Cleopatra Blues artist: Joe Louis Walker - Blues Comin' On - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Comin' On from Joe Louis Walker and it's a fireplug. Opening with rocker, Feed The Poor, a funky blues rocker, Walker on lead vocal and Jorma on lead guitar, John Bradford on bass, Dorian Randolph on drums, Juma Sultan on percussion and Bruce Katz. This track is heavy. Super backing vocals by Bradford, and Randolph almost give it a Daryl Hall edge. Cool opener. R&B track, Someday, Someway is certainly one of my favorites on the release with Carla Cooke at the mic. Her vocals are terrific and with Walker on backing vocal and guitar and joined by Lee Oskar and his classic harp tone, Eric Finland on keys, Bradford on bass and Randolph on drums. Excellent! Easy shuffle, Old Time Used To Be has Walker on 12 string and vocal, with Joh Sebastian on harp and  Keb Mo on slide. Katz has a real nice piano solo on this one and adds an overall bright feel to the track. Swampy Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man has a real nice groove with Walker on super lead vocal and guitar with Rick Estrin on harp and Waddy Wachtel on lead guitar. Funky, Uptown to Harlem is a cool James Brown boogaloo style track  with Jellybean Johnson on lead guitar and Eric Finland on organ. Wrapping the release is Arthur Lee's rad rocker, 7&7 is with Arlen Roth on lead guitar. With full reverb and sixties style guitar lead over some ferocious drumming by Randolph, this is a solid closer for a totally enjoyable release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

