JACKSON HOLE, WYO – It’s about to get old school trippy in the Center Theater and a few of San Francisco’s psychedelic blues-rock pioneers will be at the helm. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady—both Rock & Roll Hall of Famers—originally founded Hot Tuna in 1969 as a spin-off from Jefferson Airplane. The Airplane was in flight for just seven years (1965-72) while Kaukonen, Casady and mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff (who joined in 2002) continued to fly as Hot Tuna. Steve Kimock is a superb guitarist best known for his work with latter-day Grateful Dead projects like RatDog and Phil Lesh and Friends, though he was also a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service and formed instrumental group Zero in the 80s.
Listening to a vinyl copy of Hot Tuna’s experimental third studio album, Burgers (1972)—a house party favorite back in the day—and following that experience with their last studio album, Steady as She Goes (2011), the production aesthetic is drastically different yet much of the fabric remains intact. Backseat acoustic meets heavy electric, representing the great divide that classic blues fans can appreciate. Of course, we’ll be getting more of the latter with double electric guitars and a classic example of what improvised “jamband” music was prior to synths, digital delay, compression pedals and electronic drum triggers. The band’s last show in Jackson was a sit-down acoustic trio show at the Pink Garter in February of 2013.
“Kimock always brings his own thing to whatever’s going on,” Kaukonen told Offbeat Magazine last December. “It’s normally just a trio without Steve, but with Steve it’s a trio plus one. Steve is such an amazing sideman. We’ll do stuff where he can be both tasty and tasteless. So we’ll probably have taste and excess. What’s not to like about two guitar players?”
Electric Hot Tuna with Steve Kimock, 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Center Theater. Tickets are $62-$92. JHCenterForTheArts.org.
