Jorma Kaukonen's Online Diary

Up and at'em. I just walked the dogs in this beautiful morning, a little humid but nicely cool. My packing is almost done and in a couple of hours Myron will be here and we'll head on down to Cincinnati. The next two weeks are going to be incredibly busy, but I guess that beats boredom. Flying is not my favorite mode of transportation, but it sure gets the job done and the Cincy airport is very traveler friendly. On days like this I'd rather stay home, but so it goes.

Onward.

hit the airport in Cincinnati by 0700 yesterday morning. The flight was uneventful and when we got to San Francisco, there was one of those magical Northern California days waiting for us. After a quick stop at the Mifune in Japan Town for some noodle soup, we checked into the hotel. I started getting my things together for today's show at the Fillmore taking a break fro some chow at Joes Taco joint in Mill Valley. There was some daylight after dinner so Barry and I took a drive up to Mt Tamalpais and over to Stinson Beach. It was just beautiful, just one of those days that make you want to move here.

This morning is another great day with lots of stuff for us to do. I'm going to get things moving and I'll report back after our Fillmore show tonight. This is the first electric show since the one at the Fur Peace Station, so we're fired up and ready to go.

Gotta get the set lists together.

The Gig at Fillmore last night was sold out! Two words we in the music business love to hear. Considering we haven't played as the electric band for a couple of months, it was a rockin' evening. Here are our set lists:

Hot Tuna 39, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

Barry Mitterhoff & Erik Diaz

The Fillmore

San Francisco, California

Friday, June 03, 2005

 

Acoustic Set:

1.                Hesitation Blues

2.                Blue Railroad Train

3.                Waiting For A Train

4.                Parchman Farm

5.                Keep You Lamps Trimmed And Burning

6.                I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

7.                How Long Blues

8.                Genesis

9.                Breadline Blues

10.           Uncle Sam Blues

11.           Embryonic Journey

12.           Good Shepherd

13.           A Life Well Lived

14.           That’ll Never Happen No More

 

Electric Set:

1.                I Wish You Would

2.                Living Just For You

3.                Serpent Of Dreams

4.                Talking ‘Bout You

5.                Rock me Baby

6.                Corners Without Exits

7.                In The Kingdom

8.                Can’t Get Satisfied

9.                Day To Day Out The Window Blues

10.           Bowlegged Woman

11.           Been So Long

12.           Water Song

13.           Hit Single #1

14.           Funky #7

15.           Encore: Come Back Baby

A good time was had by all on this side of the stage. Back at the hotel at 0200 and now I'm getting ready to leave for Truckee within the hour. S.F. made us welcome again.

It was like coming home!

I'm up in Truckee... in the Sierras... not too far from where my Mom used to live in Tahoe. It is still stunningly beautiful here, but the traffic coming out on I-80 from S.F. through Sacramento is wall to wall. As much as I love these beautiful mountains, it really makes my appreciate the small town world of my home in Southeast Ohio.

Our show last night was outdoors and though there was fear evening chill, I actually found it quite comfortable. There were some technical problems in the course of the evening, but the enthusiasm of the folks and the beautiful setting pulled us through everything. It was a fun night. Here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 40, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

Barry Mitterhoff & Erik Diaz

Park Amphitheater

Truckee, California

Saturday, June 04, 2005

 

Acoustic Set:

1.                Big River Blues

2.                Hesitation Blues

3.                Trouble In Mind

4.                Red River Blues

5.                I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

6.                Blues Stay Away From Me

7.                Prohibition Blues

8.                I Know You Rider

9.                San Francisco Bay Blues

 

Electric Set:

1.                Living Just For You

2.                True Religion

3.                Bowlegged Woman

4.                Talkin’ Bout You

5.                Been So Long

6.                Corners Without Exits

7.                Rock Me Baby

8.                I Wish You Would

9.                Trial By Fire

10.           Can’t Get Satisfied

11.           Day To Day Out The Window Blues

12.           Funky #7

13.           Encore: Hit Single # 1

We actually got to sleep in a little this morning, but now I'm going to string my guitar, make up the set lists for the Mystic and get some chow. It's another blue sky beautiful day here. Onwards

The show at the mystic was sold out two weeks before the play date. It was a great show for us and the California audience didn't let us down... nor we they! Here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 41, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

