Every day is a good day for a gratitude list… but today on Thanksgiving, it just seems obviously necessary. My life is an embarrassment of riches in many ways but even in more meager times, there was always something to be thankful for. At the head of my list is my family. My wife Vanessa without whom my life would be a barren desert. She has been there for me since we first met a quarter of a century ago. Good times and bad she has always sheltered me with love. She is always my beacon on the road of life. She is the woman of my dreams… and I’m not even sleeping!

I’m grateful for my son Zach who quite simply, is just a great young man. It is my honor to be able to watch him grow into manhood and to be, in some small way, a part of the process.

I’m grateful for my daughter Izze who never ceases to bring light and wonder into her Dad’s life.

I'm grateful Izze can write notes like this!

(I’m grateful to Ray Hurlbut and those like him who serve our country in it’s hour of need. at 92, Ray is one of the oldest living vets in the state of Ohio.)

I’m grateful that Izze’s eyes can see the world like this:

Move over Matisse

And this…

Aurora?

And this…

Pink cloud

The love and gratitude that I have for my family cannot be measured!

I’m grateful that when my life was cloaked in self inflicted misery G_d allowed me to bring joy into the life of others through my music.

I’m grateful that music has has always sustained me as part of a higher road even when I wandered.

I’m grateful that I have lived in the place of my dreams for more than 20 years. I hope to be there in the end.

I am grateful for the country of which I am a citizen.

I am grateful for the health and well being that has followed me thus far in life.

I am grateful to have so many truly great friends.

I could go on… and I probably will after dinner.

Suffice it to say, I am one of the most fortunate of men.

Thanks should be given each and every day, but on this day I raise the flag of gratitude and stand with my hand on my heart!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving… each and every one of you!

Breakfast at Persy's

Night before last we were at the Narrows Performing Arts Center in Fall River, Mass.

This is always a great gig for us… and I thought the Trio performed well. here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 48, 2013
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
& Barry Mitterhoff
The Narrows Performing Arts Center
Fall River, Massachusetts
November 26, 2013

First Set:
1. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out
2. True Religion
3. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
4. More Than My Old Guitar
5. Children Of Zion
6. Hesitation Blues
7. Barbeque King
8. Second Chances
9. Been So Long
10. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
11. I Know You Rider
Second Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Prohibition Blues
3. Things That Might Have Been
4. I’ll Be All Right Someday
5. Vicksburg Stomp
6. Come Back Baby
7. Good Shepherd
8. River Of Time
9. 99 Year Blues
10. I Am The Light Of This World
11. Nine Pound Hammer
12. Encore: Bar Room Crystal Ball

Yesterday morning we breakfasted at Persy’s and drove out to Norfolk, Connecticut. It was almost 60 degrees in the morning, but things were changing… rain was falling and the temperature was soon to plummet.

Load in... dark already

The Infinity Hall is always a treat. A great venue run by great folks with great food!

Come on in...

Here is our set list from last night:

Hot Tuna 49, 2013
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
& Barry Mitterhoff
Infinity
Norfolk, Connecticut
Wednesday, November 27, 2013

First Set:
1. Search My Heart
2. Candy Man
3. Children Of Zion
4. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
5. How Long Blues
6. Goodbye To The Blues
7. Barbeque King
8. Serpent Of Dreams
9. Izze’s Lullaby
10. Mama Let Me Lay It On You
11. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
Second Set:
1. Hesitation Blues
2. I See The Light
3. The Terrible Operation
4. Vicksburg Stomp
5. Things That Might Have Been
6. 99 Year Blues
7. Come Back Baby
8. Good Shepherd
9. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
10. I Know You Rider
11. Encore: Bar Room Crystal Ball

After the show… we drove to Syracuse… winter is indeed upon us on this night but here we are on Thanksgiving morning.

Good morning sunshine...

Dinner planned for 1330… Have a good one everybody! Lots to be thankful for!

Tis the season...

A short note about this amazing weekend… this is one wonderful time for us. I have lived in New York off and over the years and although I am a country boy at heart… this marvelous other world on the Hudson always feels like home.

