March 2010

Greetings everyone!

The winter of 2010 will turn out to be one that many of us won’t soon forget. From the multiple large snow storms that dumped record amounts on the midwest and east coast, to the driving rain and wind storms that pummeled the west coast….we got to experience all of it first hand. We managed to stay warm regardless.

The FPR winter workshop in Desert Hot Springs, CA was just the ticket we needed to get us through to March. As always, a special group of students helped make it a magical week. We would like thank all the students who joined us for a great week in the desert. Hurl wrote a nice wrap up on his blog, Checkin the Levels. Vanessa has some nice pictures on her blog.

The good news is that Spring is fast approaching, and we are looking forward to the first purple Crocuses and yellow Daffodils (Narcissus) to appear here at the Ranch.

NEWS FLASH!
Join us the week of January 10 -15 in Maui for a special Fur Peace Ranch winter workshop. Keep checking our furpeaceranch.com for more details. Mahalo!

March comes in like a Lion……

Our 2010 season commences in less than one week with a special weekend with Jorma Kaukonen March 12-15 at the Fur Peace Ranch. This special weekend Jorma will be teaching his level 2 Key to the Highway session which will cover the essentials of fingerstyle fundamentals including alternating bass and melody lines. This special weekend is limited to 16 students and includes group break-out sessions, and one-on-one instruction with the Captain and his assistant Marjorie Thompson. Your tuition covers a single cabin, a complimentary massage with Certified Massage Therapist, Jill Brown, and of course all the great food from the Beatrice Love Kitchen and Chef Chris. Added Bonus! A Student Only living room concert with Jorma. Limited space remains! Act Now!

Larry Coryell and Stefan Grossman join the Captain at the Ranch March 26-29.

Larry Coryell is teaching the Fine Points of Blues and Jazz workshop where the focus will be on advancing the student's skill and spontaneity through knowledge of blues and jazz harmonies. Subjects will include chord substitutions, scale changes and jamming of course!

You can learn more about the workshop by visiting Larry's FPR site. Here's a link to Larry's Web Page.

Stefan Grossman is teaching his special Country Blues Guitar workshop that emphasizes the styles and techniques of the original blues masters! This class is sold out.

Check out Stefan's Web Page to learn more about his lessons.

Jorma is launching his Level 3 workshop, "Movin’ on Down the Road." This is an excellent repertoire- building workshop, and will encourage skills that can also be applied to original music, improvisation and arranging. Space is still available in both Larry’s and Jorma’s workshop.

PETER ROWAN . . .

Peter Rowan is a Grammy-award winner and five-time Grammy nominee......and he knows how to craft a wonderful song.  Peter is a Bluegrass singer and songwriter with a career that spans five decades.  His impressive career started as a Bluegrass Boy, with Bluegrass patriarch, Bill Monroe, recording and touring with him during the later part of the 1960's.  He also played a big part in Old and in the Way.....a progressive Bluegrass band that also featured Jerry Garcia.  Peter has played with a stellar group of musicians over the years and has also made his mark as a solo performer and bandleader.  While Peter's music is steeped in Bluegrass,  his many recordings display a depth that covers various musical styles.....folk, traditional, old time cowboy songs and even a blend of reggae and bluegrass......known as Reggaebilly.  Peter is a great guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and his class will touch on all these areas as he passes on his guitar style techniques, musical insights and wisdom, and advice on how you can develop your own craft in these areas.  We are so happy to have Peter returning to the Ranch and encourage you to sign up for his class.......Aside from having a thoroughly enjoyable time with Peter's organic and easy going nature, a student will come away with a wealth of knowledge on rich chord ideas, song accompaniment, rhythm guitar playing, vocalizing, harmonizing, breathing and songmanship.  Don't miss out on this rare opportunity... space is still available in this class.

Peter Rowan is also performing a solo acoustic concert at the Fur Peace Station Concert Hall on Saturday May 22, 2010.

JONATHAN EDWARDS . . .

Singer-Songwriter, Jonathan Edwards, is a songmaster......he sings and writes songs of passion, songs of insight and songs of humor....all delivered in his pure and powerful tenor voice. A folkie-troubadour, Jonathan dropped out of college in 1968 to pursue his dream of music (incidentally it was Ohio University). He has for over four decades been a vital and relevant artist in the Folk and Americana scenes. He is widely known for his 1971 record, "Sunshine" which earned him a gold record and made him an "overnight" success. A tenacious songwriter, Jonathan draws on his life experiences for inspiration..."The songs I write are about my life.....what's going on in my life, heart and spirit, and mind."

A true veteran performer, versatile guitarist, producer and songwriter....Jonathan has had a steady recording career. His two Warner Brothers records in the 70's ....”Rockin Chair” and “Sailboat”....received critical acclaim. His 1985 release, "Blue Ridge", was recorded with the Seldom Scene and it garnered him many admirers and set the standard for excellence in the Bluegrass world. He continues to be an active performer and songwriter. We are so happy to have Jonathan on our teaching roster for this year; if you want to learn songwriting from a master of the trade.....sign up for his class ......there is still space available.

Our summer retreat to the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York is filling up fast!

Full Moon Resort, located in the heart of the “Forever Wild” Catskill Forest Preserve, offers 100 acres of mountains, fields, and streams that have proven to be a fantastic location for our Fur Peace Ranch On-the-Road Summer Getaway. All just a short drive from the big city!

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If you haven't already seen the FPR Youtube Channel, be sure to stop by and rate our videos, or become a subscriber.

Check out the latest video of the Chicago Blues Fest from last summer.

We are trying to build an audience for all the video material we are developing. We would appreciate your support and opinion. Look for new programming in 2010!

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“hey, not fast at typing, or good. anyway, i just transfered all of my hot tuna albums onto ipod. yes, all of them. it was a emotional rollercoaster for most of the day. it brought back alot of memories of my younger days, and alot of them were of my girlfriend at the time who is now my wife of 133 years. ok, 33 years. having not listened to hot tuna for the last 20 years, i was surprised i could still sing along and remember the words. never thought your music would have such a long lasting effect 35 some years ago. i wish you all well and thank you for your enjoyment you gave me so many years ago, and i can relive now.”

 ed trucksa

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Work, work, work. Pouring rain and Northern California cold... I remember it well. Bless the people who came out to see G.E. and I play. I love playing with GE... quite simply, it's always fun. We had a great tour. Everything was just as it should be. If you go to my website at www.jormakaukonen.com, you can check out the set lists from all of the shows. But just to throw you a few goodies….GE brought some real winners to the stage:

Plastic Jesus, Buffalo Skinner, Blind Fiddler, Bedside of a Neighbor, Keep Your Hands on The Plow, Shake Sugaree, Gospel Plough & Eyesight to the Blind.

He knows just about every song out there and he continues to knock me out with his playing. He will share the stage with me again in the not to distant future. Keep checking my website for updates.

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