Barry Mitterhoff & Erik Diaz

The Mystic Theater

Petaluma, California

Sunday, June 05, 2005

 

Acoustic Set:

1.                That’ll Never Happen No More

2.                I’m Free From Chain Gang Now

3.                Blue Railroad Train

4.                I’ll Let You Know Before Leave

5.                How Long Blues

6.                Keep On Trucking Mama

7.                Heart Temporary

8.                Bread Line Blues

9.                Living In The Moment

10.           Good Shepherd

11.           Nine Pound Hammer

 

Electric Set:

1.                Talking Bout You

2.                Corners Without Exits

3.                Been So Long

4.                Serpent Of Dreams

5.                Bowlegged Woman

6.                Rock Me Baby

7.                Living Just For You

8.                In The Kingdom

9.                I Wish You Would

10.           Day To Day Out The Window Blues

11.           Water Song

12.           Hit Single #1

13.           Funky #7

14.           Encore: Baby What You Want Me To Do?

 

After the show we all drove down to a hotel by the airport, got a couple hours of sleep and started the trip home. Including the flight time and the drive from Northern Kentucky, Myron and I got back to Hillside about 2230. Chilly in S.F., it was in the high 80's here... still and all, great to get home after a terrific couple of days in Northern California. This morning Vanessa and got up and went for a two mile walk before it got too oppressively hot. Now I'm back in the air conditioning getting ready for the rest of the day.

As I said before, they sure made us feel at home in California and my personal thanks to my band mates and crew who busted butt to make all this happen. Life indeed, good!

Some amazing things have happened this week. I shall talk a little about them on the Thoughts page.

I'm getting ready to go to Akron for Founder's Day with some of the brothers and sisters and my plan is to use the computer at the business center in the hotel to keep the site updated over the weekend. If this doesn't work, I'll be off line until Monday. If it does, the blather shall continue.

My steed awaits me.

Home after a great weekend in Akron. It would be nice to be able to sustain the pink cloud feeling you get after grand spiritual moments, and I had many last week. There were some great mountains to climb and I shall build upon the feelings until the next adventure.

It's a beautiful day today and I'm going to enjoy it as best I can while I get ready to head out for N.Y. later this week.

Home again to 85 degree heat and according humidity. Yep, that's one of the things we love about this place. Grass growing, tongues lolling... Hey it could be worse. Blue skies, fluffy clouds and here I am getting ready for another little road trip tomorrow.

I think I'll grill some burgers...

After pottering around yesterday morning with the final preparations for the trip, we go underway about 1330. We decided to spend the night in Chambersburg and head on out to Amagansett this morning. It looks like another beautiful day to drive. I think I'll head down to the lobby and see what bounty the continental breakfast has to offer and then hit the road.

More when we get out to Amagansett.

Ah the traffic on the way to the Hamptons... We battled it along with the rest of the New Yorkers and made it out safe and sound, although it took an hour to go four miles at one point. Today was absolutely beautiful and Barry and I took a drive out to the lighthouse in Montauk. A good set up for the rest of the day.

The Talkhouse was packed, and it was good to see our old friends again. Here is our set list:

Jorma Kaukonen & Barry Mitterhoff 4, 2005

Stephen Talkhouse

Amagansett, Long Island, New York

Friday, June 17, 2005

 

1.               Candy Man

2.               Search My Heart

3.               How Long Blues

4.               I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

5.               Breadline Blues

6.               I See The Light

7.               Parchman Farm

8.               Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning

9.               Too Many Years

10.         I Know You Rider

11.         Waiting For A Train

12.         Big River Blues

13.         Uncle Sam Blues

14.         Hesitation Blues

15.         Genesis

16.         Good Shepherd

17.         9 Pound Hammer

18.         Encore: 99 Year Blues

Tomorrow first thing we head down to Manhattan to dig in for our show at B. B. King's. With that in mind, I'm going to string my guitar, make my set list for tomorrow and get some sleep.

