Friday Links: Amy Crehore, Bobby McGees, Amos Brealy
February 20, 2009
Full close ups of Amy Crehore’s Dreamgirls and Ukuleles show. Demon, Slither, Lucky 13.
Bobby McGees advertising Film 4 with the lovely song When Father Died, Ferrets Licked Away the Tears. And Jimmy McGee advertising me and playing a ragtime tune.
New mass-ukulele record: 900.
Word on the web is that Tangi ukuleles are shutting up shop. So if you’ve had your eye on a Manini, don’t hang about.
Ken Middleton’s Bluegrass Reel and Kate Miccuci’s Dear, Deer and The King Blues’ My Boulder on Uker Tabs.
I don’t usually mention full album downloads, but I’ll make an exception for The Magic Ukulele of Roy Smeck on Cagedream since it’s only available in Japan. Assuage your guilt by buying Roy Smeck Plays Hawaiian Guitar, Banjo, Ukulele and Guitar.
Will some please buy Amanda Palmer a ukulele tuner. “It’s a toy instrument.” Gasp!
Splendid but NSFW. (Please direct all complaints to Heather).
Amos Brealy recounts his love for a George Formby impersonator.
Lacewood, More SpongeBob Ukuleles and Ethel Formby
October 17, 2008
Some ukes made of unusual wood this week. Kala have a new range of ukuleles with lacewood bodies and spruce tops including this concert and an eight string baritone. Then there’s this bamboo ukulele.
But you really can’t beat koa for a handsome uke. Just check out the grain on this Peter Bermudez and on the back of this KoAloha tenor.
Another week, another shape of SpongeBob SquarePants ukulele. This time it’s a pinapple ukulele. If The Simpsons is more your thing, there’s a pink ukulele featuring Maggie and Lisa.
Ukulele Photo of the Week: George’s kid sister Ethel Formby.
For fans of ukulele kitsch, there’s a ukulele dish.
Formby Dallas C, Gibson Style 3, Jonah Kumalae 3K: eBay Window Shopping
September 26, 2008
There’s a Dallas C banjo ukulele previously owned by George Formby on eBay UK. Asking price: £10,000.
“I’m thinning out my ukulele collection,” is a bit of an eBay mantra at the moment. Very good news for us window shoppers. This seller has some gems for sale including a Gibson Sytle 3 and a Jonah Kumalae 3K.
Pono are going all out with the frills and filigree for the PKC-500 ‘flagship model’. At $1,120, it ain’t cheap. But, according to MGM, it’s, “styled and built just like a Koolau model 500 which cost $7,785.00.” (Koolau make Ponos, so they should know how it’s done).
WIUO Ads, Ukepedia, Rolling Cocunuts and other Ukelinks
September 26, 2008
The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra are providing the music for, Kiwi merchants, Whitcoulls’ latest set of ads. You can watch two of them here and here. (Thanks to Mike for pointing it out).
Ukepedia: set a Wikipedia article to ukulele backing. Get involved here.
The Japanese ukulele magazine, Rolling Coconuts is bringing out a CD, Ukulele Now, with tasteful, understated artwork and tracks by Bosko and Honey, The Sweet Hollywaiians, IWAO and Ohta San. I’m also fairly sure the third track is Ayano Tsuji, if anyone can confirm that.
The forthcoming Beatles ukulele chord book I mentioned a few weeks ago has now forthcome. whilst a new film sets the record straight about George Formby’s towering influence over John Lennon. Although he was no good at cleaning windows.
Warren Buffett will play ukulele as the economy burns
Vote for Uni and Her Ukulele in the SF Readers Poll (via KDUS.
Make money on YouTube playing your ukulele. Word to the wise, I can tell you from experience the Amazon affiliate program sucks gigantic monkey balls.
It All Started with Carbon Monoxide has an mp3 from The Pierces.
Looks like the ukulele is proper fashionable. Even the models are pouting at them and taking them for a good, old fashioned jump through the desert.
Wii Ukulele
September 12, 2008
For everyone who’s been desperately awaiting Ukulele Hero, there’s a new ad for a ukulele Wii game (thanks Wes).
Mark Kailana Nelson has posted his tab for Moloka’i Waltz on Uker Tabs. You can buy a bunch more of his arrangements of Hawaiian tunes here (and there’s a free pdf of Hawaiian turnarounds there too) and, of course, his Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele (highly recommended).
The ukulele owned by Georges Formby and Harrison which sold for £45,000 has been donated to the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. But the George Formby Society are suggesting that Formby never actually owned it.
In other George news, ilovefizzypop has the chords for When I’m Cleaning Windows. And I intend to steal this joke at the earliest opportunity (via Ukulazy.
If you’re ready to start having fun, Roy Sakuma is ready for you.
Coverville has a podcast of ukulele covers and das klienicum has tracks from the upcoming entertainmentforthebraindead record.
Ukulele Evangelist discusses how to get the most out of your strings.
