I love this little ukulele animation: Heart Strings.

New Releases: New covers EP from Leftover Cuties, Craig Robertson has a new album songs inspired by Film Noir titles, Corner Laughers’ Poppy Seeds. And Anne Janelle’s debut solo album is out – you may know her as James Hill’s partner Anne Davison and James ukes on a couple of the tracks.

Lil Rev talks about Ukuleles In Old Time Music. And here’s a direct link to the PDF.

The Britain’s Got Talent judges weren’t impressed with the kazookeylele but other uke acts did well. Loveable Rogues reached the final (international version and The Jive Aces made it to the semis (Non-UK version).

The Uke of Wallington is Radio 4′s book of the week (thanks to @pabloscott).

The Garfunkel and Oates App has chords for their songs.

Ukulele pins

On Uker Tabs: Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Take a Pebble

I lied to everyone and told them I could play the ukulele.

Tabby Extra

If you haven’t left a review yet, it would be great if you could because it can end up with just people who want to moan about their CD missing or slow delivery reviewing it: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA.

Jim Tranquada and John King’s The Ukulele: A History is available for pre-order on Amazon (and five months later and twice the price in the UK).

Luna’s ukulele suitcase amp is very handsome.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain have put a chord chart for their version of Hot Tamales (PDF link) and they’ve started a video tutorial series.

After the Creative Commons post I made a list of my Creative Commons tabs and whatnot.

Bossarocker’s ukulele shindig Levenshulme Uke Up is having it’s second meeting and it’s going to be a regular deal. So if you’re in the Manchester area head along.

Free Music: Vespers sampler, Bone and Bell EP, Ariel Rubin.

Videos: Shit People Say to Ukulele Players, Kazookeylele on Britain’s Got Talent.

Pictures: Buster Keaton, Felix the Cat, cat/ukulele tattoo.

On Uker Tabs: Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys

Kate Micucci romances Conan O’Brien ( alt. link thanks to @ukegnome).

I celebrated my 100th video with a cover of Napalm Death.

Google’s Project Glasses clearly has a glitch. It doesn’t set off a giant alarm when the wearer buys a ukulele book other than Ukulele for Dummies (thanks to Zym). (I covered that tune too).

Most popular ukulele videos in March.

Play Ukulele By Ear has three questions for Bob Brozman.

Pictures: Mr. Burns is a Ukulele Hero, Sad puppy, Ukulele rockstar trio, Pat Boone plays Superman a song (Thanks to PaulC), The Id and the Ukulele.

On Uker Tabs: Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl and Mumford & Sons’ The Cave.

Videos: Ukulele robot, ukulele/hurdy gurdy.

The Antiques Roadshow visits the Kamaka factory (from 20 minutes).

Pictures: Ukulele pixel art by Ben Lane, Ukulele rage comic, banjolele orgy, They Might Not Be Giants.

On Uker Tabs: Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box, Game Of Thrones Theme and James Hill’s Lying In Wait.

New album from Madeline Ava Still Gonna Be Fine.

Bosko & Honey and UKE on Australian radio.

Eddie Vedder announces first-ever UK solo shows.

Auckland noise control seizes ukulele.

Trailer for a Jake Shimabukuro documentary. According to the video description, “the World Premiere of this captivating documentary –PLAYING ONE NIGHT ONLY!” Bummer.

Remember that time in 2012 when someone decided to make a ukulele out of an iPad and and an iPhone and it sounded like a goat dragging a bag of conkers over a sheet of corrugated iron? Yeah, that was pretty funny.

The ‘… for Dummies’ people have an offer on their books every March. Right now on Amazon UK you can pick up a copy of Ukulele for Dummies at half price.

Howlin’ Hobbit has a new album of standards out Standards Issue. You can get it on his website – it’s currently ‘pay what you like’. It’s an excellent record, so great ukulele lines. Well worth throwing something in the hat.

Eff Barzley did a lovely ukulele session for I Am Fuel, You Are Friends.

Bossarocker is starting up a uke-up in Levenshulme (Manchester).

Garfunkel and Oates sum up the Independent Spirit Awards.

Vintage ukuleles (and a mandolin) in old movies (thanks to Ron Hale).

Strings made of spider silk (via HVDC).

On Uker Tabs: Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling, The Fruit Bats, Cake and The B***les.

The uke is so easy to play a chimpanzee or a dog or a duck or a cat could do it.

Keith Allen prepares for his meeting with Nick Griffin by playing the ukulele in the European Parliament (that link might not work outside the UK).

New Releases: Jacob Borschard has completed the Beach Boy’s album SMiLE with vocals and ukulele of his own and you can download it on his website, Garfunkel and Oates are Slippery When Moist.

