Dent May, Craig Chee, Sebi: Saturday UkeTube
November 7, 2009
Fewer videos than usual this week. Must be down to me being in a bad mood. I wasn’t even keen on Sophie Madeleine’s new one at first (it grew on me). And I dragged down the average by uploading five videos of my own.
If you want you fill-up of music, here are a few excellent non-uke videos:
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – Bobby Booshay
Lindi Ortega – I Never Loved a Man…
Tripping Lily – The Little Black Dress
[Read more]
Polka Dot Dot Dot, Zoe Lewis, Victoria Vox & BAS: Saturday UkeTube
October 24, 2009
This week’s must-subscribe channel is spankyukes. As well as being incredible strummers themselves, they roped in Zoe Lewis. Other videos include high slapping fun from Polka Dot Dot Dot (who seem to be keen hamboners), Victoria Vox hooking up with Boulder Acoustic Society, Ingrid Michaelson, Mad Tea Party and plenty more. [Read more]
Friday Links
May 29, 2009
Keep up ukulele players’ well deserved reputation for kindness and generosity and sponser me for my part in the London Uke Fest’s record attempt. A big thanks to Jeff, Josh, Art and Chris(who was incredibly generous) for opening the pot.
My Fingerpicking Ukulele mini-course is looking a bit tired and will be taken down next Friday. So if you’re interested, get in fast. It might be resurrected at some point in the future – possibly as part of an ebook.
Fantastic Moustaches of the World ukulele: Front, Back.
Play along live with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at the Albert Hall as part of the Proms. If you can’t wait until then to catch them, you can hear Hester on Radio 4’s The Afternoon Play on Monday and Peter on the album A Psychedelic Guide To Monsterism Island (The POP! Stereo has a track from it available for download).
A story about the rise of the ukulele in Singapore thanks to the efforts of Ukulele Movement.
Another Martin cropped up on Antiques Roadshow. Much more interesting than the last. It’s a one-off spruce top. If you can buy it for the appraised $4,000 bite his arm off – he is underestimating Martin collector’s craziness. (via Ukulelia)
Boy Meets World ukulele: Part 1, Part 2.
MP3s: Craig Robertson covers Ukulelezo. Fong Songs has two MP3s from Ukulele Force including James Hill’s version of Cantina Band. Out the Other has a couple of JuNu tracks.
Exceptionally easy ukulele quiz. I got 100%, bitches. Although it’s not entirely to be trusted: “That’s right. The next largest is the concert, the baritone and then the tenor.”
The Beatles Fest is going after the same mass-ukulele record as the London Uke Fest. They tried the same thing last year and managed 28.
Vertigo Smyth chords on Uker Tabs.
Bette Midler gives the Obama girls a ukulele.
Supermodel Pania Rose plays naked ukulele. Not particularly well, but it would have been remiss of me not to mention it. And she lists her favourite band as Beirut. Keep her away from me. She’d fall in love and it would be one big hassle.
And a whole bunch of naked ukulele models here.
Monday Exposure: Craig Robertson – DeChirico Street
January 26, 2009
Craig Robertson – Frontporch (MP3)
Craig Robertson – The Dark Derby (MP3)
Craig Robertson – Bleeding Love (MP3) via robertsonstudio.com
Craig Robertson towers over the ukulele scene. His Ukulele Noir and the Ukulele Caravan events have given a platform to some of the most exciting ukulele acts around including Hailey Wojcik, Michael Wagner and Megg Farrell. But, of course, there’s his own music and he has just released his latest CD DeChirico Street which he was kind enough to send me.
If you’ve been following Craig’s music, and you really should have been, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect: darkly humorous songs of love, drunkenness and death delivered with jazz chord progressions and a lived-in voice. Has a real knack for writing evocative and atmospheric songs and character focussed songs like Mamie Thurman and The Ballad of Blanche Barrow. He makes it all sound so easy and you start to wonder why all songs aren’t this good (until you try to write one and find out it’s impossible).
The standout tracks on the CD:
The Leopard: An instantly memorable tune about his penis/libido*.
Goodbye Paul Tibbets: If you’re going to write songs about death and murder, then Paul Tibbets is a very interesting candidate for a song. By taking it down to the personal level, it avoids the traps that most protest songs fall into. There are some excellent lines in this song that I don’t want to spoil by writing them down.
The Gate: A song inspired by Giorgio de Chirico’s Mystery and Melancholy of a Street (recreated on the back of a ukulele by Moogly Moo for the cover). The painting also inspired Robyn Hitchcock’s DeChirico Street and Craig finds equally dark and strange goings on with murder and a satanic getaway set to a Motown bass riff and a country-tinged chorus.
