It’s tricky to get this one up to tempo without a pick, but the riff works quite well on uke. The rest of the song though…
Suggested by Scorpion and mackral.
Will Grove- White & The Others – Sally Ann (MP3)
Via his website (where you can pick up two more free mp3s)
Will Grove-White has been the youngest (and handsomest) member of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain since he joined them in 1989. He has just put out a solo album Will Grove-White & The Others and kindly agreed to chat about lost ukes, Pebble Mill and strum holes.
How did you get involved with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain?
I joined when I was 16, in 1989. I’d not been tempted to take the guitar path at school and so I formed a little uke trio, playing 1920s and 30s stuff. I read about the Ukulele Orchestra in a newspaper and became a total fan. From then on I always went to see them play in this pub in north London, started pestering them for music after gigs, and when someone left the band I was asked to join. I started off as a quiet little lad, just strumming, but began singing after a year or so, and have ended up mostly squawking gibberish. I had to get the day off school do my first gig, we played ‘Chinatown, My Chinatown‘ on Pebble Mill at One, with Ronnie Spector watching us.
What was the impetus for your solo project?
In recent years, the Ukes has become more of a full-time job, making it harder for all of us to do other work, as the Orchestra’s demands grow and grow. I now find myself, at 35, a full-time Ukulele player – not something I ever thought I’d say, of course – I used to have a proper job. This album was really about seeing what it would sound like if I did something on my own, that could sit happily alongside the Ukes. The impetus was really from my wife, who kept telling me to get on with it.
What can we expect from your solo stuff?
Well, of course there are Ukuleles, but also plenty of other much maligned and overlooked instruments – the Musical Saw, Tuba, Melodica, Clarinet and Cardboard Boxes. I wish more mainstream musicians would cast their nets a bit wider in their choices of instruments. Bass, guitar and drums is a pretty tired formula. I think I can say it’s a good-time album, upbeat and optimistic – sort of Sid James meets Hoagy Carmichael and Tom Waits at a bluegrass concert.
What are your three favourite songs to play on ukulele?
Tricky question, but three I like are: Robert Johnson’s ‘They’re Red Hot‘, otherwise known as ‘Hot Tamales’, in C, really falls off the fingers; Syd Barrett’s ‘Here I Go‘ was the first song I worked out for myself on the uke; and at the moment I’m a big fan of the Ukes version of Limehouse Blues, a real mad strum-fest which should appear on an album soon I hope.
What’s in your ukulele collection?
I mostly play my Martin Ukulele which I got from a second-hand shop after I left my old Martin on the Tube (it was given to me by Ian Whitcomb). I’d fallen asleep and woke up at my stop, rushed off the Tube and only realised I’d left it when the train was gone. No-one ever handed it in, I always
imagine some guy picking it up and thinking, “Oh, a toy guitar! My kid will like this”… it was a pretty terrible day. Since then I’ve added some geared tuners (shock, horror!) to keep it in tune with the bashing I give it (I’m aiming to strum a hole in it buy 2010).
I recently got an Ohana uke from the Ukulele Shop which has a great sound for the price.
As spares we carry flat, black Bruko ukes, which we got from the eccentric Thomas Allander (Ukulelemannen) when we were in Stockholm. They’re Black Maple Ukes (S001) and are great for throwing in a suitcase. You can even post it to your friends through the letterbox. Other than that I mostly own old battered ukes that decorate the bookshelves, and even a few old banjo-ukes that get the occasional outing…
What advice do you have for the wannabe international ukulele superstars?
Pick some good fellow band members, who you can envisage sitting with for hours and hours on a bus, then a train, then a plane, then a bus, then another train, then another bus, and then share a room with. And never fart in the dressing room.
What can we expect from you and from the UOGB in the future?
At some point soon I’ll start more recording of my own, and get some live shows together with The Others. As far as the Ukes go, a hectic gigging schedule looms, lots of stuff in Britain, as well as Germany, Sweden and Austria, also some interesting new projects coming up next year. Right now
we’re in the final stages of assembling our first live CD – to be titled ‘Live in London #1‘ – which should be ready in the next month or two. I think it’s a real cracker, really captures the whole spirit of the band in a way we haven’t quite done on a CD before. And after that, of course, we shall all be enjoying a nice quiet Christmas together.