If you’re ever thinking of doing one of those ‘cute ukulele girls‘ bits you might want to read this first.

George Clooney, “hums a Hawaiian ditty while playing the ukulele”. Apparently.

Portlandia demonstrates the relative portability of instruments with Joanna Newsom and a ukulele.

Pictures: Brian May, Robert Lindsay on a bike, Ukulele Squirrel

Valentines ukulele papercraft.

The UOGB answer fans’ questions.

Most popular ukulele videos of January 2012 including Walk Off the Earth, charlieissocoollike and that subway girl.

Gary Oldman discusses picking up the ukulele.

On Uker Tabs: Three solo arrangements – Mele Kalikimaka, Sweet Child O’ Mine and Here Comes the Sun.

Magical ukulele.

What’s your blues name?

Pictures: T-rex trying, ukulele bear.

Cognitive psychologist recommends ukulele playing: “If I had to do it over again, I might start with a ukelele, which has a conceptually simpler organization.” I’m not sure I agree with that though.

I don’t condone mindless ukulele destruction but it is quite beautiful is slow motion.

New releases: Michelle Blades’s Mariana, The Cairns Ukulele Festival CD with tracks from the Sweet Hollywaians, Victoria Vox and Brittni Paiva.

Vanilla Ice plays ukulele for hipsters (seems like the video only works in the US though), Warren Buffett ukes for the Chinese, and The Rock plays to promote his film.

Makers of the film The Descendants attempt to bribe Oscar judges with a ukulele. Although Brett McKenzie is the true uker’s choice for an Oscar.

The Ukes for UNICEF festival takes place in Berkhamsted (UK) on the 3rd March and features Uke Hunt friends Ken Middleton and Krabbers and plenty more.

Coverage of the industry-fest NAMM on Ukeeku and Ukulele Underground.

On Uker Tabs: Coheed and Cambria, Bombay Bicycle Club and Charlie McDonnell.

Pictures: Taylor Swift in Vogue, mustachioed paper valentine ukulelists.

How to learn the ukulele well enough to (almost) get you laid.

Jontom has released a new ebook 50 Licks for Ukulele.

Ukulele juggling (via @WillGroveWhite).

Pierce Brosnan endorses Kamoa (via Ukulovely).

The Netherlands has a new premier ukulele outlet The Jumping Flea Market run by The Uke Box.

Trying to make conversation at the Corktown Ukulele Jam (via loriroberge).

New releases: Manitoba Hal’s Flirting with Mermaids, Kahiwa’s Love Story, MeggFarrell’s Whiskey Social, The K’s Simple As That

Lou ‘Bossarocker off of the podcast’ Armer is promising one new song a week in 2012.

There are plans for building this five-string ukulele at the bottom of this page (via Herman Vandecauter).

Springsteen on Vedder and the ukulele.

The great strumming pattern video list.

Amongst the works that would have entered the public domain on 1st January under the law in 1978 is ukulele-club favourite Folsom Prison Blues. As it is, it is going to be under copyright until 2051.

Not ukulele related, but check out Sorie Kondi on Kickstarter. He’s a musician from Sierra Leone. He’s been invited to play at South by Southwest but needs to raise the money to make the trip. From his Kickstarter page:

Being born blind in such a poor country and never receiving any formal education would seem like enough hardship by itself. But then his life was uprooted in 1996 when civil war forced him to leave his home and seek refuge in Freetown. Despite the ongoing war, he began recording his first album there in 1998, and finished it after 4 months. But on January 6, 1999, the rebels staged a brutal assault on Freetown called Operation No Living Thing. Almost all the city’s residents fled to the bush. Sorie was abandoned, forced to hide inside his house for 5 days while much of the city was looted and burned down. When the dust settled, the master tapes had been lost and his career plans derailed. He decided to remain in the capital city, in a neighborhood called Fourah Bay, renting a one-room shack perched on a dangerously steep hill (dangerous, that is, even for a sighted person).

I wrote a bit about ukulele songs and cultural appropriation. The short version: the mock-Hawaiian songs from the early years of the ukulele-boom are really horrid.

Amazon US are offering $3 off my book Ukulele for Dummies (click where it says ‘Clip this coupon’).

The book of Ralph Shaw’s blog, The Ukulele Entertainer is out now.

More free Christmas ukulele tunes from Patsy Monteleone and Shiny and the Spoon.

Will from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain discusses the tracks of his years.

Oh shit, I own a Mahalo.

Good news for Aquila, bad news for cows. They can make real gut strings again (via @danieladuck).

It’s the best day ever to be a bartione player.

Learn pieces quicker backwards.

Ryan Gosling is Time’s Coolest Person of the Year mostly due to his ukulele playing.

Un Ukulélé pour Junior (you can buy it here)