Culture in Bozeman. Our good friend Tom Garnsey and Vootie productions brought us in for the show. Needless to say we had a complete blast. Here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 5, 2013
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
Emerson Center For The Arts And Culture
Bozeman, Montana
Thursday, February 14, 2013

First Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. I See The Light
3. Children of Zion
4. Second Chances
5. Candy Man
6. Goodbye To The Blues
7. Come Back Baby
8. Hesitation Blues
9. Waiting For A Train
10. Prohibition Blues
11. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Things That Might Have Been
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
4. Vicksburg Stomp
5. Barbeque King
6. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
7. 99 Year Blues
8. The Terrible Operation
9. Good Shepherd
10. I Am The Light Of This World
11. Nine Pound Hammer
12. Encore: Water Song

Yep… good times were had…

Up early and off to Jackson Hole Wyoming where we play a new gig at the Pink Garter.

Around the corner from the Pink Garter in Jackson Hole

This was our first time at the Garter and we can’t wait to get back. What a great gig. Here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 6, 2013
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
Pink Garter Theater
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Friday, February 15, 2013

First Set:
1. True Religion
2. I See The Light
3. Hesitation Blues
4. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
5. More Than My Old Guitar
6. Izze’s Lullaby
7. Goodbye To The Blues
8. 99 Year Blues
9. Come Back Baby
10. Prohibition Blues
11. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
Second Set:
1. Serpent Of Dreams
2. The Terrible Operation
3. Second Chances
4. Sea Child
5. Let Us Get Together right Down Here
6. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
7. How Long Blues
8. River Of Time
9. Good Shepherd
10. Keep On Truckin’ Mama
11. I Know You Rider
12. Encore: Genesis

Backstage at the Pink Garter

A terrific show for great people. Now we’re off to Salt Lake City and the State Room.

More will be revealed… of course.

Old School Behind The Aladdin In Portland

Before I get to the set lists for the last two shows, I was just thinking about the nickname thing. Indeed… I used the nickname ‘Jerry’ from 1945 to 1965 and here’s why. My Dad was at the Navy Language School in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1943 and 1944. While my Uncle Tarmo was fighting his way up from North Aftrica and Sicily on his way to Italy and Monte Casino and my Uncle Pentti was working his way up through the South Pacific burning the enemy out of caves and tunnels with a flame thrower, Dad was preparing for his trip to Tokyo where he cracked safes in that burned out wasteland… left over after the firebombing. Interestingly enough, when I toured Japan in the nineties with Hot Tuna in Yokohama I stayed at the same hotel he and McArthur’s staff stayed at in 1945.

Anyway, while in Ann Arbor, my Mom was on her way back to the officer’s housing when she found some of the neighbor’s kids in the process of hanging me with a coat hanger because I had a foreign sounding name and they thought it might be German or something like that. In any given part of the country, the most recent immigrants always wind up sucking hind tit… but that’s another story for another time. Anyway, when I went back to school that year I decided to use the nickname that my Dad used in the service… and that nickname was… you guessed it, ‘Jerry.’

Fast forward twenty years… when I got out of College and started playing in the Jefferson Airplane my ex-wife Margareta (may she rest in peace) chided me for knuckling under to the xenophobia that infested America even more then that it does now… It made sense to me… and it’s been Jorma ever since! Another American Immigrant story.

OK… The Aladdin… sold out and what a dandy night… I got to see a bunch of old friends and we played two swell sets which arre as follows:

Hot Tuna 3, 2013
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
The Aladdin Theater
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, February 10, 2013

First Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. Children Of Zion
3. Second Chances
4. Hesitation Blues
5. Been So Long
6. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
7. How Long Blues
8. More Than My Old Guitar
9. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
10. Barbeque King
11. Nine Pound Hammer
Second Set:
1. Serpent Of Dreams
2. Prohibition Blues
3. Things That Might Have Been
4. Vicksburg Stomp
5. Come Back Baby
6. River Of Time
7. 99 Year Blues
8. The Terrible Operation
9. Good Shepherd
10. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
11. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
12. Encore: Embryonic Journey

