FPR View from the sky

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

After the weekend at the Ranch with Spencer Bohren and Tim Reynolds I got ready to head for Salt Lake City… but first I must note a great solo show by Tim!

Jorma & Tim backstage at the Station

Tim is an amazing player and a great guy. Big shout out to Fluffy too!

Here’s our class picture from the air.

Teachers and students by the Psylodelic Museum

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Saying adieu to another great weekend at the Fur Peace Ranch Jack, Myron, Phil and I flew out to Salt Lake City for a three day residency at the Egyptian Theater in Park City.

The Boys in Park City

Foto by Phil Jacobs

I took a nasty cold with me from Ohio so I laid low in the hotel except for going to the gigs.

The first night at the Egyptian:

Hot Tuna 14, 2017
The Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
The Egyptian Theater
Park City, Utah
Thursday, May 18, 2017

First Set:
1. Dime For Beer
2. Re-Enlistment Blues
3. I See The Light
4. Barbeque King
5. That’ll Never Happen No More
6. Ain’t In No Hurry
7. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
8. How Long Blues
9. Sleep Song
10. Watch The North Wind Rise
11. Living In The Moment
12. San Francisco Bay Blues

Second Set:
1. True Religion
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. Waiting For A train
4. Hesitation Blues
5. Come Back Baby
6. I’ll Be Alright Someday
7. Candy Man Blues
8. In My Dreams
9. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
10. Trial By Fire
11. Sea Child
12. Good Shepherd
13. I Know You Rider
14. Encore: Embryonic Journey

Nicely restored old theater

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

This is a great little theater run by great folks ith terrific sound!

Second night:

Hot Tuna 15, 2017
The Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
The Egyptian Theater
Park City, Utah
Friday, May 19, 2017

First Set:
1. Ain’t In No Hurry
2. I See The Light
3. Things That Might Have Been
4. The Terrible Operation
5. Come Back Baby
6. Let Us Get Together
7. How Long Blues
8. Nobody Knows You When you’re Down & Out
9. Sea Child
10. Watch The North Wind Rise
11. Whining Boy Blues
12. That’ll Never Happen No More
Second Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Missing tune… Myron got locked out
4. Brother Can You Spare A Dime
5. Keep On Trucking Mama
6. Been So Long
7. Barbeque King
8. I Am The Light Of This World
9. Heart Temporary
10. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
11. Sleep Song
12. Good Shepherd
13. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
14. Encore: Genesis

Our name in lights

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Third night:

Hot Tuna 16, 2017
The Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
The Egyptian Theater
Park City, Utah
Saturday, May 20, 2017

First Set:

1. Ain’t In No Hurry
2. Second Chances
3. Hesitation Blues
4. How Long Blues
5. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
6. Barbeque King
7. I See The Light
8. Full Go Round
9. Living In The Moment
10. New Song For The Morning
11. Candy Man
12. That’ll Never Happen No More

Second Set:

1. True Religion
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
4. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today
5. Whining Boy Blues
6. Come Back Baby
7. River Of Time
8. Sea Child
9. Watch The North Wind Rise
10. Good Shepherd
11. Trouble In My Mind
12. I Know You Rider
13. Encore: Nine Pound Hammer

Then it was off to Phoenix where we play at the Musical Instrument Museum tonight.

I'm not in Kansas anymore

Foto by Myron Hart

My cold is gone and I’m sure looking forward to the show tonight!

Remember... it's dry heat!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Onward!

Last turn to the Ranch

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Last weekend Tom Feldman, David Wolff and I hosted an Entrance Ramp Class an Saturday night the California Guitar Trio played and wowed us all!

Hurl, Wally and Ol' Jer get ready to great concert goers!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The fellas in the CGT simply have to be seen and heard to be believed!

The boys hold forth

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

As soon as class wound up on Monday noonish, Myron and I beat feet to Nashville for a recording date with Tommy Emmanuel. Tommy asked me to play two songs with him and I was on my way!

Tommy and I check the levels

Foto by Myron Hart

We started out with a Merle Travis tune… two acoustic guitars, au naturale… no wires!

Listening and thinking

Foto by Myron Hart

The mighty engineer at the console

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Paying with Tommy is always a treat… to get to record with him is off the charts! We did a Roy Book Binder tune as well… double male vocal.

