Uke Plucks

Good bye, Margaret

2011-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was several years ago that I made the acquaintance of Margaret Wilton. A spunky senior living out at Lewisville Estates, she was avidly interested in all things musical, and especially passionate about the ukulele. She pestered for me to come out and give her lessons. She pestered me to bring our group out to Lewisville Estates. She pestered me to help her find rides to Dallas Ukulele Headquarters events.

In short, she was a complete joy.

Today, I wish we had gone out to play at Lewisville Estates more. Today, I wish somehow we’d been able to arrange more rides for her to DUH events. Not that it slowed her down at all: She formed her own ukulele club at Lewisville Estates, and also taught people how to play just about any instrument you could think of. She did anything she could think of to be an active, vibrant part of the community.

When she developed health problems and moved to a smaller facility, The Sterling House, she was again instrumental in bringing my band, The Douboys, to perform. And again, she’d developed quite a following. She was teaching the Executive Director to play Dobro, and his wife to play ukulele. She painted bird feeders. We always looked forward to playing there.

Today, unfortunately, I was unable to see Margaret Wilton. She passed away, peacefully, in her sleep, two days ago. Instead of playing our concert today for Margaret, we played in her honor.

The music was rich, our audience was involved and engaged, and the show was great. Perhaps Margaret was hovering about for one last show, influencing our fingers and our voices. It was a glorious send off.

And today, it doesn’t matter what I wished for: She is gone. But I do have one more wish. I wish every senior I encounter was as spunky and persistent as Margaret. If that wish comes true, the world will be filled with beautiful music.

So long, Margaret. Safe travels. And God help whomever you ask for a ukulele if all they have is a harp.

Here's a link to Margaret performing with DUH at Lewisville Estates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JU2CVnqG0o

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Bartender send-off

2011-06-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Douboys, my little duo with Don Aspromonte, was asked to play at Bolsa Restaurant here in Dallas as part of a going-away party for world-class bartender, Eddie "Lucky" Campbell.

We were honored to be part of the event, and also got mentioned in the write-up on Pegasus News. You can read about it and check out the pictures here:

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2011/jun/26/photos-bolsa-eddie-lucky-campbell-bar-main-st-new/#

Perhaps you need some entertainment to honor your own bartenders?

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

I'm published!

2011-06-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hi, gang

I am pleased to announce that I am now in print! And it all came about with a concern from one of our Dallas Ukulele Headquarters members.

This member wanted our jam book, but didn't want to download and print it. Typically, when this issue has come up in the past, we have suggested going to the FedEx/Kinko's website. In this case, before giving that advice to our member, we checked out the website for ourselves. Frankly, it was kind of confusing. Not at all simple. I suppose you could easily put it on a thumb drive and walk into FedEx/Kinko's, but that is pretty high tech for some folks!

So, I wondered what was out there and available. And I was very pleased to discover a terrific option for people who want to just purchase a printed version. And now you can, in either hardcover or spiral bound. Please check them out for yourself. Or, better yet, if your group uses the Dallas Ukulele Headquarters Songbook, buy a couple!

Paperback edition:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dallas-ukulele-headquarters-songbook/15983398

Hardcover edition:
http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/dallas-ukulele-headquarters-songbook/15983444

But wait: There's more! Years ago, when I was developing as a ukulele player, I started collecting ukulele jokes. Now, back then, the uke wasn't as cool as it is today, but still I have found the jokes useful in any number of performance situations.

I always said I'd eventually publish the joke book, and I was so excited about the jam books that I went ahead and did it.

So, let me present to you, the Mark Twang Ukulele Joke Book!
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/mark-twangs-ukulele-joke-book/15997336

Let me know what you think!

-Mark "Twang"

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Murder for Christmas

2010-12-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year wasn’t about ukuleles. My raging UAS will have to wait for January for treatment. No new sopranos under the tree this year.

Instead, Christmas this year was about Dell Shannon. I refer to the writer, of course. Not Del Shannon, the performer (Who does play a uke, by the way!). No, this year, the focus was on Dell Shannon and her detective series about Luis Mendoza. I got 5 Dell Shannon novels. They were used, dirty, with torn covers and aged, yellow paper. Beautiful.

Dell Shannon doesn’t actually exist. It’s a pseudonym for Elizabeth Linington, a prolific writer who was the first female author in the Police Procedural genre. I haven’t read her explanation, but I think the heavily male dominated police procedural genre is the reason for the Dell Shannon nom de plume. A male name probably opened doors and brought readers. We are talking 1960 when the first Luis Mendoza novel appeared.

I remember Dell Shannon from used paperback covers in my youth, although I never read her. Somehow, her books never caught my youthful literary attention. Not enough explosions, I guess. I stumbled across her recently in a thrift store when I needed something to read and only had about fifty cents to spend. Once I read the first one, I was hooked. Apparently, at 47 years old, I don’t need as many explosions.

