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!
A thoughtful, and thought-provoking, post.
Thanks, Jorma.
@Tom
Thanks, man. Hope yours has a great one.
@Ed
Word up and word to your mother and mine too
Just trying to lighten things up 😉
Seconded!@JB
And a tiny reminder for those of us lucky enough to still have our mothers with us (mine is 95!):
No matter how much we do for them, we can never, ever do as much for our mothers as they did for us.
So let’s try to make it a great day for them, especially in these times.
And a tiny reminder for those of us lucky enough to still have our mothers with us (mine is 95!):
No matter how much we do for them, we can never, ever do as much as for our mothers as they did for us.
So let’s try to make it a great day for them, especially in these times.
Check out City Winery website for a show on Mothers Day..It will be on You Tube on Sunday at 5PM EST..$10 ..Jorma and a host of other artists will be playing..Be there or be square!! Also listen to the Billy Bragg song on the CW site..If you dont tear up, well I did..
I d rather hear about the lone star than colloquial references that remind one of Brer Rabbit.
I relocated from Ct in 77 to Kantuk .
It was a culture shock for about 5 years ,took that long to accept much less than assimilate .
It’s a great place to depart from ,however life is calm and mostly uncluttered .
I find the website stimulating and populated mostly with folks with a affinity for authentic and earnest music,
The freedom that this musical experience has provided me since mid 60’s has shaped my ethos to an extent.
However the music is just that,a vehicle to transport or inspire to think ,reflect and embrace.
It’s a diversion ,not a essential .
I find the willing participants of this site as anxious as I’m sure Jorma is to see and perform in a live setting .
As a comment in end ,they’res a weird proprietary aspect to some participants comments ,as if they own the site,
I sure as hell don’t own the site,I feel privelaged to be an occasional contributor.
Rock em high tonite -Carlo
Speaking of “Yellow Fever,” it’s been many moons since I’ve heard “Hot Jelly Roll Blues” played live. That was always a blast to hear.
I hate the term “new normal.” There’s nothing normal about it. We had the plague and smallpox and polio and various flu bugs. They eventually went away or got sent away and we came back to what can simply be referred to as “normal” and I think we will get there again if we’re smart and careful.
I almost put “yellow fever” in there with that list of bugs, but quickly realized that Hot Tuna fans might bring other associations to that term. Hah.
“This is truly our connection to the world and we are grateful for it.”
This blog and the Saturday streams are our connection to you and we are eternally grateful for that.
@JB
I’m gonna be done backin’ off, JB.
hello jorma…still burning wood here in upstate ny wtf snow storm Saturday wtf? you the best,but keep that that between u and me.
I’d like to report a hijacking!
@The Orangeman
Re: the term pedestrian: if you don’t get the sarcasm, that implies you’re a literalist, so you damned sure won’t communicate effectively with me. You should assume I know what a kleptocracy is and what one of the uses listed in the dictionary for pedestrian is.
Re: tossing about the nebulous “syllable” love. If you don’t get it from what I said, you’re right. Not possible to communicate.
Peace, brother and love, too.
@Carey Georgas
CG! Hey, what happennin . . .
Re: Cynicism – I am directed to be “wise as a serpent, but innocent as a dove” – now this truth is spiritually discerned, so I do not expect just anyone to be able to make sense out of it. But just to try to make the point – having an extensive multi-disciplinary education (I don’t say that to exalt myself – just the way it is – why should I deny it – some false humility is somehow of value?), by God’s grace I know somewhat and am trained to a degree to sniff out (or more formally – “discern”) nonsense and deception (it also helps to have a somewhat over-sized nose, if ya need to sniff stuff out). Actually I am a believer (of a sort) – wheras a cynic rejects everything (except for, necessarily, a commitment to the premise that everything is to be rejected). One with some degree of philosophical sophistication might ask the cynic, something like: “Okay Cynic, if everything is to be doubted and rejected, why would that not also apply to your premise that everything is to be doubted and rejected? On what basis does that methodology manage to escape the net of Cynicism?” So yes – your claim that C not solid (nor whatsoever I emphasize) foundation for worldview I agree.
Re: the term “pedestrian” – this term can also mean “common” (as in “common herd” I hope you get the idea), or perhaps ignorant (not necessarily pejorative – we all had to learn at some stage, right?), unaware, conventional (for better or worse)
Re: apparently offending you as in your paragraph 2 – You will have to be more specific, cuz I am not sure what you are getting at. You toss about the popularly (conveniently?) nebulous syllable “love” – please define the sense in which you employ this term. Otherwise, not possible to communicate effectively.
