Terrapintom
Peach Pro   Posts: 209 (209 all sites) Registered: 3/12/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/24/2008 at 02:11 PM |
As requested, I am going to chronicle my time at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace
Ranch. I have wanted to experience the bass workshop given by Jack Casady
for several years now. I am pretty much a self taught player. I learned how
to play in my youth by simply watching others playing in bands both on the
local level as well as the big concert stages in my hometown. Never had any
real lessons to speak of. Being a big fan of Jefferson Airplane, Jack
Casady was an early influence on my style. The band I was in when I was 15
in 1969 played 3 songs from the album Surrealistic Pillow.
I found out about the Fur Peace Ranch (FPR) from Andrew, who plays in one
of the bands I am currently in. He booked a weekend there in one of Jorma's
classes and came back raving about how good a time it was and how much he
had learned. I took his enthusiasm with a grain of salt until I noticed at
a gig how much his approach to playing had improved. He was already a fine
guitarist but I noticed he was playing with a new confidence I had never
seen from him before.
I decided then that this FPR workshop must really be a good thing to do so
I started looking into booking a class with Jack Casady. After checking
their website I was amazed how far in advance Jack's classes were booked
up. I had no chance to book something with Jack anytime soon so I put it to
the back of my mind. I procrastinated too long after next year's schedule
came out and to my dismay the bass workshops were once again full for the
entire season.
This scenario seemed to repeat itself several more times until last year in
this very forum somebody wrote in September of 2007 that the 2008 FPR
schedule had just been announced. Warren Haynes was going to be there
giving a workshop! I immediately went to their website and to my amazement
all the classes were open! I am a huge Warren Haynes fan as some of you
know. But I am a lousy guitarist. As much as I wanted to, I didn't want to
waste Warren's time and my money just to sit in his class to learn
something I could never apply to my real skills as a bassist. So I followed
my original plan and signed up for Jack's level 3 bass workshop.
I had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire meant to be a screening process
to make sure you can actually play your instrument. These classes are not
for the novice although they do have some entry level workshops throughout
the year. Level 3 assumes you know your way around your guitar or bass well
enough to run through the musical scales and had some experience playing
out live either solo or in a band. About a week later I noticed Warren's
workshop was full. After another day or so I received an email stating I
had been accepted to Jack's bass workshop. Woo-Hoo! Couldn't believe I had
to wait a whole year to do this though. I was ready right then and there to
go! Wow! Bass lessons from a master who had been a major player in Rock's
golden era along with lifelong friend and Fur Peace Ranch owner Jorma
Kaukonen. Now add a modern day legend like Warren Haynes to the mix. And
who is this 4th instructor, Spencer Bohren?
My next post will chronicle Day 1 at the ranch.
My link to photos taken: http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/terrapintom/
To be continued.
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Mudflapgirl
A Peach Supreme  Posts: 2780 (2785 all sites) Registered: 3/3/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/24/2008 at 05:30 PM |
Keep it comin', Tom! 
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kevhic
Peach Head   Posts: 145 (145 all sites) Registered: 6/28/2008 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/24/2008 at 05:39 PM |
Thanks Tom,I look forward to the rest!!
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susea
Zen Peach   Posts: 21727 (22640 all sites) Registered: 5/5/2004 Status: Offline
|
 posted on 9/24/2008 at 06:53 PM |
| Excellent Tom!! I love reading this!! ____________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/susea
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Angelemerald
Sublime Peach  Posts: 7590 (7589 all sites) Registered: 7/14/2004 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/25/2008 at 11:00 AM |
| Thanks Tom. Very nice. ____________________
http://www.facebook.com/Angelemerald
http://angelemeraldsrockmusicblog.blogspot.com/
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Chain
A Peach Supreme Posts: 2743 (2743 all sites) Registered: 8/11/2004 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/25/2008 at 01:55 PM |
quote:
As requested, I am going
to chronicle my time at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch. I have wanted to
experience the bass workshop given by Jack Casady for several years now. I
am pretty much a self taught player. I learned how to play in my youth by
simply watching others playing in bands both on the local level as well as
the big concert stages in my hometown. Never had any real lessons to speak
of. Being a big fan of Jefferson Airplane, Jack Casady was an early
influence on my style. The band I was in when I was 15 in 1969 played 3
songs from the album Surrealistic Pillow.