The novels were like a wild time machine. A crazy turning-back-of-the-clock. This was the 60’s from the 60’s. This wasn’t the reminiscing of a new millennium writer, or some recreation like the movie The Sting for 1936. This was the real deal. Luis Mendoza drove a Facel-Vega in the first novel: Have you ever even heard of a Facel-Vega? I never have. But then, I’ve never eaten a 15 cent hamburger, either.

These detectives thought nothing of having a hard alcoholic drink at lunch – Detective Mendoza prefers rye. (I actually got a little airline bottle of rye so I could taste it.) Imagine if a cop today had a bourbon with lunch?

No one in 1960 ever heard of the term “politically correct.” The men were expected to show personal restraint, and be responsible. What happened to personal responsibility?

No cell phones, no computers, no text messaging, no Wi-Fi, no “no smoking” restaurants. If you were out and about and needed to contact someone, you either had to drive over there or find a pay phone. If you wanted to play solitaire, you actually had to have a deck of cards.

It was a fascinating glimpse into a world that no longer existed. I was hooked. The interesting thing is, Dell Shannon books were hard to find. Really hard! I mean, there were enough James Patterson novels to brick over Alex Cross’s house, and you could hardly blink without tripping over a Mary Higgins Clark novel. Man, if Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson ever co-wrote a novel, that would be all she wrote! I looked in thrift stores and Half Price Books locations all over Dallas. Not much! What gives? Oh, the miracle of The Internet had copies of her novels, but somehow that was cheating. I wanted to find them the old-fashioned way: On the shelf!

I actually did some research on how long modern books would last – Maybe the majority of paper used in the early 1960’s just broke down and became dust after a few years? I was amazed at how few books from the 1960s were still in circulation. It used to be that if you wrote a book it was a sort of immortality. But the truth is far different: Dell Shannon was pulling a vanishing act. And it’s a real shame: This is a real glimpse into the world I was born into. This is what the world looked like that formed and shaped me. I guess you could say the world of Luis Mendoza is the world that eventually made me a ukulele player.

No, Luis Mendoza never played the uke, at least not based on the novels I have read so far. And no mention of ukes has been made so far. But I do wonder what the ukulele was like in 1962. I can’t really offer any strong research, but my guess was the uke was sadly beginning a decline. Lots of people still played the uke, but I think it was becoming a road to the guitar rather than a road to…well, more ukulele. There was no Mighty Uke, no resurgence. Every kid got one, and most grew out of it. Everyone had an uncle who made people sing along while he played and made everyone slightly uncomfortable. The uke was still mainstream, but it was Dad’s version of mainstream, and on its way to being a punchline. I’ll have to check with Fred Fallin or Jim Beloff for the history – This is just my guess.

I’m happier playing the ukulele today, and reading novels about the 1960s, then the other way around. But what a cool Christmas present!

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

It's a Ukulele Christmas!

2010-12-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Dallas Ukulele Headquarters!

This weekend, DUH celebrated our 3rd Annual Christmas Party at the Fuqua Winery. This has become a very popular event amongst the DUH-ites, and one which sells out quickly.

Hmmm – Maybe that’s not the best way to put it: We don’t actually “sell” tickets to DUH events: There’s very rarely any cost. However, we do request reservations. Would it have been better if I’d said the 3rd Annual DUH Christmas Party was “Reserved Out”?

Perhaps it’s the free wine tasting provided by the winery. Perhaps it’s just jamming in a holiday environment. Perhaps it’s the tasty foods being pot-lucked by everyone. Is it the ribbons? Is it the tags? Is it the packages, boxes, or bags?

(Here’s the secret: My wife, Kathy! She makes sure that EVERY DUH event has her personal touch in every detail. But don’t tell: I like getting some of the credit!)

Reservations closed at 27, since the facility has 27 seats. However, we wound up cramming 32 people in there! A crowded, joyful, partying 32 DUH-ites.

People arrived early, and dropped in late. As usual, an amazing miracle took place: No matter how many people came, there was a ton of food for them to eat! And it was delicious: Everything from Spam Sushi to a queso with sausage dip, served with red and green holiday chips. Desserts were everywhere: I think I single-handedly ate most of the sugar cookies with green frosting.

I drank an entire bottle of the Fuqua’s fine Syrah, but the most popular bottle seemed to be delightful chilled champagne. I have to say there is something oddly normal about drinking wine while playing ukulele: It just seems natural and organic. Plus, there’s Dallas Ukulele Headquarter’s second motto: The more you drink, the better we sound.

(And our first motto? Come on, now! Without U, it’s just Kulele!)

My sincerest apologies to Doctor Uke, but we turned one of his Christmas Songs into a Drinking Song. This all started during our Christmas Concert rehearsals, during which wine was drunk. The song in question is Jingle Bell Rock. Here is how the drinking rules work.

1) Star playing Jingle Bell Rock.

2) Play until you hit a C6 chord.

3) Since the C6 chord is open fretted, hold the chord until everyone has used their chord hand to drink from their wineglass.

