So… tonight at Eight PM Eastern Time we’ll be kicking off the Eighth episode of our Quarantine Concert Series. We’ve been holding off the link until late in the day because of some hacking issues we’ve had over the past couple of weeks. Remember, if you hit a paywall, it’s not us. We’re free, and always will be. If you somehow miss getting our link and advance, simply go to Fur Peace TV on YouTube at eight PM on Saturday and join in the fun. OK…

Yeah, so this is a totally new version of WordPress and frankly, I’m struggling, but as always in these trying times, it could be worse.

We’re trying to ready the Fur Peace Ranch for whatever comes next. Of course, like all other businesses large and small. We’re looking forward to opening with as little danger possible to us, our guests and the community.

We hope you have a great day and that you join us tonight at eight.

Stay well

Hey everybody and a good, good morning this chilly but lovely Saturday morning. Tonight… #6 of the Quarantine Series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bok1vPD9y5w&feature=youtu.be

OK… as mentioned last weekend, we’re going to attempt to stitch together a world wide chorus of Woody’s great song, ‘This Land Is Your Land.’ The key word is ‘chorus.’ Tonight Vanessa will reveal the email address your clips should be sent to. Many of you are already excited about this and champing at the bit so here’s the deal. Who knows what key Woody did it in and it doesn’t matter. We do the song in C…. and you will too. You must sing along with us on the chorus only please. Again the participation is intended for a vocal chorus only. NO INSTRUMENTS! If you film yourself playing a guitar, it will languish on the cutting room floor. Make it easy for us to do the edits necessary to pull this off. Yeah, I know… I’m not fond of rules either but considering what we’ve all been going through, this is not too constrictive. 🙂

Needless to say, it will be the last song of the concert. Stay well, and see ya on the small screen.

A myriad of Mother's Day talent!

Hey folks, check this out…

Join me this weekend, Saturday May 9th at 8pm EST for our FREE 6th Quarantine Concert , Live from the Fur Peace Station Concert Hall. I have a great set planned and a part for all of you so I hope you choose to spend some time with us.

And on Sunday, May 10th at 10 pm UK, 5 PM Eastern, 4 PM Central and 2 PM Pacific, join me in a streaming concert along with Billy Bragg, Rosanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter,Steve Earle, Shovels & Rope, Rufus Wainwright, Richard Thompson, The Indigo Girls, Todd Snider, KT Tunstall, Loudon Wainwright, Amy Helm, Jospeh Arthur, Stella Donnelly, Andrew Bird, Fink, Joan Osborne, Hamilton Leithauser, Valerie June, The Mountain Goats. With More to be Announced…WFUV’s Rita Houston will host the event. Families around the world will be able to connect virtually through this shared experience, celebrating all mothers everywhere through music while supporting those in need. 100% of net ticket proceeds will be donated to the The United Nations Foundation fund addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://citywinery.com/newyork/can-t-be-there-today-billy-bragg-and-the-city-winery-all-stars-presents-a-mother-s-day-special.html

And of course to reiterate, those of us still sequestered here in Southeast Ohio at the Fur Peace Ranch will be reaching out to you all again Saturday the 9th of May at 8:00PM Eastern time. Can’t say it too much!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bok1vPD9y5w&feature=youtu.be

More live music...

Have a great weekend, and stay well!

Back porch view, with Campfire Coffee

Foto by jorma Kaukonen

33 degrees here at the homestead but clear. Given some of the alternatives a lovely if chilly spring day. Just finishing my second cup of Jorma Kaukonen’s Campfire Blend Coffee. I actually had a dentist appointment yesterday and today a scheduled checkup. I’ve been pretty much existing in my own bubble with Vanessa insisting on being my liaison with the world. With gloves and mask I even stopped by Krogers and picked up some stuff. Interesting to say the least. Now I live in a rural somewhat sparsely populated area so our daily normal is nothing like the reality my friends in the Northeast endure. That said, I don’t want people standing close to me and I consider people who have chosen not to wear masks in public utterly inconsiderate and there are such people. Take risks with your own life… don’t threaten mine.

The touring concert business is utterly gone at least for the rest of the year. Obviously we must wait to see what happens. I suspect the ‘new normal’ will be new and anything but normal as we know it today. Like so many, I and my colleagues are out of work. And so that goes. That we are able to bring you all our weekly Quarantine Concert live from the Fur Peace Ranch means the world to us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bok1vPD9y5w&feature=youtu.be

This is truly our connection to the world and we are grateful for it.

From my not so lofty peak we are alive and still well. It could be worse for us and with that in mind, I try to minimize my complaining as hard as that is sometimes. Thinking positively and believing that at some point the Fur Peace Ranch will be open again, we are able to continue not only the upkeep of the infrastructure but also but also the making of improvements. Our very own Smiles is a busy beaver and some new walkways are under way. I have been spending more time in a true practice environment with my music than I have in years. Working gigs is not practice. The challenge of keeping the repertoire fresh for the streaming shows each week is more than stimulating. I’ll take the win.