I found out about the Fur Peace Ranch (FPR) from Andrew, who plays in one
of the bands I am currently in. He booked a weekend there in one of Jorma's
classes and came back raving about how good a time it was and how much he
had learned. I took his enthusiasm with a grain of salt until I noticed at
a gig how much his approach to playing had improved. He was already a fine
guitarist but I noticed he was playing with a new confidence I had never
seen from him before.
I decided then that this FPR workshop must really be a good thing to do so
I started looking into booking a class with Jack Casady. After checking
their website I was amazed how far in advance Jack's classes were booked
up. I had no chance to book something with Jack anytime soon so I put it to
the back of my mind. I procrastinated too long after next year's schedule
came out and to my dismay the bass workshops were once again full for the
entire season.
This scenario seemed to repeat itself several more times until last year in
this very forum somebody wrote in September of 2007 that the 2008 FPR
schedule had just been announced. Warren Haynes was going to be there
giving a workshop! I immediately went to their website and to my amazement
all the classes were open! I am a huge Warren Haynes fan as some of you
know. But I am a lousy guitarist. As much as I wanted to, I didn't want to
waste Warren's time and my money just to sit in his class to learn
something I could never apply to my real skills as a bassist. So I followed
my original plan and signed up for Jack's level 3 bass workshop.
I had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire meant to be a screening process
to make sure you can actually play your instrument. These classes are not
for the novice although they do have some entry level workshops throughout
the year. Level 3 assumes you know your way around your guitar or bass well
enough to run through the musical scales and had some experience playing
out live either solo or in a band. About a week later I noticed Warren's
workshop was full. After another day or so I received an email stating I
had been accepted to Jack's bass workshop. Woo-Hoo! Couldn't believe I had
to wait a whole year to do this though. I was ready right then and there to
go! Wow! Bass lessons from a master who had been a major player in Rock's
golden era along with lifelong friend and Fur Peace Ranch owner Jorma
Kaukonen. Now add a modern day legend like Warren Haynes to the mix. And
who is this 4th instructor, Spencer Bohren?
My next post will chronicle Day 1 at the ranch.
My link to photos taken: http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/terrapintom/
To be continued.
Spencer Bohren......The New Orleans Spencer Bohren?????
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lolasdeb
Zen Peach  Posts: 15574 (15574 all sites) Registered: 11/20/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/25/2008 at 02:24 PM |
Tom - enjoying your account of Fur Peace Ranch!  Thanks for sharing
this. ____________________
"Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe and I will buy you a bottle of wine, and
we'll laugh and toast to nothing and smash our empty glasses down..."
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tbomike
Peach Pro Posts: 380 (380 all sites) Registered: 1/7/2004 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/25/2008 at 06:47 PM |
Hey Tom, enjoying this and looking forward to the rest of the story. And
yes it was New Orleans Spencer Bohren who has been at Fur Peace before and
in typical Warren fashion he pretty much let Spencer be the star of I Shall
Be Released.
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Terrapintom
Peach Pro Posts: 209 (209 all sites) Registered: 3/12/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/26/2008 at 02:05 AM |
Sorry it has taken a while to get this down. Lots going on here at home.
Day One At The Ranch - Arrival
Heading out from Cincinnati, the road was wide open once I left the turmoil
of the morning rush hour. As I wound through the gentle hills of southern
Ohio I could feel summer's last gasp warming the morning air. This is
actually a pretty remote region of the state and the farmland gave way to a
forest of trees cut in half by Route 32. Using my mapquest directions I
turned onto Highway 681 and headed towards the village of Pomeroy. I
finally pulled up on the sign marking the Fur Peace Ranch about 11:30 in
the morning. As I proceeded up the winding dirt road to the ranch I
wondered if this was going to be all I had hoped it to be.
My mind was quickly put to rest as I was greeted by "Thunder" Mike Coyne
while getting out of my van in the parking lot. He directed me to the
Beatrice Love Kitchen where I was checked in and given a quick tour of the
grounds by camp manager John Hurlbut. John has that certain demeanor about
him that causes you to feel like he has known you for years as a good
friend. The cabins where the students were to sleep were just large enough
for two single beds with just enough room to stow some gear. I checked the
beds and found them to be clean and comfortable.
I made my way up to the concert hall where orientation was about to begin.
