Apr/24/09
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Friday Links: Madame Pamita, Uketopia

The response to the Slide Ukulele ebook has been great – far better than I was expecting. So it’s going on permanent sale at the new price of $7.

Pick up Madame Pamita’s new album Wax Works on a ‘pay what you like’ basis. It’s an excellent album. All recorded on wax cylinders without using electricity. Essential tracks: Do Whatever You Please, Madame Pamita’s Theme Song, Malaria. And she’s touring the UK in May.

The Ukulele Shop is no more. And Ukulele Ireland is spreading the rumour that the Duke of Uke is heading the same way.

In more sad news, Chicago’s Windy City Uke Fest won’t be going ahead this year. But it’ll be back for 2010.

And yet more sad news: Tab-U-Learn has shut its doors.

Ken Middleton’s new site including his tabs.

Uketopia is an excellent new(ish) ukulele podcast with songs, instrument reviews, interviews and various uke chatter. And there’s also the Stretchlinks Podcast from “America’s haymakers of jocularity.”

How to get sopranino tuning on your soprano ukulele.

Ukulele news in Spanish.

Make your own ukulele chord sheets with the help of Kiwi Ukulele

The Baby McGee’s are the cutest thing ever. And the full size version are releasing a 7″ single ahead of their new album in June.

Jack Kirby style ukulele by Ben Towle.

On Flickr: Another ukulele playing monkey, ukulele lamps, Mon ukulele enfin fini

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7 Comments

  1. milko April 24th, 2009 3:20 pm

    Sad to see the ukulele shop go. I only ever nearly bought from them though, they kept being out of stock of whatever I actually wanted by the time I discovered them. And then I bought the uke itself from the Duke, so I’ll be extra sad if they close!

    On Aquila strings, I ordered some from Purple Turtle in Stockport via ebay UK, very prompt delivery.

  2. ronhale April 24th, 2009 10:46 pm

    This current uke run in popularity supposedly is the biggest yet in
    terms of sheer numbers, but in terms of visibility to the general public & general cultural awareness, it certainly is not. Despite the sheer numbers of ukes being sold & played, the instrument is not ever going to be what people think about when they think back to today’s pop culture.

    I do wonder when this current run will begin to level off, & maybe the closing of uke shops is an early sign. The current economic downturn might just be the unforseen spark to slow the growth in our interest, or perhaps stop it altogether.

    It’s one thing to look back at earlier crests in uke popularity & quite another to be caught up in one & thinking that the current state of things will always prevail &, of course, it won’t.

  3. Woodshed April 25th, 2009 7:22 am

    milko: Thanks for the tip-off.

    ronhale: I think it’s more likely that the problem is the exchange rate. Two years ago £1 bought about $2. Now it buys less than $1.50. Which is going to make it difficult for anyone who buys in $ and sells £. And we’ll see whether the Duke rumour is true: I’m far from convinced.

    I don’t see how the economy is going to stop it. Every other recession has seen more people making their own entertainment. When there is a downturn in uke interest, I think I’m going to see it in my numbers fairly quickly – and I’m not.

  4. JCMcGee April 25th, 2009 11:33 am

    “The current economic downturn might just be the unforseen spark to slow the growth in our interest, or perhaps stop it altogether.”

    prevailing wisdom suggests that the opposite is true…that infact the uke is the instrument of the recession, for both economic and psychological reasons….

    Thee pop culture/feel good song of the summer last year “5 years time”…uke song…..Now PJ Harvey , an artist on the diametrically opposite side of Pop culture from Noah & The Whale has been seen prominantly using one….thats full spectrum coverage….so it would be sloppy journalism/historical research to look back at this period and fail to mention the uke….all it will take is someone on something like The X factor….

    “in terms of visibility to the general public & general cultural awareness, it certainly is not.”…..not sure about this either….the way communication works these days….4 years ago when I took a uke onstage at a gig it was a novelty…now it’s “Not another uke player!”

    Anyway…the best is just round the corner…watch this space!

  5. Woodshed April 26th, 2009 9:40 am

    Jimmy: I might just be being optimistic, but I agree that we haven’t seen the peak of it yet.

  6. Wonkles June 13th, 2009 9:37 am

    Howdy uku hunt!
    thanks for the great site and for mentioning our show to your readers.
    Best, Wonkles and Heinous aka, The Stretchlinks

  7. Woodshed June 13th, 2009 9:23 pm

    Wonkles: You’re welcome.

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