4) Continue playing until you get to the next C6 chord.

I hope Doctor Uke will forgive us. I do have to acknowledge Mark Taylor, our rehearsal videographer, who perfected the technique. For those who want to play along at home, here’s the music: http://www.doctoruke.com/jinglebellrock.pdf

Our party also featured a Yankee Swap. For those not in the know, the idea behind the Yankee Swap is simple: You are supposed to wrap up a hideous unwanted gift, and put it on a table with everyone else’s hideous, unwanted wrapped gifts. People pick numbers, and then select a gift from the table, or steal a gift someone has already opened.

At our DUH Christmas Party, not all the gifts were duds. In fact, there were actually two ukuleles in the packages of gifts! Well, they were the $7.00 ukes from the Christmas Tree Store, so not easily played, but still they were ukes after all! They were TREASURES to someone! Especially someone who changes out the strings and lowers the action. Diamonds in the rough.

And that’s the fun of it: You’d be amazed at how often some things get stolen! And at this year’s party, I was robbed often! My first item was a bottle of port wine, which I originally stole. The wine, of course, was stolen from me. Then I managed to get a gift bag with a thermos, two little airline bottles of liquor, and two packets of instant coffee – That got nabbed, too! Finally, I thieved a nice, leather covered flask set – Does there seem to be a liquor theme here? Well, I WAS drinking! Anyway, the flask got nabbed, too! Can you imagine?

The wild variety of items in the Yankee Swap included a bright purple handbag with a Playboy logo on the side, complete with two pink pom-poms. There was a pasta maker. There were lottery tickets. There was a bag with a serving tray and a travel diary. There was a Zhu-Zhu Pet. There was a hot chocolate a chocolate collection. Craziness!

I believe a good time was had by all. And when we got home, somehow all the leftover sugar cookies with green frosting made it home with me. Now how did that happen?

But the best news of all is the DUH Annual Christmas Party as economic indicator: I spoke with Winemaker Lee Fuqua after the party – The Fuqua Winery has hosted all three events, and Lee told me he sold more wine at this third event than any other. Drink up, America! Things are looking up!

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Silent Night, Froggy Night

2010-12-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

As they have in years past, Dallas Heritage Village asked Dallas Ukulele Headquarters to participate in their Candlelight Celebration. And as in years past, DUH put the word out for volunteers, and we rehearsed for a month to present our version of Christmas music.

I say “Our Version” – We got our music graciously from the tremendous Dr. Uke site, with the good doctor’s blessings. Now we did tweak it here and there: The good doctor wrote nothing for kazoo, and of course it wouldn’t be a DUH concert without kazoos. And you never really do know what our group will do with chord transitions! All the stuff that worked great, Dr. Uke shares the credit. If it didn’t work, it’s all about DUH.

Our rehearsals were all in a local barbecue joint, Marshall’s Barbecue. The food was good, adult beverages were brought in and shared, and everyone had a good time just rehearsing.

Now, here’s the skivvy on Heritage Village: This is a collection of 100+ year old buildings that were bought by the city and moved to Old City Park to preserve them. They have created a sort of little town, complete with doctor’s office, hotel, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, and a church, among many more structures. For the Candlelight Celebration, the whole park is lit by candles in hurricane lamps, and people in period costume walk around. There are wagon rides, kettlecorn, barbecue, and all sorts of entertainment.

We were performing in the church, and we weren’t in period attire. Instead, we had cute embroidered shirts which read: Merry Christmas, Dallas Ukulele Headquarters, DUH-Humbug. Very cute. We were excited and ready.

And perhaps you can guess what happened: The Monday before the performance, I developed a sore throat. Perhaps I should have run to the doctor immediately, but I didn’t. Perhaps I should have stayed home and rested, but I didn’t. Instead, I continued working on Tuesday, and Wednesday, and my throat got continually worse. I could only speak in a whisper. I tried communicating with my wife, Kathy, via text message, but this annoyed her more than opening up a means of talking.

Finally, I stayed home to heal Thursday, but it was too late. I felt better as the day progressed, but not much. Kathy was terrific about fetching me tea, and bringing me comfort foods. My Facebook friends suggested salt water gargle, pickle juice gargle, Vick’s Vapor Rub on my chest, and just a bunch of well wishes.

Friday morning dawned, and I still couldn’t speak. My energy level was low. I decided I wouldn’t be able to sing at all for the concert the following evening.

Now in a way, this wasn’t too bad a crisis. I mean, it’s not like I’m Brittany Spears, and have thousands of people paying hundreds of dollars for them to come see me wiggle my hinny. There are no solo singers in our group: All I REALLY had to be able to do was say, “One Two Ready Go”

I couldn’t say “One Two Ready Go” – The best I could manage was a cracked and evil sounding “ribbit”

So, Saturday morning, as a last measure, I finally went to visit my local Doc-In-The-Box. She confirmed that my throat was inflamed. She even informed me that my ears were inflamed – Who knew? And she suggested the best treatment I could have was really over the counter. She said to get Theraflu.