Up nice and early the next day and off to Seattle and the Triple Door. Another lovely night and sold out too… Here we go:

Hot Tuna 4, 2013
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
The Triple Door
Seattle, Washington
February 11, 2013

First Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Heart Temporary
3. Children Of Zion
4. Hesitation Blues
5. Trouble In Mind
6. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
7. How Long Blues
8. Sea Child
9. Full Go Round
10. ?
11. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Second Chances
3. Prohibition Blues
4. Come Back Baby
5. The Terrible Operation
6. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
7. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
8. River Of Time
9. Good Shepherd
10. 99 Year Blues
11. Nine Pound Hammer
12. Encore: I Am The Light of This World

The view down the street from the Triple Door

Alrighty then… here we are in Bozeman and tomorrow is our show at the Emerson Center For Arts And Culture. Lots more tomorrow after the show.

Hot Tuna headed back to the Tower Theater in Bend, Oregon. This was a make up date for the one we had to cancel in August due to family illness. What a beautiful hall this is.

what a beauty...

You know one thinks of life’s little intersections… happenstance occurrences that change one’s life. In 1963 or thereabouts I was hanging out at the Offstage in San Jose and playing there as much as they would allow. I was known as Jerry Kaukonen back then… I hadn’t yet shed the nickname and returned to Jorma… but that is another story. Anyway, I pair of folksingers Roger Perkins, and Larry Hanks were booked into the place and of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. This was a simpler time when they enjoyment of folk music in all it’s guises was the quintessential form of entertainment. Roger tuned his guitar to drop D and played Good Shepherd. I flipped when I heard it and had Roger show it to me. I found out later that the author of the tune is Jimmy Struthers and the original title is Blood Strained Banders. Yeah, there’s a Klan metaphor there… but that’s another story too. Anyway… that moment when Roger showed me not only Good Shepherd but the drop D tuning changed my musical life. Now, I now I would have played music anyway, but this moment definitely changed my life. Interestingly enough, I never saw Roger again… never really got to thank him for this gift. I couple of years ago i was looking for him on the Web and found that he had just passed away. Gone but not forgotten brother… I couldn’t have done it without you.

What a fortuitous moment! Anyway, here is our set list from tonight:

Hot Tuna 2, 2013
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
Tower Theater
Bend, Oregon
Saturday, February 9, 2013
First Set:
1. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
2. Mama Let Me Lay It On You
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Things That Might Have Been
5. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
6. How Long Blues
7. Goodbye To The Blues
8. Barbecue King
9. River Of Time
10. Prohibition Blues
11. True Religion
12. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
Second Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Heart Temporary
3. Candy Man
4. Come Back Baby
5. Vicksburg Stomp
6. Good Shepherd
7. Full Go Round
8. 99 Year Blues
9. I Am The Light of This World
10. I Know You Rider
11. Encore: Genesis

Of to Portland tomorrow… now to bed with thoughts of what is and what might have been!

So we’re getting ready to leave Arcata, CA for Grants Pass, Oregon and before we do, we make a quick stop at Wildwood Guitars in lovely downtown Arcata.

Wildwood... Old School

What should we find inside but this lovely New York Martin. Check it out…

Foto by Phil Jacobs

What an old beauty. Reminds me of the one Perry Lederman used to play.

I remember hearing Perry play in Berkeley in 1962 and ‘63… ragas… Blew my mind back then. Check out some of his stuff if you can.

Anyhoo… an exciting bus trip through the snow covered mountains to Grants Pass where we will have our first Hot Tuna show of this year.

Grants Pass... we are here!