Last night Barry and I played B. B. King's club in Times Square. As we were loading in I looked up, and there it was, my name in lights. Yes folks, it may never get better than this. It's been five years since I played B. B.'s and I haven't been to the Square since then. What a madhouse! When I get home in a day or so I'll post some pictures of the street madness as we were loading out. As we were finishing our show, Barry noticed Joe Franklin right in front of me in the front row. Fun stuff to say the least! Here is our set list from last night:

Jorma Kaukonen And Barry Mitterhoff 5, 2005

B.B. King’s

New York City, New York

Friday, June 17, 2005

 

1. Blue Railroad Train

2. Waiting For A Train

3. Death Don’t Have No Mercy

4. Do Not Go Gentle

5. Serpent Of Dreams

6. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

7. Blues Stay Away From Me

8. Prohibition Blues

9. Been So Long

10. Heart Temporary

11. Red River Blues

12. I’m Free From The Chain Gang

13. Hesitation Blues

14. Uncle Sam Blues

15. I Am The Light Of This World

16. A Life Well Lived

17. I Know You Rider

18. How Long Blues

19. Just Because

20. Encore: Mann’s Fate

What a day... what a night! Anyway, I'm just getting ready to head on up to Columbia U. so I think I'll get some chow first. Onwards!

I got here yesterday afternoon, and this is just the greatest time for the teachers as well as the students. Non stop musicianship and interactive fellowship... Really good stuff. I've been twanging all day so it's time for some rest... but tomorrow is another day and there's lots more to come.

My three days at Woody and Bob's IGS up at Columbia was great... absolutely great! Everybody from instructors to the 'campers. were simply terrific. This acoustic music we all love certainly doesn't bring out any losers. If they ask me back next year, I hope I get to stay all week. Right now I'm on my way home to say hello to Vanessa, have her help me pack, and get on the bus for Arkansas.

Gotta run... literally.

Our new bus is great, the driver is great and we're heading on down the road to Arkansas. We'll hook up with Jack and Barry later today and the tour will begin for real. Leaving the Ranch we snaked down the Ohio and crossed over into West Virginia by Huntington. The rural face of America with it's crops and cattle certainly is a serene counterpoint to the hustle and bustle of cars and strip malls.

The beauty of the country makes me want to stay there forever... Much as I like the road when I'm gigging, there's no place like home. We're out of here early... gotta go.

Yesterday we were at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. A really nice hotel to start the tour in... and the had live ducks in the lobby. Yes, I said ducks. Chip (and we'll talk more about Chip and his family later in this entry) took Barry and I out for some really terrific barbeque at Simms. This was really the... well you know.... it was great! The Wildwood Center For The Performing Arts absolutely knocked my socks off. We'd really like to thank Chip and Cindy Murphy for being instrumental in making all this happen, not just for us, but for the lucky folks in the community who have the blessing of this beautiful venue to listen to music without boundaries. We'd also like to thank Chip and Cindy's daughter Tiffany who's graceful expertise made the hospitality and the Mexican dinner before the show flawless. Her fiancé Dan gets a tip of the hat too. You guys are all terrific!

The sound in the building was terrific and the production staff real pros. This was a five star event for us and a great way to begin the tour. With this in mind, here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 42, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

& Barry Mitterhoff

Wildwood Park For The Performing Arts

Little Rock, Arkansas

Saturday, June 25, 2005

 

Set One:

1. That’ll Never Happen No More

2. I’m Free From The Chain Gang Now

3. Parchman Farm

4. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning

5. Serpent Of Dreams

6. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

7. How Long Blues

8. Bread Line Blues

9. Big River Blues

10. Uncle Sam Blues

11. Hesitation Blues

 

Set Two:

1. Blue Railroad Train

2. Blues Stay Away From Me

3. I Know You Rider

4. Prohibition Blues

5. I’ll Be All Right Some Day

6. Red River Blues

7. Embryonic Journey

8. Good Shepherd

9. I Am The Light of This World

10. San Francisco Bay Blues

11. Encore: Nine Pound Hammer

It's been a long time since Hot Tuna has been in Arkansas, and we sure hope they'll have us back!

Meanwhile, here in Dallas, when we got in to the hotel at 0600 we found they had given our rooms away and it took a little maneuvering on Kathie's part to get it all together, but here I am in my room about to go to sleep. From the sublime, to the ridiculous... life on the road... you gotta love it!

