Farewell Friday Uke Club Meeting, Fri Jun 27, 2014

I'm Gonna Be A Country Girl Again

Me & Julio
Margaritaville
Monster Mash (with trumpet!)
Mull of Kintyre
Moody River
One Love (did I actually vote to abandon ship? for the 1st time?)
Ruby Tuesday (missed it, dang, i knew we would hit it out of the park ha)
Stuck In The Middle (done a second time so i didn't actually miss it!)
Singing in The Rain (great exercise song)
Spider man (thanks so much team! my fave of the night. so fun!)
  after break
Tiptoe through the Tulips (good luck getting your seat back etc)
That's The Glory of Love
Under The Boardwalk (with more trumpet, hoo-ray!)
Wooly Bully
The Lion Sleeps Tonite (only 2 people needed paperwork, but i did a deja-vu verse instead of the missing 3rd one ha which we did in fact proceed to do).

Uke Club, Fri June20, 2014

Hallelujah
Hit The Road Jack
Harvest Moon
Hey Good Lookin
I Will Remember You
Into The Mystic
I Still Miss Someone
It's A Heartache
I've Been Working On The Railroad
I've Just Seen A Face
   after break:
I Walk The Line
I Have A Dream
Its A Heartache wasn't recorded by the secretary, but I'm sure it was run at least 3x
Just When I Needed You Most
Lay Down Sally

Would you believe we had no rental P/A gear available for demo by the time of uke club? No one asked after the open mic idea, so we skipped it.  And, blasted through the binder, with little re-filing.

And, a sorry lack of horn solos, if I may say!!  Next week the shop's resident horn player is plotting an appearance!  Does anyone mind if I take their picture?

Jim brought lovely rope for us to each draw from for a free uke strap as desired.  We made sure to take a list of new e-mail addresses to ensure Mary's list keeps us all up to date....

the Farewell Friday uke club at the music store is next week, and many can't make it.  who is volunteering to "host" an informal uke gathering and jam at the Pennywhistle for our first Sunday nite gathering?  Details will follow...

In the meantime, perhaps we should consider private lessons?  Or the group uke class? i'm just sayin'

T-jam, Tues Jun 17, 2014

So, I've decided that Book of Love on the uke is the way to go.  And, I sat down at the piano and almost remembered "Happy Birthday" before experimenting on drums.  Then I borrowed an acoustic guitar for The L&N.

Wasn't it great how the team pitched in for The Werewolves of London? I am so sorry to have cut all the experimenting so short, lol.

into the mystic
sounds of silence

"Did you really not know all that about Burke Carroll?  p.s.  I am so sorry to have missed that gig."

and p.s.
watch the graduate

Backyard Jam, Mon Jun 16, 2014

"I agree, I hate that totally materialistic bullsh*t verse," Aimee and I while were way too chatty, while she was finally playing an instrument... (not to mention also when others were, ha.)  I'd wanted to watch her play The Book of Love, while proving i knew all the actual, real proper words, and to practice coming in on the vocal on time, ha.  It worked.  It was great to sing with her, before she walked me part way home...

Uke Club Fri Jan 13, 2014

"Okay, it's 10 after 7 and we haven't even played 1 song!" We rearranged the seating, a few times this week, to create new pathways to the private lesson studios...

Down By  The Bay (2x)
Me + Julio
Big Yellow Taxi (2x, with applause from the private lessons waiting area, ha)
Can't Help Falling In Love
City of New Orleans
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Don't Worry, Be Happy
DaDo Ron Ron
End of The Line
Hey Jude
The Lion Sleeps Tonite

Next Up:
Open Mic Format with P/A
Song Responsibility Sign Up Sheet (Re: Penny Whistle Meeting, Sun Jul 6, 7pm)

Here is the Group Uke Shot -- Does it look like we are on the way out?

T-jam, Tues June 10, 2014

What, only 9 vocal mics?  And more singers than that? It was awesome to have to share... and to blend voices together so closely, especially with a lovely former roomie, Heather, before the amplification.  We positioned ourselves well in front of the very directional mic I thought, and overall it was an especially nice vocal nite...  I remember exclaiming at one point, "That felt like Aimee was here!"

It is cool to experience the difference of each mic in the room and its own unique setting in the P/A, and i love squishing into random corners to try and keep up with at least a few chords on the uke!

Thanks to the encouraging and generous souls for insisting I plug in both the giant, heavy Epiphone hollowbody guitar (Book of Love), and the red hot Gibson ES330 (Essence, Miss Ohio), and made music with me! Are we sure that's not an ES335?

Some of my other faves of the night were Wonder Woman, Can't Let Go, and the piano, electric guitar and vocal jam ones at the end.  Do the three of us that were there that late have some tight harmonies or what?  It must be just where the voices lay, ha.

I am tempted to start keeping a full song list, and snapping a photo to commerate each jam, now that I am back in the neighbourhood!