I was greeted warmly there by Vanessa Kaukonen who then introduced me to
her husband Jorma. During orientation we were all introduced to the
instructors for the weekend. Jorma, Jack Casady, Spencer Bohren, and of
course Warren Haynes. The rules and expectations were explained and all the
students were asked to stand and introduce themselves one by one. I was
amazed at how far some had come to take place in the workshop. Musicians
from every corner of the country. There were two gentlemen from the British
Isles making their way to the U.S. for the first time just for this
occasion. As we broke for the dining hall to eat some lunch one could sense
that this was to be a very special weekend for all in attendance.
After a very tasty meal with some lively discussion amongst my fellow
students, I bumped into Brian Farmer and introduced myself. He remembered
me from the letter I had written to him earlier. I have to admit at this
point that I had an ulterior motive after hearing the rumors at Red Rocks
concerning Andy Hess leaving Gov't Mule. Those of you who know me can
probably guess what my motives were being a bass player myself. Brian
explained how Andy decided to leave the Mule quite some time ago. In fact
their new bassist, Jorgen Carlsson ,was chosen as a replacement to Andy 6
months ago. I looked to my side to see Warren Haynes walking up to speak to
Brian. Warren greeted me in his laid back southern drawl and shook my hand
saying he remembered talking with me on various occasions. He had overheard
Brian and I talking about the Mule's newest member. Warren further
explained that he regretted losing Andy as his bass player and they remain
good friends. Everything had to remain hush hush due some contractual
agreements concerning equipment endorsements and concert promoters. I
thanked Warren for this special insight into the band as we broke into our
workshop groups which were about to begin.
Next Up – Jack Casady and the rest of the bottom feeders.
[Edited on 9/26/2008 by Terrapintom]
[Edited on 9/26/2008 by Terrapintom]
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susea
Zen Peach Posts: 21727 (22640 all sites) Registered: 5/5/2004 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/26/2008 at 06:08 AM |
quote:
Brian explained how
Andy decided to leave the Mule quite some time ago. In fact their new
bassist, Jorgen Carlsson ,was chosen as a replacement to Andy 6 months
ago.
quote:
Warren further explained
that he regretted losing Andy as his bass player and they remain good
friends. Everything had to remain hush hush due some contractual
agreements concerning equipment endorsements and concert promoters.
This will shed some light to those who didn't like the way things were
handled. I knew there was a reason that we didn't know sooner so this is
good to know! Thanks Tom for telling us this!
I'm loving living this trip thru your story!!
[Edited on 9/26/2008 by susea] ____________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/susea
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Mudflapgirl
A Peach Supreme Posts: 2780 (2785 all sites) Registered: 3/3/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/26/2008 at 08:07 AM |
Tom, you certainly had a great opportunity there to ask questions that you
were itchin' to. Warren is so gracious to answer just about anything.
 Thanks for
passing on the word to us about what you found out regarding Andy's
movement away from the Mule. I haven't fed into the rumor mill, because I
knew that there was no animosity between Andy and the rest of the band.
Bottom Feeders! Love it!!!!
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lolasdeb
Zen Peach Posts: 15574 (15574 all sites) Registered: 11/20/2006 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/26/2008 at 12:13 PM |
| Thanks for the continued story of your time at Fur Peace Ranch, Tom! Very
cool to read about this place from the perspective of one who studied
there! And thanks for sharing the info on Andy. ____________________
"Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe and I will buy you a bottle of wine, and
we'll laugh and toast to nothing and smash our empty glasses down..."
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dougrhon
Maximum Peach  Posts: 8805 (8804 all sites) Registered: 6/15/2005 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/26/2008 at 01:33 PM |
quote:
quote:
Brian explained how Andy decided to leave
the Mule quite some time ago. In fact their new bassist, Jorgen Carlsson
,was chosen as a replacement to Andy 6 months ago.
quote:
Warren further explained
that he regretted losing Andy as his bass player and they remain good
friends. Everything had to remain hush hush due some contractual
agreements concerning equipment endorsements and concert promoters.
This will shed some light to those who didn't like the way things were
handled. I knew there was a reason that we didn't know sooner so this is
good to know! Thanks Tom for telling us this!
I'm loving living this trip thru your story!!
[Edited on 9/26/2008 by susea]
Yes. Someone should post this in the Andy threads. ____________________
"That's the thing about Rivera. He doesn't just get you out. He makes you
feel so futile." -Tim McCarver.