The current situation robs us of time which can never be replaced. As a 79 year old I feel this loss more profoundly than I imagine my kids do, and that is as it should be. This is their time to be young and thank goodness they cannot walk in an old man’s shoes. My grandparents were born in the late 1800’s. When they were our kid’s age they were fleeing the pogroms of Czarist Russia and the bleakness of Finland when it was a Grand Duchy of Russia. Yeah, it could be worse.

The cold snap today is, well… cold, but at least the sun is shining. Time to walk the dogs, feed the other critters, empty the dehumidifiers, get some breakfast, play some guitar and suit up for my doctor’s appointment. Oh yeah, spend a little more time on the set list for Saturday.

There may be better times down the road, but I’ll take what I’ve got for today!

Zammy and Azlan in the garden

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Now here’s two being who know how to iive!

So with this time at home, I’ve been listening to the old stereo… tubes and everything:

The old Marantz pre-amp

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The pre is a great place to start for vintage stuff… Here’s the next stop on the signal path:

Look art the size of the transformers

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The Austin and Michaelson TVA-1 by Tim Paravicini… Check it out. 75 watts a side… 80 pounds… NIve.

Last but not least, the old JBL 4312’s.

Oldies, but Goodies

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

And… even after 30 years, one of the best high end D to A converter CD players ever made.

Alloy CD tray... nice.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The new Rega turntable does the job quite nicely… nice way to spend stay at home time.

Last Saturday was #5 for us, and here it is:

Jorma Kaukonen 5, 2020
#5 Of The Quarantine Concert Series
Live From The Fur Peace Ranch
Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio
Saturday, May 3, 2020

1. True Religion
2. Whining Boy Blues
3. Letter To The North Star
4. Another Man Done Gone
5. Do Not Go Gentle for Mark & Christine
6. Hesitation Blues
7. Land Of Heroes
8. Mind Your Own Business with Myron Hart
9. The Borderline with John Hurlbut
10. All Along The Watchtower with John Hurlbut
11. Mann’s Fate
12. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out

A quick entry… time to spend some outdoor with the dog.

Coming this Saturday at eight PM Eastern… Quarantine Concert #6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bok1vPD9y5w&feature=youtu.be

Be there or… you know…

And stay well.

Well, it rained today, but I did get a hundred mile ride in on Monday!

By the mighty Ohio near Marietta

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Just passed a long string of barges

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Just a great day for a ride… and about time, I might add.

back at the Ranch…

Zammy, Aslan and me invite our souls

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

With Diesel going for $2.31 and gas $1.40 or so, I just wish I could head out and do more driving. Well, it could be worse, that’s for sure. I took the Mule down to the Shade to check out the post rain haps. When the rain came in our bottom land started to flood but the new bridge held its own.

The crest just receding

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The river comes and goes as it will. A day later it was like this.

Getting back to normal

Foto By Jorma Kaukonen

In a month or so, there will be hardly any water in the mighty Shade.

Between storms, there’s always a sunset.

What's not to like?

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Well, I’ve been getting some new/old gems together for the Quarantine Concert #5 and I’m really looking forward to breaking them out. Here’s the link for the May second show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEJvzHmsgSU

Rain or shine, be there or… you know…

See ya on the small screen!

Bear with me

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

Maine scallops and pasta

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

A rainy, rainy Sunday here at the Fur Peace Ranch. Last night was our fourth quarantine show but I’ll get to that in a minute. Pouring rain all day long. A good day to stay warm and look out the window, and perhaps give a guitar lesson on Zoom… and have a great home cooked meal. Pasta (Tinkyada gluten free) with a non dairy (unsweetened almond milk) white wine and shiitake cream sauce with fresh Maine scallops topped with a Chardonnay Bellavitano cheese. Big smiles and happy tummies all around!

And… last night another fulfilling evening for us here at the Ranch!

Jorma Kaukonen 4, 2020
#4 Of The Quarantine Concert Series
Live From The Fur Peace Ranch
Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio
Saturday, April 25, 2020

1. Candy Man
2. New Song For The. Morning
3. I See The Light
4. Ain’t In No Hurry
5. 3rd Week In The Chelsea
6. Bar Room Crystal Ball
7. Spence Bohren’s The Old Homestead featuring John Hurlbut
8. A Little Faster featuring John Hurlbut
9. Wolves &. Lambs
10. Things That Might Have Been
11. I Know You Rider

It’s been almost a year since our dear friend Spenser Bohren has been gone. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting on the library with Spenser and his wife Marilyn talking and inviting the warmth of friendship. We all miss him so much but he has left a legacy of song behind him and Johnny did him proud.

That’s about it for this rainy day…

Stay well all!

No… not Sonny Rollins’ Bridge, but ours here at the Fur Peace Ranch.

Not Terabithea either!

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Isolation depends on the environment I guess. We’ve got room to roam.

