Selfie by Myron Hart

Monday last Myron and I saddled up and headed down to Runaway Bay to join the rest of the Hot Tuna gang, Warren Haynes (who was ramrodding the show) the North Mississippi Allstars and more.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The weather came and went, but what the heck… it wasn’t snowing.

Foto by Phil Jacobs

(Think Jack Vance, ‘To Live Forever.’)

Hot Tuna 1, 2020
The Electric Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Justin Guip
With Govt. Mule
Runaway Bay, Jamaica
Tuesday, January 21, 2020

1. Letter To The North Star
2. Been So Long
3. Walkin’ Blues
4. Talkin’ Bout You
5. I See The Light
6. Living Just For You
7. Bowlegged Woman
8. Can’t Get Satisfied
9. Sea Child
10. Watch The North Wind Rise
11. Hit Single #1
12. Good Shepherd with Luther Dickenson
13. Encore: Baby What You Want Me To Do? With Luther Dickenson

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Then Warren graciously dealt the Tuna gang in.

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Then Jack and I did a duo…

Foto by Suzy Perler

Hot Tuna 1, 2020
The Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
With Govt. Mule
Runaway Bay, Jamaica
Tuesday, January 21, 2020

1. That’ll Never Happen No More
2. Vampire Women
3. Come Back Baby
4. I Am The Light of This World
5. River Of Time
6. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
7. San Francisco Bay Blues
8. How Long Blues
9. I See The Light
10. Keep On Truckin’ Mama
11. Sleep Song
12. Good Shepherd
13. Encore: Trial By Fire

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen…

Then Tuna was scheduled to play an electric set… but we beat the rain by going indoors and playing an ‘acoustic’ set in the dining room… with drums.

Hot Tuna 3, 2020
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
& Justin Guip
With Govt. Mule
Runaway Bay, Jamaica
Wednesday, January 22, 2020

1. True Religion
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Serpent Of Dreams
4. Barbeque King
5. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out
6. Trouble In Mind
7. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
8. Too Many Years
9. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
10. I Know You Rider

Yep… rain notwithstanding, it was a really good time.

Tomorrow Hurl and I are heading to Sanibel Island for two weeks of Fur Peace Ranch Winter Workshops On The Road.

More will be revealed…

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

So last year early in the FPR season one of our students came down from Toronto and he had this J-35 looking thing built by a guy out in Iowa named David Flammang. I picked this guitar up and started to play and in a bizarre way it was like being twenty years old again. It had the same feel my ’58 J-50 had when I got it in 1960. The way it played, the way it responded to my right hand and the way it felt perfect with .013’s. Tom Feldmann was on board for that class and he knew David… of course. He had used one of David’s L-00’s for a Robert Johnson instructional. He put me in touch with David and I ordered one immediately. He made two which he brought to a Tuna gig in St. Paul and I chose the one with the torrified top.

Now, I’ve already been asked, ‘Is it better than your M-30,’ and the liked. These are ridiculous questions. It’s apples and oranges. Martins sound like Martins, Gibsons and Gibson-like guitars have characteristics all their own. For that bass string sound so evident on the first Hot Tuna LP and Quah, you need a J-50 or something like it. That’s the deal. The M-30 is a long scale guitar and as such there is a certain sonorous quality short scales don’t have. But they have something else. Now, on the final FPR workshop of last year I had my old J-50 in the room, and it is still a really great guitar. She’s an old girl though and I would never take her on the road.

Is the Flammang better?

The Flammang is different… and in an interesting way hearkens back to another time. My Martins are magnificent and I’m not getting rid of any of them. I’m a lucky guy. I’ve got it all.

And speaking of having it all, the LSU/Clemson game last night was more that awesome. Joe Burrow, the QB that Ohio State overlooked, went to the high school where my daughter goes. Athens High School. Go Bulldogs!

Joe is awesome. All of us Southeast Ohio folk are so proud of him.

Life is darned OK!

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Here is it January 7, 2020. The whole family has been sick since we got back from Florida. It is indeed that time of year. Seems like I’m on the back side of it today… thank goodness. Not much has been getting done except getting the kid to and from school and volley ball. Being a parent seems much more significant than the music business!

Thanks to the idiots in this world, there are many more drone regs in the offing and lots of geofencing and firmware updates which I did yesterday. Today I initialed everything and flew both my birds successfully.

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

It was below freezing this morning but it warmed up and the dogs are enjoying some outdoor time. I’ve been playing my new Flammang guitar and loving every minute of it. I’m going to upload one more drone shot and get back to doing some picking.

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into the gym after dropping the kid off at school.

Foto by Myron Hart

Nice picture Myron…

We flew into Tampa for our acoustic Clearwater gig…

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Hot Tuna 60, 2019
The Original Acoustic Duo
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
Bilheimer Capitol Theater
Clearwater, Florida
Saturday, December 28, 2019

1. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out
2. Dime For Beer
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Been So Long
5. Barbeque King
6. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
7. Too Many Years
8. I Am The Light Of This World
9. River Of Time
10. San Francisco Bay Blues
11. How Long Blues
12. Keep Your Lamps rimmed & Burning
13. Sleep Song
14. Trial By Fire
15. Good Shepherd
16. Candy Man
17. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
18. I Know You Rider
19. Encore: Embryonic Journey

We did get to hang a little with John McEuen who was on the show with us.

Then we had a day off in Clearwater and actually got to go to the beach. Again… nice.

Then over to Pompano beach where we were going to stay for the New Year Gig at the Parker Playhouse.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Yeah… pretty nice these last couple of days of 2019.

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Hot Tuna 61, 2019
The Electric Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Justin Guip
New Years 2019/2020
Entering The Third Millennium Decade
Parker Playhouse
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

First Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Barbeque King
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Can’t Get Satisfied
5. Ode To Billy Dean
6. Sea Child
7. Trial By Fire
8. Bowlegged Woman
9. Baby What You Want Me To Do?

Second Set:
1. Candy Man
2. Roads and Roads &
3. Walkin’ Blues
4. Hit Single #1
5. Living Just For You
6. Death Don’t have No Mercy
7. Watch The North Wind Rise
8. Sleep Song
9. Talkin’ Bout You
10. Good Shepherd
11. Embryonic Journey
12. First song of 2020: Funky #7

Foto by Phil Jacobs

I’d been fighting a cold, but the music pushes all that into the background!

Foto by Phil Jacobs

It was a sold out crowd and Justin and Jack and I put on a great show… if I do say so myself.

Foto by Phil Jacobs

The hit just kept on coming. We played Embryonic journey to ease into the 2355 slot and then began the countdown.

Foto by Phil Jacobs

Good times… and a nice way to ring in the new year. Lots of old friends… and made some new.

Love you all!

Happy 2020!