Friday night we played an acoustic show with the core team… Larry and Teresa are certainly member of our core team… anyway, here is our st list:

Hot Tuna 46, 2013
Acoustic Night For
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
& Barry Mitterhoff
With Special Guests
Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell
New York Society For Ethical Culture
Concert Hall
NY, NY
November 22, 2013

First Set:
1. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?
2. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
3. Deep Ellum with Larry & Teresa
4. Children Of Zion with Larry & Teresa
5. Hesitation Blues with Larry
6. Barbeque King with Larry
7. Prohibition Blues with Larry
8. Vicksburg Stomp with Larry
9. Smokerise Journey with Larry & Teresa
10. Full Go Round with Larry
11. I Know You Rider with Larry
Second Set:
1. Been So Long
2. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave with Larry
3. How Long Blues with Larry
4. Candy Man with Larry
5. Things That Might have Been with Larry
6. Bar Room Chrystal Ball with Larry & Teresa
7. Good Shepherd with Larry & Teresa
8. Chauffer Blues with Larry & Teresa
9. I Am The Light of This World with Larry & Teresa
10. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning with Larry & Teresa
11. Encore: Embryonic Journey with Larry

What a grand evening of acoustic music for us.
Then…

Power trio... Jorma, John Scher and Jack Casady

It was time for the electric night at the Beacon:

Hot Tuna 47, 2013
Electric Extravaganza
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
Barry Mitterhoff, Skoota Warner
With Special Guests
Larry Campbell And Teresa Williams
The Beacon Theater
New York City, New York
Saturday, November 23, 2013

First Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Ode To Billy Dean with Larry
3. Second Chances with Larry
4. Can’t Get Satisfied with Larry
5. Hesitation Blues with Larry
6. Chauffer Blues with Larry and Teresa
7. Children of Zion with Larry and Teresa
8. Bowlegged Woman with Larry
9. Sugaree with Larry and Teresa
Second Set:
1. Angel Of Darkness with Larry and Teresa
2. Mama Let Me Lay It On You wit Larry
3. Rock Me Baby with Larry
4. A Little Faster with Larry and Teresa
5. Bar Room Crystal Ball with Larry and Teresa
6. Somebody To Love with Larry and Teresa
7. If This Is Love I want My Money Back with Larry and Teresa
8. Crazy ‘Bout My Baby with Larry
9. 99 Year Blues with Larry
10. Hit Single # 1 with Larry
11. Funky #7 with Larry
12. Encore: Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning withLarry and Teresa

Suffice it to say that a great time was had by all. My wife and daughter were there, my son was there and countless friends. How good does it have to get. Now it’s off to the Narrows Performing Arts Center in Fall River, Mass. A hearty thanks to all our friends who showed up in NYC for this great weekend. We love you all! May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as we will!

Post show Beacon... The party's over... 'till next year!

Yesterday AM at the Fur Peace Ranch

We were going to get rolling early from the Fur Peace Ranch yesterday morning but the bus wouldn’t start. Ever taking the more optimistic view, we loaded up and by the time everything was on board… it started. Hmmm….

No trailor... everything got stuffed into the bays

Vanessa and Izze were on board for this leg of the trip. This doesn’t happen often, so I as really looking forward to it.

A stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch

There’s nothing like a Cracker Barrel stop at least once in every road trip… and here’s ours!

Moving right along… we got to the George Washington Bridge about 2230 and if I’d been paying attention to 1010 WINS, I would have known about the construction. Anyway, two hour later we got to our hotel in Manhattan. Good times in traffic!

Jack Casady, Matt Friedlander and myself

This morning we had an interview to tape at ABC radio with Matt Friedlander. After this I went back to the hotel for a bit and the Phil and I took the train downtown to Rockefeller Plaza where Vanessa and Izze were ice skating.

The tree will be seen soon

The girls on the ice

After the gals got done with the ice, we walked around Manhattan for a while.

Shopping anyone?

Yeah, it’s starting to get pretty whacked out on the streets here, but for an out of towner it’s a lot of fun.

