J O R M A

K A U K O N E N

LEGENDARY SINGER-SONGWRITER-GUITARIST

WITH

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

AND

H  O  T   T  U  N  A

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock and roll, one of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen is a music legend and one of the finest singer-songwriters in his field. He continues to tour the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting new songs of weight and dimension. His secret is in playing spontaneous and unfiltered music, with an individual expression of personality. In 2016, Jorma, Jack Casady and the other members of Jefferson Airplane were awarded The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to American music.

In 1965, met Paul Kantner and was invited to join a new not-yet-named rock band Kantner was forming with Marty Balin. As a self-described blues purist, Kaukonen was initially reluctant, but found his imagination excited by the arsenal of effects available to electric guitar, later remarking that he was "sucked in by technology." With the group still looking for a name, Kaukonen suggested Jefferson Airplane, inspired by an eccentric friend who had given his dog the name "Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane." Jorma invited his old musical partner Jack Casady to come out to San Francisco and play electric bass for the new band, and together they created much of Jefferson Airplane’s signature sound.

A pioneer of counterculture-era psychedelic rock, the group was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success. Their 1967 record Surrealistic Pillow is regarded as one of the key recordings of the "Summer of Love."

Jorma and Jack would jam whenever they could and would sometimes perform sets within sets at Airplane concerts. The two would often play clubs following Airplane performances. Making a name for themselves as a duo, they struck a record deal, and Hot Tuna was born. Jorma left Jefferson Airplane after the band’s most productive five years, pursuing his full-time job with Hot Tuna. Over the past five decades Hot Tuna has performed thousands of concerts and released more than two-dozen records. The musicians who have performed with them are many and widely varied, as are their styles — from acoustic to long and loud electric jams, but never straying far from their musical roots. What is remarkable is that they have never coasted. Hot Tuna today sounds better than ever.

Purchase Jorma’s latest solo recording

Ain’t In No Hurry on Red House Records.

It has received wonderful critical acclaim:

at amazon.com

Purchase Jorma’s memoirs

Been So Long: My Life and Music

at amazon.com

For more information about Jorma Kaukonen

 and Hot Tuna visit

Jorma blogs consistently.

 Cracks in the Finish:

 http://jormakaukonen.com/cracksinthefinish

BreakDownWay.com Online Guitar Lesson Workshop: Jorma Kaukonen & Friends Online Guitar Lesson Workshop, brought to you by the good folks at the Award-winning Fur Peace Ranch. Learn American Roots, Blues, Folk, Finger-picking and more, with enough to occupy all ranges of skills from beginner to advanced.  http://breakdownway.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BreakDownWaycom/195747373778909?sk=info&tab=page_info

Joseph Cardillo, PhD, is national leader in holistic healthcare. He is the best-selling author of several books in the fields of health, mind-body-spirit, and psychology. His books include The 12 Rules of Attention: How to Avoid Screw-ups, Free Up Headspace, Do More and Be More at Work (forthcoming, 2020); Body Intelligence: Harness Your Body’s Energies for Your Best Life; Can I Have Your Attention: How to Think Fast, Find Your Focus and Sharpen Your Concentration; and the body energy classic, Be Like Water. In addition, he has co-written books for Harvard Health Publications.

Dr. Cardillo is an expert in Attention Training™ and creative thinking and has taught his methods to over 20,000 students at various institutions. His books have been translated into ten languages. He holds a PhD in holistic psychology and mind-body-medicine. He is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and writes a health column for Live Happy magazine.

Feature articles on Dr. Cardillo’s work have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Hollywood Reporter, Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, Men’s Health, REBOUND (The Official Publication of the National Basketball Retired Players Association), Family Circle, Women’s Health.Com, Curve, Fitness Magazine, Natural Health, TheTodayShow.Com, Psych Central, Natural Awakenings and GoodHouseKeeping.com.

Rick "Nifty" Middleton -- Co-Producer of "Tough Sledding The Movie" --- Rick played in the NHL from 1973-1988 for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Rick currently holds a couple of NHL Records and is the active President of the Boston Bruins Alumni Association.

“Tough Sledding The Movie,” a movie in pre-production (August 2020) that highlights the true story of the 2002 Paralympics US Sled Hockey team. This is a family-friendly sports and drama narrative film that follows a “rags-to-riches” storyline portrayed by an all-American underdog team.

Information from Trimpa Group website: http://www.trimpagroup.com/

Ted Trimpa is the Principal and CEO of Trimpa Group LLC, a national political consulting and government relations firm that specializes in progressive public policy advocacy and political strategy.  With offices in Washington D.C. and Denver, Trimpa Group develops cutting-edge public policy strategies at the state and federal levels.  Trimpa also serves as a board member for numerous organizations, including the Democracy Alliance, ProgressNow, Third Way, Citizen Engagement Laboratory, and Tectonic Theater Project.

Trimpa is one of the country’s most sought-after advocates resulting from his deep understanding of the national and multi-state public policy, political, and nonprofit landscape.  Called “Colorado’s answer to Karl Rove” by The Atlantic, Trimpa is a nationally recognized Democratic strategist and operative.  He is considered a key architect of the political infrastructure that facilitated the Democratic Party’s resurgence in Colorado after decades of Republican dominance—a turnaround so dramatic National Review dubbed it the “Colorado miracle.” Campaigns & Elections recently named him one of the top five Democratic political players in the state. 

Read more on Ted Trimpa: http://www.trimpagroup.com/ted-trimpa/

Army Captain Deshauna Barber, the current Chief Executive Officer of Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN), is Miss USA 2016, an award-winning international speaker, coach, and entrepreneur. Deshauna uses her experience as an Army officer, former Miss USA, and STEM graduate to impact the lives of people all over the world. Deshauna is a top-rated speaker who is widely requested as a speaker at Fortune 500 companies. She was born in Columbus, Georgia, the daughter of two soldiers. Serving in the military is a family tradition. In 2016, Deshauna was crowned the first soldier to the win the prestigious title of Miss USA. She spent her year-long reign as Miss USA advocating for men and women in uniform and continues her work advocating for service members suffering from post-traumatic stress. She is dedicated to ensuring that service members and veterans receive the support and assistance that they need. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Virginia State University, a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and Services from University of Maryland and she is currently pursuing a Diversity, Social Justice and Inclusion Certification at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Website:  https://www.servicewomen.org/