I’ve had Casey James’s Song Birds and Ghetto Blasters on pretty much constant repeat the last few days. And have spent much of that time dancing like a defective robot with a huge grin on my face. It sounds like Flight of the Conchords parodying a collaboration between Beck and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. Except even better than that.
He has the entire EP up for free download on his website (it’s the one on the right hand side). There are also two other non-uke albums up there.
This one is a big favourite with ukulele groups (as ably demonstrated by the Hull Ukulele Group). But it could have been written for Hobbit to sing. It’s a perfect fit. Which is a whole lot more than you can say about the Jonas Brothers. I somehow find it hard to believe they spend anguished nights desperately wishing they could rid themselves of their wild instincts and join respectable society.
Although they do have a glint in their eyes which seems to say, “Teach me to destroy so I may be truly respected.”
Suggested Strumming Pattern
d – d u – u d u
Twice for each chord until you get to G7. Just one strum for that. Then the pattern twice for C and A7, once for D7, once for G7.
Next bit is a little tricky timing wise. Strum the pattern once for C. Then down once on C and down three times on G7.
Twiddly Bits
The intro goes like this:
Also on the C and A7 in the chorus Hobbit is switching between the chords and strumming all the strings open.
Coastal towns beginning with ‘Bri’ seem to be uke hotspots at the moment. This week Brighton representative is Sophie Madeleine (she’s finally got her own YouTube channel). And Bristol is represented by Cat Green Bike (whose Breakbeat/Thrash/Concrete EP is rather fantastic) and Lulu and the Lampshades (this video, despite being uke-less, is a must-watch). And watching this video, it looks like Rocky and Balls might have been formed in Bristol.
I expect a Bridlington ukulele explosion any day now.
Also this week is a video of Humble Pie era Steve Marriott playing uke (and thanks to Grant for drawing my attention to it). “If I’m a foot, then you’re my sock.” How romantic. Read the rest of this entry »
I, and many UK ukers, have been at a bit of a loss since the demise of The Ukulele Shop. But it looks like the Southern Ukulele Store is stocking up nicely with ukuleles from Kala, Ohana, Eleuke and Lanikai. Although the high end, Hawaiian makers obviously still don’t our funny foreign money. They don’t have much of an eBay feedback rating yet so I may have to test purchase a new ukulele. Damn! The Spruce top Kala looks quite tempting.
Looks like eBay might be cracking down on annoying sellers who use ‘Martin 5K’ to attract eyeballs. This O.M. Tibbs ukulele, despite being a long way removed from a Martin 5K and having ‘L@@@@K’ in the title, is still worth a glance.
An Aaron Keim made Beansprout ukulele made from a salvaged train trestle and cast-off bits of porch.
This is how I should be spending my summer.
The photographer called her the ‘Hawaiian Butterfly’. The eBay seller was less kind.
Square Pegs, Round Holes is a ukulele compilation album put together by Barnkicker Steve in aid of the American Aspergers Association. It includes tracks from Tripping Lily, James Hill, John King and plenty more. You can buy the digital version on Dig Station and the CD version on CD Baby.
Best friend of the blog, Jenny Flame has designed a ukulele t-shirt.
I think Snake Suspenderz, led by the legendary Howlin’ Hobbit, are a great act. They have some jazzy touches that make their songs interesting but they never stray far away from a hook. And Daisy Fraser, from the A Few Loose Scales EP is one of my favourites.
I’m not quite sure on some of the lyrics. But, by the looks of it, neither is Hobbit.
Great day, lovely people, excellent ukulele acts : a day to remember !
This post would be without end if I were to tell the 11-hour-long story of the Paris Uke Fest. But here are some highlights which I’d like to share.
Early arrival :
I wouldn’t miss a minute of the Paris Ukulele Fest after waiting 14 months to meet other ukulele players !
At 1:00 pm there was still plenty of room in the Bellevilloise. It made it easy to meet people, test all the ukuleles on display, chat with the Juste Cordes Team, with Ken Middleton and his Ohanas, and admire Sylvain‘s unusual handmade ukuleles.
I then got to put faces on pseudos seen on forums. The room was diffusing a soft ukulele chatter, people trying out each other’s ukes. The atmosphere was very laid back and international so I felt immediately at home.
Workshops :
In a room which had a temperature close to a sauna’s, a first workshop was led by Tim Sweeney who tried to convince our group that playing with a guitar pick had more impact on listeners than standard playing using fingers.
This was followed by a great strumming course by Ukulelezaza. Great feel to hear a group of people strumming ukuleles with muted strings. It felt like a percussion band. Combining all the techniques ukulelezaza explained was rather challenging and my Fluke didn’t really wish to remain silent and persisted making itself heard every now and then …
The Film : Rock that Uke
Weird is what best summarizes it. A portrait of over the edge American ukulele players. I’m not sure if the heat is to blame but I missed the point entirely. But here is what clever people such as writer, director and producer Ethan Coen said about it : “A rollicking anagnorisis of Ukulele Truth“. Sure… whatever…
The Open Mic session :
In a very casual atmosphere, courageous people went up on stage and displayed their talents in many different styles.
