Veteran rocker and blues guitarist Jorma Kaukonen has had the kind of career that most musicians only dream about.
He was part of the early ‘60s San Francisco folk and blues music scene where he jammed with the likes of Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin. He was the lead guitarist for Jefferson Airplane, a rock band best known for the hits “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And he founded the legendary band Hot Tuna—still touring after 40 years.
Now 73 years old, Kaukonen doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. One of his newest projects is a music instruction camp—The Fur Peace Ranch, which he runs along with his wife Vanessa. Situated in beautiful rural Ohio, the camp provides a unique opportunity for aspiring musicians to learn from him as well as a team of prestigious musicians, which this season includes Happy Traum, Patty Larkin, Chris Smither and Rory Block.
During the next couple of months, Kaukonen has a heavy touring schedule, playing 25 gigs in cities along the East Coast as a solo artist or with Hot Tuna. He’ll be making a stop in Harrisburg, where he’ll play a concert with the band at Whitaker Center on July 26.
I had a chance to speak to Jorma Kaukonen recently about the upcoming Whitaker Center concert, his musical influences and the Fur Peace Ranch.
TheBurg: Hot Tuna has been around for so long that I’m sure that many people in our area are familiar with your music, but, for the uninitiated, what would they expect to hear at a Hot Tuna concert?
Kaukonen: Our style is extremely fundamental—roots, Americana music. We’re not a straight blues band. We’re really not a straight anything band, but the blues is an incredibly powerful muse for us. I’m fond of gospel music, so there are some spiritual songs involved, as well as songs that I have written. Our bass player is Jack Casady, of course, who I’ve played with for many years. So, what you’re going to get is a cross-section of stuff that Jack and I have been doing for the better part of our life really. We also have Barry Mitterhoff, who’s a great mandolin player. He plays an electric mandolin, which is a little bit of an odd instrument to begin with, and he’s a master—the best that I know.
I think what Jack and my buddies and I bring to the table is a test of time rather than a specific style of music. We play the music that we love and have loved for a number of years, but it has evolved. We don’t constantly have to re-create ourselves in a moment in time.
TheBurg: You have a lot Hot Tuna music available on your site. Would you recommend that people take a listen to those before attending?
Kaukonen: We have a large body of work, and it’s great if people are familiar with it. I think they’d be happy going in cold—obviously we’d be thrilled if they listened to some of our download or some of our YouTube stuff.
TheBurg: I’ve read that the music of the Rev. Gary Davis has been very influential for you. Who was he, and why was he so significant?
Kaukonen: In my opinion, Rev. Gary Davis is one of the most important figures of 20th century American music for a number of reasons. One of them was as a guitarist. His style was incredibly complete. He was able to re-create on the guitar what you would hear on the left hand and the right hand of the piano. He was also such a lover of life—even when he sang a song like “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” there is always a hint of redemption at the end of the road. For people who are interested in guitar and songwriting and stuff like that, he’s a “must listen.”
TheBurg: The Fur Peace Ranch sounds like a terrific place to go and immerse oneself in music. What’s it like?
Kaukonen: We have fabulous instructors, great concerts and all that kind of stuff, but almost more important than all that is the atmosphere. The Fur Peace Ranch is on a 123-acre farm surrounded by other farms. You get there on a single lane dirt road. We have our 200-seat theater—we have cabins for people who are staying there—but we’re not hooked up to TV. People are there to create that musical community that is so important to all of us—and it seems to happen every single weekend.
It’s been really important for us to make the learning process unintimidating—people can come and play at any level really. And it’s not just guitar. We have classes in bass, lap steel guitar, you name it. In my opinion, there is no better way to communicate than through music, and that’s what happens at the ranch.
TheBurg: Anything crucial that I missed?
Kaukonen: I’d just like to encourage people to come and hear us play. Hot Tuna is so fortunate. We’ve been around a long time, as you know. But our fans—God bless them—have allowed us to change and encouraged us to expand. It’s been an unbelievable run.
Jorma Kaukonen will play Whitaker Center on Friday, July 26. Tickets are available online at www.whitakercenter.org or by calling 717-214-2787.
To learn more about Hot Tuna, visit www.hottuna.com or www.youtube.com/user/FurPeaceRanch.
