Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com. Kaukonen, Smither unite for an evening of mastery, music ADVERTISING By JOHN BURNETT Tribune-Herald staff writer Two masters of finger-style guitar, Jorma Kaukonen and Chris Smither, will join forces for a unique night of American
Kaukonen, Smither unite for an evening of mastery, music
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Two masters of finger-style guitar, Jorma Kaukonen and Chris Smither, will join forces for a unique night of American roots music, folk and acoustic blues Sunday night at the Palace Theater in downtown Hilo.
Kaukonen is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the founding lead guitarist of Jefferson Airplane and still tours with Hot Tuna. As a solo performer, however, he’s redefined himself with three albums of American acoustic roots music in the new millennium: “Blue Country Heart,” which was nominated for a Grammy; “Stars in My Crown”; and “River of Time.”
“Rock ‘n’ roll’s very seductive,” Kaukonen told the Tribune-Herald last week from Maui. “Hot Tuna still does electric shows and our new album’s mostly electric. And I enjoy that. But I have to say that my first love is really, wooden music, acoustic guitars.”
When he’s not on the road, the 71-year-old Kaukonen and his wife and manager, Vanessa Lillian, run guitar camps for all levels of pickers at Fur Peace Ranch, their 119-acre spread in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio.
“We call it guitar camp because it’s my thing, I’m a guitar player, but there are all sorts of instruments,” Kaukonen said.
The ranch has a state-of-the-art recording studio and a 200-seat concert hall, and Kaukonen frequently appears on National Public Radio. He’s also made it a mission to perpetuate the Appalachian mountain music he used to seek out on weekends when he was a teenager in Washington, D.C.
“Interestingly enough, as time has marched on, a lot of kids across the (Ohio) River in the Appalachian communities in West Virginia have forgotten their roots,” he said. “Vanessa and I got a grant from the Rex Foundation (a nonprofit set up by members of the Grateful Dead) year before last and we use money from that to hire people to go their schools and teach them about their roots music.”
Kaukonen and Smither, whom the Associated Press called “one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world,” will play separate solo sets, but if the spirit moves them, could collaborate as well.
“Although we haven’t discussed it, Chris and I do occasionally play together and we’ve been buddies for years, so there is always that option,” Kaukonen said.
After his Hawaii tour, Kaukonen has a couple of sold-out shows early next month at McCabe’s, a legendary guitar shop and concert venue in Santa Monica, Calif., and then will fly to Japan and China for concerts there. He says he’s excited about his first trip to China, but admits he’s not sure what to expect.
“I know the Japanese are into Western music in a really passionate kind of way,” he said. “And I’m presuming because they’ve asked me to come there, (the Chinese) must like what I’m doing.”
Show time is 7 p.m. Sunday. Advance tickets are $45, $35 and $28, available at the Palace box office and at CD Wizard. Call 934-7010 for credit card phone orders or go online at www.lazarbear.com. There is also a Saturday show, 8 p.m. at the Royal Kona Resort. For tickets or information, call 329-3111.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
