Janet Klein on Ukulele Spotlight

Ukulele Chanteuse Janet Klein was featured on KPFK's Ukulele Spotlight on August 30, 2007. You can subscribe to the Spotlight's podcast via this site, too! Link

the fringe

The Other Side of the World. Kinda. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. 99 Hanover Street on a Monday night. Everybody’s favorite (Dresden) doll Amanda Palmer and London’s Patti Plinko (sans Boy) atop the bar brandishing ukuleles and playing Radiohead’s “Creep”.

Com’on, does it get any better than this?

(well, I could have been there…)

link.

Ian Whitcomb Songbook

Ian's book is finally up on the Mel Bay site. Comes complete with CD. Garden Gnomes extra.

Link

Sounding off

From Page 30 of the new Martin Guitar’s “The Sounding Board”….“Greg Hawkes helped to define the music of the 80s as keyboardist extraordinaire fron the groundbreaking band, the Cars. Greg is also a master of the ukulele and what better tool could be in his hands than on of the recntly reintroduced little koa gems-the top of the line 5K Martin Soprano uke. Greg’s ukulele technique is so adept that he’s been recording great new arrangements on his 5K. If we’re lucky, those tracks will be released in the near future.”

You can hear Greg trot out some of those chops at the next Ukulele Noir on September 25th at Johnny Ds in Somerville Mass.

September Noir

Homemade Ukulele Bag

My sister is an expert seamstress. I'm going to have to have her make me some of these! Link

Le Marvelous Banjuke!

Photoset of a cookie or candy tin banjo uke project. Tray bee yen! Link

Invasion

Ukulele Noir. October.

the poster.

Cascade Ukuleles

Costco sells this brand. The Cascade site has a tenor model on sale for $22. Are these any good? Link

Bad Girl?

You be the judge! I wouldn't throw her out of bed for playing the uke. Link

(Thanks, Michael!)

Update: Who would have guessed that this movie actually won 2 Academy Awards? True. And check out the first line of the novel, written by Viña Delmar:

Some one had brought a ukulele. Some one who hit the strings with a gay discordancy, a gleeful insolence that seemed to say, "Sure, it's out of tune. Who cares?"

Sounds like Craig's kind of gal. Craig, I think you should set the movie poster copy to music:

Red-lipped shop girl in sleazy dress...
Aching with suppressed emotions...
Dance halls...
Excursion steamers...
Chop suey palaces...

Belinda Blair

Warm night in Ukuleletown. Slow clouds movin’ across the sky like tired marshmallows. Great singer playin’ at Louies Bar and Grill tonight: Belinda Blair. Smoky sassy ukulele playin’ singer songwriter from San Francisco. Catch her if she’s in your neighborhood.

the site.

UkeCast - The Ukulele Podcast

If you aren't a regular listener to the Ukecast, consider yourself an Outcast. It's a great way to hear players you haven't run across yet and to keep up on uke gossip on both sides of the Pond. Listen online or subscribe (free) and download to your mp3 player. Link

Back to School Ukes

Awesome deal for Back-to-School! Soften the blow of returning to class by getting your student a uke to toss into his/er backpack.

Joseph Todaro, O he of the Akulele, is selling nice student-level Hilo ukes for only $35 including shipping. Buy a classful (10) for $300! Joseph even sets up and tweaks the ukes. Link

(via the Ukecast!)

Al & Bob Make Me Psychic

I ran into Al Dodge last Saturday at the John King concert/lecture in San Francisco at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. I mentioned that Michael Simmons had blogged about Sally Cruikshank's 1970's midnight movie classic animated short "Quasi at the Quackadero," for which Al and fellow Cheap Suit Bob Armstrong provided the musical soundtrack.

Al sez if you like Quasi, you'll also like Sally's "Make Me Psychic," for which the dynamic duo also contributed the tunes.

Seems to me that lots and lots of drawings and pharmaceuticals must have been involved. Enjoy! Link

(Thanks, Al!)

Go, baby, go. Yeah, tonight!

link

John King in SF Saturday

(Apologies for the fugly post...busy day!)

Hope to see you there!

Museum of Craft and Folk Art: "Public Programs at the Museum,
Free with Admission

Saturday, August 4, 2 pm | A special lecture and concert by John King, noted 'ukulele virtuoso and historian. King will speak about the history of the 'ukulele and how it became a national craze at San Francisco's 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition. Accompanied by guitarist Richard Long, King will be playing classical 19th century music on the 'ukulele and on the machete, the instrument from the island of Madeira originally brought to Hawaii that became the 'ukulele. "

Link

Evolution of the Uke Reception Tonight

Members of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art are treated to a special opening reception tonight, August 2, 2007, from 5-7 pm. Remarks by curator Stephen Becker and music with the UFOs! (Kahua 51, get it?)

I'll bet you can buy a Membership on the spot tonight, so head on over! Link