You can buy Will Grove-White & The Others on the UOGB site and visit his website here.
A popular one for covers, this one with versions by Marilyn Manson, Johnny Cash and Richard Cheese being the most famous.
When you do the pull-offs in this one, try to give the string a bit of a bend before letting go of it.
Suggested by UkeJill.
It’s not often I feature two videos by the same person in one week, but I’ve made an exception for Izumi. I’ve moaned about the bland, easy listening nature of most modern Hawaiian music before, but I love the traditional stuff. The Hawaiian yodel is one of those love-it-or-hate-it sounds. Personally, I think it’s beautiful and Izumi’s voice is incredible.
I was going to include Bosko and Honey’s Seven Nation Army but embedding is outlawed. You’ve seen it already though, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Pineapples and kiwis not to your taste? How’s about a watermelon ukulele from Kala?
Another seller thinning their collection, this time in the UK. Current picks include an adorable Gibson banjo-uke and a decorative Favilla with suspiciously blurry photos.
Plenty of stars put their name and face on a plastic ukulele, but Jimmy Durante? (Net research suggests Durante and Clark Gable were taught the uke by Bill Tapia).
A more understandable endorsement with this Johnny Marvin Professional. I think that bridge is supposed to be the shape of on aeroplane but it looks more like a goldfish playing the harmonica to me.
This week’s most staggeringly over priced ukes: Baritone Maccaferri Islander starting at $300, Swagerty Surf-a-lele for $400 and whatever this is supposed to be for $8,000.
Not a great deal to report on this week.
Aldrine is doing live ukulele lessons. If you missed the first one, you can find it here. On a related note, I’m changing the official Uke Hunt review policy while I still have some friends left: I’m not reviewing anyone’s music. I’ll be sticking to the usual Monday Exposure type thing from now on.
Play Well With Others wants to know your favourite jam tunes.
Play the ukulele on your iPhone.
UAS Warning: Secured Premises.
Is playing the ukulele just for girls?
Stark Online has a track from the new Rio en Medio album.
Amy Crehore is having a sale on her ukulele t-shirt.
Colin Murray (Radio 1 DJ) plays the new Oasis song on his uke (put down the plectrum, Murray).
This was the riff back in the day when I was in a band. As well as the riff, it has one of the all time classic guitar solos c/o Sideshow Bob.
There is a bit of a cheat in this tab. To be accurate, the last note in the riff should be both strings played at the eleventh fret. But that’s far too much of a jump.
I’ve been mildly obsessed with The Clash’s Straight to Hell since Cover Lay Down (one of my favourite mp3 blogs) posted a batch of cover versions of it. This riff only crops up briefly in the original song but was made more recognisible thanks to it’s use in M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. By the by, if anyone invites you to their serial killer warehouse, probably best to politely decline.
It’s important to make sure the notes in this riff are played staccato (i.e. they only sound very briefly). The easiest way to do this is it to fingerpick all the notes and mute them with your picking fingers.
This one is incredibly late for the Ukulele Tribute to The Cure. I’m amazed no one did a cover of this as it works very well on the uke.
For those who thought my version of Don’t Fear the Reaper needed more cowbell.
UPDATE: Grant Lee Phillips used a uke in his cover of the tune (Thanks to Anna for the heads up).
Minor Constellations – Ending (MP3)
Minor Constellations – Cassette (MP3)
Minor Constellations – Why Tattoos Are Dangerous (MP3) via MySpace
Like any sane and right thinking person, I hate MySpace with every available sinew. But occasionally I come across something so good it makes me want to give Rupert Murdoch a big, sloppy kiss.
When I stumbled across Minor Constellations’ MySpace, I was knocked out by the quality of the songs.
Minor Constellations is 17 year old Dean Engle and I caught up with him to drill him for more information. One look at his top five songs will tell you why I love his stuff and why you will too.
How long have you been making music and how did you get into playing the ukulele?