With the Empire Bulding in the distance, we head towards dinner

With hunger overtaking us, we decided on Joe’s Shanghai for some soup dumplings and dinner. Delicious indeed. Now back at the hotel, it’s time to contemplate the set lists for the gig tomorrow at the Institute For Ethical Culture. Saturday night, of course, is the Beacon Theater.

Hope to see lots of you at both places.

Onward!

Well, last night we hosted a Psylodelic Event at the Fur Peace Station. We were showing Mary Works great film Rocking At The Red Dog. It was indeed the dawn of psychodelic music and it’s a must see for anyone interested in that vibrant period of American History.

We had Dan Hicks here and we sat in the audience and watched the film together. Truly great stuff! Then we had a Q and A with our own Joh Hurlbut as a moderator which wound up lasting almost an hour and then Dan and I threw down a little set together.

Jorma Kaukonen And Dan Hicks
Rockin’ At The Red Dog Night
A Psylodelic Event
Fur Peace Station, Darwin, Ohio
Darwin, Ohio
November 16, 2013

1. True Religion, Jorma
2. Dan Tune – A Dan blues… I forget
3. Uncle Sam Blues Jorma and Dan
4. How Can I Miss You When You won’t Go Away, Dan Hicks
5. Hesitation Blues Jorma
6. Scare Myself Dan and Jorma
7. How Long Blues Jorma
8. San Francisco Bay Blues Dan and Jorma
9. Encore: Canned Music Dan and Jorma

It was a real treat to spend time with the amazing Dan Hicks. He’s just a really great enduring talent and a great guy. Thanks Dan!

Big storms today in Meigs... direcho winds and tornados

So we headed over to the Fur Peace Ranch today to get ready for my participation in the Second Annual Guitar Mash held at the City Winery in New York City. Now I would have liked to have been there in person, but I was here with Dan last night so we did it by Skype and… it worked. I led the gang in Come Back Baby and Folsom Prison Blues. Good times!

I hear that train a coming...

Hello, New York!!!!!

Good stuff and a fun weekend. Now we have some serious storm coming in tonight so I’ve got to get my generator ready just in case. I put the plow blade on my tractor day before yesterday so that should endure that it will not snow. We’ll see. If I get the generator out, maybe the winds will pass too.

Great weekend… more will be revealed!

In Honor... Veteran's Day 2013

This year the Veteran’s Day Weekend coincided with the last teaching weekend at the Fur Peace Ranch for the year 2013… and what a weekend it was. Before I get to the goings on at the Ranch, Veteran’s Day is always and important day. I take the day to call the brothers and sister I know who either have served or are serving and thank them. In my heart I also thank everyone who has rendered or is rendering service to this amazing country of ours. Many thanks and blessings. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed!

Fall in Athens

A week or so ago when I started collecting pictures for this it was still, for all practical purposes… fall.

Friday at the Fur Peace Ranch

It was a perfect weekend at the Ranch… Temperate… blue skies… and my son Zach joined us for the Veteran’s Day Weekend.

The sun begins to set

We had Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Bob Margolin and the usual cast of Hot Tuna characters.

Saturday afternoon at the Ranch

It was to be a wonderful concert night and we had our friend Jim Wall filling the percussion throne for us… and he was the greatest. Thanks Jim… we have to do this again!

Here is our set list:
Hot Tuna 45, 2013
Electric Extravaganza With
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
Barry Mitterhoff & Jim Wall
With Special Guests
Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell
And Bob Margolin

First Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Hesitation Blues (Larry is on board for the rest of the set.)
3. Can’t Get Satisfied
4. Blues in E Bob Margolin ????
5. Bob E funky
6. Second Chances
7. I See The Light
8. Ode To Billy Dean
9. Chauffer Blues with Larry and Teresa
10. Sugaree with larry and teresa

Second Set:
1. Mama Let Me Lay It On You
2. Vicksburg Stomp
3. Deep Ellum Blues with Larry and Teresa
4. A Little Faster ditto
5. Bowlegged Woman
6. Goodbye To The Blues with Teresa
7. Children of Zion with Teresa
8. Bob Margolin ???
9. Ditto, Bo Diddly’s Who Do You Love
10. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning with Larry and Teresa
11. Encore: Baby What You Want Me To Do? With the whole gang

(Thanks Todd)

Looking out from the Ranch

What a beautiful weekend!