Buy DeChirico Street here and follow Craig’s blog here.
*Or it could just be a simple song of animal husbandry and I’ve just revealed far too much about my own penis/libido.
Friday Ukulele Links
December 19, 2008
Thanks to everyone who has bought How to Play Ukuleles for Peace already (six days left to get the ebook at the cheaper price). And an ever bigger thanks to everyone who promoted it including Valerie who made a video for Project 4 Awesome promoting UfP. I’m going to keep going on about this until everyone’s bought it – it’s my last chance for avoiding eternal damnation. I think the only way to counteract my lifetime of coveteousness, apostacy and making girls cry would be to bring peace to the Middle East.
If you were quick off the mark and downloaded an early version of So You’re Just Got Your First Ukulele, you might have found some of the links didn’t work (specifically, the ones with numbers in). It’s been fixed and you can download the new version here.
If you’ve been following UkeTube, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Jake Wildwood. As well as the old-timey songs, his videos always have him playing the gorgeous vintage instruments that he repairs and restores. And he’s now started a blog Antebellum Instruments. There’s already a healthy amount of ukulele pr0n including a Regal Soprano Ukulele.
Two excellent new ukulele CDs out: Craig Robertson’s DeChirico Street (buy it and get a free MP3 here) and Allo, Darlin’s Christmas EP (available on MySpace).
Friend of the blog, Tzu Ann discovered this Sapelele for sale whilst out Christmas shopping. It’s a cross between a uke and a sapeh.
New fish-tacos/ukulele song from Flight of the Conchords. (Thanks to Zak).
Wii Music creator Shigeru Miyamoto plays the ukulele in real life.
Bucky Greenhorn: Hollywood’s next leading man.
Bushman Ukulele Video Contest 2008 and other Ukulelinks
October 3, 2008
The Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest 2008 is now open for entries. First prize is $1,000 on account to spend on Bushman ukuleles.
I was idly browsing the Duke of Uke’s long list of celeb clients. Amongst the ukenoscenti was the unexpected name of John Barnes. I hope he ukes better than he raps.
Sex! Drugs! and Ukuleles! have a competition to win a Pono ukulele.
J-Hob has been doing sterling work on Uker Tabs this week with Joy Division’s She’s Lost Control and The White Stripes’ Offend In Every Way.
New song from Craig Robertson: download it on Ukulelia.
Rod Thomas’s Same Old Lines is available on iTunes.
Joanna Lumley attends a ukulele funeral.
Mad Tea Party find that people used to ask, “‘What is that little thing you’re playing?’ These days, the majority of comments are like, ‘Oh, I’ve started playing ukulele!’”
Ukulele techno sucks according to Amanda Palmer. Alison Goldfrapp ukulele sucks according to eveyone (click the left most peacock eye).
Night of 100 Ukes: Thursday 16th October at Otto’s Shrunken Head NYC. Featuring Hot Time Harv, Sweet Soubrette and the Shipwrecks and, I assume, 98 others.
Uke tabs from Singapore and Malaysia.
This machine mildly annoys fascists.
James Hill, Ukulele Masters, Emilyn Brodsky on Video
August 16, 2008
In this week’s videos: James Hill breaks out some hip hop beats and a pair a chopsticks, Byron Yasui, Lyle Ritz, Ledward Kaapana, Bob Brozman, Joel Eckhaus and Jim Beloff play together, while Craig Robertson and Phredd participate in Take Your Daughter to YouTube Day. [Read more]
Friday Ukulinklinks
May 9, 2008
Craig Robertson talks about and demonstrates the dark side of the ukulele.
Acoustic Guitar magazine has a player profile of Jake Shimabukuro (thanks Hughy).
UAS sufferers now have their own support group: the UAS Society.
Gary at Ukulelia on how he designed Warren Buffett’s ukulele.
Another chance to win a ukulele. This time by creating a logo for Ukulele Review.
Ukulele mp3s: Another uke playing Coulton fan Donna Maciocia (thanks to Graeme), weePOP has an mp3 from their latest signing Wonder for All (and many others), The Driftwood Singers Present Lyle Ritz.
The world was not ready for a ukulele/bassoon duo.
Ukulele Caravan Videos
April 19, 2008
Three performances from the Ukulele Caravan Tour (Alan Drogin, Craig Robertson and John Kavanagh) along with plenty more.
Alan Drogin – Classical Ukulele [Read more]
Maddi J, Evilhamster95, Elizabeth Darling
April 12, 2008
Videos from two quite sickeningly talented 12 year olds this week along with more gnarled and creased performers such as the New England Ukulele Orchestra, Aaron Keim, Victoria Vox and a bunch more.