More anon…

Yeah folks… our old pal Bob Weir sat in for over half an hour the second night at Sweetwater. Needless to say… a big thanks for Bob coming out on a night when he wasn’t working and playing some music with his old pals. Here is our set list from that night:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 9, 2013
Sweetwater Second Night
Mill Valley, California
Tuesday, February 5, 2013

1. Too Many Years
2. Been So Long
3. Search My Heart
4. Things That Might Have Been
5. Hesitation Blues
6. Maggie’s Farm with Bob Weir
7. Standing On Shaky Ground with Bob Weir
8. When I Paint My Masterpiece with Bob Weir
9. I Know You Rider with Bob Weir
10. Most Of The Time with Bob Weir
11. Prohibition Blues
12. Come Back Baby
13. I See The Light
14. River Of Time
15. Vicksburg Stomp
16. Goode Shepherd
17. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
18. How Long Blues
19. Nine Pound Hammer
20. Encore: Living In The Moment

The next morning we were up early and headed north Arcata… I first experienced the Redwood Empire in 1964 driving north in my old 1957 Volvo. As an East Coaster… that first view of the big trees will stay with me as long as I live.

Last night we played at the Arcata Theater… it was two sets of unadulterated fun for us. Set list is as follows:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 10, 2013
Arcata Theater,
Arcata, California
Wednesday, February 6, 2013

First Set:
1. True Religion
2. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
3. Children Of Zion
4. Hesitation Blues
5. I See The Light
6. Come Back Baby
7. Prohibition Blues
8. Sea Child
9. Second Chances
10. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. Serpent Of Dreams
2. Things That Might Have Been
3. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
4. How Long Blues
5. Goodbye To The Blues
6. The Terrible Operation
7. Vicksburg Stomp
8. Barbeque King
9. Good Shepherd
10. 99 Year Blues
11. I Am The Light Of The World
12. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
13. Encore: Water Song

It was raining as it often does up here… when we left the gig. This morning is crisp and beautiful. Sometimes moments in a place are frozen in time… in this case, thank goodness, not much has changed! We are now off to Grants Pass, Oregon and the Rogue Theater. My good old pal, Jack Casady, is coming in tomorrow to Medford and tomorrow night we start the first night of the Hot Tuna Acoustic Tour at the Rogue.

Yep… we’re puttin’ the band back together… Onward with Hot Tuna!

Gleefull in Joshua Tree

Barry Mitterhoff, Myron and myself were up early yesterday morning here in Yucca Valley and headed out to Joshua Tree National Park. I have been coming here off and on since the late Sixties when I first drove up with my buds from Jefferson Airplane.

You just can beat the Mojave

We spent several hours driving around and doing some light hiking.

A man alone... sort of

A little later in the day, we drove up to Pioneer Town for our gig at Pappy And Harriet’s.

Sunset at Pappy And Harriet's corral

I had been here some years ago with Vanessa and John Hurlbut in a break from Fur Peace Ranch on the road in Desert Hot Springs… I remember we though… ‘It would be great to play a gig here…’ and now here I am. Here is our set list:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 5, 2013
Pappy & Harriet’s
Pioneertown, California
Thursday, January 31, 2013

First Set:
1. True Religion
2. Children of Zion
3. Second Chances
4. Hesitation Blues
5. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
6. How Long Blues
7. Prohibition Blues
8. Come Back Baby
9. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
10. I See The Light
11. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. Been So Long
2. The Terrible Operation
3. Big River Blues
4. More Than My Old Guitar
5. Full Go Round
6. Sea Child
7. Vicksburg Stomp
8. Barbeque King
9. Good Shepherd
10. I Am The Light Of This World
11. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
12. Encore: Water Song

Well… in a couple of hours we’ll be on the road to Santa Monica and McCabe’s Guitar Shop.

SoHo onstge

Last night Barry Mitterhoff and I played two fine sets at SoHo in Santa Barbara… good times… Our set list as follows:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 4, 2013
SoHo
Santa Barbara, California
Tuesday, January 29, 2013

First Set:

1. I See The Light
2. Children Of Zion
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Second Chances
5. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
6. Full Go Round
7. Sea Child
8. Prohibition Blues
9. River Of Time
10. Come Back Baby
11. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
12. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Mama Let Me Lay It On You
3. Big River Blues
4. Things That Might Have Been
5. The Terrible Operation
6. 99 Year Blues
7. Good Shepherd
8. Vicksburg Stomp
9. Barbeque King
10. I Am The Light Of This World
11. Nine Pound Hammer
12. Encore: Water Songs

This morning we got up and drove up to the high desert up by Joshua Tree… A beautiful sunset tonight and tomorrow Pappy And Harriet’s in Pioneer Town. More will be revealed for sure!