How's that song go?

Foto by Myron Hart

The mighty M-30 at work!

Foto by Myron Hart

We knocked out the two acoustic tunes and laid down and electric jam as well!

Jazzmaster vs. Tele

Foto by Myron Hart

Then it was time for lunch… bur first…

Pick it Jorm'

Foto by Myron Hart

Time for some southern BBQ

Three well fed buddies

And lest I forget… the first drone shot of last weeks FPR class!

Everything looks better from the air!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Onward!

Well, here it is Thursday night… A week ago we were in Wilkesboro, N.C. having dinner at a marginal Japanese Restaurant… and then it was Merlefest. Merlefest is always such a treat and it’s been way too long since I have been there. There were so many friends… the Waybacks, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Jason Crosby and countless others… good times and I love them all.

After a dandy week at home writing and playing guitar for the Pho Folks a lunch Wednesday and today… that and our daughter is a straight A student this year. Next year seventh grade, and tomorrow… the Entrance Ramp here at the Fur Peace Ranch with me, David Wolfe and Tom Feldmann.

How true... how true!!!!!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The St. George Theater... who knew?

So last Saturday the mighty Tuna Trio had the honor of appearing at the St. George Theater in Staten Island. What an amazing venue… who knew indeed?

Bring on the cherubs...

Hot Tuna 13, 2017
The Electric Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Justin Guip
The St. George Theater
Staten Island, New York
Saturday, April 15, 2017

First Set:
1. Serpent Of Dreams
2. Ain’t In No Hurry
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Day To Day Out The Window Blues
5. Can’t Get Satisfied
6. Sleep Song
7. Watch The North Wind Rise
8. Been So Long
9. Ode To Billy Dean
10. Bowlegged Woman
Second Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Second Chances
3. I Wish You Would
4. Come Back Baby
5. Sea Child
6. Trial By Fire
7. Good Shepherd
9. Funky #7
10. Hit Single # 1

Pickin' and grinnin'

Foto by Phil Jacobs

By the bye… while I was out in Westbury I was honored with this great award!

Love this honor!

Then it was back to Southeast Ohio where Myron and I settled down to overdub some guitar parts on a new project by my old pals The Ace Of Cups. The ladies started this great band in 1967… indeed perhaps the first all girl band… and they could all really play!

Myron critically eyes the board

The Ace Of Cups gals sent me three tracks to work on… a blues, a rocker and a finger picking ballad.

Pickin' and Wah'ing

This is going to be a great project and I was honored to be a part of it.

The back lot at the Johnson Hollow digs.

Then it was back to the Ranch to get ready for our camp this weekend with Eric Bibb, Happy Traum and me with an able assist from Tom Feldman.

Along the way I got to make some great shots around the Ranch.

Red Bud in the House

The redbud is everywhere right now… it is a paean to Spring in these parts and its beauty is delightfully ephemeral. In a week or so the blaze of color will be gone as green returns to the forest.

Twilight drones eye view of the A-Frame

I’ve been doing some sunset flying with my drones and was able to get some nifty shots!

Lake Hope after dinner

Welcome lights at the Beatrice Love Kitchen

Last light at the Fur Peace Ranch

Time to walk Big Maverick and get on over to greet the students…

Onward!

Week Three at the Ranch

This last weekend at the Fur Peace Ranch was our third of this year and what a killer one it was. We were honored to host Jimmy Dale Gilmore as well as our old pal Bill Kirchen. What a weekend indeed!

FPR from the eye of a drone

Friday was chilly to say the least but the weekend warmed up in more ways than one and Spring was in the air! Saturday night Bill and Jimmy Dale did a simply amazing show!

This is the Honky Tonk Hammer Of The Gods!

Jimmy Dale and Bill’s show was indeed, Poultry In Motion… I mean Poetry In Motion. Perfect in every way!

The men in action!

In and around the concert and classes, there is always plenty of time for folks to jam!

Back porch pickin'n at its finest!

The weekend moved magnificently towards the first of the week.

The men... and the women!

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

Nice shot of my guys here!

Well armed men on the porch!

Foto by John Hurlbut

Monday evening Izze and Vanessa and I drove into Athens to celebrate Pesach with our community at Hillel.