So, we left. $150 lighter in the pocket for the visit, but with a lead to a $5 medicine recommendation that was doctor recommended. Well, recommended by THIS doctor, anyway.

We had little hope. But we took the Theraflu, and hoped for the best.

And I must say it was amazing. Did I sing? Not a chance! But the throat was tamed down enough that when it came time to perform, I COULD say “One Two Ready Go,” and mutter a few words about the songs we were playing.

And the crowd liked us: How could they not, really? Candlelit turn-of-the-century village, ukuleles, Christmas music. And this one, hoarse, froggy guy at the front announcing songs. I’d say we had the Professor Harold Hill effect working full time for us. And everyone BUT me sounded terrific.

Now, time to dope up on Theraflu before the NEXT concert…

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

May the uke force be with you!

2010-11-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

My wife and I just got finished watching a Star Wars marathon: Not exactly the most productive way to spend a weekend, but we enjoyed our time together. After all, we both grew up with Han Solo, Luke, Leia, and “May the force be with you”!

But being an adult now, something new occurred to me as I watched these massive starships go dashing across the universe, shooting lasers: The economics of Star Wars.

Those ships are massive: I mean, forget the Death Star, just a little fighter ship is pretty darned big. Lots of technical equipment, lots of weaponry. And they have artificial hands waiting to be slapped onto arms when the originals get chopped off. Why is it Star Wars characters seem to keep losing arms?

So, all of that stuff costs money. I am guessing lots of money. A typical fighter plane for the real US Air Force costs what, $500,000-$1,000,000? Maybe more then that? I can’t even imagine how a rebel force in the real world could ever come up with a standing army, let alone an air force. So, how does this band of “rebel fighters” finance all these incredible starships and fighter planes?

In one of the films, a Jedi Knight discovers a whole army of clones was built in secret. How was that paid for? Factories, laboratories, all that stuff. Amazing.

I think I have figured it out. Can you guess what it is? OK, here it goes:

Ukuleles.

See, we run into the very same situation with Dallas Ukulele Headquarters. After all, ukes cost money. Copies cost money. Websites, signs, and everything else costs money.

Now, it’s not exactly going to battle against the Dark Forces of the guitar world: We have no issues like that. So, the Ukulele Starship doesn’t need to be equipped with any weaponry. I suppose just a handful of untuned ukes would be a pretty powerful weapon, if needed. Or a way of clearing the neighborhood of cats.

In fact, sharing ukulele with the world is, in a way, harnessing the positive forces of The Force. People have a sense of creativity, accomplishment, and musical and emotional expression with the ukulele. A force for growth for people of all ages. And a great live entertainment for kids and seniors, even if they just listen. The uke is our lightsaber.

So, back to the money: Back to how we have built a ukulele star fighter.

Well, we haven’t. There isn’t a ukulele spaceship. Just a bunch of people. The shared vision of ukulele brings us together and keeps us together.

And the money? Well, there isn’t any. It’s true that when equipment has been needed, it sort of just appears. Someone always seems to have what we need ready to be donated. This has worked for sound systems, projectors, songbooks – I am very grateful. You might say I’m just using the force.

I guess I really don’t understand how the economics of Star Wars works. I don’t think you can “use the force” to build starships, or “give in to the Dark Side” to raise a droid army. Good thing I’m not a rebel commander. And that ukes are so much less expensive!

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers. Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing. Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me. And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps! And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Herb Ohta Jr in Dallas

2009-09-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

What do you do with Herb Ohta, Jr when he comes to Dallas?

Well, you go to his concert and attend his workshops, of course! Noel Tardy of ukeladymusic.com did a great job of arranging for Herb Ohta to come to Dallas.

Click here for Hawaii Music Live!

But that’s not what I meant: I was talking about when he WASN’T doing workshops and concerts. Civic pride. Showing off the town. Making Dallas MEMORABLE, so he’ll come back!

Taking him to see the outside of “old” Cowboy Stadium and “New” Cowboy Stadium? (And what would he do at the stadiums anyway? Stand around outside in the rain and nod?) We discussed trying to make it all the way to The Stockyards in Fort Worth for a taste of the “real” West – We’d have made it, but just barely! Shopping was mentioned: The Galleria and Northpark Mall are well known, although probably nothing particularly exciting to world travelers.

Tip number one if you are entertaining performers: Ask them.

As it turns out, Herb and his promoter, Susie Kagami, had a “hankering” to try some “real down-home Texas barbecue” – They didn’t actually say “hankering” and “real down-home,” but we Texans knew what they meant! We decided to take them to Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, arguably the best barbecue in Dallas. I say “arguably” because EVERYONE has an opinion on this.

Click here for GREAT Dallas Barbecue!

Tip number two if you are entertaining performers: An army travels on their stomachs, and performers on tour are an entertainment army! It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be good.