Leaves gone

Most of my class... last of 2013

It was a great weekend of music and fellowship at the FPR… you can’t make this magic up. Tuesday morning I woke up to this:

Yep... there's my gas well!

…and walking Maverick, Dog Of Destiny, this is the old Schoolhouse Road that runs through our property here at Hillside Farm. Think the late 1800’s.

Old schoolhouse road

As I was walking the dog, I could hear my Amish neighbors buggies heading up the road and I though about where I am in my life today, and you know… I’m right on schedule. I’m right where I need to be!

Neville and I

Yeah… the Seva benefit last Saturday night was supreme. We saw so many great folks… got to play so much great music!

David, Jorma and Linda

Getting to see David and Linda LaFlamme after all this years was great. Getting to play with David was the frosting on the cake. Some fun indeed!

Hot Tuna 44, 2013
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
With David LaFlamme
Seva Benefit
The Fillmore
San Francisco, California
Saturday, November 2, 2013

1. True Religion
2. Children of Zion
3. Second Chances
4. Come Back Baby
5. Hesitation Blues with David LaFlamme
6. Good Shepherd with David LaFlamme
7. Barbeque King with David LaFlamme
8. That’ll Never Happen No More with David LaFlamme
9. I Am The Light Of This World with David LaFlamme
10. San Francisco Bay Blues with David LaFlamme

That’s it folks… what a weekend!

Onward

Jorma with everybody's clown... and nobody's fool

Thanks to Jay Blakesberg for the beautiful foto of Wavy and me…

Wavy opens the show

Barry and Jack and I were at a Seva dinner. The gentleman to the left of Barry asked, ‘What do you do?’ ‘Play mandolin,’ Barry said. ‘You?’ It turned out the Steven Jones was part of the team that eradicated smallpox. Hmmm… play music? Not bad. Save millions of lives? Easy question.

Seva is the real deal… and all the active participants are angels. Check it out.

Jorma and Peter Coyote chew the fat

I got a chance to chat with Peter Coyote before the festivities started. What a guy!

Jack, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Jorma

Good times with old friends!

Before the evening was done… The Blind Boys Of Alabama took the stage.

Rock the house fellas

What a night!

Tonight, we’re all at the Fillmore playing for Seva!

Really good times!

Myron catches 40 winks on the way to Tampere

Checked out of the hotel in Helsinki day before yesterday, drove up to Tampere and played another show with Canned Heat in one of the most beautiful concert venues I have ever seen or heard.

Check this hall out

Myron sets the stage

While Canned Heat dined, we hit the stage… and here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 43, 2013
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
Tampere Concert Hall
Tampere, Finland
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

1. True Religion
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Things That Might Have Been
4. Been So Long
5. Barbeque King
6. Children Of Zion
7. I See The Light
8. 99 year Blues
9. Uncle Sam Blues
10. Good Shepherd
11. Death Don’t Have No Mercy

Beautiful evening in Mid Finland. After our set, we drove to the airport outside of Helsinki and went to sleep for three hours then back to the airport and off to Heathrow.

Sunrise at Heathrow

The flight from Helsinki to Heathrow was uneventful… and Heathrow was, as always, very crowded. The flight was a non stop from London to an Francisco as an eleven hour non stop. Old airplane, crowded… seats big enough for an eight year old… good times. We made it though and so did all our luggage and guitars. Really good times.

My first stop after we checked into the hotel was the Mifune in Japan Town. Tanin Soba and pickled vegetables. Yummy…

The pagoda in the Peace Plaza... Japan Town, SF

A quick hello to the Pagoda after dinner and then to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Morning in Japan Town

After a yummy breakfast in the hotel, Barry and I took a walk around.

Hello Kitty in the Kintetsu Center

Yeah Buddy

Walking around… enjoying being back home in the States and doing our darnedest to beat the jet lag.

Good times… Onward!