Via Tanya, Sophie Madeleine: Saturday UkeTube
November 14, 2009
After a bit of a male dominated week last week, the girls are back in force
I was originally going to post Via Tanya’s video for Wonder Stranger but the version she did for Shoot the Player. Also this week: Sophie Madeleine doing my second favourite song of hers for a Crypt session (watch the whole session in dazzling HD here), Victoria Vox previewing a song from her next album and plenty more.
Devo/L’Uke & GUGUG – Girl U Want (Riff Tab)
November 1, 2009
I smiled quite a lot as well.
This tab is taken from GUGUG and L’Uke’s excellent version of the tune. I’ve tabbed up Gus’s part. Daniel’s playing the same thing but in the rather unusual E tuning (bEG#C#). Finn is playing the chord with an E under the riff.
And, of couse, I couldn’t resist working out the solo as well.
Those chords are also the ones in the, “Look at you with your mouth…” section. So that’s pretty much the whole song.
Part of the Guitar Riffs for Ukulele series.
Saturday UkeTube
September 26, 2009
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:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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 more]
Saturday UkeTube
May 30, 2009
The most interesting video this week is of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain being joined by Yusuf ‘Cat Stevens’ Islam for a version of Peace Train. You can watch the Uke’s other performance on the show here.
Also this week are GUGUG, Ukesysteemi (the 14-year old, Finnish, slightly fuckin’ awesome version of GUGUG) and the usual mix of old friends and new favourites.
One video that didn’t make the cut is this one by me. I’m all excited about going to see Imelda May tomorrow so I knocked out some rockabilly cliches and pulled some stupid faces. [Read more]
UkeTube: Rocky and Balls
February 21, 2009
I try not to feature two videos from the same act in a week, so I’m fudging it by having one video from Rocky and Balls and one from just Rocky or Balls (I give it about 3 weeks until they’re on Boing Boing). Along side them are plenty of old friends (including GUGUG, Jake Wildwood, the Bobby McGees and Rod Thomas doing a mashup of Same Old Lines and The Sign) and new faces (including Olivier Ruldry with some seriously smooth picking).
And I wanted to post this video because those two are superstars. But, well, I really hope she thinks she’s singing about lollipops. [Read more]
GUGUG Week: Get Carter Theme
November 30, 2008
As well as the chord songs, GUGUG put out a fair few instrumental overdub tracks – usually theme tunes. My personal favourite is their reworking of the Get Carter theme.
To play along with the GUGUG version, tune up a fret to G#C#FA#
And here’s the bass line (tabbed for bass in standard tuning).
Buy A GUGUG Ukulele Collection
November 28, 2008
Before we get down to business, Guitar Center are having a bit of a Black Friday blowout. Buy today and the code SAVE15 will get you 15% off (it doesn’t work on all ukes, but it does work on the Cordoba, Mitchell and Applause). They’re also advertising 10% on Saturday and Sunday with the coupon SAVE10, but you should be able to get the same deal all the way up to Christmas with the code TENOFF.
If you’re looking to build yourself a GUGUG style ukulele collection, the first thing you’ll want to do is stock up on plastic ukuleles. And you can usually pick them up on eBay fairly cheaply.
Right now there’s this TV Pal and this Flamingo.
With plastic ukes, you get extra marks for the original box. This Carnival comes with the original box – a different design to the GUGUG Carnival box (left).
As for non-plastic ukes, I only remember seeing Gus play two: the wildly extravagant Swinging Treholipee (as seen in the Daydream Believer) and a Bushman Jenny.
Fin’s collection, on the other hand, is much easier and cheaper to replicate. All you need is a red Mahalo and a Stagg.
Also on eBay this week…
Mahalo have started making a guitarlele. Very strange body shape and the sort of rock bottom price you’d expect from Mahalo.
Ukulele kitsch of the week: ukulele shades.
GUGUG Week: California Sun
November 27, 2008
GUGUG – California Sun (Chords)(PDF)
I couldn’t let GUGUG week go by without some reference to the Ramones (although this song was originally done by the Rivieras).
The chords for it are dead simple and so is the strumming. For most of the chords you can do a down, down, up, up, down. The only exception are the F and G chords on the, “…warm California sun” bit. For each of those do a down, down, up.
The tricky bit is the little riff at the end of each line of the verse.
GUGUG Week: Fin Raucous
November 27, 2008
Fin’s turn for some routine interrogation.
How did you and Gus get together?
I met Gus on my first day at Secondary school and we started jammin’ together a few years later. The fickle finger of fate I suppose.
What are your favourite songs to play on the uke?
All sorts of stuff really. At the moment my top tune is probably Guantanamo Bay by the Space Cretins but anything with a good beat will do.
What’s in your uke collection?
Just my trusty mahogany soprano Stagg and the old battered Mahalo I rode in on.
What tips do you have for anyone looking for YouTube ukulele stardom?
Pick a good tune and be creative but most of all enjoy yourself.
What plans do you have for your solo stuff?
To keep hammering it out and hope I don’t get an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) from the neighbours for my troubles.
Visit Fin’s YouTube channel.
GUGUG Week: Honolulu Baby (MP3)
November 26, 2008
Gus Raucous – Honolulu Baby (M4A)
Gus Raucous – Honolulu Baby (MP3)
An exclusive GUGUG track today (just one – it’s the same track in M4A and MP3 according to taste) featuring Gus and his overdub orchestra (overgug orchestra??). Honolulu Baby was made famous by Ty Parvis in Laurel and Hardy’s Sons of the Desert (watch it here) and has become a ukulele favourite. There are chords for it here (although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t by Laurel and Hardy).
If you thought Gus’s description of his musical history was exhaustive, you’d be wrong. He was also in The Cobras who recorded this slice of genius under the name Gustav Temple and the Blades. And you can watch him ukeing it up with Davie from The Cobras here.
