Greg McLoughlin - My Weekend at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch

In the southeastern corner of Ohio, nestled in the rolling hills on the West Virginia Border, is Fur Peace Ranch, a music school and camp founded by Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen. Each year, hundreds of musicians from all over the world flock to this remote spot to be taught by some of the greatest musicians around, and get away from it all.

I had been wanting to visit Fur Peace Ranch for quite some time, and finally had the opportunity to do so last week. During my four-day stay, I had the chance to make music and hang out with about thirty of the kindest and most interesting people I have ever met. It was an amazing experience which I hope to repeat in the future.

My sleeping quarters:

The workshop I signed up for was Johnny Castle's "American Roots Bass Workshop." Castle is a rock-solid bass player who has been laying it down for forty years with many great artists. The workshops were awesome and I learned so much, but I won't bore anyone with shop talk!

Me with Johnny Castle:

There were three other workshops going on at Fur Peace Ranch the same weekend. Michael Falzarano was teaching a beginners acoustic blues guitar class. Bill Kirchen taught a more advanced guitar class, focused on playing in a small group. And the great drummer Jack O' Dell had a class called "Drumming to Support the Song."

Jack O'Dell and my teacher, Johnny Castle, used to play full-time with Bill Kirchen in his band, Too Much Fun, and they had a reunion concert for us, as well, as the general public, at the on-site music hall, on Saturday Night. It was an amazing concert. Kirchen is one of the most electrifying and exciting guitarists and performers I have ever seen, and Too Much Fun was, well, too much fun!

Jorma Kaukonen even sat in for a few songs:

Johnny & Jack, the best rhythm section this side of... well, anywhere!

Throughout the weekend, whenever we weren't in workshops, all of the students spent all of their free time making music with eachother. One of the greatest things about Fur Peace Ranch is that the weekend was 100% about music. It was an entirely clean and sober environment which kept the focus where it needed to be.

The students created different bands throughout the weekend, and learned songs together. This ultimately came together when we had a student concert on Sunday.

Before the concert started, Jorma played a few acoustic songs for us:

Some of the student performances, which were all a blast!

The first night at Fur Peace, during one of the campfire jams, with nervous hesitation, I played an original song of mine on my acoustic bass, called "All of My Friends". The reaction to it was so warm, that other students encouraged me to perform it during the student concert. It's a very emotional song for me, and my nervousness was overcome by passion as I looked past the microphone and saw the students and staff, including my heroes, Jorma, Bill, Jack and Johnny watching and listening. The reception was warm, and it was an amazing part of this magical weekend. To have Jorma, a hero of mine who I have been to see in concert dozens of times, approach me to say good job, was an honor I never expected. It just proves that the great musicians who deserve the most respect are those who give back in every possible way and always stay true to themselves and their music.

Me with Jorma:

with Bill Kirchen:

with Jack O'Dell:

On Sunday, we gathered for a class picture in front of Fur Peace Station.

Everyone at Fur Peace Ranch was wondeful. From the moment I arrived, when John, the camp manager greeted me and gave me a tour, to the moment I left, everyone was treated with the same equal courtesy and respect that they deserved. I learned so much from the great instructors, and from my classmates, who all showed great musical promise and passion. Fur Peace Ranch is an amazing place which I hope to go back to in a couple of years. Thanks to everyone who helped make this weeken so special.

<<Back


In the southeastern corner of Ohio, nestled in the rolling hills on the West Virginia Border, is Fur Peace Ranch, a music school and camp founded by Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen. Each year, hundreds of musicians from all over the world flock to this remote spot to be taught by some of the greatest musicians around, and get away from it all. I had been wanting to visit Fur Peace Ranch for quite some time, and finally had the opportunity to do so last week. During my four-day stay, I had the chance to make music and hang out with about thirty of the kindest and most interesting people I have ever met. It was an amazing experience which I hope to repeat in the future. My sleeping quarters:
The workshop I signed up for was Johnny Castle's "American Roots Bass Workshop." Castle is a rock-solid bass player who has been laying it down for forty years with many great artists. The workshops were awesome and I learned so much, but I won't bore anyone with shop talk! Me with Johnny Castle:
There were three other workshops going on at Fur Peace Ranch the same weekend. Michael Falzarano was teaching a beginners acoustic blues guitar class. Bill Kirchen taught a more advanced guitar class, focused on playing in a small group. And the great drummer Jack O' Dell had a class called "Drumming to Support the Song." Jack O'Dell and my teacher, Johnny Castle, used to play full-time with Bill Kirchen in his band, Too Much Fun, and they had a reunion concert for us, as well, as the general public, at the on-site music hall, on Saturday Night. It was an amazing concert. Kirchen is one of the most electrifying and exciting guitarists and performers I have ever seen, and Too Much Fun was, well, too much fun! Jorma Kaukonen even sat in for a few songs: Johnny & Jack, the best rhythm section this side of... well, anywhere!
Throughout the weekend, whenever we weren't in workshops, all of the students spent all of their free time making music with eachother. One of the greatest things about Fur Peace Ranch is that the weekend was 100% about music. It was an entirely clean and sober environment which kept the focus where it needed to be. The students created different bands throughout the weekend, and learned songs together. This ultimately came together when we had a student concert on Sunday. Before the concert started, Jorma played a few acoustic songs for us: Some of the student performances, which were all a blast! The first night at Fur Peace, during one of the campfire jams, with nervous hesitation, I played an original song of mine on my acoustic bass, called "All of My Friends". The reaction to it was so warm, that other students encouraged me to perform it during the student concert. It's a very emotional song for me, and my nervousness was overcome by passion as I looked past the microphone and saw the students and staff, including my heroes, Jorma, Bill, Jack and Johnny watching and listening. The reception was warm, and it was an amazing part of this magical weekend. To have Jorma, a hero of mine who I have been to see in concert dozens of times, approach me to say good job, was an honor I never expected. It just proves that the great musicians who deserve the most respect are those who give back in every possible way and always stay true to themselves and their music. Me with Jorma: with Bill Kirchen: with Jack O'Dell: On Sunday, we gathered for a class picture in front of Fur Peace Station. Everyone at Fur Peace Ranch was wondeful. From the moment I arrived, when John, the camp manager greeted me and gave me a tour, to the moment I left, everyone was treated with the same equal courtesy and respect that they deserved. I learned so much from the great instructors, and from my classmates, who all showed great musical promise and passion. Fur Peace Ranch is an amazing place which I hope to go back to in a couple of years. Thanks to everyone who helped make this weeken so special.
<<Back