Sonny’s is a very unique hole-in-the-wall. It’s a simple one room building. You go up to the counter and place your order. When it’s ready, you can sit at a handful l of old-time school room desk/chair combinations. They are open 10 am to 4 pm, unless they run out of food. Corporate lawyers sit next to blue collar construction workers. Or in our case, famous ukulele players.

It wasn’t too crowded, but Kathy and Susie wound up on the other end of the room from Herb and me. This worked out: We were able to talk a little football. Herb is a huge Cowboys fan, and was actually very interested in the new stadium. (Note to self: Try to bring Herb back when he can attend a football game next time.)

We did talk a little about touring, and wound up sharing a few interesting stories. The truth is, Herb and Susie are nice, charming people. They enjoy what they do, and they enjoy meeting the ukulele community and all their fans. I really enjoyed getting to know him, too.

I specifically did not talk about playing the ukulele: I was showing them the city, not trying to score a secret lesson. I also didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about our little club here, Dallas Ukulele Headquarters. OK, that’s not entirely true: Herb actually asked a lot of questions about how the group started. So, yeah, I admit, I talked about our little group.

Tip number three if you are entertaining performers: Get to know them. They are people, and in a strange city. Be yourself, be open, be friendly. Be a friend. They may not become your BEST friend, but they should be a connection.

When we finished lunch, we decided to take them to Hula Hotties. This is a Hawaiian Café opened in a somewhat Bohemian area of Dallas. I wrote a recent blog about Dallas Ukulele Headquarters performing there, and we are going back for another jam there in October. I had one reason in particular to go there: To see the look on owner Roger Simpsons face when I introduced him to Herb.

Click here for Hula Hotties in Dallas!

I didn’t mind bringing Herb into an area where he’d have to be a little bit “on stage” – Yes, this was his “down time,” but I wasn’t putting him in an uncomfortable situation. The big plus here was relationships: Roger was a part of the Dallas ukulele scene, a local business owner, and a supporter of Dallas Ukulele Headquarters. This was a little bit of meet-n-greet.

We were not disappointed. When I introduced Herb, Roger’s eyes grew wide as saucers, and he called out, “Jill! Jill! Get out here!” as his wife ran from the kitchen.

Roger was very excited, and talked about his home in Hawaii and different performers he knew. The restaurant was very Hawaiian, and a very comfortable place to kick back and relax. Of course, when you can have the great Hula Hotties baked goods and fine Kona coffee, how could you not be relaxed? Herb signed Roger’s uke, and a good time was had by all.

Tip number four if you are entertaining performers: Share your time with your entertainer with people who support your group. As long as it’s OK with your guest, this is a chance to build some bridges.

Our last spot was the Kennedy Assassination Site. OK, it’s a little dark, but EVERYONE who comes to Dallas wonders about it. On any day of the year, when you drive buy you will see groups of tourists pointing at the School Book Depository, the Grassy Knoll, or each other. It’s iconic. Heck, I didn’t even know what a “knoll” was except for the assassination stories.

We walked around a little bit, and the rainy weather let up for exactly the amount of time we were out of the vehicle. Susie and Herb pointed, got a souvenir map, checked for used shotgun cartridges in the grass, and we left. OK, it wasn’t a long stop, but it WAS what Dallas is KNOWN for.

Tip number five if you are entertaining performers: Show the local sights. When Herb and Suzie got to San Antonio, they did not miss The Riverwalk or The Alamo. It’s just that in Dallas, we have no catchy phrase like, “Remember The School Book Depository.”

The key thing I can tell you from this experience: Herb Ohta Jr is a very real person, and a great guy to know. In a way, this blog topic bothers me because I think of him as a friend now, not a “touring performer.” It feels a little awkward and uncomfortable writing about him this way, with little tips. He’s a buddy who I would gladly have over. This was a terrific experience. And I guess that’s as it should be. If you come away from your experience entertaining the out-of-town talent still thinking of your guest as “out of town talent,” perhaps you shouldn’t invite them back. Herb Ohta Jr? He’s welcome anytime.

Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing.
Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me.
And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps!
And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Performing....

2009-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Dallas Ukulele Headquarters now has their name out there in enough places that we get calls for performances pretty regularly. Many of these come from shrewd activities directors who are looking for entertainment for their senior residents.

1) Some find us on our main site: Dallas Ukulele Headquarters Home Page

2) Some find us in senior publications, like The Senior Source: The Senior Source

3) We even have one who found us by searching YouTube: Yankee Doodle Dandy

The important thing is that we have phone numbers and emails out there in various places. And our Internet presence is strong enough that if you enter "Dallas" and "Ukulele" in a search engine...There was no Google when Dallas Ukulele Headquarters started, but it's a convenient name, isn't it?

"There was no Google when Dallas Ukulele Headquarters Started"

(Here's a trivia question for you: Who came up with the name Dallas Ukulele Headquarters?)

Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is committed to bringing the ukulele experience to the community, but we are also sensitive to the fact that our members also donate their time and energy to the program. Balancing the needs of our members and the needs of the community requires some investigation:

1) Some facilities are extremely well funded, and I always ask if they have a budget. It's not offensive, and usually doesn't impact our ability to perform a concert. However, a facility that is well funded can usually provide a small per diem, which is a great help to participating musicians. This can offset gas costs, music printing, and other costs associated with just heading out to perform.

2) Is a meal served? Sometimes, a facility without budget does have the ability to provide food and refreshments to the musicians.

3) What sort of performance are you anticipating? Usually, facilities are thrilled if we come in, set up our music stands, and play right out of the book. There's a lower level of showmanship here, but also the ability for a lot more musicians to participate. It's much easier for me to get a performance group together if I am pulling from 160 musicians, then if a more specific kind of concert is anticipated. If soloists and a higher level of play is requested, I have a much smaller pool of musicians to pull from! I also have to make sure we have microphones and amplifier equipment.

4) How big an audience should we anticipate? If it's 5-10 people, one musician can easily sit down with them in a circle and put on a very nice, simple show. If there arre 50 people, I want to make sure all my musicians can be heard, and what kind of staging area is available.

This is a little bit of pulling-back-the-curtain, but it doesn't mean "No pay, no play" -- On the contrary, I know we can go into a facility and make an audience feel special. I need to make sure my members feel special, too. We have traveled fairly significant miles outside of Dallas to do a performance just because the facility WAS underfunded, and the people we were performing for had very little in the way of entertainment available.

Of course, there's always the After Party. We usually do something like this regardless of the performance, but it's always fun to go grab a bite to eat and perhaps imbibe after strumming. Nobody is particularly worried about per diem or audience size after the show. Usually, everyone feels good about performing, and we can swap stories about a blown chord or missed cue during the show. All the preparation and organization in the world comes down to this: We perform in the moment. And the After Party is a chance to relive that moment together.

Lights....Camera....

2009-08-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

My early posts to YouTube were just filmed using the built-in camera on my laptop. Nothing at all special. No editing. No enhancements. They barely had titles. And yet, my recording of "If My Nose Was Running Money" now has 801 views as of this writing. Hardly viral, but a pretty simple little piece. I know a few people who used it to learn the song -- But I think I just looked incredibly silly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06bOPQpQEMk

As I gave more thought to the potential of YouTube and the ukulele, I felt there were were two main purposes I could use the website for better then just trying to perform in front of a stationary camera:

1) Documenting events
2) Teaching beginner ukulele

To document, I mixed audio recording, still pictures, and limited video off my digital camera. The results were kinda fun, and were able (I hope) to capture the feelings of the event. The key, for me, was being able to use very talented artists who were attending and performing at the events. For Uke of the Irish, I was very fortunate to record some very good audio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLHVrMYqkXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1zwMoectjA

For teaching newcomers, my editing skill is an ongoing work in progress! But I have been able to put up a few tunes specifically to support our beginner workshops. Here are three, the simplest of them first...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ4wOfr9_QE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0XUrlGEA-s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsRLL6oauus

And now we come to the big production number. Or should I say, Big Production Number! I think for many this is the fun of You Tube: To get on their and do something fun, silly, and entertaining to just about everyone who watches it.

Our Dallas Ukulele Headquarters video for Yankee Doodle Dandy is a case in point. My original concept was just to use the sheer mass of ukulele players I had at this party to show an ever increasing group. That might have been a pretty nice little video right there. however, the grand finale of the little two minute video was completely unexpected. I didn't know I'd have it available when the party began, and it was perfect because I think none of the viewers out there expect it either! Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q25mhZnOnI

We were going to attempt to do a video for Chicken Dance yesterday, but we didn't have time. At the Brats, Beer and Beginner's Workshop, there was a lot of interest in our new projection system, and in fact we were going to use it as a giant teleprompter for the video. But when it came right down to it, our main purpose in gathering was to play, and that's what we did. And ate. The German food was wonderful. And drank.

Sweetie, Can you pour me a little more wine?

To finish out this blog, I received an interesting call from a local Senior Living Center, and they found us on YouTube. I haven't really thought about the full uses of this medium for Outreach to performance venues and to reach out to new members -- I've put the Meetup.com/84/ website in many of these videos, perhaps with the idea that new players would flock to us. But I've never had a venue find us this way.

Do you think the video that inspired the call was "If My Nose Was Running Money"?

(Thank you for reading Uke Plucks! My goal is to continually provide something interesting and of value to uke fans, uke players and uke group organizers.

Please see our official website, www.ukulele.meetup.com/84/ for more information, and DO sign up even if you are out of the area. That way you can see first hand what Dallas Ukulele Headquarters is doing.

Also, DO click on the FOLLOW BLOG button at the top of the page. This helps me to know who is reading and what topics to cover. Plus, it's a little stroke to my ego every time someone adds me.

