).png)
Jersey Arts Podcast
The Jersey Arts Podcast presents in-depth, one-on-one conversations with the liveliest and most intriguing personalities in New Jersey’s arts scene. From the casts of hit shows to critically acclaimed film producers; from world-renowned poets to classically trained musicians; from groundbreaking dance visionaries to cutting-edge fine artists, our podcast connects you to what’s happening in your local arts community.
Jersey Arts Podcast
Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna Bring New Tour to New Jersey
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Today’s guest is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Inductee, GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, and one of the most influential guitarists of all-time.
Jorma Kaukonen was named among Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists.” He pioneered a signature fusion of folk, blues, and rock and, ultimately, inspired generations of players to follow in his footsteps. The world first heard Jorma as an original member of Jefferson Airplane, playing lead guitar on a string of classic albums. He went on to co-found iconic blues duo Hot Tuna with Jack Casady, building up another parallel legacy thereafter. Renowned for his unprecedented fingerpicking and eloquent six-string phrasing, his catalog expanded with over 20 solo albums. He was notably inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® as a member of Jefferson Airplane in 1996, while he and his bandmates garnered the prestigious GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
On this episode, Jorma and Gina have a very pleasant chat about his international upbringing, longstanding friendship with musical partner Jack Casady, and the unique names by which his music has been identified. Stay tuned to learn more.
Thanks for listening!
- Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.
The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.
Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Additional support for JerseyArts.com content is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
- Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Legendary Guitarist Introduction
Gina Marie RodriguezThis is Gina Marie Rodriguez, and you're listening to the Jersey Arts Podcast. Today's guest is a rock and roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award-winning musician, and one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Jorma Kaukonen was named among Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists. He pioneered a signature fusion of folk, blues, and rock, and ultimately inspired generations of players to follow in his footsteps. The world first heard Yorma as an original member of Jefferson Airplane, playing lead guitar on a string of classic albums. He went on to co-found iconic blues duo Hot Tuna with Jack Casady, building up another parallel legacy thereafter. Renowned for his unprecedented finger-picking and eloquent six-string phrasing, his catalog expanded with over 20 solo albums. He was notably inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Jefferson Airplane in 1996, while he and his bandmates garnered the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Today he and I had a very pleasant chat about his international upbringing, long-standing friendship with musical partner Jack Casady, and the unique names by which his music has identified. Stay tuned to learn more.
Life In Southeast Ohio
Gina Marie RodriguezSo we start off really easy. I'm just gonna ask you how your day is going.
Jorma KaukonenWell, let's see, it's still uh it's only 11 o'clock, 1101, I think, and so far it's going really great. Good.
Gina Marie RodriguezWhere are you based?
Jorma KaukonenI am in southeast Ohio, about uh 90 miles southeast of Columbus in a little college town called Athens.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh, that sounds fun. I don't know anything about Ohio except the movie that a friend of mine made called Escaping Ohio. Are you familiar?
Jorma KaukonenUh you know something that's funny. I I just saw that somewhere. I haven't seen it. I have to check it out.
Gina Marie RodriguezIt's very much um uh what do they call it, a coming-of-age film. So I don't know what kind of you know film preferences you have, but it was it was an enjoyable film. So that's all I know about Ohio.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, I'm very eclectic. Well, we're uh uh oh Ohio is a maligned state in a lot of ways. People think about you know oil spills and burning rivers and stuff like that. But uh we're we're down kind of near where West Virginia and Kentucky come together, it's very pretty. Appalachian foothills, etc.
Gina Marie RodriguezIt sounds nice. Well, not the oil spills part, but that's up north so far.
Jorma KaukonenKnock on wet.
Growing Up Overseas
Gina Marie RodriguezBut but you grew up all over the place, didn't you?
Jorma KaukonenI did. I'm I'm I was born in Washington, DC, but uh but my dad worked for a lot of government agencies and wound up in the Foreign Service, so we traveled around a lot.
Gina Marie RodriguezDo you speak any other languages due to your bouncing around?
Jorma KaukonenNo. Uh not really. I uh I I probably should. Uh I I uh I have a pretty good ear for that stuff. So when when we were like stationed in a in a place like the Philippines, for example, um, because I went to because I went to a Filipino school, not an American school. They everything they speak in English, but you know, you learn all the dirty words and stuff like that. Of course.