Up river

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

It’s been the first moments of warm sun here for while so it was nice to just get out, park the mule by the Shade River and walk a bit.

As summer approaches, the water will be gone

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

When you live in he country you learn to accept what nature gives you.

Nice Smiles!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Nessa looks for Morels. Good luck. 🙂

Where are those shrooms?

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

I used to be able to find morels at the old homestead. I have yet to find one here.

Well, we’ve got to get it together for another streaming show for the Fur Peace Station so we headed back up the road with the Mule.

The old farm road back up to the FPR plateau

Foto by jorma Kaukonen

This old road goes back to the early 1800’s and there is some cool graffiti etched into the rocks.

Back at the A-Frame, Vanessa climbs the steps the Smile’s son Eli built. This was a man’s work, I’m telling you!

Who needs a stair climber?

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

OK Back at the Ranch I placed some cool acoustic guitars. Which ones to play?

We’ll see.

Talk about blessings...

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Quick music note: Tango El Bongo by George Van Eps, anything by Charlie Byrd, anything by Larry Willis, great keyboard player who passed away recently.

Back to the present:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pImqCWpu_Hw

There’s our link for tonight.

See ya later

From my back porch...

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Chilly but beautiful here at the Ranch this morning. Walking the dogs on this frosty April morning gave me plenty of time to think, as always. I value freedom of expression… it’s one of the many things that make this country great. I’ve talked about this before. I do not want or expect everyone to agree with me. As my old Harrisonville neighbor, Larry Vance said on more than on occasion, ‘Jorma, if we wuz all the same, what a boring world it would be!’ Words of wisdom for sure. In this strange virtual world that all of us inhabit so much of the time I guess there’s a time and a place for everything. I will not tolerate ad hominem fallacy attacks on me or anyone else on my site and I reserve the right to vet a priori judgments. Hey, that’s just the way it is. I don’t proselytize or preach to you guys so please don’t do it to me or to each other in this site.

Vis a vis the spirit of the 60’s, we could talk forever about this. Wavy Gravy and the Seva Foundation (Founded by Ram Dass) more than walked the walk since the 60’s. Jefferson Airplane was not really a hippy band as I would describe it. As independent as we were, we managed to do battle with and function within the boundaries that the recording business proscribed in those days. Artists are so much freer in this time, but that’s another story. The Airplane and later Hot Tuna did countless free shows and benefits. We also bought houses and vehicles. We were, in the truest sense of the word, an American success story.

What does this all mean to me? Listen, it’s interesting but ancient history. My ability to be a husband to my wife and a father to my two children is where the rubber meets the road today. As a 79 year old guitarist, that I am still able to function at an acceptable level is more than a blessing. That I still have the health I have… well, nuff said on that. My Higher Power treats me better than I deserve but I’ll take it.

Anyway, it’s Earth Day today and where I live, it couldn’t be more beautiful. That’s the real deal! Last but not least, every one is entitled to their own opinion but no one has a right to be factually wrong. I don’t need some outsider to tell me what I think, who I am, or what I really mean.

Today is really the only moment we have.

Make it a good one!

The view from my back porch

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The Fur Peace Station Concert Hall and the Psylodelic Museum

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Yeah… another great night for us here in Southeast Ohio at the Fur Peace Station. It is our pleasure and honor to bring these free concerts to our friends all over the world. We wish you were here, but we’ll take the win any way we can. We dealt our friends Myron Hart and John Hurlbut into the mix and hopefully we’ll have some more surprises for the coming show, Saturday the 25th of April. Here’s the link for that show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pImqCWpu_Hw

And here’s the set list from last Saturday:

Jorma Kaukonen 3, 2020
#3 Of The Quarantine Concert Series
Live From The Fur Peace Ranch
Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio

1. Too Many Years
2. Parchman Farm
3. The Terrible Operation
4. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
5. Flying Clouds
6. Watch The North Wind Rise
7. If I Should Have Bad Luck with Myron Hart
8. Easy Rider song with John Hurlbut
9. Re-Enlistment Blues
10. Come Back Baby
11. Water Song

And the one before:

Jorma Kaukonen 2, 2020
#2 Of The Quarantine Concert Series
Live From The Fur Peace Ranch
Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio
Saturday, April 11, 2020

1. Second Chances
2. Ice Age
3. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
4. Trouble In Mind
5. Living In The Moment
6. Sleep Song
7. Genesis
8. Angel From Montgomery with John
9. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? (For Bob Kelly)
10. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
11. I Am The Light Of This World
12. Embryonic Journey

All the volunteers last Saturday night feasted in pizza from our favorite take out pizza place in Athens, Ohio.

A Hot Tuna Pizza from Avalanche with my name on it!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Yeah… Avalanche Pizza… quite simply the best!

I’ve entered the new age and am now doing workshops on Zoom… just like the kids. Hey, I love to teach and it keeps me feeling relevant.

In the meantime, more will be revealed as the week unfolds.

Stay well!

PS It’s 4/20…. Whoahhh