And finally, DO leave a comment. Did you like this post? Not like it? What would you like to see me cover? Again, everything helps!

And remember: Without "U", it's just Kulele!)

Technology, Part Deux

2009-08-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was the big night at Hula Hotties. It was our first visit to the tiny Hawaiian cafe and bakery, it was sold out, and it was also the debut of our big new concept: Using a projector for new music.

So, how did it go?

First of all, the venue is fantastic. The Hawaiian decor made the ukulele a very natural addition. Roger and Jill really opened the doors wide for us, and we stuffed more people in their then I could have imagined.

http://sites.google.com/site/hulahottiescafe1/

The Sound System Is Key To Any Open Mic Performance

Roger went all out setting up a sound system for us to use for open mic, and it really did a great job of making people heard. For those participating in the open mic, it was a very easy performance. Any mistakes made were solely the fault of the performer: No sound system snafus!

Food Is A Key Ingredient To A Jam Session Recipe: People Like To Eat!

Hula Hotties have a great menu, but more importantly it's different from the usual fare. Yes, you could get a burger, but it's not just a bacon cheeseburger and fries. No, your tastebuds were challenged by more tropical fare with extremely cool touches like little flowers in the salads. Great food!

And Finally: The Projector...

There were a few technical issues to work out. For this reason, I actually had only planned two songs using the projector tonight. And unfortunately, it almost didn't happen!

We had the equipment, but couldn't get the projector to speak to the computer. Fortunately, I had the extremely capable help of one of the group's strongest behind-the-scenes guys, Richard Muir, who came to the rescue. He got involved quickly, and wasn't going to give up until the thing worked!

Our hero, Richard Muir!

Plan B: Play the uke

So, while Richard worked with the equipment, I swithced to plan B. We hauled out the OLD technology, the songbo9oks, and we jammmed. Now this was really more about Open Mic, so we weren't jamming for hours, but people were there for a reason. Either to listen or to play. And just waiting wasn't accomplishing either of those things.

And people like playing. We were able to do some really fun things like having Roger accompany us on the saxaphone, and it keeps people engaged. For some, this is the only time they can squeeze in practice, so it's important to take advantage of the time available. Heck, I even got my wife, Kathy, up to sing with me.

http://ukulele.meetup.com/84/photos/699172/

Showtime!

Time marched on, and Richard kept armwrestling with the projector. The show must go on, as they say, and I had people signed up for open mic, so we moved on to The Main Event.

One of the highlights was getting to hear Roger play a few tunes. he's a songwriter as well as a musician, and can bear heard on Friday and Saturday nights at Hula Hotties. So, the set up was his home turf. We got to hear not just his ukulele play and melodic voice, but also the mixed in back up he had. Very professional sounding.

Now, I'm not saying that our own group wasn't professional sounding! But no one else had the back-up that Roger had. Instead, our own people, myself, Noel Tardy, Tim Hatcher, Katsu Nakayama, and Don Aspromonte did some new things. This is always a lot of fun, and as each person performed I found myself wishing I had the chart so I could learn the songs myself. For Don's songs, specifically focused on our beginner players, we will!

On a side note, I tried to video and tape each performer. If they came out well, it could be a nice gift back to the performer. Unfortunately, my little Zoom recorder sounded great on Roger, but didn't pick up anyone else well. And the video was a bit dark. Oh, well! Learning to get a good live recording is trial and error.

And finally: PROJECTOR!

Richard was successful at getting the projector going! And it did, in fact, prove to be a huge aid for people learning new music. It got everyone's eyes out of the sheet music, and got everyone focused on the same spot. I suggest a lot of white space, and very little in the way of backgrounds when using this technique. I put in a few small graphics, largely to differentiate when the screen changes.

We tried a beginner's song, a version of "Mama Don't Allow" with lots of simple three chord songs thrown in like "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Froggie Went a Courtin'" -- The idea is to demonstrate how many songs can be played with just a handful of chords.

We also did a much more difficult song: Optimistic Voices from Wizard of Oz. This was a little more difficult to get through but not because of the projector technique: Just because of the more complex music.

So, What Did We Learn?

It was definitely worth the wait to try out the projector. I highly recommend it to any group. I'd say the two biggest immediate changes will be:

Throw in a page before we start playing that has just the chord charts. This is much more important for a complex song then a simple one, but it gives everyone a chance to see if they have the chord knowledge necessary before playing in rythm and singing.

Throw in an "end" page to signify the song is over instead of letting the powerpoint just go dark. It just looks better!

So, what do you think? Love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Especially before our next event:

http://ukulele.meetup.com/84/calendar/10949084/

SOLD OUT!

2009-08-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

We are sold out for the Hula Hotties event on August 27th.

I know what you are thinking: Sold out? Wait a minute: How can you be sold out? You don't charge for these events, do you?

No, we don't charge for these events. Everyone is welcome. We encourage members to support our host establishments, but any donations are completely voluntary.

