Before we get down to business, two bits of news.
1) Jimmy from The Bobby McGee’s has recorded a jingle for the blog and here it is:
Just don’t visit www.ukehunt.com.
2) If you visited the London Uke Fest and enjoyed it, vote for it in the UK Festival Awards.
This week’s videos include L’Uke and GUGUG trying desperately not to smile, Pilar Diaz, Susie Asado, a rollocking version of the Benny Hill Theme on a Tahitian ukulele and plenty more. Read the rest of this entry »
Since I’ve been busy battling Mafia goons, shooting rabid dogs and swimming round Venice in hotpants I haven’t been keeping up with new videos, so I thought I’d knock together a post of my favourite uke videos of the year so far. Feel free to chime in with you faves and call me an asshat for not including them.
For the record, my favourite non-uke videos of the year so far are The Tallest Man on Earth in the Secret Garden, Emily Elbert’s Silent Time and Dead Weather’s Treat Me Like Your Mother Read the rest of this entry »
Last but not least is the band’s singer/songwriter/uker/costumier Eleanor.
What made you first buy a uke?
I was at a Herman Dune gig at quite a big venue in Brighton and halfway through their set they put down the electric guitars and bass and stepped away from the microphones, I think the drummer probably went and had a cup of tea or something, and the guy with the long beard sang a little song on this tiny little guitar completely acoustically and everyone in the gig was silent, it was pretty full, and we all leant forward to try and hear what he was singing and I thought.. ‘I want people to feel like this when we’re playing!’. So at the end of the gig I went and asked him what his tiny guitar was called..
What are the biggest differences between the songs you write and the songs Jimmy writes? Do you ever write together?
I think it’s quite easy to tell which songs are mine and which songs are Jimmy’s as Jimmy writes all the ones with shouting and swearing and I write the sweet girly ones – I’d love to be radical and say it was the other way round but it’s not! Actually Jimmy writes a lot of sweet songs too and I have one song that’s not on the album about the twins ‘Mary-Kate and Ashley’ which is probably filthier than anything Jimmy’s ever written.. I think some of the best songs we have are where Jimmy’s written his part and I’ve written my part and so there’s a real contrast between the two styles within the same song.
The look is a big part of The Bobby McGee’s. How did that come about?
Me and Jimmy both love dressing up. One of our favourite hobbies is rooting around in charity shops together looking for vintage treasures, and when we were first playing together I used to alter and customise vintage clothes for us to perform in. Then I got carried away and started a little fashion label called ‘Dig For Victory!‘ which is dedicated to making fun clothes from peoples old curtains and duvet covers – you find the most amazing fabrics there. The make-up extends the joy of dressing up, of putting on a different suit and feeling like a different character, and it means that the audience can see from the minute we step on stage what we are about. I also think that if you’re performing on stage you have to make some kind of decision about what to wear and why not give the audience a visual treat to go with the music? Also it distracts from my poor ukulele playing!
Do you come from a musical family?
Kind of. My dad has a very good ear for music and when I was little I used to think that my grandad could play any piece of music on any musical instrument in the world! Then I remember as a teenager playing Tori Amos songs to him on the piano and he couldn’t get the rhythm- it was very disillusioning. He has a real passion for classical music though and music has always been around in my family, as I hope it is in most families, and some of the music my parents listen to which I teased them about as a teenager I’ve grown up to love.
Which three songs does everyone need to hear?
‘1,2,3 steps to happiness’ by Myrtle because it’s about how to be happy and everyone should have a go at that, ‘Cowboys’ by Charles Latham because he is a wonderful songwriter and anything by MJ Hibbet because he plays uke and all his songs make me smile.
How do you put up with Jimmy? And why?