Gina Marie RodriguezYeah, that that would be the the first place. What do I know in Filipino? Como está? Como está? I don't know how to say it. My Filipino accent is too.
Jorma KaukonenI don't know. Mine is it's as we're talking a long, long time ago. The only Tagalic stuff I can remember now is stuff we're probably not gonna want to say in this interview.
Gina Marie RodriguezOkay, we probably shouldn't say that then. But at least you have that memory, you know, you recalled some of it.
Jorma KaukonenAbsolutely. You know, it was just I always had a great time, and uh, you know, I've always made a lot of friends wherever we were, and I've I've been a lucky guy. I've been a lot of interesting places.
The Music That Hooked Him
Gina Marie RodriguezAbsolutely. Well so at what point did you fall in love with music, I guess? When did you begin?
Jorma KaukonenSo um for for people of our uh economic milieu, uh my my mom and dad listened to uh they were sort of like in intellectually pretentious in a lot of ways, and they listened to a lot of classical music and whatnot. So I got to listen to that. But uh but my mother for some reason also really liked black gospel music. And so I got a chance to hear Mahalia Jackson when I was a kid and stuff like that. And and I I can't I can't put my finger on something, but there's something about the music that resonated with me. And I think later on when I be when I became when I got turned on to blues music, which was done by my friend Jim, my partner Jack Cassidy, his young his older brother turned me on to that, it kind of all started to make sense.
Meeting Jack Cassidy And First Gigs
Gina Marie RodriguezAnd you've known Jack a long time now, right?
Jorma KaukonenJack and I have I've known Jack, I've known him since since uh since 1955, and we've played music together since 1958. Jack is it's really it's funny stuff. Uh Jack is four years younger than me, and so when we started playing playing music together, uh I think he was still in junior high school, or excuse me, middle school today. Um and I was in high school, and we we we uh we got would occasionally get get gigs in uh in bars in the DC area. In those days you had to be 18 to go into a bar now. I think it's 27 now, but anyway, I mean 21 rather. But in any case, my my grandfather did a buy had an office at home and he had a copy machine, so we made fake IDs because IDs didn't have pictures on them back in those days.
Gina Marie RodriguezThey didn't.
Jorma KaukonenNo, I know, it's hard to imagine.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh my gosh.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, not even a driver's license had an ID. But I mean, had a picture. But uh you know, we we looked like such kids. There's no possible way we could have been 18, much less 21.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat's I mean, I just learned so much in such a short period of time, but I think that's amazing. And isn't that how a lot of musicians get started, you know, performing underage in like bars and restaurants?
Jorma KaukonenYeah, of course. And and and you know, and with that in mind, I was uh I came back from my senior year in high school. My family was still overseas in the Philippines, and I was living with my grandparents, and uh, you know, Jack, Jack was a really industrious guy, and he he and the and and the uh the drummer of the band were always getting his gigs in really, and I use the term loosely adult places, you know. But uh and my grandmother would go, You going out tonight? It's a school night. I'm going, Well, Mama, we're just uh grandma, well, we're just gonna we're gonna go down to the club for a little bit. And she had visions of, I don't know, of a country club or something, instead of some CD bar in Southeast DC.
Gina Marie RodriguezWell, I'm I'm glad that's what she was imagining. Yeah. My brain probably would have gone uh to the latter first, but that's what she says a lot about us. So remind me, how did you meet Jack? Was it in school? Was he a neighbor?
Jorma KaukonenSo uh I I met Jack through his older brother, uh, a chick. He's he's passed away since, unfortunately. But uh let's see how that worked out. I I guess uh I actually I I had a mutual we we had a mutual friend that that started me out playing the guitar. His name is Mike Oliver, and uh and he lived in the same neighborhood, because we lived in different neighborhoods, but we went to the same junior high school and high school. But uh but but Mike had introduced me to to Jack and Chick, and and it became apparent uh his his older brother Chick and I messed around with hot rods and stuff like that, like a lot of us did back in those days. But but when I got into music, Jack's the guy that I got together with, and we've really been messing around with music ever since.
Gina Marie RodriguezI love that so much. I'm I'm realizing that I've been friends with most of my girlfriends now for like you know almost 40 years, which is insane when you think about how time flies.