The Last Music Company artist: Bill Kirchen - The Proper Years - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Proper Years, from Bill Kirchen and it's strong. I'm certain that most readers know Bill but if not, he was the guitar fingers of Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. That being known, you can expect that deep throaty telecaster guitar sound and rich country roots. Opening with Hammer of the Honky-Tonk  Gods, a swangin' country rocker with Kirchen on lead guitar and vocal, backed by Nick Lowe on bass, Geraint Watkins on bass, Austin de Lone on keys, Robert Trehorne on drums, Danny Levin on fiddle and Cindy Cashdoller and David Berzansky on steel guitar. Great opener. Working Man is a cool, country flavored track with solid 2 stepping beat. With great lead vocal and a really great bass background vocal among the others, this track is a standout. Remake of 60's pop hit, Devil In A Blue Dress, has a real bluesy feel with solid backing vocals by Sarah Carroll. Trish Anderson and Suzannah Espie. Kirchen puts on his best R&B vocal and slinky blues riffs. Acoustic rag, One More Day has a great light feel with stellar acoustic guitar riffs and fiddle (by Danny Levin). Excellent! A grungy rocker, Man in the Bottom of the Well features Elvis Costello and some really gritty guitar playing by Kirchen. This song is terrific! Commander Cody joins on I Don't Work That Cheap which is another terrific track with hints of Dylan and the Lost Planet Airmen. Very nice. On Disc 2, Kircher teams up with fleet fingered Dan Hicks on Word To The Wise. Cool lyrics, a great upbeat tempo and of course strong acoustic guitar riffs make for a great side 2 opener. Contemporary blues vocal legend, Maria Muldaur teams up with Kirchen on shuffle, Ain't Got No Time For the Blues. Breaking back to pure country and western on Tell Me The Reason. The is a great track with Kirchen on lead guitar and vocal, Jack O'Dell on drums and Paul Riley on bass and featuring Austin de Lone on piano. Really nice! Truck Stop At The End Of The World is a solid trucker song with classic Kirchen guitar riffs and a driving rock beat. Another classic and one from the Commander Cody songbook, Hot Rod Lincoln has great tempo and of course clever lyrics that accentuate the guitar riffs by Kirchen. Kirchen goes on to run classic country, Americana and rock riffs from the past. Cool flashback through music time. Country rocker, Oxblood has a really great feel with Butch Hancock on vocal with Kirchen who plays baritone guitar on this one. Balancing out the band is Gurf Morlix on guitar, David Carroll on bass, Rick Richards on drums and Austin de Lone on piano. Wrapping the release is Dylan's classic, The Times They Are A-Changin'. This is a complete album with few stones unturned. Well rounded with rock, Americana, blues and country, a lot of something for everyone.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Cleopatra Records artist: Joe louis Walker - Blues Comin' On - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Comin' On, by Joe Louis Walker, and it's a great blend of Blues, Soul, R&B and Rock musical styles. Opening with Feed The Poor, a funky blues rocker, Walker joins with legendary Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar who brings a ragged edge to this otherwise soulful track. With John Bradford on bass, Dorian Randolph on bass, Juma Sultan on percussion and Bruce Katz on organ this is a strong opener. Carla Cooke contributes lead vocal on Someday, Someway, a real nice soulful blues ballad. Her vocals, backed by Walker, on guitar and vocal, and with Lee Oskar on harmonica, Eric Finland on piano, Randolph on drums and John Bradford, this is definitely one of my favorites on the release. Keb' Mo on slide guitar and John Sebastian on harp join Walker on 12 string laying down a real nice shuffle, Old Time Used To Be. Backed by Katz on piano, Scott Petito on bass, Randolph on drums and Sultan on percussion this track has a great feel. I love the heavy bottom funk on Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man featuring Bradford on bass and Randolph on drums. Walker has the lead vocal on this one and does a great job with Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Rick Estrin on harp and Katz on organ. Nice and funky. Another soulful ballad, Awake Me, Shake Me,  featuring Cooke and Walker on lead vocal has real power with Walker really digging in on guitar. Very nice. With a real James Brown "boogaloo" beat, Uptown In Harlem features solid drumming by Byron Case and Jellybean Johnson winding it out on lead guitar under Walkers lead vocal. Cool. Wrapping the release is 7&7 Is, an Arthur Lee track with an early rock feel, featuring Charlie Harper on lead vocal and Arlen Roth on lead guitar. Roth slows this hypnotic pace down with some of the nicest blues riffs on the release, making is a solid closer.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Delmark Records artist: Dave Specter - Blues From The Inside Out - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues From The Inside Out, from Dave Specter, and it's got great style. Opening with title track, Blues From The Inside Out, Dave Spector leads on guitar and vocal with Brother John Kattke on keys, Harlan Lee Terson on bass, and Marty Binder on drums. Adding in the horns on Ponchatoula Way, Specter put up a blues rocker with a splash of New Orleans. Mars Williams on sax, Jon Janowiak on trombone and Ron Haynes on trumpet give the track fullness and Spector's innovative blues riffs and the solid piano work of Kattke are really nice.  Hot Tuna leader, Jorma Kaukonen joins on Sanctifunkious, a real sweaty blues funk right out of the streets of NO. A cool instrumental with essential drums by Binder and percussion by Ruben Alverez, and nice key work by Kattke, a great groove. Latin influenced, Minor Shout has a super beat and with tight percussion, clean lead guitar and fluid organ runs, it could easily be from an early Santana release. Very nice. Boogie track, The Blues Ain't Nothin' has a terrific walking bass line, punched along by Haynes, Williams and Janowiak giving Jorma and Specter a wide open field to jam. Slick. My favorite track on the release, Opposites Attract, has a contagious, swamp rhythm, super piano work by Kattke and some of Specter's best soloing on the release. A little change up and a bit of R&B gives you Soul Drop with a straight snare beat, full organ and rich guitar lead with light chicken on the side. Wrapping the release is String Chillin' a smooth instrumental featuring Specter setting up a basic melody, jazz style but without too much sauce and Kattke on piano. As the track warms in, Specter's guitar ventures into improvisation. Think more Buchanan or Gatton than Wes Montgomery. This is a real nice track and a solid closer for a real nice release. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Listen to Jorma Kaukonen live on NPR eTown this week

Jorma Kaukonen   The Legendary Hot Tuna/Jefferson Airplane Founder Performs on eTown Radio  With Red House labelmates Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Tune in to eTown Radio this week or listen online here   Jorma's new album, Ain't In No Hurry, is out now on Red House Records