The thing is, Hula Hotties has 25 seats, and we have 25 reservations: Thus SOLD OUT!

So, what is it about Hula Hotties that has so captivated our members?

1) Hawaii -- Mostly we play Tin Pan Ally music, but Hawaii is an indelible part of ukulele music. And to have a Hawaiian Cafe open in Dallas is pretty much irrisistable. Isn't it?

2) Schedule -- Usually, our group gathers on Saturdays or Mondays. For this event, because of the restaurant's scheduling, Thursday was the date. You wouldn't think Thursday was such a hot outing night, but then we have some members who are stretched to attend our regular times. They may have flocked to this quickly, just because the day of the week is better. I think there's a scheduling lesson to be learned here.

3) Open Mic -- Not every jam session has an open microphone. We have a mix of performers, some who flock to center stage, and some who are shy. But for those who like to lead, the Open Microphone is not to be ignored. Meanwhile, we also have members who have less interest in playing and more interest in listening. For those, the more-polished songs of the Open Mic are good fun. We purposely don't make every jam have an Open Mic segment: We want it to be special, and for Hula Hotties that appears to be a contributing factor.

4)Food -- Oddly, although the focus of the group is ukulele play, the more varied the restaurant menu, the bigger the turnout. We actually have a Thai place scheduled in the near future. But the allure of Hawaiian food, just because it's different and new, undoubtedly plays a part. We have learned through trial and error that moving to different restaurants is very good for attendance. In the past, when we have settled on one particular venue for awhile, the attendance dwindles. It also means we have a wide rotation: We don't repeat a restaurant more then once every 6 months. We are fortunate to be in an area that has the highest number of restaurants per capita in the country!

5) Momentum -- I don't know how much this plays a factor, but we just finished a huge house concert with Bayless and Bernson ( http://ukulele.meetup.com/84/calendar/10901642/ ) -- The popularity of the concert may have spurned additional interest in this event. We also have Herb Ohta, Jr. coming in September -- (http://www.socializr.com/event/907652968 ) -- This may have helped with Hula Hotties, too. Ride the wave. Gain enthusiasm. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Love to hear your thoughts on this phenomenon, too. Here's a link to the event so you can check it out -- Just don't plan on attending! (Although you can still be placed on the waiting list!

http://ukulele.meetup.com/84/calendar/10980306/

Technology and beginners....

2009-08-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Starting with our Hula Hotties jam on the 27th, we will begin testing some new technology.

Big special thank you to Mark "Spanky" Gutierrez and Kathy Levine for the great idea of using the computer projector for new music, and to Don Aspromonte for helping move the idea forward by bringing th projector and helping with the music...

What Mark does is use a computer projector to blow up music onto a wall where everyone can see it. This does a couple great things:

1) Everyone is looking up, where an audience would be, instead of buried in sheet music.
2) It cuts down on printing costs.
3) It saves all that hand out time -- "I need page two! I have two page ones!"

It amazes me how technology has changed with the ukulele. When I started playing, there wasn't much out there regarding chords, music, etc. Now, the technology allows key changing on the fly, huge collections of music, tips, chord bulding, printing software that doesn't have to be arm wrestled into a Word or Excel document, and recording equipment that is both inexpensive and fast. It's all been fabulous for the resurgence of the ukulele.

When I started, the only site out there, for the most part, was www.fleamarketmusic.com. Now, there's a world of them -- There are now sites that just list other sites!

The uke is a very simple, basic instrument. I think the amazing fancy technology today is in part responsible for the resurgence and popularity of this little gem.

For me, I am happy to take advantage of everything I can to allow more people to enjoy the uke!

Not exactly viral, but....

2009-08-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Ukulele Headquarters video from the 4th of July has now been viewed 500 times....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q25mhZnOnI

Give 'em The Finger!

2009-08-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

One of the great things I have always noticed about the ukulele is the 1st position C chord: It’s made with one finger.

Now, the C chord is somewhat significant because of it’s simplicity and center in the music world. In truth, I suppose, it could be any other one finger chord: Am, Cm, and others.

In truth, “music” could be said to center almost anywhere. However, when you look at a piano, what note is in the center? The C. I rest my case.

Plus, when talking to beginners, it’s much better then saying something weird like “Except for jazz players from Chicago, who prefer 9th chords with a G root”. You want a strong, simple front for teaching.

I go about as overboard as I can when I talk about it: I want learning a handful of chords to be a watershed moment. I want it to be a door opening in someone’s life. I want people to feel phenomenal about learning the C chord.

After all, the ukulele changed my life. It gave me identity and focus and purpose. It gave me a mission and a theme. It colored my life. Hard not to get passionate about that when sharing with others.

And apparently, passion works. Passion teaches. Passion conveys meaning: Dallas Ukulele Headquarters has more people attending our beginner workshops then our regular jam sessions.

Glad to have them. Welcome aboard.

That’s the first thing I teach, and the first thing I share.