Goodnight sky!

Beautiful delights at the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix

Night before last we were at the glorious Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. There is nothing like this that I know of anywhere else in the world. What a joint! The exhibits were off the charts. Where else are you going to see something like this?

Where's Jack when we need him?

Well, after a little guided tour, we played our gig in a beautiful listening room. Here is our set list:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 2, 2013
Musical Instrument Museum
Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, January 26, 2013

First Set:
1. Search My heart
2. Children Of Zion
3. Hesitation Blues
4. I See The Light
5. Heart Temporary
6. The Terrible Operation
7. Second Chances
8. Vicksburg Stomp
9. Come Back Baby
10. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Sea Child
3. Full Go Round
4. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
5. Things That Might Have Been
6. Goodbye To The Blues
7. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
8. Good Shepherd
9. Barbeque King
10. I Am The Light Of This World
11. 99 year Blues
12. Nine Pound Hammer
13. Encore: Embryonic Journey

…and yes, I forgot Let Us Get Together right Down Here…

Let the dance continue...

I got a chance to see i Filipino Gabang… I got one in 1960 in the Sulu Archipelago off North Borneo. Wasn’t that a time?

Onward to Solano Beach and the Belly Up. It’s been since the CAMI tour since we’ve been at the good old Belly Up… I gotta tell you… we had a stellar time last night. Here is our set list:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 3, 2013
The Belly Up
Solano Beach, California
Sunday, January 27, 2013

First Set:
1. True Religion
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. Children Of Zion
4. Hesitation Blues
5. Barbeque King
6. Sea Child
7. Prohibition Blues
8. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
9. How Long Blues
10. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
11. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. I See The Light
2. The Terrible Operation
3. Big River Blues
4. Come Back Baby
5. River Of Time
6. 99 Year Blues
7. Good Shepherd
8. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
9. I Am The Light Of This World
10. Goodbye To The Blues
11. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
12. Encore: Watersong

Yep… good times. We were up early this morning and drove up to Santa Barbara where we are now. Hmmm… a little good food and a guest laundry. Now those are good times!

Blue skies in Santa Barbara

Ocean Beach before breakfast...

The days started for Barry Mitterhoff and myself with a walk on the pier on Ocean Beach before breakfast. Good food and then back to the Resort for our day with Fur Peace On The Road. A great day teaching and a fine open mike for the students.

Dennis, Hurl and Norm at the open mike...

After dinner, David Wolff and Marjorie Thompson each did a short set and then Barry and I hit the stage for our first show together this year. Here is our set list… more or less:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 1, 2013
Second Fur Peace Ranch Weekend
San Diego, California
Thursday, January 24, 2013

1. Been So Long
2. Children Of Zion
3. Second Chances
4. Hesitation Blues
5. Barbeque King
6. The Terrible Operation
7. Vicksburg Stomp
8. Things That Might Have Been
9. Come Back Baby
10. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
11. Encore: Genesis

Tomorrow, one more class in the morning and then the good old bus takes us to Phoenix and the Musical Instrument Museum… the first gig of this long upcoming tour.

Now… to bed…

Just a short note as I get ready for breakfast here by Mission Bay. Indeed, we have a full house this week for our second session here in San Diego. Considering how cold things are at home in Ohio this week, this is indeed a nice place to be… although, of course, weather notwithstanding, there’s no place like home. Of course for this session of the Fur Peace Ranch On The Road we have Barry Mitterhoff, Marjorie Thompson and David Wolff on board. With a constellation of stars like this, we and the students are sure to have a grand time…

Onward.