Backyard Campfire Jam, Mon Jun 9, 2014

a turn on the uke, mando, acoustic bass, and guitar + folks to sing with = a very fun backyard jam!

i lead at least two tunes:

Dreams, uke

West Virginia, mando

my fave of the night might have been when James did Stuck In The Middle with You i think.  here's a pic that Valli took

Uke Club Fri. Jun 6, 2014

Under The Boardwalk
Hallelujah
O Canada
Tennessee Waltz
What Colour Are You
Blowing In The Wind (2nd time with instrumentals)
Big Yellow Taxi
Imagine
I Have a Dream
Down By The Bay (2nd time with no/less paperwork and 5 volunteer vocal line leaders)
Have you ever played a uke while wearing a toque?
The Lion Sleeps Tonite

Recent Comments:

"My DOCTOR recommended the uke club while I was in the HOSPITAL!"

Is it true Danny Michel wants us to record our uke cover of his tune?  That would be fun! Of course it might even be more fun if he stopped by to hear it live, don't you think?  We could teach him our version!

It seems like there is interest in doing an open mic portion of the meetings, while we still have easy access to P/A equipment to practice with.  Who wants to sign up in advance for a spot on the line up June 20th?

We still haven't settled on our July meeting plans.  So, I haven't replied yet to the message received "Does that mean you don't have a club any more? I was hoping to do a piece on you."  But, I hope to have details soon -- how does Sunday at 7pm work for you?

Uke Club, Fri May 30, 2014

Yay, I was able to participate in the uke club meeting this week!

You've heard about Project Ukulele Gangsterism, right?  It was fun for our group, to be back in the lessons waiting area -- to me it always feels like a step towards the flash mob uke events we've discussed aspiring to...  As a benefit, customers seem to like overhearing the fun and music, or so my co-workers frequently tell me, and someone shopping even told me it sounded nice!  Maybe, since I'd approached him, he was just trying to tell me very kindly that he didn't need my help on the shop floor, ha.

Songlist:
End of The Line
Ain't She Sweet
Brown Eyed Girl (chosen by a new attendee from Waterloo)
Margaritaville
What Colour Are You
Me & Julio
Wagon Wheel
These Boots
Tennessee Waltz (for sure we did this one twice)
Imagine
Stuck In The Middle With You
Ruby Tuesday
Lion Sleeps Tonite

I like how we are learning to build in instrumentals, for those with the experience or talent to offer intros and solos and such.  And, I like that we are working on our endings to tunes, so that they each have or get an ending!  Such a collaborative, constructive club we have become.  Meanwhile, I am also relieved to report that the focus on the future of the club I founded seems pretty positive! I guess its all in the delivery?  As discussed last week, one series of events is expected to start up in a private home on Sunday evenings.  I also got a nice chance, when Gayle passed through, to mention her class.  One person took a poster home!  Here's the ad, in case you know someone who might be interested.

Here's some more random uke inspiration to share:
1. ukulelemovement.com/101-reasons to play
2. “People go off in their own little groups and have their own little ukulele circles,” said Shaw. “People are playing music again. You’d think, with all this technology, they’d be sitting in front of screens. But they’re not. They’re connecting through music again.” - See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/ukulele-circle-strikes-chord-with-beginners-and-pros-

Do You Remember The 2011/2012 Veggie Pick-up Jams?

I recall they started in the park, during the CSA veggie pick-ups.  One of the farmers also had a rarely-practiced-uke and so, we agreed to meet that once a week, with ukes in hand, to try and get at least that much (mutual) uke practice into our week...

We didn't make it an exclusively-uke jam tho, and, even provided percussion instruments to share...

Once upon a time, others would also gather and sit with us on the grass, and help to serenade fellow CSA members as they collected their fresh weekly produce!

The gathering grew organically over the weeks.  Would you believe every single pick-up had good weather?  That's how I remember it, ha.

Some of the 2011 events doubled as the Guelph Regional Writers Group Meetings I was still running then for the Songwriters Association of Canada...

In 2012, invited some of the previous ukers to join with me their instruments at the Ignatius Farm & CSA veggie pick-ups.  There might still be a donated uke in the farmer's office to this day !!!

When the seasons changed, the participants discussed how a music store would be the perfect venue for such a musical gathering. And eventually, at work, I got my hands on on the Kala brand step by step guide to creating a Ukulele Circle, created in collaboration with ukulele virtuoso and educator, James Hill.  (The Ukulele Circle Starter Kit is available as a free download to dealers). I was convinced that uke circles are a great way to attract new customers, create new musicians, and increase sales. And that they also generate a positive customer experience and a sense of community. I could see that they would be easy to organize at very little cost, and that they would really work to the benefit of both the store and the participants... I remember having to decide about whether to create the email invitations and marketing of the sessions as a personal endeavour, or as part of my role at work -- I was thrilled when my bosses at the time and I decided it would be a good fit for the shop's 2013 plans...
*
p.s.
I see Kala is promoting Uke Circles again -- they've said they are coming to your town!

"We are providing resources to  your local Kala Dealer so that they can put on a great Uke/U-Bass event at their location. Find your local Authorized Kala Dealer here...."