@Jorma
Jorm, Q2 not intended to be critical of you – was a real question – hoping for some informative, technical (I guess) sort of answer.
How about Q1 – what is the format and content of your practice? How does a pro of renown go about this? (huh? huh?)
@The Orangeman Hey there, Orangeman. I want to respond to what you said in posts #48 and 50 in the previous blog. Cynicism is a credible rhetorical tool, but not a very solid foundation for a world view. Plus, it often makes the speaker sound like a know-it-all when used cavalierly. That brings me to post #50. Is that pedestrian philosophy as opposed to what? Public transportation philosophy? Uber Philosophy? Cadillac philosophy? Lear Jet Philosophy?
The love you skewered as basically relative is actually quite specific. That’s why in a previous post I said that we had no idea as young people how much work it takes to make a commitment of love, acceptance, and inclusion. Christians refer to it as agape love. It is unconditional, regardless of circumstance or emotion. So, for you to condescend so cynically about us “pedestrians” begs the question. You got any background in philosophy beyond what I calls the “arm chair” variety? I did, at least, get 12 hours credit at university.
Hope everything went well at your appointment, I’m sure Vanessa is keeping you nice and healthy.
Thanks again for all you guys are doing – Mann’s Fate was great…Myron was awesome and you and John blew it out of the water…
Looking so forward to Saturday Night’s now.
Stay Safe
🙂
Had to make a run back up in the woods today. Listening as I drove, a certain Hot Tuna song came up and it made me think, there’s one I bet we don’t hear without Jack. As should be. Bow Legged Woman Knock Kneed Man. At least, I’d bet anyone but Jorma. He’s got the mike!
Brother, you are the best blogger ever. K=I=
in times like this it’s good being self -sufficient.
@johno
Mr K’s book has a great anecdote regarding Jaco Pastorius, a revolving door, a snow storm and how normal things were for us in NY. David Byrne of The Talking Heads described the seventies and certainty the eighties as all the adults had left and we could play. Peace Love All Ways
I enjoyed your post this morning, Jorma, and the Saturday shows are a gift. Thanks so much.
I also enjoyed the picture of your cats. Stay safe. Peace.
A man’s gotta go with what he’s got.
The Lone Star Cafe was a crazy place. Definitely a portal of psychedelia.
The giant green iguana on the roof on Fifth Avenue was a real hoot.
Jorma how about “Roads and Roads” this week?
it’s a Jorma classic.
Thanks for the update Jorma. More interesting than what the Kardashians might be doing . . .
Two geek questions for ya (go ahead – you can refer to me as “geek of the day”):
1) Now that you are practicing, what is your routine?
2) Your previous audiophilic post – why would one use a separate pre-amp, rather than an integrated (pre/power) amp?
Because I own them
Part of my new normal is enjoying the shows Saturday night. I’ve been seeing you more regularly than ever. It’s a blessing and who would have thought I’d be topping the monthly Lone Star shows of the 80,s without traveling? Miss the lizard though. Peace Love All Ways
Nice post this morning Jorma. I appreciate the weekly live-stream and I look forward to your blog posts. My wife and I would have been at the FPR Station this past weekend for the Jorma and Radney Foster performance. But like everyone else, we’re patiently awaiting the new normal, whatever and whenever that will be. These are strange and scary times indeed. Peace…
Is “This Land is Your Land” still on the list for a mass sing along? That sounded like an interesting idea.
Thank you. I now have a very nice virtual back porch view. City livin’ ain’t for me. I’ll just look at them trees and let it be.
Amen.
Some of us have been incredibly fortunate compared to the dead, dying, and suffering millions. And those of us who have been lucky need try to lift the spirits and help our brothers and sisters any way we can.
And Jorma is right: wear your mask as a simple act of consideration and decency toward our fellow humans.
Nuff said.
Indeed as I watch my dogs lay in the sun I wonder why the negative connotation when they say “its a dogs life”. Looks pretty good to me. Sad to say that “live” shows will be awhile, the SouthWest Florida Event Center officially ceased operations yesterday, nice little venue outside of Naples. Quarantine Concerts are a welcome respite from all corona all the time. Stay well, stay safe.