West meets East

This week Berkeley ukulele luthier Peter Hurney was in Ukuleletown and he stopped by the Noir homestead for a dark dinner under the cherry tree. After dinner we repaired to the living room where we proceeded to (natch) play some music. I played the lovely “Devil Mermaid” concert that Peter had recently made for me and he played a killer “Moustachio Concerto” that he brought along.

Peter makes some marvelous sounding and looking instruments and his website has been recently redone. Check it out. One of my favorite sections is the “My Other Stuff” section where you can see some of Peter’s sculptures, drawings, photos, carvings, vehicles, etc..

the new Pohaku Ukulele website

Turn the Beat Around

I'm listening to my iPod this morning on the way to work. For some masochistic reason I decided to load a bunch of circus marches onto it. Anyway, I'm listening to "Them Basses," when I suddenly think, "the tubas are on the wrong side." Because I'm usually sitting on the left side of the band--but wait! That's my left.

So I swap the earphones around and voila! I'm now listening to the band from my usual POV.

I then experimented with some of my uke tunes, and found that, with few exceptions, it was easier to "hear" the performance as being from the performers' perspective, and imagine that I'm standing next to, say, Bryan Tolentino. Or being Bryan Tolentino, which is even mo' bettah.

Maybe this is just a cheap trick, but does anyone else out there do this? Anyone know any iTunes hacks that will enable you switch channels without swapping earbuds (mine are asymmetrical)? Leave a note in the comments, below!

Cape Cod and ukuleles....

Tim Sweeney sez:
”I sing and play electric swing ukulele, with a bass player. Most of my setlist is 30s & 40s American songbook -- plus British invasion and 50s & 60s standards. It's music that makes people happy, they dance and sing along.




I want to help keep that music alive.”
He's got a new CD out "New Uke State of Mind" dig it.

link.

Courtney Cunningham

Being a uke player and a clown, I have a soft spot in my heart for all uke-playing clowns. Like Poofy du Vey, aka Courtney Cunningham. Link

Vincent Cortese at DaSilva Ukulele Co.

Ran into Mike DaSilva and his son, Dandy (really nice luthier-dads apparently have similarly nice kids) at a swell party on Saturday. Mike reminded me that next Sunday, June 3, Roy Smeck student Vincent Cortese will conduct a workshop at Mike's shop in Berkeley.

"A Celebration Of The Music Of Roy Smeck" with a workshop and mini concert by Vincent Cortese. Born and raised in New York City, Vincent studied with Roy for over a decade on four instruments and is the author of the only published biography on the amazing life of Roy Smeck, "Roy Smeck-The Wizard Of The Strings In His Life And Times." Vincent will perform on ukulele, Hawaiian lap steel and tenor banjo many of the styles, techniques and stage performance material that were unique to Roy Smeck. This will be Vincent's first ever performance in the Bay Area and will be a rare opportunity to capture a glimpse into the music and magic of Roy Smeck's unprecedented musical life and legacy."

Don't miss it! Location and more info at the DaSilva Site.

You can learn more about Vincent in this interview over at UkeTalk. Vincent's Smeck bio is available at Elderly and and as an eBook.

Hailey Wojcik

Who would have thought that Lansing, MI would be a breeding ground for ukulele players? Ignore the fact that I lived there as a tot--I'm sure that had nothing to do with it. Even ignore that fact that I went to school at the Big Ten School in adjacent East Lansing.

But you can't ignore the fact that Lansing is home to Elderly Instruments (made my first uke purchase there, hmmm...), The Fabulous Heftones (Brian works at Elderly, hmmm...), and now we learn about Haily Wojcik, indie chanteuse (and uke player, natch). Her tune, "Nabakov's Butterfly," is a real standout.

Check out her official site, as well as a recent review, and her myspace page. Someday, you'll really dig her.

The Audreys'

All the way from Down Under, ladies and gentlemen, it's The Audreys. Fronted by uke-playing singer Taasha Coates, they have a really hip, rhythmic style. To hear Taasha on uke, visit the band's myspace page and click on "Train Wreck Blues." (I particularly like "You and Steve McQueen," although I don't think Taasha plays uke on the track.)