I have been writing seriously writing songs for less than two years. One of my best friends and I used to have a band called The Delicate Delegates. I wrote the lyrics and he played acoustic guitar. Neither one of us was particularly adept in our respective fields and my complete ignorance of any instrument besides the alto saxophone (which I have played for seven years) led to underwhelming bland acoustic emo.
The guitar seemed like a necessary instrument to master if I was ever going to fully realize the songs I could hear in my head. After months of C chords and G chords that made my hands hurt, I had made some progress, but not enough to write songs the way I wanted to. Also, I could not sing and play at the same time, which made the situation entirely frustrating.
In January, I decided that for my 17th birthday I wanted a ukulele. My decision to play was mildly influenced by Jen Lekman’s use of the uke in some live videos I had seen, but other than that wonderful Swede, I did not know of any other musicians who played uke until after I began playing. I have cited divine intervention as the source of my uniting with the ukulele, but proving this has been difficult.
Within two weeks, I performed at a school talent show playing a song I wrote on the ukulele called “Ending.” People were instantly intrigued by the uke, and I finally had an instrument which would allow me to write songs and play them the way I wanted to. And they really liked the song, which was encouraging.
So, Minor Constellations has only been around since January 2008, which is admittedly sort of impressive, I guess.
Which acts are your biggest influences?
My biggest influence by far is John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Many of my first songs were colored by his rhythmic, lyrical, and vocal style. Now, I like to think I have broken away a bit and started to develop my own style, but my beloved MGs are a constant inspiration.
Also, straight up radio pop music is a huge influence. One of the best songs I have heard in a long time is “Leavin’” by Jesse McCartney. There’s nothing better than a good melody.
Music from the fifties and the early rock and roll era are also hugely inspirational. “Sea of Love” has one of the best chord progressions ever and it’s G, B, C, A. I read some famous musician say that simple songs are the hardest to write, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Playing a C and then an F still sounds nice, even if it’s been done before literally millions of times. Originality, for me, comes from the stories and lyrics, not necessarily the uke playing, although recently I have been experimenting more as my skills have steadily improved.
Which are your five favorite songs?
1. “Let Me Clear My Throat” – DJ Kool
2. “When a Man Loves a Woman” – Percy Sledge
3. “Oh Comely” – Neutral Milk Hotel
4. “Baboon” – The Mountain Goats
5. “The One Dollar Thought” – Jens Lekman
Music with SOUL. That power that comes from subtle perfection. I strive for that, always, and hopefully one day will come close. If you feel a little different after listening to a song, I think that’s a good indication of greatness. And if you want to go back and listen again, I think that’s even better.
How did you get so good at writing lyrics?
I’m a big writer, and I used to write short stories. Eventually the skills I learned from my varied attempts at fiction writing began to seep into my songs. Also, I re-work my lyrics dozens of times until I find exactly the right syllable patterns and adjectives and allusions and alliteration and all of those sorts of literary devices. Many of the songs are directly inspired by situations in my life (“Invitation” is a recent example), so adding personal detail is easy, because the stories are my own. So, basically, I try really, really hard, so I’m really, really glad you think they’re good!
How can we get our hands on your music?
My music is all available for free. I record on my MP3 player’s voice recorder, so the tracks are a little rough, but if people want to listen, then I always try to get them whatever they want. I only really sell CDs at shows. Each one is five dollars and I color all over them with Sharpie markers and each is completely unique. I don’t like the concept of selling my songs, but it makes sense to sell a CD, since it’s sort of like art and at least a tangible product (hopefully that makes sense). Anyone who wants files can just message me and I’ll send them anything and everything they could possibly desire.
What are your plans for the future of Minor Constellations?
The future and present and past purpose of MC is:
To get as many people to hear my songs as possible and hopefully make those people happy.
I don’t record to make money. I record because I like sharing my songs. I could write ten CDs full of music, but if no one ever heard it, there would be no point. Every once in awhile, I have a show at someone’s house or at Border’s bookstore and all of my friends come and listen to me play for forty five minutes and then we sit around and talk and enjoy one another’s company. I write songs because I like telling stories, and as long as people listen, I’ll keep whining away.
You can visit Minor Constellations on MySpace, download the EP Some Songs I Know You Like here and, if you ask nicely, he’ll send you a batch more songs.
