Beatles Ukulele Chord Book, Ukulele Force and more Ukelinks

As if I didn’t blather on about the ukulele enough, I’ve gone and set up another ukulele site: Ukulele Online. The original idea came from all the Yahoo! Answers questions I was answering. I decided I was going to answer every single ukulele question that’s ever been asked online. Then I calmed down a little. So the blog is going to consist of Yahoo! Answers inspired questions and my rambling thoughts thereon. I put it on it’s own site because I didn’t want to clutter up Uke Hunt with it, a lot of it’s going to be obvious to Uke Hunt readers and it’s not the sort of thing you’ll want to subscribe to and read religiously – just there for people who need a particular question answered.

There’s a new Beatles for Ukulele chord book up for pre-order on Amazon (thanks to NashUkes)

The legendary Ukulele Force Star Wars cover album, is more talked about than it is listened to. It’s only available in Japan and if you can find an import, it’s massively expensive. But you can download a medley of clips here.

The new Hawaiian Edition of Ukulele Yes! is up. Thanks to Humble Uker for pointing it out (it’s worth subscribing for the excellent photos alone). It appears that, despite numerous attempts and assurances from the man himself, I’m still not on the mailing list. Epic fail, as I believe the kids say.

And speaking of cool uke photos.

Ukulele Underground find time to launch their latest competition to design a T-shirt in between days spent frolicking on the beach.

Rod Thomas’s Same Old Lines is now available for pre-order from Rough Trade. It’s going to the ukulele hit of the year. In five years time two months time it’ll be all like, “Noah and the what?” and stuff. So book now to avoid disappointment. You can also watch a fabulous but ukeless session here.

You’ve downloaded Jacob Borshard’s albums for free, now you can buy them on CD. And there’s a new album promised for November.

Pure Imagination chords on Uker Tabs.

Latest in the on going ukuleles/’picking up chicks’ debate: the Pick Up Artists are all playing the ukulele and The Be Arthurs get “a lot of [sexual] offers from 13-year-olds and 65-year-olds.” When I start my ‘pick up artist’ blog I think I’ll name it after this ukulele act.

Ukulele chord designer needed (edit: not anymore apparently).

We’re challenged to a uke off.

Jen Kwok, Uke Hunt Happenings and Other Ukulelinks

Gosh, it’s been quite a week for Uke Hunt. Probably one of my favourite blogging weeks ever. To stop this post being too self obsessed, I’ll keep it brief. This week I’ve: been mentioned in the New York Times, been asked if I want to work on a real life ukulele book by a real life publisher, been banned from ezFolk, and found out I had a world exclusive on the review of Clone Wars which had unwittingly meant the BBC was breaking the Clone Wars review embargo (a guy from the BBC emailed me telling me they’ve temporarily taken the video down and wanted to know how I found the Kermode uke post two weeks before they published it). I haven’t stopped laughing all week.

You might not have realised it from my previous references to it, but the NY Times article wasn’t entirely about me. It was mostly about Jen Kwok. Congrats, Jen. Now she’s a big star, we can say we knew her back when she was making uke playing, pipe cleaner dolls fellate Rabbi Bob L. Mensch.

I have to take umbrage at Jim Beloff’s quote in the article: “If you were a poor guitar player, you suddenly become a pretty good uke player.” If you’re a lousy musician, you’re a lousy musician on any instrument. Perhaps the ukulele will suit you more, but the idea that you automatically become better when you play the ukulele is bullshit.

Speaking of which, Gawker calls bullshit on the ukulele trend.

James Hill graphs out a new track.

Aldrine Guerrero ditches his talking cock in favour of Jake Shimabukuro.

Ian Chadwick has in depth reviews of a whole bunch of ukuleles.

Ukulele Tonya visits the Windy City Uke Fest.

Ladybugs Picnic on Uker Tabs.

Photos from the first Irish Ukahuli.

Stop Okay Go has an mp3 of Robin Gray’s These Days and an interview with the man.

Buy your own bobble headed Bob L Mensch. “Watch Him Bob at the Waist as he Davens.”

