Ukulele Plays Small, Unexpected Role in Birther Controversy

Eddie Vedder recently appeared at a fundraiser for Barack Obama.

"At one point, Vedder broke out a Hawaiian-made ukulele and joked, 'It's got a little birth certificate right in there.'"

Link

Lil' Rev and the Milwaukee Uke Fest

Catch up with Lil' Rev as he gets ready to present the 4th Annual Milwaukee Ukulele Festival in this interview with Express Milwaukee.

"Lil’ Rev has built an under-the-radar national musical career. Touring the U.S. by car, he plays a circuit of folk clubs and festivals and a string of house parties, elder homes and Jewish community centers; he’s released a dozen CDs and eight ukulele instruction books or DVDs for music publishing giant Hal Leonard. And while he began as a more-or-less conventional guitar-and-harmonica folksinger, Rev came into his own with the ukulele revival, one of those vital if far from mainstream currents that run through our eclectic era. He’s also a principal organizer of the Fourth Annual Milwaukee Ukulele Festival, held Oct. 20 at Sunset Playhouse."

Better yet, reserve your tickets for the event at the Festival's site here.

Warren Buffett Cancer Treatment Finished

Good news. Keep strumming, Mr. Buffett. Link

One Last French Cover

I like this one, especially the lettering. And the illo reminds me of Braque. Link

If You Like Madame Oukoulili...

...Madame Oukoulili like-a vous! French sheet music cover for Richard Whiting's Ukulele Lady. Yet another truly frightening bit of cover art from France. If you can peel your eyes away from Madame's horribly disfigured lips, check out the uke she's, um, holding. Nuff said. Link

Here's what appears to be a later three-color version that is a bit more demure, but still has the NC-17 ukulele.

Vintage Sheet Music Illustrator Fail

Were this a photograph, and of recent publication, I would call this out as an example of bad PhotoShop. As it is, it looks like a normal person wearing a Mardi Gras papier mache head and holding a toy uke. Shudder. Link

2012 Wine Country Ukulele Festival

The big Wine Country Ukulele Festival is on for this weekend in St. Helena, California. Hoping to head up myself, so say howdy!

Events start on Friday the 7th and run through Sunday the 9th. Gala performance on Friday night at the Napa Valley Opera House.

Complete details on the festival site. Link

Martin 2 Ukulele

The most remarkable thing about this 1930s vintage Martin is that it's over 100 years old. Link

RIP: Uker Neil Armstrong

Farewell, ukulele hero, Neil Armstrong.

The Plastic Ukulele by Scott Seelye

Scott Seelye from Bend, Oregon is hoping to fund the tooling and start-up of a new polycarbonate ukulele via Kickstarter. Could Scott be the reincarnation of Mario Maccaferri? Link

(via Ukeeku)

Heart Strings: The Story of the Kamaka 'Ukulele

I've been wanting to watch this documentary on the Kamaka family for some time. Thank you to WKAR for archiving it. Watch it here: Link

All Things Strings: Inside Elderly Instruments

Set aside an hour to spend 60 minutes in heaven with this wonderful documentary of Elderly Instruments. When I was a student at Michigan State, they were located on Grand River Ave., just across from campus. This is where I bought my first uke (a $19 Hohner soprano that I still play almost daily). But I still haven't forgiven them for letting me buy the Hohner over an $85 mint Gibson Style 3. Link

Win a Dirty Donny Uke!

Time's running out to enter to win one of two Kala Acacia Tenor ukes, custom painted by Dirty Donny Gillies, sponsored by Jim Dunlop (maker of ukulele strings that we had heretofore been unaware of). Here's a video about Donny, his art, and the ukes. Winners to be announced next Friday, August 24th. Enter here.

Brittni Paiva and Dominic "Dominator" Pieranunzio - Gypsy Ukulele

Behold: The Brittninator!

Matthew Mitcham Plays Single Ladies

Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham strums Beyonce.

Link