On Friday, Athens locals and those traveling from far away gathered in the River Of Time Boutique and Gallery to listen to Grammy award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jorma Kaukonen and guitarist John Hurlbut put on a captivating, free performance.
River Of Time, located on 19 W. Washington St., is owned by Vanessa Kaukonen, who opened the shop with her husband, Jorma Kaukonen, in 2023. They transformed what Vanessa Kaukonen calls an “old comic book shop” with secret rooms into an open, colorful boutique where people can find jewelry, apparel, vintage vinyl and a gallery with works from the 1960s.
Vanessa Kaukonen said she and Jorma Kaukonen once owned Fur Peace Ranch, a facility in Southeast Ohio. The couple held workshops with anyone who wanted to learn guitar from Jorma Kaukonen and enjoy the company of those who loved music and creating it. After 23 years of business, they stopped teaching at the Ranch and sold the property.
What was once a physical location to help those old and young learn how to strum a guitar became “a state of being,” as described on the Ranch’s website. Now, as the husband and wife run the boutique, Jorma Kaukonen tours the country to perform and take Fur Peace Production on the road. In between his travels, Jorma Kaukonen performs at the boutique.
“Not a whole lot of people put on free events consistently, and it's difficult,” Vanessa Kaukonen said. “Everybody gets paid, but we don't charge anyone. It's just something that we can do. So we do it.”
Vanessa Kaukonen said they try to host a free music performance once a month in the spring and summer, and a few concerts in the winter. She said the performances always start Fridays at 4 p.m., but people often come beforehand to talk to Jorma Kaukonen and Hurlbut about music.
“It's been a cold winter,” Vanessa Kaukonen said. “(Jorma’s) gonna be leaving, but it just helps people kind of get through the cold.”
Vanessa Kaukonen said performances are about an hour long and typically have 60 to 75 attendees. Attendees sit on stools, benches or stand as Jorma Kaukonen and Hurlbut perform their original music in front of the art gallery.
Friday, Hurlbut and Jorma Kaukonen played several songs from their 2020 album “The River Flows,” including “Kansas City Southern” and “Across The Borderline.” Attendees could leave the performance and shop around the boutique while they listened to Jorma Kaukonen plucking the strings and Hurlbut singing and tapping his feet over the speakers.
“People deserve free music and have the ability and the capacity to house them and to offer something a little different mid-week or end of the week,” Vanessa Kaukoen said.
Jorma Kaukonen recently celebrated his 85th birthday. Hurlbut said he looks up to Jorma Kaukonen and hopes he is doing just as well when he turns 85.
“This is just the greatest thing, whenever I get to play with Jorma I look forward to it,” Hurlbut said. “This is such a special thing and in an intimate setting like this … I really look forward to when we get to come over here and play for people.”
Rocco Dipenti, an audience member at Friday’s performance, is an Athens local and artist. Dipenti visited River and Time Boutique before Friday, describing it as “stepping back in time.”
Dipenti said his wife follows River Of Time on Facebook, and they are fans of Jorma Kaukonen and Hurlbut. Dipenti said he was happy to sit at the “feet of a legend.”
“I got the opportunity to get a fist bump from Jorma,” Dipenti said. “Every guitarist knows who Jorma Kaukonen is.”
Those who are looking to spend an afternoon shopping for vintage items and spending time with Kaukonen and Hurlbut can check the boutique’s Facebook for updates on performances and scheduling.