Why Their Partnership Never Broke
Vanessa KaukonenYeah.
Gina Marie RodriguezAnd I mean the difference is that I'm not working with them, right? And I I'm curious as to how that dynamic changes a friendship or a relationship when you're working together.
Jorma KaukonenWell, Jack and I, you know, like I said, he he's definitely my oldest friend. And in terms of in terms of a professional relationship, I can't think of any time we've really had a disagreement that involved mediation, you know. We uh we we we've never really had a band mating. You know, the one way to break up a band, a rock and roll band, is to have a band mating. That's a good way to start hammering nails on the coffin. But you know, we do we don't agree about everything, but we just never had any problem working stuff out.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat's pretty impressive, honestly, especially when you hear the horror stories about you know how bands break up and how they're fighting over you know, whatever it might be. I guess I don't know if this question um makes sense anymore, but I was gonna ask you if there's an element of music or performance that you miss from before the days of fame and success.
Jorma KaukonenWell, that's a good question. Um I guess first of all, though, um as a from may maybe make it a two-part answer. Um I I guess the I guess one of the things that guys might kind of miss i is the excitement of youth, you know. But and that's just the and that's that's just the way that is. But uh but on the other hand, um you know, we've we've really had such a long artistic conversation, you know, that there's really not any I mean, it's just sort of like an ongoing thing. You know, as you get older, there's more stuff to talk about, but but I remember back in the days, you know, we I was just talking to Jack this morning because we're doing a show here in Ohio uh tonight. He lets me put Setlist together. Uh I've always been the one that did that for for whatever reason, probably because I'm the singer of the band. But uh, you know, just it's just really been a productive relationship.
Gina Marie RodriguezI mean, I think that's the way it should go. So I'm glad to hear that.
Jorma KaukonenAnd with that in mind, I'm gonna knock on wood because I'm gonna hope it's gonna continue for a while.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh, absolutely. I have full faith that it will.
The Accidental Jefferson Airplane Name
Gina Marie RodriguezI did want to, I guess, go back in time for a second and ask you a little bit, not necessarily about your time in Jefferson Airplane, but I want to talk to you about the name Jefferson Airplane versus Hot Tuna, and like where did those naming conventions come from? How does your mind get there?
Jorma KaukonenI guess I guess it was sort of like an early era of like silly band names. And I remember when we were uh uh looking for a name for the band, uh the airplane, everybody uh came up with like there was a San Francisco band back in those days in the early days called the Bo Brummels. I mean, there's a lot of like the sort of typical rock band kind of names, and and just none of them seemed to to fit this desperate, not desperate, but disparate group of characters that were formed the Jefferson Airplane. And uh I had this friend, uh, he was a blues guitar player from Berkeley, and it we're sitting around one day and everybody's just thinking like silly names. I mean, it's like we were wondering how how bad a cat do you have to be before you can be like Yorma guitar Kalkanan, you know, like like a lot like a lack of a lot of those famous black guys that we looked up to so much. And so we were just joking around with silly names, and uh uh one one of my friends from San Francisco, Tom Mobson, said, Well, I could be blind outrage. And uh my my buddy from uh Steve Mann, I was sad to say, also passed away, great guitar player from LA, he says, Well, I could be Little Son Goldfarb. And uh and uh my friend Steve just was looking at me and he says, You could be blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane. And none of these names ever left the room. It was just we were just goofy and fooling around. But when we were starting to have to get the airplane together and looking for a name, I I guess mercifully I blanked out some of the names that I think that we thought of, but they were just so ridiculous. And I got, you want a you want a silly name? How about Jefferson Airplane? Everyone went, that's not a bad idea. It's one of those rare occasions where the band agreed on something almost immediately.
Gina Marie RodriguezI mean, it's a really easy-to-remember name, so yeah, that probably helped your career. Yeah, I mean, also the talent, but you know, good naming convention. Good naming convention is obviously primary. No, I I love that, but uh what about hot tuna, which to me does not evoke like a pretty visual it it does not.
Jorma KaukonenAnd here's here's what here's that my wife is is shaking her head here.
Vanessa KaukonenBe careful.
