Hot Tuna have announced Electric Hot Tuna, a long-lived electric incarnation of the band, will perform at the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, N.Y., on July 20 and outlined a few final dates to catch them later in September. However, the duo, comprised of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, plan to continue playing music in their original format and are not retiring from touring.

Kaukonen wrote a letter reflecting on the past and the importance of the announcement. It reads as follows: “Around 1958 Jack and I played our first gig in Charlotte Harbour’s basement in Washington, DC. I was the singer and played rhythm guitar and Jack played lead. I was 17 and Jack was 14…always ahead of his time. I cannot tell you exactly what songs we played, but for sure there were Buddy Holly songs, Conway Twitty songs, Jimmy Clanton songs; Just a dream, just a dream, All our plans and all our schemes. Who knew at that time what our musical dreams would become. Beyond our wildest dreams, I can tell you that. Sixty-five (count ‘em …65!) years of making music with my best friend. To say that everything has changed would be an understatement. Throwing your instrument in the back of your ride and piling in with your bandmates is legend for every traveling musician. Since then, collectively we’ve probably played around 15,000 gigs. We’re not done counting yet. That said, it’s time to stop thinking of living as it was… indeed, into the future we must cross. It has been said that the music Jack and I play was transformative and that we injected an energy into our sound full of constant improvisation taking the compass on a joyride. It is still our plan to continue in our original duo format. We are not retiring from touring, but the Electric lineup of this long-lived incarnation is going fishing for a while. The road may not go on forever, but the destination is still beyond the horizon. Friends, this is the year to catch us as ‘Electric Tuna.’ We will be inviting companions old and new to join us and we hope that you will too. Our big tour is set for September 2023 with a special show on July 20 at the Great South Bay Music Festival Patchogue, NY. Get your tickets for this historic run at selective venues in cities on the east coast.“

“Jorma, Jack & friends have headlined GSB many times in the past and were always considered friends of the fest,” said Jim Faith, producer of Great South Bay Music Fest. “When we were approached to host this historic final LI Electric show, we were of course truly honored. We are excited to be such an iconic part of the Electric Hot Tuna journey and legacy”.

The Great South Bay Music Festival will run from July 20-23, with Hot Tuna performing on July 20. The festival also features an impressive lineup of other performers, including Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov’t Mule’s “The Dark Side of the Mule,” Dirty Heads, Jason Bonham’s “Led Zeppelin Evening,” Goldfinger, and many more. The festival will close out on Sunday with ex-Allman Brothers guitar legend Warren Haynes & Gov’t Mule, who will perform a tribute to Pink Floyd’s classic album “The Dark Side of The Moon” complete with full “over-the-top” visual effects and laser light show.

Following their appearance at The Great South Bay Music Festival, they’ll make several stops down the East Coast starting on Sept. 15, including Rochester, N.Y., Burlingtonton, Vt., Ithaca, N.Y., Albany, N.Y., New Haven, Conn., Philadelphia, Clearwater, Fla., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and culminate with a show on Oct. 7 in Live Oak, Fla.

Learn more about The Great South Bay Music Festival and find tickets here.