New Snake Suspenderz “rehearsal tapes”
George Formby’s uke, Bosko and Honey and Others
May 30, 2008
George Formby’s Abbott Monarch “Little Strad” banjolele (as used for recording When I’m Cleaning Windows along with many others) is up for auction at Bonhams in London next month. The estimate is £45,000 (via BBC). Also up for sale is a Dallas E banjolele formerly owned by both Formby and George Harrison (via Uncut).
Bosko and Honey talk about their Ukulele Safari on Ukulele Spotlight (mp3 link).
After a bit of lull with the Tribute to REM season, Le Soir is back on top form with decent performances from famous people like Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly and The Wombats; and great sessions from people I’ve never heard of like Timesbold and Cocoon.
There’s still a little time to enter Ukulele Review’s logo contest and plenty of time to enter buy a ukulele video contest.
St Matthew Passion on the Ukulele(MP3 link).*
Does the size of your ukulele stop you showing it to a girl? UPDATE: He should read the Dating Advice from Ukulele Players (includes Uke Hunt faves Jen Kwok and Sweet Soubrette).
Chords for Queen’s Dont Stop Me Now courtesy of Andy.
*I spent so long working this one out the moment has long gone, still…
George Formby – Why Don’t Women Like Me?
May 26, 2008
George Formby – Why Don\’t Women Like Me? (Chords)
There must be something about the 26th May. Today is the birthday of Mike Dickison, Gary from Ukulelia and Mark Occhionero. Happy Birthday, guys!
It also happens to be the birthday of George Formby. For those of an American persuasion, George Formby is the UK’s version of Tiny Tim: gormless, surprisingly popular and synonymous with the ukulele. Like with Tiny Tim in the US, UK ukulelists get sick of George Formby references whenever the subject of the uke comes up. But looking on the bright side, unlike Tiny Tim, George Formby had some serious uke skills. Most of his songs have a serious solo and it’s well worth any uke player picking up some of his techniques. I quick often skip ahead to the solo when one of his tracks is on; they’re full of interesting syncopations. Matthew Richards has a very well explained tutorial on how to play George Formby’s split stroke here.
George Formby is almost exclusively associated with the banjo ukulele, but he was no stranger to the wooden ukulele. As proved by the clip of Why Don’t Women Like Me?.
Why Don’t Women Like Me? is one of my favourite Formby songs; mostly because it namechecks Lady William Hamilton. You don’t get that with Natasha Beddingfield.
It’s the version in the video, shorter than the recorded version, that I’ve written up in the chords. The first thing to notice is that he’s in D-tuning (which he used pretty much exclusively). If you prefer, you can stay in C-tuning and use the chord shapes that you’re familiar with. Other than that, the chords are pretty straight forward.
The most important thing to remember when playing Formby: don’t come in too early with your grin.
Julia Nunes, Clara Belle, George Formby and More
May 24, 2008
Featured videos from Julia Nunes, Clara Belle, George Formby and plenty of others.
Julia Nunes and Danny Tieger – Sunburnt Hand [Read more]
Ukuleles in California, Italy and Seattle
May 2, 2008
Ukulele Tonya reports on the Northern Californian Ukulele Festival including Dominator who has a new tab of James Hill’s take on One Note Samba.
Sweetafton23 joins Jonathan Coulton on stage.
Two Italian ukulele sites: The Italian Ukulele Committee and UKEit.
Listen to a George Formby documentary including his contribution to the anti-apartheid movement. I hope Kelso folk club were listening.
Bob Dylan’s Tangled Up In Blue on Uker Tabs.
Ukulele in the movies: Faye Dunaway helps Stanley achieve his dream of playing the ukulele on a Hawaiian Cruise ship (Part 1, Part 2 – most of the uke action is in part 2). “You’re fully fledged, certified, officialized ukesters now. Members of that glorious musical elite.”
Michael Leviton talks about the romance of the ukulele.
A sopranano?
There are plenty of chord charts out there. But this one you can sort by beauty.
A visit to the Kamaka factory.
Friday Links
October 26, 2007
A series of video tutorials on strumming in French – but you’ll get the idea (thanks to Jeff for the heads up).
Midnight Ukulele Disco has come up with another winner this week with a session from Hailey Wojcik.
John Harris continues The Guardian’s championing of the ukulele. Apparently, Morrissey was a big fan of George Formby and The Smiths edition of The South Bank Show kicked off with Formby (and Morrissey is officially the only man ever to be more northern than George Formby).
Harris’ article also mentions the View whose lead singer, Kyle Falconer, this week turned up with uke. He arrived onstage to fill Amy Winehouse’s high-heeled shoes to sing Valerie with Mark Ronson. You can watch the whole performance here (the uke makes an entrance at about 1 hour 10 mins).
The ‘ukulele kills the recorder’ story trundled on and even made it onto Have I Got News For You.
Grab an mp3 of Jens Lekman doing a ukulele version of Your Arms Around Me (as well as other tracks) on False 45th.
Check out the completed Hula Girl and her tiny uke on Leeward Lounge.
Princess Maxima of the Netherlands gets the gift of uke (click on ‘NA’ for the big action).