Izze and Vanessa on the steps of HIllel

The Jewish community here in Southeast Ohio is a singular creature… if it weren’t for Ohio University, it would be pretty lonely.

Izze and the old man on the steps

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

It was nice to reconnect with friends we only see periodically through the year… and share a meal together.

At the Seder Table

The brisket was awesome and the gefilte fish rocked too. I had double helpings!

And so as the full moon begins to wane, Zeissen Pesach to all out there!

I'm surrounded by the gold...

Foto by Dubi Silverstein

Another week has come and gone and then some. We had a camp last weekend with G.E.Smith and Woody Mann. It is always great to hang with these two guys… personally and musically.

Spring is unfolding

Now it is true that Spring is unfolding, but on this weekend we had a couple of really cold nights… a last gasp of Winter. The FPR is getting back into the rhythm of camp season and what with that and the Pho Restaurant, as always it’s a full plate. It’s a good plate though. Last Saturday night came and it was concert time at the Station. The show was G.E. and myself. We love doing this show. We just hit the stage and play songs together. On this particular night, we had a captive Woody Mann… so for us it was quite an evening. We didn’t do a set list and Myron did his best to keep track of the songs, so this is incomplete… but at least it’s something!

G.E. plays the legendary River Of Time guitar! Thanks for that Bud and Tracy!

I didn’t get the first solo GE songs of each set. (GE did 3 first Set and 2 second Set, I think?) So sayeth Myron Hart II.

Jorma Kaukonen, G.E. & Woody Mann

Ain’t In No Hurry
Second Chances
Things That Might Have Been
Whining Boy
Highway 61
Barbeque King
Arrowhead
Death Don’t Have No Mercy… with Woody
Sweet Loraine… with Woody

That’ll Never Happen No More
Living In The Moment
GE. – Trail Of The Buffalo
Come Back Baby
GE – Handsome Molly
Search My Heart – Woody… from here to the end…
Sleep Song
GE – Buddy Bolden Blues
Candy Man
GE – Let It Rock
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
Encore: Who knows?

Thanks Myron… better than nothing!

Woody, me and the G.E.

On Tuesday night my goddaughter Mia Falzarano stopped by on her way to Cleveland.

The old man and the young lawyer!

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

The last time this young lady was here, she was barely walking, now she’s in her last year of Law School. What a world, and how glad I am to be part of it!

On Wednesday, Vanessa celebrated her 55th birthday. The hits just keep on coming. Vanessa is even more beautiful today than when I first met her, and that wasn’t yesterday! It’s been a fine week, all things told and this weekend is an ‘off’ weekend at the Ranch so I’m guessing yard work is in store, as soon as it dries up from the mega rain we had last night. In the meantime…

Onward!

The road home...

Friday the 17th of March, we opened for our 20th year here at the Fur Peace Ranch. It has been such an odd winter… some really cold days, some really warm ones… lots of rain an not much snow. Weather… gotta love it. This weekend started out cold but wound up in the 50’s. Rainy and muddy… thinking about it… typical for Southeast Ohio. It was great having Jack back on site again and our annual Double Dose Class went well.

Saturday night Jack and I played a two set concert in the Station…

Hot Tuna 11, 2017
The Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
The Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio
Saturday, March 18, 2017

First Set:
1. Ain’t In No Hurry
2. Second Chances
3. Hesitation Blues
4. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?
5. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
6. I See The Light
7. Candy Man
8. Watch The North Wind Rise
9. In The Kingdom
10. How Long Blues
11. San Francisco Bay Blues
Second Set:
1. Whining Boy Blues
2. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
3. That’ll Never Happen No More
4. Come Back Baby
5. Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
6. Sleep Song
7. Good Shepherd
8. Living In The Moment
9. Keep On Trucking Mama
10. Bar Room Crystal Ball
11. Water Song
12. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
13. Encore: Genesis

We’ve got so many good things coming up this year… great classes an shows at the FPR, great gigs and tours coming up for me and Jack. Yeah, so far so good. Everyone is alive and well and you can’t ask for much more than that. Spring is here now and I look forward to some of this mud drying up.

Onward!