Photo: Erin Cox   April 22, 2015: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jorma Kaukonen stopped by eTown Radio earlier this year to record a performance in support of his acclaimed Red House release, Ain't In No Hurry. For the session, Jorma is joined by legendary producer/guitarist Larry Campbell (Levon Helm, Dylan, Hot Tuna) and Campbell's wife, vocalist Teresa Williams, both of whom appear on the album. The episode, which features Jorma and Joe Purdy, is airing around the country via radio and podcast starting today, Wednesday, April 22 through Monday, April 27.   Find a local radio station here: http://www.etown.org/explore/find-a-station/ Stream the episode online here: http://www.etown.org/broadcasts/jorma-kaukonen-joe-purdy/   In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma remains one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and Americana with a history that influenced popular rock-and-roll. Ain't In No Hurry is a collection of Jorma originals, blues, rockers and classic American songs, including Woody Guthrie lyrics set to music on a new song by by Jorma and Larry Campbell.    A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy nominee as well as one of Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Guitarists of All Time," he is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna, and is recognized as one of the leading practitioners and teachers of finger-style guitar. Jorma’s renown goes far beyond his involvement creating psychedelic rock; he is a music legend and one of the finest singer-songwriters in music. He's also an avid motorcyclist, a gallery owner (the Psylodelic Gallery, dedicated to the arts and culture of the 1960s arts) and co-owner of the Fur Peace Ranch, an Ohio-based concert venue and guitar center where Jorma conducts workshops, bringing in such guitar masters as G.E. Smith and Larry Campbell. There's a new documentary film about the ranch, "Fur Peace Ranch: It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This." 2015 will see Jorma on the road playing both solo shows and Hot Tuna dates with high school friend and JA and Hot Tuna bandmate Jack Cassidy.      For more information about Jorma, please visit his website at www.jormakaukonen.com   Recent Press “a master in situ, unfurling melodies and savoring every note.” – Rolling Stone “It is Kaukonen’s original material that best tells the story.” – Forbes "Clearly not content on resting on any of his legendary laurels, Jorma Kaukoenen continues to find ways to wed his muse to the right material and create a colorful tableau." – Relix “Jorma Kaukonen is a master of American music. …[Ain’t In No Hurry is] a loping stroll through the best American music there is” – LA Weekly “Jorma Kaukonen is a force in American music, equally adept at fingerpicked acoustic folk and blues as he is at wailing on an electric.” – Acoustic Guitar “Another great display of his finger picking guitar style.” – Elmore “Sparkling acoustic textures that dominate…In the intricate and intimate style that pervades this album” – Glide “Kaukonen mixes well known and more obscure fare with a handful of freshly penned tunes, most of which sound like lost gems from 100 years ago.” – American Songwriter "Hot Tuna is a Psychedelic-Blues Institution" – Rolling Stone   Jorma Kaukonen 2015 SA 4/25 Pomeroy, OH - Fur Peace Station FR 5/15 Shirley, MA - The Bull Run Concert Series SA 5/16 Beacon, NY - Towne Crier Cafe FR 6/19 Honoulu, HI - Mamiya Theatre - with Hot Tuna  SA 6/20 Kauai, HI - Kauai Performing Arts Center - with Hot Tuna  SU 6/21 Maui, HI - Mill House at Maui Tropical Plantation - with Hot Tuna FR 6/26 Hilo, HI - Palace Theater - With Hot Tuna  SA 6/27 Honoka’a, HI - Honoka’a People’s theatre - With Hot Tuna SU 6/28 Honolulu, HI - Crossroads at Hawaiian Brian’s - With Hot Tuna  TH 7/9 Ogunquit, ME - Jonathan’s - With Hot Tuna  FR 7/10 Plymouth, NH - The Flying Monkey - With Hot Tuna SA 7/11 Beverly, MA - Cabot Theater - With Hot Tuna  SU 7/12 North Truro, MA - Payomet PAC - With Hot Tuna  TU 7/14 Norfolk, CT - Infinity Music Hall and Bistro - With Hot Tuna  SU 7/19 Patchogue, NY - Great South Bay Music Festival - With Hot Tuna  SA 8/1 Pomeroy, OH - Fur Peace Station - With Hot Tuna  SA 9/12 Arlington, VA - Lockin’ Festival - With Hot Tuna  SA 10/24 Woodstock, NY - Woodstock Playhouse FR 11/6 San Rafael, CA - Terrapin Crossroads SA 11/7 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall - With Hot Tuna  SA 11/14 Pomeroy, OH  - Fur Peace Station - With Hot Tuna

Red House Records artist: Jorma Kaukonen - Ain't In No Hurry - New Release review