I don’t know!! But I think it’s worth it.. :-)
The Cairns Ukulele Festival seems to have been turned into a political football. It looks like local politicians became involved (always bad news) – and Bosko and Honey are no longer involved in organising it. Understandably, the prospect of funding a ukulele festival didn’t go down well with the uke-ignorant tax payers. This article in the Cairns Post, complete with mocked up photo of the mayor of Cairns, attracted plenty of uke-bashing comments from people with an obvious axe to grind:
“Do the investors in five star hotels, restaurants and first class tourist facilities really want the town to be inundated with combi vans, floral shirts and ukeleles complete with eskies of mung beans, coconuts and happy weed?”
“Now come on everybody what is this woman on ??? we’ve voted and paying for a complete Idiot with the imagination and common sense of a dead cane toad.”
And it ruffled a few pro-uke feathers – as you can tell by the subsequent comments. The counter insurgency obviously worked as the paper then printed this article and this was the front of the magazine. And now the mayor has gone on a publicity offensive. All this entertainment and the festival still an entire year away.
Jimmy has launched a Bobby McGee’s competition where you can win a t-shirt and a special edition of the album.
New Re-entrants CD: The Good, The Bad and the Ukulele.
Preview of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain documentary.
Halifax Ukulele Group has a pdf of camp fire songs.
I’ve only just noticed that Mark Occhionero is offering ukulele lessons by Skype. Seems like an excellent way to do things.
Ben Harper gives the gift of uke (via James Hill).
Video of the Vicenza Ukulele Festival and one of Ukelear Meltdown II including the quite brilliant Cat Green Bike.
A song for those of us in the small Venn diagram crossover between ukulele players and WordPress fans.
If you live outside the UK you can find the UOGB’s Ode to Joy tutorials here.
Zoe finds a simple solution to her ukulele storage problem.
Ukulele fever spreads to Thailand.
How to steal a ukulele in 10 easy steps.
The ukulele vs recorder story is doing the rounds in the UK press again. Here’s what the Telegraph said this week and here’s what they said two years ago. I hope that’s not a typo and the headteacher’s name really is ‘Barabara’ – I hope the kids taunt her with this song. Although when your school is called ‘Rood End’ you’ve probably got all the fun you need right there.
And so ends a rather cynical and world-weary edition of Friday Links. I think it might be due to reading Flat Earth News.
Becca is the latest addition to the Bobby McGee’s and is described by Jimmy as a combination of, “my looks and Eleanor’s ukulele ability.” Not content with that description, I grilled Becca for some more details.
How did you come to join the Bobby McGee’s?
I saw Jim and El play in my Fresher’s week, and then met them through a mutual friend; before I knew it we were sharing a flat and they were badgering me about playing saxophone with them. For a long time I refused, but when they told me they were playing on BBC 6 Music, I realised that my secret ambition had always been to play with them.
You’ve added ukulele to the long list of instruments you play. How does it compare?
I definitely love the uke a lot. It has a style and tone all of its own, and it’s been inspiring to listen to some older ukulele stuff, and realise there’s a long tradition of music which goes all the way back to its home in Hawaii. I like that the uke is still rooted in this particular tradition; it lends itself to a different sort of music than a lot of instruments. That said, all the instruments I play do different things, and while I enjoy playing some more than others, the rest of the band seem to like the overall result.
How on earth do you get a tune out of a saw? It seems like the hardest instrument to learn.
I think it’s a lot like bass, easy to be not very good at (like me!) and very hard to play well (see the Hot Potato Syncopators for example). The basics are not really that tricky: you start by putting the saw between your legs, with the teeth facing in; then you just have to bend the saw into an S shape and find the harmonics with some sort of bow, and then shake parts of your body to make the vibrato sound. If that makes it all sound a bit pervy, it’s because it kind of is!
Which three songs does everyone need to hear?
