HOT TUNA: LEGENDARY ROOTS ROCKERS IN CONCERT!
Thursday, March 15th, 8:00 pm
The 20th Century Theatre
3021 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45209
Tickets: $25 adv / $30 door
(512) 731.8000 – www.the20thcenturytheatre.com
Hot Tuna celebrates the release of Steady As She Goes, the first new album in twenty years from the legendary roots rockers. Featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and Jefferson Airplane founding members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, the band celebrates over four decades of playing together. Now, with the release of their Red House debut, they prove that they remain one of the most innovative bands in American music.
Why did it take so long for Hot Tuna to record a new album? “Well, it just worked out that way,” Kaukonen says. “Hot Tuna never quit playing. The moment just wasn’t right before; now it is, and we have a great project to show for it.”
Returning to upstate New York decades after Kaukonen and Casady first played Woodstock, they went into Levon Helm’s studio over the winter to record twelve new tracks with mandolin player Barry Mitterhoff and drummer Skoota Warner (Cyndi Lauper, Matisyahu, Santana). Working with famed producer Larry Campbell (who Kaukonen worked with on his last solo album River of Time) the band plugged in for the electric Hot Tuna album that fans have been waiting for.
Taking no prisoners, the band tears into it, kicking off with the rocking Americana number “Angel of Darkness” (co-written by Kaukonen and Campbell). From there, the album easily weaves between hard-driving blues and acoustic tunes, including six originals and covers of songs by blues legends Papa Charlie McCoy and Reverend Gary Davis. Incorporating the live energy that Hot Tuna is known for, the recording mainly features the four members of the band, being joined only by Larry Campbell (guitars, fiddle, organ, vocals) and Teresa Williams, whose powerful harmonies hearken back to Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick.
As Casady and Kaukonen celebrate over fifty years of playing together, Steady As She Goes has them reflecting on their past and present life, as in their song “Smokerise Journey” and Kaukonen’s “Mourning Interrupted,” written about their roots, growing up in DC in the 1950’s. Whether going to town on a gospel number like “Children of Zion” or playing a soulful ballad like “Second Chances,” Hot Tuna proves that they are a force to be reckoned with, bursting with creative energy while remaining rock steady as one of today’s truly iconic bands.
Following their blues tour with Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale, Hot Tuna begins their CD release tour, playing acoustic and electric shows across North America and Europe. For the latest news and tour updates, visit www.hottuna.com or www.redhouserecords.com.