I just received the newest release (February 17, 2015), Ain't In No Hurry, from Jorma Kaukonen and it warm and soothing. Opening with a laid back version of classic Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, featuring Jorma on vocal and guitar, Myron Hart on bass, Justin Guip on drums and Larry Campbell on mandolin and fiddle. A loose folk country jam creates a very nice opener. The Other Side Of The Mountain has a rockier but acoustic feel with Campbell and Jorma trading riffs. Woody Guthrie's Suffer Little Children To Come Unto Me has a distinctive Jorma/Dead sound with a cool recurring guitar riff. In My Dreams is a quiet acoustic ballad featuring Jorma, Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin and Myron Hart on bass. Very nice! Sweet Fern is a true country classic with a waltz rhythm, my last time hearing it was on the Porter Wagoner show. Joined by Teresa Williams on vocal, and with Campbell on lap steel it definitely has a early country feel and performed much more cleanly than on Porters show. Smooth! Title track, Ain't In No Hurry, is back more in what I would consider more of a pure Jorma sound backed by Campbell on steel this has classic lines with a steel stinger. Depression Era track, Brother Can You Spare A Dime, has a real nice rag feel with only Jorma and Mittenhoff. A fresh feel and cleanly picked, this is one of my favorites on the release. Where There's Two There's Trouble has a simple two step rhythm and features a duet with Teresa Williams. A fuller band with Guip, Hart and Campbell, this track almost takes a full country blues gallop. With a Gary Davis like style with some swing, The Terrible Operation really develops a sweet groove. Campbell and Jorma really do a nice job instrumentally and Guip adds an especially nice punch. With solid radio potential, Bar Room Crystal Ball is a straight forward Jormarocker with cool mando riffs by Mitterhoff and steel riffs from Campbell. The release is wrapped by Jorma alone on vocal and guitar singing ballad, Seasons In The Field.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Dateline: 7/12/2014 Westminster, MD- Common Ground Music Festival. - Stilladog - Special guest reporter

Yesterday the Common Ground On The Hill Music Festival began wrapping up two weeks of workshops, lessons, and jams. The prime purposes of Common Ground are cultural diversity, musical education, and promotion of the American roots art forms, particularly music and dance. Of course, at the heart of all this is blues music. Whether sawing out a hoedown on a fiddle, a zydeco two-step on accordion or ripping up a mean blues break solo on a National Steel guitar, the blues is always present while not always front and center. My day started out with a set by Scott Ainslie. He played a National Steel throughout his whole set, once using a paper napkin to use as a damper to get the sound he wanted when blending sad blues lyrics with an upbeat guitar line straight out of Nigerian Juju music! In addition to some original tunes his set was accented by Robert Johnson tunes and stories. He did Come On In My Kitchen in the David Bromberg style. And after telling the story of the "Sundown" laws that did not allow blacks out after dark -which got Robert Johnson's head busted open more than once- he finished the set with Crossroads Blues.

After cooling off with a craft beer at Der Bier Garten which was really served in a garden, we took in Guy Davis set complete with some Appalachian clog-style dancing to a blues number. Guy Davis is probably one of the most popular and well recognized artists at the festival and has been playing there for many years. He did several classic blues tunes in addition to a few covers. He was accompanied by Professor Louie on accordion and Christopher James on mandolin. The knockout punch by Guy Davis was a rendition of Bob Dylan's Lay Lady Lay in which Professor Louie's haunting accordion part set the base for Davis impassioned vocals. In my mind Lay Lady Lay by Guy Davis was the runner-up for best single song of the day!

Mary Flower followed Davis on the "Blues Stage." She played a number of original tunes. If you are unfamiliar with Mary Flower music, she is at times heavy on the slide guitar played lap style on Dobro and a custom made box guitar. The highlight of her set was I'm Dreaming of Your Demise from her Misery Love Company album. Despite the fact that she was smack in the middle of Carroll County Maryland, she did not play the Carroll County Shuffle. Instead she offered up loads of other top notch acoustic blues and was a most gracious performer.

After a pulled pork sandwich and some jalapeno & sriracha coleslaw we settled in for the most entertaining set of the day, Professor Louie & The Crowmatix. This set was billed as "Professor Louie & The Crowmatix with the Rock of Ages horns. Except the Rock of Ages horns apparently missed the tour bus. But in their place was a trombone, trumpet, tenor and baritone sax horn section made up of local guys which Professor Louie introduced as "The Westminster Horns."