Since seeing them at Glastonbury I’ve been singing Art Brut non-stop; they were so good. My current favourite is ‘Slapdash for no cash’ about how over-produced music is a waste of time; the whole new record is great but I’d recommend having a look on you-tube for it too, cos Eddie Argos always seems to tell different little stories in the middle. Also everyone needs to hear Eleanor’s song ‘Mary Kate and Ashley’, she hates playing it because it’s really dark and disturbing, but I think it’s an important critique of body culture and commodity fetishism! Sadly it’s not on the new album but hopefully next time. And Graves by The Stars Down to Earth, they’re one of the best Brighton bands I’ve heard for ages, oh apart from the Tulips, who are also great. Argh! Three isn’t enough!
How do you put up with Jimmy? And why?
He really hates it when you pinch him on the bottom of his arms (the triceps is it?); it seems to get him to do what I want most of the time. But most of the time he’s okay actually, I think when he puts the make-up on he becomes more evil! Also I like playing music that’s a bit different; that encourages the audience to take part, have a dance, and hopefully go away and write their own songs. And Jimmy’s very into that, which is great.
Dominator
Ukulele Dav
Des Cordes et Du Bois
PDF Minstrel
Ukulele & Languages
Kiwi Ukulele
Ukulelia
Ukulele Club de France
UkeToob
Humble Uker
Ukulele Underground
Live ‘Ukulele
Mighty Ukulele
Play By Ear
Mighty Ukulele
Todd Baio
The Bobby McGee’s
Will Grove-White – Solo project of Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain member.
James Hill
Howlin’ Hobbit
The Re-entrants
Craig Robertson
Sophie Madeleine
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
Brockley Ukulele Group
Halifax Ukulele Gang – “Ukulele information, site reviews, etc. and the home for the Halifax Ukulele Gang, a monthly strummers club located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada”
Hull Ukulele Group
Melbourne Ukulele Kollective – “The Melbourne Ukulele Kollective began in 2004 and is the first ukulele group in Australia. The “MUK” is open to all who wish to join Her, regardless of experience, and they delight in crossing musical borders, smashing conceptual boundaries and raising the humble ukulele to new and outlandish heights! They perform in fringe and music festivals, pubs, clubs, race courses, parks, theatres, schools, squats and the streets. Let There Be Uke!”
Monday Ukearist – “‘Monday Ukearist’ is Edinburgh’s new ukulele gathering. We get together once a fortnight at the Mackenzie School of English near the foot of Leith walk. Uke players of all abilities are welcome.”
Somerville/Cambridge MA Ukulele Meetup
Ukulele Ireland
Wigan Ukulele Club
Antebellum Instruments
Moore Bettah Ukuleles – Custom hand crafted koa ukuleles built on the Big Island of Hawaii by Chuck Moore
Guitar Pro – I use Guitar Pro 6 to make my tabs.
Power Tab – A free alternative to Guitar Pro. I find it hard to use and not as adaptable as Guitar Pro. But it is widely used.
Chordette: A set of ukulele chord fonts that you can use to create chord charts in word processors.
GoChords – Make uke chord charts on the web.
I spent a very pleasurable Saturday at the London Uke Festival and I’m now a world record holder.
The centrepiece of the day was an attempt to break the world record for largest ukulele ensemble. And it was a success. More than doubling the previous record with a total of 851. If you don’t believe it, here’s a tweet from the editor of the Guinness Book of Records confirming it. And if you don’t believe I was there, look at this picture (both photos on here are by matthewpurves). There I am. Plain as day.
Rather than bore you with the who-snogged-who tittle-tattle, I thought I’d let you in on what I found out from the day.
1. Ukers are good people.
The definite highlight of the festival for me was meeting up with so many fellow ukulelists: YouTubers, emailers, commentors, readers. It was a joy to meet you all. And a big thanks to everyone who came up and said nice things to me. I never know what to say to stuff like that – I don’t get much practice – but I really appreciate it.
A special mention to Alexandre of COULE (seen here chatting with Ken Middleton) who was representing for France and is a top guy.
And do you know who’s really lovely? Kathy Clugston.
2. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are adored.
No surprises that the UOGB drew the biggest crowd of the day. And the reception they got was incredible.
They’ve obviously been a huge influence on the current revival of ukulele in the UK: big groups, covers, humour, inventiveness, eccentricity. There’s not much arguing with their star status (which will no doubt only increase with their performance at The Proms).
3. Being the soundman in a venue that wasn’t designed for it must be a nightmare task.
The only disappointment of the day* was the sound quality of the main stage. The festival took place in Devonshire Square – which is actually two connected courtyards. The first – which housed the main stage – is very enclosed with six-storey high buildings on all sides and a roof on top. It wasn’t built with ukulele gigs in mind. And the sound was terrible. Echos flying all over the place. Krabbers did a full reccy of the area looking for a spot where the sound was acceptable – he didn’t find it. You can get a good idea what the sound was like from this video.
Early acts like the Bobby McGee’s and The Re-Entrants were impossible to hear. A huge shame. It also made it impossible for most people to follow what was going on during the world record attempt.
The sound did improve later on, but it was still a long way from doing the performers justice.
The second performance area – used for the amatuer acts – was much more open, ukulele-friendly and had a nice, laidback vibe (and overpriced food – but you have to expect some gouging at these events).
This video does a very good job of summing up the feel of being at the event, the two areas and the feeling of seeing people you know but haven’t met yet (including me if you’re exceptionally eagle-eyed).
*Okay, there was one other disappointment: the non-presence of a few acts I would have had down as essential such as GUGUG and The Half Sisters.
4. The world needs to watch out for the Sugarsnap Sisters.
The Uke Festival was the great unveiling of the trio of Tricity Vogue, Cousin Alice and Honey Mink (who does a very funny mock-impressed face). And what an unveiling it was. They’re like the Andrews Sisters with lipstick and Suzi Quattro poses. Not to be missed.
My brother compelled me to tell you that they were his favourite act of the day. And I have to agree with him. Your next chance to catch them is at the Paris Uke Fest.
5. Ian Re-entrant does a bang-on impression of Jimmy McGee
I hope he’s going to be putting it up on YouTube soon.
The Re-Entrants had to dash off to play at a water polo tournament. I should make clear, they were playing ukes there.
6. Trying to chat normally to a Scotsman in full face paint isn’t as disconcerting as you would expect.
I finally got to meet Jimmy of the Bobby McGee’s at the Uke Fest. He wanted me to show him how to play Rockabilly Roustabout which was a bad move as I never bother memorizing my own tunes – seems a waste of brain space.
I got to try out his KoAloha. Very nicely put together piece of kit. But reminded me why I prefer tenors with slightly higher action.
7. The ukulele manufacturers missed a trick.
The only presence from uke sellers was Duke of Uke (which was only a short walk from the venue) and Pete Howlett. With most of England’s ukulele movers and shakers in attendance checking out each other’s ukes, it seems like a missed opportunity for them to have done a handy bit of influencing. Having said that…
8. Ohana did a smart thing hiring Ken Middleton
Although he wasn’t there is in official capacity, Ken was there. He knows his stuff and he’s rightfully respected in the ukulele community
9. It brings joy to my heart to walk around and hear ukes being strummed.
Not seasoned performers pulling out the tricks. Just people plunking away mindlessly. Lovely sound.
10. I love walking around London. I’d hate to live there.
We took a few breaks from the festival to wander round the city – including a trip to Duke of Uke – and it was great. The architecture in particular. Old, forceful, square-sholdered buildings next to towering glass – there’s no getting around it – phalluses. It’s a pretty obvious sign of the way London big-wigs see themselves having changed over time.
Trite as it may be, it’s always strange to turn a corner and go from wide boulavards and pristine buildings where fortunes are made and – mainly – lost to stinking streets full of run-down shops.
The most magnificent sight of the day was watching a huge pane of glass being accidently dropped to the floor in Shoreditch. Glorious.