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Chain
A Peach Supreme Posts: 2743 (2743 all sites) Registered: 8/11/2004 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/26/2008 at 02:31 PM |
quote:
Hey Tom, enjoying this
and looking forward to the rest of the story. And yes it was New Orleans
Spencer Bohren who has been at Fur Peace before and in typical Warren
fashion he pretty much let Spencer be the star of I Shall Be Released.
No kidding.....Spencer played here in my hometown about 5 years ago and I
was totally blown away by him. Just him, his voice, and his beautiful lap
steel guitar (I think that's what it's called). He played in the old
Masonic Temple in downtown Lowville, NY of all places....
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dadof2
Peach Extraordinaire  Posts: 4085 (4102 all sites) Registered: 12/12/2007 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/26/2008 at 02:37 PM |
Tom--thanks--these are priceless stories & wonderful experiences...& so
glad Warren & Andy parted on good terms--& i respect how Warren handled
things--perhaps as a result of my believing that Warren is such a decent
human being.....he seems as sweet as his most soulful guitar
playing...so,all good
thanks again for this superb thread
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Mudflapgirl
A Peach Supreme Posts: 2780 (2785 all sites) Registered: 3/3/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/26/2008 at 10:43 PM |
Warren Haynes = Superb Human Being
Any questions?
Good.
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susea
Zen Peach Posts: 21727 (22640 all sites) Registered: 5/5/2004 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/27/2008 at 07:49 AM |
Love that Warren and the MULE!!! ____________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/susea
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sixty8
Maximum Peach  Posts: 8492 (8492 all sites) Registered: 3/28/2006 Status: Offline
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posted on 9/27/2008 at 02:17 PM |
quote:
Love that Warren and the MULE!!!
Ditto!!!!!!
____________________
Pete
  
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IPowrie
True Peach  Posts: 10801 (10812 all sites) Registered: 8/12/2007 Status: Online
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posted on 9/27/2008 at 03:14 PM |
Great thread
Whens the next part?
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Terrapintom
Peach Pro Posts: 209 (209 all sites) Registered: 3/12/2006 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/27/2008 at 06:15 PM |
Fur Peace Ranch and the Bottom Feeders - Day 1 Continued
The bass players were dubbed the Bottom Feeders at lunch right after
orientation and the name stuck for the entire weekend. The bass workshop
was in a little A-frame building down the hill away from the main compound.
Jack's studio was nicely arranged with chairs forming a semi-circle around
a workbench with a laptop and a small sound system on it. We each took our
small little practice amps and fired them up. There were 10 students in
Jack's workshop making 11 bass players including Jack. What a racket! It
sounded chaotic hearing so many basses playing at once. I kept thinking
there must be a few good bass player jokes to be made with this fact
alone!
Jack silenced us after everybody got tuned up and played the Hot Tuna song
Hesitation Blues (actually an old blues tune written in 1915 by Billy
Smythe, Scott Middleton, & Art Gilham). As we were learning the song Jack
began to tear into each student's playing style one by one. One guy pulled
out a pick which Jack promptly instructed must be put away or it would be
thrown away. Finger pickers only in this class please! I suppose the
biggest thing I learned all weekend was shown to me from the start of this
class. Jack demonstrated to me how my right hand technique was all wrong as
he said, and I had to refine the method I had employed on the instrument
for many many years. Wow! This was a humbling experience for me. It was
like being told to learn how to walk all over again. Jack made his way
around the room and adeptly identified each student's weak points and how
to correct their technique. This was a level 3 class assuming each
participant knew their way around his instrument and had a fair amount of
experience in an ensemble (band) situation. As we broke for dinner everyone
left the A-frame feeling like a rank amateur.
Jack Casady has an amazing sense of humor. Very witty, but dry in his
manner. It's hard to tell when he is just kidding with you as he talks in
his matter of fact voice about his approach to the bass guitar. He is an
excellent teacher though exhibiting endless patience while being firm with
his approach. By the time I was eating my first dinner in the Beatrice Love
Kitchen and Dining Hall I already felt like I had received my money's worth
from the workshop tuition.