The concerts :
Since a lot of people were about to doze off because of the heat, it was time for a lively ukulele act. The Ukulele Boyz from the South West of France stormed the room in their cliché Hawaiian outfits and played covers of well-known French and Spanish songs, slightly altering original lyrics.
Tricity Vogue and the Sugarsnap Sisters then made sure we kept the energy gathered after the performance of the Ukulele Boyz with a brilliant set of songs and lovely vocal harmonies which I thoroughly enjoyed.
To prevent us from being over cheerful after the previous performances, Kelli Rae Powell reminded us that “There’s nothing bad that can’ t get worse”…
Fortunately, Ukulelezaza and the Red Cats followed to display all the techniques he had showed us earlier on and distract us from our dark thoughts.
Time then for the raffle with Lionel drawing the lucky tickets. The first Prize, a Pete Howlett tenor uke, caused complete amazement to its winner who couldn’t believe his luck.
If there was a background chatter in the room, it ceased when Patti Plinko and her Boy started playing.
This was a really raw and excellent performance which left many of us enthralled. From whispers to roars Patti really looked like a playful lioness with her lion Boy at her side. There was such a complicity between the two of them, intense stares defying each other to play faster… I had heard a few of her songs on her MySpace but it was nothing like seeing her live.
My absolute favourite act of the evening.
The last concert was Swedish Elvira Bira The concept of punk ukulele with a yellow Makala and a tuba is quite original (she was without her band so her father played the tuba to give her a bass sound) and Elvira certainly had a voice.
This brings us to the end of the Paris Uke Fest and I am already looking forward to next year’s. You should be too.
End of Paris Uke Fest - All artists
This post wouldn’t be complete without a video of the concerts, so here it is.
Bob Brozman is a huge musical hero of mine. So when I noticed he was promoting his ukulele workshops in California, I leapt at the chance to throw a few questions his way.
Ukulele Spaghetti was the tune that made me realise what the ukulele was capable of. When did you first become aware of the ukulele? And when did you first realise what it was capable of?
I had been playing guitar since 1960, started uke when I was around 20 years old in the early 70s. First really became aware of uke via Ukulele Ike, collecting 78s in junk shops. As soon as I started playing it, I realized it has all the musical potential for virtuosity that all stringed instruments have!
I want to strengthen people’s uke skills in addition to teaching about how blues, jazz and swing tunes work. We will look at the various right hand techniques of strumming and picking, with a view towards getting more variety and contrast in the sound of your playing. Also we will quickly see how chords shapes relate to each other, and how to use chords to begin soloing and improvising. We will look at standard chord inversions, and also the “slack key” approach of using only 2 fingers to get all majors and minors in any key! Lots of playing in class, and I plan on observing everyone carefully to assure comfort and comprehension!
What are your top ukulele playing tips?
Getting maximum variety with a minimum of effort! Learn to play the same song several ways with different chord voicings and strum/pick patterns.
What are the biggest mistakes you see ukulele players make?
Not believing their own ears, most uke players are better than they think! Perhaps also, not looking hard enough for patterns and similarities all over the fingerboard.
You’ve described the charango as a “Bolivian super ukulele”. What makes it such a special instrument?
The charangos is a 5 course, ten-string cousin of the uke. The double stringing, the octave string pair, and the extra pair of strings provide all sorts of opportunities for expansion, especially if you already play uke. The volume and tone of these is incredible and exotic. Easy to transfer uke skills to charangos.
Many of your collaborations have been with musicians from islands: Papua New Guinea, Okinawa, Réunion and Hawaii. Is there something special that happens to music on islands?
Absolutely! Musical instruments and ideas, not always 100% perfectly expressed and understood, arrive on islands from distant places and cultures, percolate in isolation on the island, then emerge as new hybrid music. That plus the strength of nature so evident on islands makes for wonderful new music. Hawaii was one of the first “laboratories” for this phenomenon.
I’ve heard you talk about the exciting things that happen when a culture first comes into contact with fretted instruments. But it seems like the entrie world is singing Britney songs. Are there any parts of the world where exciting new music is being made right now?
Access to instruments in the third world can be very limited, so there are still places where music is being discovered, re-shaped and created. The poorer the country, the richer the music, in general, also the greater function music has in daily social life. Britney-type commercialism takes us far away from the original reasons for music, but it has not penetrated everywhere!
What can we expect to hear from you in the future?
More crazy music, more beautiful music, I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon!
Entirely selfish question. When doing a ukulele workshop in the UK?
Will be doing a guitar workshop in November 2009, but no uke plans at the moment, unless duty calls…..
Bob’s ukulele workshops will be taking place in Ben Lomond, CA on July 25th and 26th and August 1st and 2nd. You can find out more and register on his website. And you can contact him with a barrage of requests for ukulele workshops in the UK here.