Boy is it hot in Texas! Well... Our first exposure to the Granada Theater was hot too. Really nice folks with a great venue. This entry will be short and incomplete... we're getting on the bus in a few minutes. Between the two sets we played two hours and forty five minutes of music. We winged a lot of the sets so this morning I couldn't remember what we added. Anyway, here's what I could remember for now:

Hot Tuna 43, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

& Barry Mitterhoff

Granada Theater

Dallas, Texas

Sunday, June 26, 2005

 

Set One:

1.                Blue Railroad Train

2.                I Know You Rider

3.                I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

4.                Blues Stay Away From Me

5.                I See The Light

6.                Prohibition Blues

7.                True Religion

8.                Genesis

9.                Uncle Sam Blues

10.           I’ll Be Alright Someday

11.           Red River Blues

 

Set Two:

1.                That’ll Never Happen No More

2.                How Long Blues

3.                9 Pound Hammer

4.                Serpent Of Dreams

5.                Heart Temporary

6.                Prohibition Blues

7.                Good Shepherd

8.                I Am The Light Of This World

9.                San Francisco Bay Blues

10.           Encore: Water Song

What a fragile thing memory is. Anyway... off to Austin.

Austin is such a special place and a special audience always turns out for us at the Cactus cafe. Thanks folks and thanks to Griff and the gang for having us back yet one more time! Two complete shows last night... the boys give their all. Here are the set lists... more or less:

Hot Tuna 44, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

& Barry Mitterhoff

The Cactus Café

Austin, Texas

Monday, June 27, 2005

 

First Show:

1.                  Search My Heart

2.                  Trouble In Mind

3.                  I’m Free From The Chain Gang Now

4.                  Parchman Farm

5.                  Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning

6.                  Too Many Years

7.                  I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

8.                  How Long Blues

9.                  I See The Light

10.             Fur Peace Rag

11.             Bread Line Blues

12.             99 Year Blues

13.             3rd Week In The Chelsea

14.             What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?

15.             Just Because

16.             Encore: 9 Pound Hammer

 

Second Show:

1.                  Blue Railroad Train

2.                  Hesitation Blues

3.                  Waiting For A Train

4.                  Death Don’t Have No Mercy

5.                  Serpent Of Dreams

6.                  Prohibition Blues

7.                  Blues Stay Away From Me

8.                  Genesis

9.                  That’ll Never Happen No More

10.             Uncle Sam Blues

11.             Embryonic Journey

12.             Good Shepherd

13.             I Am The Light Of This World

14.             Keep On Trucking Mama

15.             Encore: Mann’s Fate

Oh yes... a great bowl of pho at the noodle shop down the street from the gig. Now it's back on the bus and off to Houston.

The gig at the University Of Houston (Downtown) was really funny. We played well, but for some reason our shtick was out of control. It must be exhaustion. First of all, here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 45, 2005

Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady

& Barry Mitterhoff

The University Of Houston, Downtown

Robertson Auditorium

Houston, Texas

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

 

First Set:

1.                Big River Blues

2.                Hesitation Blues

3.                I Know You Rider

4.                How Long Blues

5.                Search My Heart

6.                Prohibition Blues

7.                Serpent Of Dreams

8.                Heart Temporary

9.                Parchman Farm

10.           Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning

11.           Red River Blues

 

Second Set:

1.                That’ll Never Happen No More

2.                Blue Railroad Train

3.                Blues Stay Away From Me

4.                I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave

5.                Bread Line Blues

6.                I See The Light

7.                I’m Free From The Chain Gang Now

8.                Uncle Sam Blues

9.                Waiting For A Train

10.           99 Year Blues

11.           I Am The Light Of This World

12.           Just Because

13.           Encore: San Francisco Bay Blues

My friend Jack was there and it's always fun to talk to him. This was the fourth day in a row so I must say that even if we are driving today, at least it is a day off. I am up earlier than I would like to be, but I'll sleep on the bus. Off to Tampa...

Well... a twelve hour drive yesterday from Houston, Texas to De Funiak Springs, Florida. As we were passing through Pensacola, Myron called his bud Teddy who is playing bass for Col. Bruce Hampton right now. Ted was playing a gig with some pals at a great restaurant called Madison's, East Hill's Bistro. The food was fantastic as was the music. It was a much needed respite in the midst of a long drive. If you're ever in Pensacola, check it out, you won't regret it.

Today we stopped in Reddick, Florida about ninety miles from Tamps, fuelled up and had some barbeque. I was hoping for a swim when we got here, but it's pouring rain with thunder and lightning. I think I'll stay out of the pool.

Time to string the guitars and contemplate a non moving floor. More later...