Thanks to Coffey Music of Westminster, Bob Coffey and his merry band (including my old tennis partner Dave Motter on trombone) the Rock of Ages horns were barely missed! The band did have to stay pretty close to the charts with a bunch of new guys playing, so only organized solos were rendered. But it was a great set highlighted by three outstanding Band covers, Ophelia, Don't Do It, and The Weight. Professor Louie is another artist who has been very active in Common Ground. I know he's played every year that I've been there, and many more.

The grand finale was Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen was extremely sharp for a 70 year old picker. And the tone resonating from his acoustic guitar was about as pure a tone as the instrument can render! Along with long time partner Jack Cassady on bass and Barry Mitterhoff on Mandolin, they picked their way through the American Folk and Blues catalog and their own songs. Hesitation Blues, Prohabition Blues, and Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out were all very strong numbers. But the single best song of the day was Barbeque King Blues! Just fantastic. Sooo much better than ANY rendering of this song than anything I've heard since the time I picked up Jorma's Barbeque King album on vinyl from the cut-out bin at my local record store in 1984. I hope it was recorded to be released on a future album because they really nailed it and looked like they were having fun doing it!

Bottom line: It was a beautiful day to do many of the things I enjoy most, drinking beer, eating barbeque, and listening to the very best blues music. This festival is truly a hidden gem and has been for years. In years past I've seen Buckwheat Zydeco, Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and CJ Chenier at this festival. And the best thing is, it's only two miles from my house! It's a shame more people don't come to it, but on the other hand the crowd was just right for maximum enjoyment. The Festival continues today with Professor Louie playing again and tonight's headliners, New Riders of the Purple Sage.


 Stilladog Rides Again!  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

. . . Meanwhile Back At The Ranch

	RAFFLE ENDS SATURDAY MAY 24, 2014  Our raffle for an Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass ends this weekend.  Get your tickets now . . . tickets will be available online until 5PM Saturday May 24, 2014.  The drawing will be held on the Fur Peace Station stage before David Lindley begins his second set. Epiphone Guitars, the Athens Area Citizens for the Arts and Fur Peace Ranch are teaming up to raffle off one of the finest instruments to ever feature a "superb balanced electric tone and the response of an acoustic bass" - Epiphone's Jack Casady Signature Bass Guitar, signed by Jack.   Jack with bass at signing event in Psylodelic Gallery The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee worked closely with Epiphone's luthiers, designing an instrument that could fulfill his dream. The hollow, maple body features a single Humbucker pickup that really "packs a wallop," with classic machine heads, and a metallic gold and ebony finish. Casady's devotion to music and desire to encourage other players naturally lead to teaching bass guitar workshops at Fur Peace Ranch, the music-and-art wonderland of his lifelong friend and bandmate, Jorma Kaukonen. "He's been here since the beginning," said Fur Peace Ranch Director Vanessa Kaukonen. "When I decided what I wanted for a bass class, he was the first person I went to. He set the bar for what should be the curriculum." "He's not only one of my dearest friends, he's an integral part of the Fur Peace Ranch structure," she added. "He's one of the greatest living bass guitar players today. Nobody plays like him and that's a fact. Jack wrote the book on that style of playing." Kaukonen, who is also an AACA board member, said raffling off the guitar is a great way to bring in money for events like the upcoming Athens Jazz Festival, April 11-13. "The AACA shows the amount of money that the arts is bringing to this area. It's staggering if you break down the economic impact," said Kaukonen. "I wanted to be a part of that. I have access to a host of artists looking for ways to help organizations. There are people out there who are looking to give back." The drawing will be held Saturday, May 24, at 8 p.m. at Fur Peace Ranch, 39495 St. Clair Road, Pomeroy, Ohio 45769. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased at www.furpeaceranch.com; www.athensareaarts.com; Blue Eagle Music, 40 N. Court St., Athens; ARTS/West, 132 W. State St., Athens; the Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St.; or through AACA board members or Athens Municipal Arts Commission commissioners. Proceeds benefit the Athens Area Citizens for the Arts, a regional partner of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts.