Jorma KaukonenI know I've got to
The Hot Tuna Name Origin
Jorma Kaukonenbe careful here. Okay, so here's the story. Uh oh. So so there's a blind boy fuller, he's a great great Piedmont style blues player, uh, sort of a scatological blues song called Keep on Trucking Mama. And in that song there's a lyric, what's that smell like fish? Oh baby, tell you if you really want to know. We were goofing around in the car one time, and somehow that line from the song came up, and somebody in the car, I think it might have been even been Paul Cantor said, Hot tuna, what's that smell like fish for hot tuna? And Jack and I went because we were thinking about a name for the band. That's a great name for the band.
Gina Marie RodriguezI mean, it certainly is different. It's it makes me think of um what do you call that dish? It's a tuna melt, right? Because isn't that that's hot, right?
Jorma KaukonenIt is hot. I don't I will stay away from it.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh, oh, well, there you go. See, this is this is why art is subjective, right? Because it will evoke different things for different people.
Jorma KaukonenAnd it also in the era, it was an era for for people really stretching out with funny band names. I mean, there was a band back in that day called Ultimate Spinach. I mean, come on, you know, really.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh, clearly, I need to do more research because I did not adapt. I obviously I will. But you know, uh as a hungry person, obviously I was initially going to think of food. So that's where I went. I'm constantly thinking about food.
Touring Life And The Nap Trick
Gina Marie RodriguezBut I do want to ask you, what is I mean, I'm fascinated by artists who have to tour because for me, I I get so exhausted just on one one traveling trip, right? If I have to get on a plane, I'm done, and I'm I live there for the next month. Like I don't want to have to do it again. So musicians are bouncing around all the time. Sure. What is that like for you? Do you enjoy it or is it just you know a par for the course?
Jorma KaukonenWell, I think I think starting out, I mean, just the way I grew up, you know, you know, I was born in 1940, so well, my dad was in the service during World War II. So during that time, my my me and my mom and my brother moved wherever my grandparents lived, because we lived with my grandparents. And I think we just got I just got used to to being transient in in some way. And uh and road trips were always exciting to me, and to be honest with you, in a way they still are. Like, for example, we're gonna be leaving um a day after tomorrow for to do some some some gigs on the East Coast. What's our most important gig coming up, Vanessa?
Vanessa KaukonenWell, obviously the one in New Jersey. Umessa the first stop is Newport, and the reason that is important is hard to believe that Hotune has never played Newport for the time.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, we're pretty excited about playing Newport this year.
Vanessa KaukonenBut we love New Jersey.
Jorma KaukonenWe do love New Jersey. I'm sort of an I'm an honorary Jersey. But anyway, uh I mean I love getting in my car and driving around. And one of the things I like to do when I have nothing else to do where I live is get in my I mean, I live in a rural area, getting in my car and just driving around. I've always loved driving around, road trips with a family, you know, move around this and that. So so when when I got to into being a touring musician, it just it just all made perfect sense.
Gina Marie RodriguezWell, I need a friend like you because I hate driving. Like I don't mind being a passenger princess and letting somebody else do all of the work, but oh gosh, I I hate driving.
Jorma KaukonenWell, I think for I think for a guy of my generation, uh learning how to drive was a f was a real freedom thing. And I I remember uh we we would never do this with our kids today, but I had a my I had a car before I had a driver's license, and for some silly reason, uh I mean I wasn't allowed to just roam all over the place with it, but I was allowed to drive in the name. We would never do that today, you know. No, no. But uh, I mean, just just that whole, you know, like like the Who say in their song, the air conditioned gypsy kind of thing. Of course, back in those days, no cars had air conditioners, but you know.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh my gosh. I've already I'm learning so much. Like I said, I I don't like being in a car uh at all, really, but without air conditioning is like a prison setting.
Jorma KaukonenNone of us would do that today for a minute.
Vanessa KaukonenI'm gonna sneak in here because I travel with him, uh, but I don't like travel at all. And the way that they travel at their age, like I feel like my road chops are shot when I go out there. The key to being able to do what they do, they are nappers. And they can nap. They can do they can take a half hour and make it seem like they just got three hours of sleep. Yorma can nap anywhere, so he knows his limits. Jack is the same way. That's the key to being able to do what they do is to just close your eyes and get a cat.
Gina Marie RodriguezWow, your wife is revealing industry secrets here.