After dinner there was time for general discussion amongst all the students
from the different classes. The participants from Warren's class were
simply stunned and amazed at how assessable and easy he laid out his own
approach to them. You could see all of them were walking on cloud 9 from
being able to pick some guitar with Warren as he demonstrated to them his
own approach to all things musically speaking. The post dinner discussion
found Warren laughing it up with everybody and he seemed to really be
enjoying himself and at total ease with the situation. If one didn't know
who he was, you would have thought he was just another student joking
around with the rest of us there.
Around 7:30 we bottom feeders made our way back to the little A-frame and
spent the next 3 hours wood-shedding our newly acquired techniques as we
perfected the bass lines to Hesitation Blues. By the end of the evening we
were starting to sound like one instrument as we played along together with
the recording. The mad cacophony heard from so many bass instruments
competing against each other was a real problem at first. It was not easy
to listen to yourself with other bass lines being played by so many
bassists at the same time. When somebody went astray it was like watching
the wheels falling off a train and listening to the resulting crash become
a mish mash of dissonance grinding to a halt. Jack would just put the
wheels back on and headed us back down the track in the right direction. It
proved to be an amazing experience, one I had never witnessed before.
After the evening workshops were finished everybody congregated up by the
ranch library and resource center. The jam sessions had started! People
broke into smaller groups and music filled the air from many corners of the
the facility. So many good pickers it seemed. This was my first taste of
listening to the 30 or so guitarists participating in the acoustic guitar
workshops given by Jorma Kaukonen and Spencer Bohren. Warren's workshop was
the only one besides the bass workshop that employed amplified
instruments.
I wound up jamming around the campfire using my acoustic bass guitar with 5
or 6 other guitarists warming themselves in the now chilly night air. I was
pleased to hear such sweet sounds emanating from around the fire. There
were some fine voices amongst some of the pickers as well and we took turns
singing and playing songs together into the wee hours of the morning.
Warren and Brian were being put up in a hotel in nearby Athens Ohio, home
of the Ohio University campus. They left shortly after the evening
workshops were over. If Warren jammed with anyone it was unfortunately with
some other circle of pickers. We didn't get the pleasure of seeing him come
up and jam by the fire. All in all though it was a stellar day which I
shall never forget. As I laid down to go to sleep in my little cabin I
realized how totally spent mentally and physically I was and fell quicky to
sleep.
To be continued.
Coming up. Day 2 - A Very Special Concert
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susea
Zen Peach Posts: 21727 (22640 all sites) Registered: 5/5/2004 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/27/2008 at 06:52 PM |
quote:
I suppose the biggest
thing I learned all weekend was shown to me from the start of this class.
Jack demonstrated to me how my right hand technique was all wrong as he
said, and I had to refine the method I had employed on the instrument for
many many years. Wow! This was a humbling experience for me. It was like
being told to learn how to walk all over again.
Jack made his way around the room and adeptly identified each student's
weak points and how to correct their technique. This was a level 3 class
assuming each participant knew their way around his instrument and had a
fair amount of experience in an ensemble (band) situation. As we broke for
dinner everyone left the A-frame feeling like a rank amateur.
Aww man, constructive lecturing... there's challenge which is a good thing!
quote:
I wound up jamming around
the campfire using my acoustic bass guitar with 5 or 6 other guitarists
warming themselves in the now chilly night air. I was pleased to hear such
sweet sounds emanating from around the fire. There were some fine voices
amongst some of the pickers as well and we took turns singing and playing
songs together into the wee hours of the morning.
Sounds like Wanee!! Love it!!
This is great stuff Tom!!! ____________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/susea
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Lana
Administrator   Posts: 1081 (1309 all sites) Registered: 9/10/2001 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/27/2008 at 07:59 PM |
| More! More! Can't wait to read more! ____________________
Some are of peace and love.
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dadof2
Peach Extraordinaire Posts: 4085 (4102 all sites) Registered: 12/12/2007 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/27/2008 at 08:42 PM |
truly a unique experience
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IPowrie
True Peach Posts: 10801 (10812 all sites) Registered: 8/12/2007 Status: Online
|
posted on 9/28/2008 at 12:43 AM |
This is very cool. One of the best post of the year
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Mudflapgirl
A Peach Supreme Posts: 2780 (2785 all sites) Registered: 3/3/2006 Status: Offline
|
posted on 9/28/2008 at 11:04 AM |
Tom, you have many of us waiting on your next words! This is great!!!!
You must still be flying pretty high from this once-in-a-lifetime
experience.
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