At least one band member sports a brimmed chapeau, which will warm the cockles of Craig's heart... Link

I'll See You in My Dreams, Redux

Dom has updated and corrected his tab arrangement of Joe Brown's performance of "I'll See You in My Dreams" from the 2003 Concert for George DVD. Also, just in time for Memorial Day, check out Dom's killer arrangement of the classic uke showstopper, "Stars and Stripes Forever." Sweet(er) dreams, Dom! Link

Peter Howlett Blogs!

Peter Howlett makes some darn fine ukuleles, to say the least. Now he's blogging, too, so you can see what's up in his shop. Link

Happy Birthday, George

Today is George Formby's 103rd birthday. Check out this swell tribute statue of George leaning on a lamppost on the Isle of Man. Link

Hey, There, Formby Girl...

May 26th is the birthday of Me, and, oh yeah, that other guy.

In humble commemoration, here's a follow-up article about a plucky young uke player (not me) who's a big George Formby fan (although I am, too). Francesca Davies, aka "Formby Girl," recently played in a charity event that raised funds for underprivileged children. Aptly, the event was held at the Salford Masonic Hall on the Crescent.

At left is a photo of Francesca, doing her best Craig Robertson, albeit with a Trilby. What's the diff between a Fedora and a Trilby and a Fedora? Well if you're really into that...

Link

Kamaka Web Site

I had waited so long for the Kamaka site to go live, I must have missed the big launch. But, hey, if I missed it, chances are that you did, too. So here it is. Check out the History section, with photos of several legendary instruments, like this 14-string tenor made by Sam Sr. in the '30s.

"This is a very unique piece which we had never seen before it was loaned to us by our friend Nuni Walsh. A 14-string tenor made by Sam Sr., this piece is from the 30's. It originally included a blue special label and the blue pineapple decal on the headstock, now worn away. However, it still retains two original large pineapple decals overlapped on the soundboard between the bridge and sound hole. It was also made with one-piece top and back construction. Rope purfling decorates the outer edge of the top and sound hole. The four-pin bridge secures all 14 strings."

I also learned the meaning of the KK logo and the name Kamaka ("the eye" or "the vision") in the aptly titled Fun FAQs section.

My primary uke is a 70s era Kamaka soprano named Cindy (after the woman I bought her from--I got that idea from a friend who named all her cars after the people she bought them from). Everyone should have a Kamaka.

Link

LA Times Aloha Quartet

In an earlier post, I asked if anyone had any information on the Los Angeles Times Aloha Quartet and their instruments.

First, a big Ukulelia thankee to Jim Tranquada, who writes:

"That's Noah Allinkov on steel, joined by Clyde Jewett, Edward Hahn, and Jack Mesquit (apart from Noah, I'm not sure who is who). They were regulars on KHJ during the summer and fall of 1927; I suspect the photo was taken in the KHJ studio. They played a wide range of standards, in addition to what was referred to as "Hawaiian love songs.""

Also, in the comments section of the post (hey, check out the commenting feature, dear readers!), one Jack writes:

"The guitar is a parlor size, perhaps a Martin 0-18 or 00-18. I think the next is a Gibson Mandocello."

Thanks to both Jim and Jack. I've also found this thread on The Steel Guitar Forum. Anyone else have any intell?

UPDATE: Al Dodge informs us that the mandocello is indeed a Gibson Mandocello, but with a National tailpiece. And the steel geetar is a Style 2 National Tricone. And in case you're wondering (as I was) what the diff is between a mandola and a mandocello, "Beachless" Bob Armstrong 'splained to us that the mandolin, mandola, and mandocello are the analogues of the violin, viola, and cello, respectively.

parked

Kelli Rae Powell. A fearsome and fetching singer songwriter from Gotham. Check out some of her performances on Midnight Ukulele Disco.

link.

Decoy Uke Playing

Ukulelia Director of Stringed Intelligence, Michael Simmons, recently blogged about this story from Guam. Seems that some school kids have set up fight clubs, and are using ukulele players as lookouts. Link

(via Fretboard Journal blog)