Review: Aldrine Guerrero – Suite 409

You probably already familiar with Aldrine Guerrero from his YouTube videos and his lessons on Ukulele Underground. Aldrine has just released his debut CD, Suite 409, and Ryan from UU (the album’s Executive Producer) was brave enough to send me a copy for review.

The Good Stuff

Bandito Tyler (Unplugged): A phenomenal tune. A stone-cold ukulele classic. It’s played with real force and energy. It fizzes out of the speakers.

The album contains two versions of Bandito Tyler: a solo version and a band version. The solo version is by far the most exciting. The tune is so strong and forceful that the band dilute it rather than add to it.

The Instrumental Tracks: As well as having impeccable technique, Aldrine has a way with a tune. The instrumental tracks are instantly catchy.

They’re also nicely varied. Schizophrenic Snowflakes is light and atmospheric. Uke on a Stick is great fun. It starts out as a 21st Century Greensleeves, kicks into some Dick Dale tremelo, launches into Santana-style soloing and recalls the solo from Hotel California before it’s done. Cecilia is steady and meditative. Each of them a huge success on their own terms.

The Not So Good Stuff

The Vocal Tracks: In contrast to the variety of the instrumental tracks, all the songs are mid-tempo, easy listening RnB. Whether he’s lonely (Buttercup), in seduction mode (Red and Silky with Danyo Cummings and Ariki Foster), or resigned (Ducky Adores Me), it never really shows in the songs. Lyrically, the songs don’t ring true. It feels like he’s holding back most of the time.

Listening to the songs made me feel like the girl who feel for the cock-strutting MoFo of Bandito Tyler and ended up with the limp lothario of Red and Silky. I wanted the same passion and honesty of the instrumental tracks in the songs.

Overall

Suite 409 announces Aldrine Guerrero as a serious contender in the ukulele world – up there with the very best. If he can get the same passion that he has in his playing into his songs, he’ll be unstoppable.

Ukulele Links: Irish Uke Gathering, Julia Nunes Inspires Molly Ringwald

Last call for entries to the win a Kala Pineapple competition. It ends on Sunday.

Ireland will be having its first ukulele gathering in Dublin on August 9/10. Guest of honour will be Dan ‘Cool Hand Uke‘ Scanlan. If you’d like more info contact Tony Boland.

Italy’s first ukulele festival kicks off today with appearances by Bosco and Honey and James Hill.

Aldrine Guerrero releases his debut CD.

The Ten Commandments of Uke (via Ukulelia). And now that straps are verbotten, here’s the Catholic solution to a slipping ukulele.

Molly Ringwald was inspired to take up the ukulele by Julia Nunes (Noonz). That might be my favourite bit of news ever. Skip ahead to around 4:20. (Props to Uni for finding it).

Soldier’s Joy on Uker Tabs (Thanks Ken).

The Barnkickers are the deserving winners of buy a ukulele video contest.

You really should be following Ukulele Hero. Half the news here has already been on there.

The Beautiful South’s Paul Heaton writing their next album on ukulele.

Get yourself a free ukulele by having your YouTube videos sponsored. OK, that guy’s not much of a uke player, but I think that’s a pretty good idea for people whose videos get plenty of views. Bushman are the Bentley of ukuleles? I’d say they’re more the Ford Taurus of ukuleles.

The Independent on Sunday’s style guide favours the MJ Hibbett spelling of ‘ukelele’.

Ukulele greeting card.

Ain’t nothing but a G thing. Who plays the G chord like that?

Re-entrant tuned guitar. I love Soukous, but I never realised some of them replace the D-string on the guitar with a high E-string tuned to D – giving it a ‘my dog has fleas’ style tuning. Diblooooooooooooooo!

Ukulele Contest, Ukulele Yes!, IndieTracks

The Buy Ukulele is slowly winding up and is selling off his stock as cheap as he’s allowed to. Jason has also announced a competition to win a Kala Brand Mahogany Tenor (or a Lehua Soprano if you prefer). You can find out how to enter right here. He himself wins the prize of first person to bribe me. He’s offered me some stuff from his site which I’ll be giving away (if I can bear to jump on the bandwagon). Stay tuned for details.

