vibe that happens that weekend that’s a little more over the
top than other weekends. I
was lucky enough to sit in on a
couple of classes by Jorma and
some by Steve Kimoch and you
get to see inside the classrooms.
The films let you hear from people that are first timers and hear
what their first impressions are,
as well as from people who have
been there dozens of times.”
Some of the musicians who
have served as instructors at
Fur Peace Ranch include names
like Dave Alvin, G.E. Smith, Bill
Kirchen, Dar Williams, Chris
Smither, Larry Campbell, Jill Sobule, David Lindley, and Chris
Hillman. While guitar workshops are always in session, the
Ranch also includes workshops
on instruments from bass guitar
to lap steel guitar, mandolin and
percussion, and even vocals and
songwriting. Space is limited
and several sessions are already
New Jersey Stage
sold out through 2015.
Part of the lure is the way the
Ranch removes the boundaries
between musicians and fans. Attendees have an entire weekend
to sit and talk to people about
music with everybody being on
the same page. The instructors
don’t carry a rock star attitude.
They’re easily accessible and
they love passing on what they
know.
“Let’s say you always admired
G.E. Smith as a band leader and
guitar player and you wanted to
take a class with him,” continued
Walla. “You’ll study with him on
a Friday or Saturday during the
day, then get to see your teacher
perform as part of the Saturday
night concert series, and then
you get to have class with him
the next day. And everybody
leaves on Monday. So if you
were a fan of a particular style
you could just pick the weekend
you wanted to come and there’s
January 2015
pg 80