I greatly enjoyed the bittersweet experience Saturday of hearing music legend Jorma Kaukonen play some of the most peacefully poignant, inspiring blues-based acoustic guitar solos you’re ever going to hear in the company of rhythm guitarist/singer John Hurlbut. During their free show inside downtown Athens’ River of Time Boutique, they reprised songs from music legends off their One More Lifetime album.
My mom, Laura Luther, and I had had never heard Jorma perform live before. I of course knew of him, as he was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane in 1965 and later until breaking off to form another popular band, Hot Tuna. Mom particularly liked “I’ll Remember You,” a Bob Dylan classic, which I also enjoyed along with Hurlbut’s own “Day in the Country.” Well into his 80s now, Jorma can still bring magic to a venue, small or large.
I had always wanted to hear Jorma play, but his own acoustic guitar performances at his and wife Vanessa’s Fur Peace Ranch were always sold out well in advance.
Their 200-seat Station Concert Hall was built on their Meigs County property to provide an intimate musical experience while also supporting the PRX Radio Series “Live from Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch.” Jorma and Vanessa’s 119-acre property in Darwin, near Pomeroy, grew remarkably starting in 1989, to eventually comprise the Fur Peace Station Theater, the Company Store, the Pho Peace Restaurant, the aforementioned concert hall, and the Psylodelic Gallery featuring art pieces from the likes of Grace Slick — a friend and fellow Jefferson Airplane band member. Personalized and equally enjoyable features include a fire pit and labyrinth.
So, with all that as backdrop, I return to the bittersweet part of Saturday’s free show. Vanessa informed the audience that Fur Peace Ranch is being sold to a family member. This will mean closure of their successful music instruction camp, a Fur Peace institution for the past 25 years or so. Music instruction has been in a virtual format since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a joint statement found June 18 on guitarjams.com, Jorma and Vanessa wrote: “Over the years, we have welcomed thousands of onsite and offsite students in locations like Maui, Desert Hot Springs and Upstate New York. We have hosted and promoted hundreds of shows, celebrated local artists with annual arts festivals, and provided a unique location for countless organizations’ functions. None of this would have been possible without the key staff members who have been with us from the beginning and our current employees, whom we call the Fur Peace family.”
Concerts at Fur Peace Ranch set through this calendar year will continue, and other musical offerings in the future appear to be as well. Their joint statement said the Fur Peace organization will become Fur Peace Productions, based in Athens County. They will continue their “On The Road Workshops” and music event promotion. Fur Peace Management will still represent Jorma and Hot Tuna, with more artists possible. Kaukonen retired from the electric version of Hot Tuna more than a year ago.
The join statement added that the new and exciting plan for the ranch involves transition into a wellness center called the Lavender Ranch, soon to be unveiled on Lavenderanch.com . Its mission will be “to enrich lives through personalized retreats, educational workshops, and community-focused events, all rooted in sustainability and the arts.”
Jorma wrote about the vision for the ranch and farmhouse property bought decades ago in his personal blog last week. The move from New York to Ohio came in 1991, with a shared dream becoming a reality.
“We found ourselves with this beautiful piece of property in Meigs County,” he wrote. “Camping out down by the Shade River in 1991. Vanessa, her sister Ginger and myself. Sitting by the campfire one night a question floated in the air. This in like having your own state park: What are we going to do with this farm? Vanessa, never at a loss for words, answered immediately, ‘We can grow guitar players!’ We chucked over the S’mores, but the idea took root.”
From there, guitar music instruction at Fur Peace flourished starting with the first class in 1998, Jorma added, with all of the possibilities that the blues and folk-based music can muster. As he liked to tell participants, “It’s a Fur Peace from Anywhere.” Musicians on hand also admired the San Francisco music sounds Jorma perfected, going back to his origins. Jefferson Airplane was known from its founding in San Francisco as offering “psychedelic rock.”
After Saturday’s free show, mom — who did not know of Jorma Kaukonen’s music before, but is now glad she does — congratulated him and discussed her affinity for legendary folk music singer and activist Pete Seeger. Jorma told her his father had introduced him to Seeger’s music. I even managed a quick hello to Jorma, asking if it was true that Jefferson Airplane had to perform at the early hour of 7 a.m. at Woodstock, the legendary counter-culture series of concerts in 1969. And it was, but for those shows you took what was offered and went with it, he said. And, I thought, it gave you a chance to meet the likes of Jimi Hendrix.
One thing the original Woodstock and Fur Peace Ranch have in common is leaving a lasting legacy of music loved the world over, which is talked about to this day. Fur Peace took it a step further, offering instruction to those who want to make the next generations of guitar music happen.
Most Popular
Comments / 0