Another ukulele competition. GX9901 of Ukulele Ghetto is giving away his Pono. You can find details on the Ukulele Underground forum.

James Hill is launching a new e-zine called Ukulele, Yes!. You can sign up for it on Ukulele in the Classroom (although I haven’t been able to get it to work or get any reply to email).

I’m not much of a festival goer, but I’m in serious danger of going to this year’s IndieTracks festival. It features a bunch of my favourite uke acts: The Bobby McGees (download one of their tracks here), ‘Allo Darlin’ (formerly The Darlings), Darren Hayman and MJ Hibbett (who seems to have been barred from the festival itself but has found a work around). Also on are The Wedding Present, Ballboy, Los Campesinos and a whole mess of bands I’m nowhere near hip enough to have heard of.

Bob, the world’s most punk ukulele player, now has his own site: Uke Rock.

John Mayer’s Heart of Life on Uker Tabs. Thanks to Nelson.

Guess which song is being played on the uke by The Wikimen on Spicks and Specks.

Article on Ukuleles for Peace.

Other festival news: Latitude has Learn to Play Ukulele in Under an Hour. It’s a comedy sketch show/ukulele lesson with Sam Brown (not Sam Brown daughter of Joe Brown), Donal Coonan (This Is A Knife) and Sally Phillips (Green Wing, Smack the Pony). Ukuleles will be provided.

Ukulele mp3s: The Richwoods have a bunch of top ukulele mp3s on their listen page, a ukulele protest song over newsreader Wendy Chioji, Dr Forrest has the Rutles’ My Little Ukulele and Ivor Biggun’s Formby take off (click the dancing cheese).

KoAloha’s blog. Not much there as yet. And I have no idea why they went with blogspot.

Ukulele in Waking Life (thanks to Minamin).

Dominic Howard from Muse with uke.

Ukulele quiz… erm… in Norwegian.

The UK’s answer to Jason Castro.

A couple of non-uke links: Soviet b-boys and full album covers revealed.

Friday Ukulelinklinks

Paolo Nutini drives his bands mates to destruction with his endless ukulele playing. The uke’s death was followed by a cremation.

If you like Audrey Lighting’s style, learn how to make your own ukulele LED light.

The winners of Ukulele Review’s Play It Forward contest. As one uke competition ends, another begins on Ukulele Underground.

Fong Songs has an mp3 of Jake Shimabukuro doing Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. And Indiemuse has Broadcast 2000’s Get Up and Go (best know to UK ukers as that song off of the e.on ad).

Ever been jealous of a ukulele? Ever been not so jealous of a ukulele? (neither of those are particularly safe for work)

Innocent Smoothies: do not contain ukuleles. (Thanks to Artifus for that one)

Lost ukulele answers to the name Snuffles.

Quite possibly the creepiest thing I have ever seen.

I think I must be going soft in the head. None of these made me vomit from cutesiness as they would any right thinking person: Tiny Tiny Tim, Ukulele Cowboy, Jamming, Shanti Rock ukulele. Ah, bless.

Friday Links

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain have been rocking the New Zealand Arts Festival this week and you can catch the news report here. Hobknobbing with them and the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra was Mike of Mike’s Ukulele Page. Mike will releasing New Zealand’s first ukulele book in July Kete Ukulele: The Kiwi Ukulele Companion. The book contains all the essential beginner’s info and songs Kiwi songs young and old. You can read more about it in this pdf and there will be a website here in the near future.

Bosko and Honey have kicked off their worldwide Ukulele Safari by knocking out The Cure’s Love Song with Max the Ukulele Punkrocker.

tabBasket is a website that lets you upload all your tabs online for future reference. You can put plain text tab there or upload pdfs, Guitar Pro PowerTab files etc. The site will be really useful for people who want to access their tab on different computers. It also makes searching your tab by genre, instrument, artist much easier than on your computer. Also you can search for lyrics and YouTube songs automatically one the page. Anyone who has knocked around the guitar tabs and lyrics sites will know it’s a nightmare of buzzing ads and pop-ups, but this site is very clean, ad free and easy to use. And it has a ukulele tag. I’m giving it a try.