. . . Meanwhile Back At The Ranch

THE FINGERSTYLE ENTRANCE RAMP Guitar Novices Flat Pickers Rhythm Players 3 WEEKS AHEAD

JORMA KAUKONEN: ENTRANCE RAMP Level 1/2 JUMP START YOUR GUITAR PLAYING WITH THIS GREAT WORKSHOP! STUCK ON FIRST POSITION CHORDS? -  LEARN ABOUT CHORD SHAPES,    MOVE OUT OF FIRST POSITION, EXPLORE THE FINGERBOARD UP AND DOWN THE NECK! -  LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP A RELIABLE THUMB TO PROVIDE YOUR BASS LINES!  -  LEARN NEW LICKS & TRICKS TO SPICE UP YOUR PLAYING AND AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS!   -  EXPAND YOUR REPERTOIRE!  This workshop will provide a solid introduction to fingerpicking guitar, including development of that reliable thumb so essential to mastering this style. This pianistic style of playing often characterizes the music of Master Instructor Jorma Kaukonen, and is typical of the great country blues artists such as Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Mississippi John Hurt and other seminal musicians that have deeply influenced 20th century guitar styles.    We will emphasize the thumb's job in holding down the alternating and often syncopated bass line, against a picked melody. We'll venture out of first position, and work with chord shapes up the neck, as well as with related licks that add color and personality to songs. And it is, after all, about the songs!    This special workshop will have a triple threat of instructors, so that participants will receive individually tailored attention.  Along with the Captain, singer/songwriter/guitarist Marjorie Thompson will provide expert instruction focused on fretboard navigation and songcrafting, and BreakDownWay maven David Wolff will guide students in the careful rendering of some country blues favorites exemplary of this genre.   It will be assumed that students have familiarity with first position "cowboy" chords, and may even have substantial experience as lead or rhythm guitarists, but are relatively new to the fingerstyle approach to picking. THERE ARE A FEW SEATS REMAINING IS THIS FANTASTIC BEGINNING FINGERSTYLE WORKSHOP  Sign up today!  Don't miss this opportunity! HITCH A RIDE WITH THE CAPTAIN APRIL 04th - 7th Fur Peace Ranch Pomeroy, OH MARJORIE THOMPSON: Marjorie's relationship with Fur Peace Ranch stems back to 1999, and at present she serves as a workshop instructor, as Jorma's teaching assistant, and as the Camp Educational Consultant. As a full time musician for the past decade, she has recorded 7 CDs, tours actively, and specializes in workshops and house concerts as well as a broad range of venues in the US and Europe.  She also has a catalog of guitar instructional DVDs from beginning through advanced levels. DAVID WOLFF: David spent many years of his youth following Jorma around the country, pen and pad in hand taking "notes" attempting to emulate his moves. He became good friends with the musical juggernaut and eventually an idea was born; online guitar lessons with Jorma on a site called BreakDownWay.com.

Workshop enrollment also includes a ticket for our April 5th performance from the Acoustic Desert Rose Band

FUR PEACE RANCH 39495 ST. CLAIR RD, POMEROY, OH 45769, 740-992-2575

. . . Meanwhile Back At The Ranch

JORMA KAUKONEN: LOVE IS STRANGE JORMA KAUKONEN: LOVE IS STRANGE NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! Love is Strange Level 2/3 In this class I will be teaching my students some of my favorite and more personal songs that illustrate my somewhat idiosyncratic views of relationships. I am encouraging my students to bring one song about relationships from any point of view to work on so that our student performance will be a class collective of strange tales of love. Here are a few prospective tunes for the class:  1. New Song For The Morning 2. Genesis 3. Trial By Fire 4. Barbeque King 5. Heart Temporary 6. Things That Might Have Been 7. In My Dreams Marjorie and I are very excited about this new class and hope that you will be too. Sign up today!  Don't miss this opportunity! MARCH 21st - 24th Fur Peace Ranch Pomeroy, OH Acoustic Hot Tuna - BBQ King - Live at Fur Peace Ranch Workshop enrollment also includes a ticket for our March  22nd & 23rd performances from Hot Tuna Duo and Marty Balin Band

FUR PEACE RANCH 39495 ST. CLAIR RD, POMEROY, OH 45769, 740-992-2575