Jorma KaukonenAnd be sure you have a driver who you really trust.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat's right. Yeah, absolutely. If you're gonna be asleep in the back, you better trust your driver. I love that. And I because I would be the same way. Like, were I to be married to a musician who was traveling all the time, I would I would be stressed. But if you can nap anywhere, that's so key. I can't. I I used to, you know, when I was young, but I can't nap in a moving car anymore.
Jorma KaukonenWell, I think the thing, the the the the real trick, I'm a I consider myself a professional napper, so the real trick is to not actually fall asleep. Because if you actually really fall asleep, it's it's a that upsets the Apple card completely. But just to take a nap and then then boom, you're ready to go again. That's great.
Gina Marie RodriguezFascinating. So you're like in that in-between state of my eyes are closed, but I'm still aware.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, sort of. Yeah.
Gina Marie RodriguezOkay, I get that. Wow, that's that's something you have to master. Yeah. So that is the trick. All right, now I know. If I ever become a musician and I have to tour, I'm gonna steal your trick.
New Jersey Shows And Ross Guerin
Gina Marie RodriguezBut you will come back real quick to Jersey since you have three different performances in New Jersey, which is pretty big. You're gonna be at the Welmont, the Basie, and the Scottish Right Auditorium. But I take it you've been here before, you've performed in Jersey before.
Jorma KaukonenI haven't. I've done, you know, i the the tri-state area there really has been a home for me for most of my musical life, including Jefferson Airplane back in the beginning. I mean, it's always I think when we first started going on the road, it was one of the first pip first places we went. And I've just, you know, I'm an East Coaster anyway, originally, you know, but I just always felt comfortable there. The audience is always fantastic, and we always have a great time.
Gina Marie RodriguezI love that. Is there anything you would like to tell your audiences what they can expect at these shows? Are the shows gonna be different?
Jorma KaukonenWell, yeah, I I mean one of one of the funny things that uh th that I get is people ask me, I was just gonna Vanessa just sent me a note. Yes, Vanessa, that's what I was gonna talk about. I got it, we're good, we're good. Um, so I mean Jack and I have obviously been playing together since before Rocks and Water, but uh a couple years ago, Jack introduced me to a friend of his from California named Ross Guerin, G-A-R-R-E-N. And and Ross, um like like like I'm sure that you did you see the Dylan movie, the most recent Dillon movie?
Gina Marie RodriguezOh no, it's on my list though.
Jorma KaukonenGotta see. Well, anyway, when you see this movie, the the sounds of uh uh Timothy Chalamet, he's not actually playing the harmonica that you hear. My friend Ross Guerin does that. He's he's like a studio guy, does all kinds of, you know, whenever they need a professional harmonica player to make a sound, he's one of the guys they get. Anyway, so so we've been playing with him with a couple years, and he's he's just such a wonderful musician. He's a musician whose musical voice happens to be the harmonica. And, you know, people the show he's got, you know, harmonicas are always playing harmonica players always carry all kinds of harmonicas because each one is in a different key. But he's got chromatic harmonicas, he's got bass harmonica. I mean, it it's really a lot of fun. And uh so yeah, so the that the new thing, I guess, on this trip is we're gonna have our buddy Ross with us, and he really brings a lot of exciting color to the show.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat is so cool. I know so little about the harmonica. I love the way it sounds, but all I know is when I was a kid, they used to give us harmonicas and we would just like screech. You know, that's the best noise we could make with it. So it's so impressive.
Jorma KaukonenAs they did with us as well.
Gina Marie RodriguezYeah, it's so impressive when someone actually knows how to master that instrument.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, it really is because since you've since you've played a harmonica, regardless of how long ago. I mean, you know, you breathe in, you breathe out, you got these notes, but the guys that are good at it can mend all those, can do they can do all kinds of stuff. I can't do it, but you know, it's great.
Gina Marie RodriguezFor me, I have zero breath control, so at any kind of way.
Jorma KaukonenYeah, there's that too, of course. Yeah. Yeah.
Gina Marie RodriguezThere's there's no way I'd survive. But I think that's so cool. And I love that, you know, I love that we're talking about such a lasting friendship here. Like, yes, there is the performance and the talent aspect, but I'm really drawn to people who who can keep a relationship alive that long because many, many people struggle with that. So props to you for having that.