But, being a sensitive flower, it’s all a bit much and I was happy to return to my lair and resume attempts to Keyser Soze myself.
Things I already knew:
– I can’t reliably play three chords in the right order. There’s a reason that all my videos are about 1 minute long; it’s because that’s my concentration span. After that my mind wanders onto thoughts of aeroplanes, hats and that cute girl in the sailor suit.
– If I attempt to carry a ukulele through a train station it will be bashed against door frames, pillars and the heads of small children.
Ken Middleton has released his first ukulele ebook: 12 Tunes for Bluegrass Ukulele. If you’ve been following his videos and his tabs, you’ll know he makes great arrangements and this ebook is definitely no exception.
Last chance to sign up for my How to Play Fingerpicking Ukulele mini-course – it’ll be taken down tomorrow (Saturday).
Jake Wildwood has a new album out and you can download it for free on his website.
The London Uke Festival people are keeping tight-lipped about who’s on the bill. They have a couple of acts listed here. My team of private investigators reveal the expected presence of The Bobby McGee’s, Joe Brown, The Re-Entrants, The Sugarsnap Sister (including Tricity Vogue and Cousin Alice) and a “smattering” of the UOGB. But the most interesting part for me is that I’ve always felt there’s a big disconnection between the London ukulele scene and the online ukulele scene. So it’d be nice to get together and be one big family. Or, failing that, have a Sharks-vs-Jets style dance-fight. If you’re feeling generous, you can sponsor my part in the festival here.
If you missed Dent May’s debut EP first time around, you’ve got a second chance to download it here. And you can watch a performance and interview from SXSW.
Armelle’s fascinating trip around the world of ukulele languages continues with Girls Aloud in Latin and a trip to Oceania. You can catch up with the full list here.
At the risk of starting a bidding war between Emily and Zoe, last week’s moustache ukulele is available to buy here.
This new uke website has popped up. Not much there yet but thought I better mention it before I forget.
Build your own ukulele speakerdog (via Ukulelia).
KDUS has animals doing people things – including playing the uke.
I usually only link to photos I can say something droll about. But I’m linking to these because they’re rather beautiful and they give me a light boner*: You might sleep, but you’ll never dream, Untitled, Ukulele.
*Yes, that link is safe for work. What’s going on in your head?
Hot Potato Syncopators – I’m in the Mood for Love (MP3)
Hot Potato Syncopators – Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head (MP3)
Hot Potato Syncopators – Bye Bye Blues (MP3) via their website.
Some traditional ukulele fare from the Hot Potato Syncopators. The Hot Potato’s Duke Marmapantz is something of a ukulele legend being an occasional stand-in uke for the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and mentor to Jimmy of the Bobby McGee’s.
In the ukulele harmonics post I promised tab for a harmonics only version of Silent Night. I hope you’ve been practicing the stuff in that post, because here it is. And it’s tricky.
This version starts off fairly easy. The natural harmonics at the twelfth fret shouldn’t cause too many difficulties. It’s much more difficult to get clean harmonics at the fifth and seventh frets.
In bar 14 the artificial harmonics start. here you have to keep track of where both your left and right hands are. I find it easier to start the artificial harmonic technique at the beginning of bar 13 to avoid switching hands quickly.
The hardest note in the entire piece is the first note in bar 18. You have to fret the A string with your left hand and play a harmonic at the eighth fret (seven frets above the note you’re playing). It’s very difficult to get that one to sound cleanly.
Even though it’s tricky, I think it’s worth playing. The harmonics give it a Christmas bell feel to it.
If you want a non-harmonic, easy to play tab of Silent Night there’s one in my Christmas ukulele ebook.
This work by Ukulele Hunt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Another Harmonic Tune
After my harmonic post Jimmy of the Bobby McGee’s suggested Popcorn as another tune that sounds great with harmonics. And he’s absolutely right.
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