After coming home from Nashville there was lots of cleaning up around the Fur Peace Ranch that had to be done. Our good friend Smiles did most of it, of course, but I got my hands a little dirty. I brought a nagging chest cold back from Spokane with me and today is the first day that I’m really starting to feel normal… whatever that is. The girls and I took a killer hike in the hills for a couple of hours and I got some work done on my book. This coming week is the beginning of the 19th full season here at the Ranch and Jack and I will be teaching and doing the concert on Saturday night.

At this point in my life when so many of my friends and colleagues are starting to fall I must share with the universe the gratitude I feel just to be able to get up in the morning unassisted, not to mention all the other things I am still able to do. Life is good, most of the time and I cannot allow myself to take that for granted.

Spring break is over for the kids and Izze is back to school tomorrow with extracurricular activities abounding… Irish Dance, to Photography, to Piano… yep… we’re Izze’s Uber Service.

Jack will be in Wednesday night and even though it’s only been a month since we played together, I’ve missed the hang. Sub freezing temperatures here the last two days, but we barbecued dinner both nights.

Uneventful… but precious!

More will be revealed!

Last Tuesday, Phil and Myron and I drove my truck over to Charleston, West Virginia so I could open for Tedeschi/Trucks.

Sailors take warning...

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Little did I know what was coming at the time. Over in Charleston, it was just bleak and raining.

The gig in Charleston

Foto by Phil Jacobs

I was feeling a little under the weather, but playing with Susan and Derek is always a pleasure and an honor!

Jorma Kaukonen 1, 2017
Opening For Tedeschi/Trucks
Charleston Municipal Auditorium
Charleston, West Virginia
Feb. 28, 2017

1. Whining Boy Blues
2. That’ll Never Happen No More
3. Ain’t In No Hurry
4. Trial By Fire
5. Watch The North wind Rise
6. Barbeque King
7. Candy Man
8. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
9. San Francisco Bay Blues

I went back to the hotel after my set. I wanted to be rested and well for the Ryman!

As we were loading the truck on Wednesday morning the rain was blowing sideways. I got a call from Vanessa as a tornado was hitting the Fur Peace Ranch.

Maverick, Izze and Nessa in the tub as the twister hit!

Selfie by Vanessa Kaukonen

It was frustrating for me not to be there, but I doubt if it would have changed anything. I thought it might be a derecho wind, but it wasn’t. I was a bona fide tornado! As we drove towards Nashville in crazy winds… the really crazy winds were at home.

Just touched our barn!

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

Power line downed by the A-Frame.

You sure find our who your friends are when a disaster strikes. My heartfelt thanks to all who came to Vanessa’s aid in this moment of crisis!

While this was going one, we made it to Nashville and on Thursday, played our gig with the Gang ate the Ryman Theater.

Minnie and Roy welcome me to their dressing room.

After sound check we got to walk around a bit.

Captain Ryman himself at the wheel...

Hello to the folks at home!

Foto by Phil Jacobs

My name in letters...

Jorma Kaukonen 2, 2017
Opening For Tedeschi/Trucks
The Ryman
Nashville, Tennessee
Thursday, March 2, 2017

1. True Religion
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Come Back Baby
4. Been So Long
5. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
6. In My Dreams
7. How Long Blues
8. Sea Child
9. Good Shepherd
10. I Know You Rider

Susan, Jorma & Derek

Norah Jones and Me

Foto by Myron Hart

I got to play The Sky Is Crying with Susan and Derek, then to bed and home to help pick up the pieces.

Saturday morning, trees coming down

This root ball is twice as tall as I am.

Things are getting back to normal… we took the dog and went for a hike behind Ginger’s place.

A not so dank tarn

Selfie from the drone

And time for relaxing at home.

Good night to the Shire!

More will be revealed…

Happy campers, pickin' and grinnin'

Another fabulous Fur Peace Ranch On The Road has come to an end and it is time for us all to return to our ‘normal’ lives… whatever that means.

A last look at Molokai and a search for whales...

Yep, this was a dandy alright. Vanessa and Izze and Montana flew back yesterday. True, it is still winter in Ohio, but home and our animals are there!

Pickers and family support...

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

Time for me to close up my bags and head for San Diego where I will meet Jack Casady as well as Phil and Myron. Our first gig will be at the Belly Up in Solana Beach.

If I have to see one more beautiful sunset...

Yep, it’s been great… but I gotta be movin’ along…

More will be revealed!