Jorma KaukonenI agree. And you know, I think one of the things that it has to do with it is we're just two kids from the same neighborhood. Like, you know, and and that really has a lot to do. We've we we know we Where we come from, you know, we've known each other's grandparents, the whole deal that goes along with that. And and I just think that it makes it easy for us to really accept our you know personal idiosyncrasies because we've just known them all for so long.
Gina Marie RodriguezAbsolutely. Like knowing somebody inside and out is such a it's a privilege, really, you know, to be able to have that kind of intimacy with someone. So I'm glad that you guys are still keeping at it. Do you have I always ask this and I always say it's a terrible question to ask, but I do it anyway. Do you have a favorite song that you perform?
Jorma KaukonenI think that would probably it would probably be in rotation, depending. You know, we we have uh like we're getting ready to do this tour now. So so Jack and Ross have come, they're they're in this little town in Ohio where I live, and we've been rehearsing together and stuff. And we look at all these lists, and even though you kind of know stuff, just because you kind of know a song, it doesn't mean it's performance ready. So, wow. So we we we've been putting together, you know, sets for this tour and rehearsing stuff. Wow, favorite song. Man, it's just you know, for me, it's just so exciting to be playing in this format, you know, with somebody that's such a great artist as Ross. It it almost it almost transforms songs that we've been not almost, it trans for me, it transforms songs we've been doing for a lifetime in a really positive kind of way. It just infuses new life in it. You know, not that not that it's like a new arrangement or it's gonna sound different or etc. etc. But but but as one of the participants of the prog in the in the process, it just makes it so much more exciting
Advice For Musicians And Jersey Thanks
Jorma Kaukonenfor me.
Gina Marie RodriguezWe're getting close to time. So my last question for you is what I think is the most important one. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming musicians?
Jorma KaukonenWell, musicians hate getting advice, but uh I guess I guess one of the things I'd have to say is probably nothing that doesn't need to be said, and that is you just need to love what it is that you do. Because I don't want to be singing the blues about this, but there's a lot of hard times in being a professional musician. You know, there's times when you don't have money, there's times when the jobs suck. I mean, even when you've been in the in the business as long as I have, every now and then you get a job that just sucks. And that's just life, and that's just the way it is. I guess you just love the those moments when you're on stage, you know, creating your art and communicating with an audience. That's what makes it all worthwhile.
Gina Marie RodriguezSee, I think that was great advice. And it's important to hear because sometimes people have this notion of once you reach the mountaintop, everything will be easy and smooth sailing from there.
Jorma KaukonenGood luck with that, yeah.
Gina Marie RodriguezExactly. It's not true, and it's a nice reminder from somebody.
Jorma KaukonenAnd honestly, I think, you know, I mean, looking at it, you know, as an overview, you wouldn't really want it to be want that to be true because you know, the you know, the the oddities and vicissitudes of life make you come up with new stuff because you have to.
Gina Marie RodriguezAbsolutely. Wow, I just learned a new word, vicissitudes.
Jorma KaukonenGood one, huh?
Gina Marie RodriguezYeah, it was a good one. Very impressive. All right. I'll I'll just ask you one more thing. What would you like to say to your New Jersey audiences to close out?
Jorma KaukonenWell, first of all, I'd like to say to my great New Jersey audiences, thanks for being with me and my friends for such a long time. We really appreciate it because it'd be mighty lonesome out there without you. And uh, you know, New Jersey audiences make their presence known, and we love that. We love that. And so we look forward to sharing what we've got to share with you.
Gina Marie RodriguezJorma Kaukonen with Hot Tuna will be making three stops in New Jersey, including the Wellmont Theater in Montclair on August 2nd, the Count Basie Center on August 5th, and the Scottish Wright Auditorium in Collingswood on August 7th. For tickets and more information about these shows, you can visit any of the venue sites or yourmacalkinan.com. If you like this episode, be sure to review, subscribe, and tell your friends. A transcript of this podcast, links relevant to the story, and more about the arts in New Jersey can be found at jerseyarts.com. The Jersey Arts Podcast is presented by Art Pride New Jersey, advancing a state of creativity since 1986. The show was co-founded by and currently supported by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by me, Gina Marie Rodriguez. Executive producers are Jim Atkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez. And my thanks, of course, to Mr. Jorma Kaukonen for speaking with me today. I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez for the Jersey Arts Podcast. Thanks for listening.