This week’s Uker Tabs: Jimmy Buffett, St James Infirmary Blues and The Smiths. Thanks to Molechaser, Elijah and Zym for those.

Dan (who you may know as thedanarchist if you follow the comments) recently adapted a Spider-man toy guitar to create this fine electric ukulele with built in amp. Nice work, Dan.

Stephin Merritt at his deadpan best being interviewed, sitting through uncomfortable silences and performing This Little Ukulele.

Buy Ukulele is having a clear out sale. A good time to pick up a bargain, particularly if you’ve been eying up Kalas or Lanikai LU-21 standard ukulele.

I had a debate with Rayan from Ukulele Underground about this a few weeks ago, it now looks like the ukulele playing Warren Buffett is the richest man in the world.

Uke Thingy lists 10 songs made for the ukulele.

ShadowFlare has tab of game songs including a number of tunes from Final Fantasy and Zelda.

Two guys, one cup uke.

Friday Links

Des Cordes et du Bois is a French ukulele tab blog with some really good arrangements. Plenty of classical music and theme tunes.

This week’s Uker Tabs: Tom Dooley and Smokey & the Bandit.

John King is really pumping out the blog posts now. His latest covers the Hawaiian royal family and their ukes and is as fascinating as ever.

Thanks to the leap year, you have one last chance to win yourself a Kala KA-S by entering Ukulele Underground’s contest. All you have to do is post a reply to this thread. Oh, and say, “I was referred by Uke Hunt,” or words to that effect.

Ukulazy is a new Tumblr blog linking to uke related webbery such as Last.fm’s ukulele tag radio and the ukulele vs. guitar debate on Hey, Monkeybrain!.

If you haven’t visited the German ukulele tab site for a while, get over there and see what’s new. My favourite is the tab of Roy Smeck’s Magic Ukulele Waltz.

If you missed it in the last post, you really must check out the latest latest Da Silva made Santo and Dias ukes.

The latest Magnetic Fields album is completely lacking in ukuleles, but Stephin Merritt performed a ukulele version of The Nun’s Litany on Fair Game (along with This Little Ukulele). You can pick up the mp3s here. Other uke songs around the mp3 blogs: Arms on i guess i’m floating (thanks to Humphrey for that), The King Blues on Mainstream Isn’t So Bad.

Can kittens and ukuleles make you happy? BankWest tests it out.

Amy Winehouse plays a ukulele at the Brit Awards (sort of).

Sally Phillips (Smack the Pony, Bridget Jones’s Diary) unveils her ukulele machine.

Eskimo ukulele snow statue.

Ukulele Hero III: a disappointment to chickens.

James Hill, Dent May, Erin Lang and More Videos

James Hill and his imaginary friends, Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele, bolomusic and his two necks and plenty more.
[Read more]

Friday Links

Ukulele Underground is up and running with monthly lessons and weekly ‘uke minutes’ from Aldrine Guerrero.

James Hill and J Chalmers Doane’s Ukulele in the Classroom should be out any day now. UPDATE: It’s now up and running.

Amy Crehore will be selling Tickler T-shirts on her site from next week. There’ll also be a new art uke featuring, “mother-of-toilet seat fingerboard.” Please wash your hands.

Ukulala demonstrates Elephant Gun on video.

Listen to tracks from Victoria Vox’s forthcoming album Chameleon on her MySpace.

Ukulele cruise.

Ukelution T-shirt.

Martin 5K on Antiques Roadshow.

Ukulele bitch fight.

Ukulele Player Monkey Print.

Rachel Trachtenburg (of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players) with uke.

Anna Pickard bemoans making herself a ukulele widow in The Guardian. The ukulele player in question, should you be wondering, is her fellow Gruniad journalist Bobbie Johnson.

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