Fast Forward----> Today..

[gTarFreak]

Just caught Hot Tuna live at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. They are still rockin'!! After playing acoustic for a number of years Jorma and Jack are back to electric. With Barry Mitterhoff on electric mandolins (which have to be heard to be believed) and new drummer Eric Diaz they proved that they still had it. During the electric set the crowd spent most of it's time on their feet After hearing so may older (and some not-so-older) musicians content to rest on their laurels and play watered down versions of their songs it was an incredible pleasure to hear Jorma and Jack still pushing the musical bounds.

For Jorma's take on things you can check out his diary at

http://www.jormakaukonen.com/diary.htm

Cheers,
Dave

[nickwishkah]

Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing man!

[Pooneil]

I've been trying to get in to Hot Tuna more lately, and that sounds like a great time. Do you have any suggestions as to what is best to look for to get a general feel for their music?

[gTarFreak]

That's s tough one. There are definitely two sides to Hot Tuna. There's the 'pure' acoustic side, best shown by their first album simply titled "Hot Tuna Live from Orleans House" which has Jorma, Jack, and Will Scarlett (on harmonica). This was what drove me to want to play guitar. The latest release of it features a number of bonus tracks not on the original. Their third album, "Burgers" is a good mix of acoustic and electric, and features "The Water Song" and (the one that turned me on to them electrically) "Sea Child". In between there's "First Pull Up Then Pull Down" which contains acoustic songs performed live in a raw, electric format. While the sound quality leaves something to be desired the energy is intense.

I'd have to say my favorite is "Phosphorescent Rat". It has more Jorma-penned songs and is a good mix of "mellow" and "hard" rockin' songs. The later records tend towards a harder rock sound.

Actually, looking at the songs on "The Best of..." it looks as if this 2-cd set would be a great introduction. -

http://furpeaceranch.com/furpeaceranch.cgi/00321.html

Cheers,
Dave