Tight lines for (Hot) Tuna

(Published in Jackson Hole Weekly, additional content added)When I think about Hot Tuna in Jackson Hole, I immediately flashback to the killer March 15, 2002 bootleg of I have of an acoustic show from the Mangy Moose, with opener Drums & Tuba. Much like the shows I've seen with Doc Watson - the show has a sit-down, front porch pickin' session vibe.Originally a spin-off from Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna’s career dates back to early 1969 when Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members guitarist/vocalist Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy decidedly combined acoustic and electric sets to explore traditional blues and soul-rock compositions in respective sets. Taking its name from a witty fan who shouted, "hot tuna!" after hearing the line 'What's that smell like fish, oh baby,' from the song "Keep On Truckin," the incarnation that we will get at the Pink Garter will be acoustic Hot Tuna, with mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff rounding out the trio.Listening to a vinyl copy of HT’s third studio album, Burgers (1972)—a house party favorite back in the day—and following that experience with an mp3 download of their latest studio album and the first in over two decades, 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. The elements of Burgers that stands out is the ragtime, sometimes eerie, wailing electric violin playing by Papa John Creach and the overall youthful spirit of freewheeling fun.Within Hot Tuna, Kaukonen notably developed his fingerstyle picking, influenced heavily by Reverend Gary Davis, and exposing the roots of traditional blues to a wider audience. Always open to morphing its sound, the band has incorporated an array of musicians from drummers, harp players, keyboardists and beyond."Airplane was only together for seven years, from '65 to '72," Cassidy said during an interview last week with Mail Tribune. "The career Jorma and I share is significantly longer." Hot Tuna, 8 p.m., Friday Feb. 13, at the Pink Garter Theatre. Tickets are $35/advance or $40/day-of-show. THIS WILL BE A SEATED SHOW. PinkGarterTheatre.com, 733-1500.