Ukulele Guy

So, one of my biggest shortcomings is my memory.... or, rather, complete lack of long-term memory.  So, lately I've been heavily relying on my Google calendar.  That way, wherever I am, whatever I am doing, if I happen to be lucky enough to remember something, I pretty much enter it in my calendar right away.  Sometimes, I need a little help making sense of what entered, but it's better than nothing.

So, where I'm going with this is that I was at the grocery store and I remembered that my brother, Bryan, had always really wanted a giant acoustic bass guitar.  What he really wanted was a bass like Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes plays.

But, I'm pretty sure that's a custom job.  Or, at least, I couldn't figure out where to get one.  So, I started thinking.  Ya know, I bet he'd like one of those giant mariachi bass guitars.  So, I put it in my calendar for August 1st (his birthday is August 17th) and I promptly forgot all about it.

Fast forward to August 1st, 2011.  My Google calendar tells me that I need to "buy giant bass guitar for Bryan".  So, I do some research and discover that those mariachi bass guitars are called guitarrons.  What is cooler than that is the fact that they have 6 strings and weird tuning.  I was roughly Bryan's age when I first got my ukulele and it was right before the birth of my first son.  Well, Bryan and his wife are expecting their first baby sometime in October.  So, I thought maybe this guitarron could launch him down a new path in life and figuring out how to play it would open his mind to new ideas.  Long story short, the ukulele changed my life and I was hoping to give him a similar experience.

So, I order a guitarron on eBay and when I get it... there are problems.

What's worse is that the replacement guitarron that they sent me also had problems.  I think the brand is just trash, which isn't what you would expect for nearly $400.  Well, now I'm in a pickle.  I got the replacement guitarron on August 18th... the freaking day after Bryan's birthday.  So, even though I started off ahead of the curve thanks to my new calendar-brain, I still ended up blowing it.

Almost.

Guess what saved the day?   The Kala U-bass!  Although, that almost didn't happen.  I called my local music store because I know they sell U-basses, but they informed me they were all sold out.  They checked with Kala and I guess they are back-ordered for like 4 months?!  Crap!  So, I headed to eBay and I found plenty of left-handed U-basses, but only one Spruce right-handed U-bass.  I snapped that mother right up.  Now, I should mention that there were some mahogany right-handed U-basses available but those are nearly $550, I think?  I love my brother, but I apparently don't $550-love him.  Heh.

What's neat is that the U-bass I bought for him is fretless, so it sounds like a freaking upright bass.  It rules!  Now I can finally play Lovecats by the Cure without having to bend strings.  Wait.. what do you mean it's his bass?  Crap!  Heh.  I'm sure he'll let me play it.

Our next step is to get him a battery-powered amp.  You see, although the U-Bass sounds amazing, it's not terribly loud.  So, if you were rocking it at a campfire, you should probably have a little amp.  Right now we are looking at the Roland MicroCube Bass Amp or a Pignose HOG-30 amp.  I'll letcha know what we decide on.  I'm sure we'll make some videos after we get the amp.  So then you'll know what a U-bass sounds like through a little battery powered amp.

Related Items:

Roland Micro Cube RX Guitar Amp Bundle with 10-Foot Instrument Cable, Headphones, Pick Card, and Polishing Cloth

Kala S-U-B U-Bass Solid Body Ukulele Bass Guitar Satin Black

Well, if you ever wanted to know what Dead Puppies sounded like when it was being performed by a traveling minstrel on a lute.  I can help you out.  Well, I don't actually have a lute, but I assume it sounds much like my 6-string ukulele.

What's that?  You don't know what Dead Puppies is?  Holy crap.  Didn't you listen to the Dr. Demento show on the radio, growing up?  What's that?  You don't know what the radio is?  Freaking kids today and your fancy interwebs and whatnot.

Here's a live version of Ogden Edsl rocking Dead Puppies.  I dunno about you guys, but I totally want to hang with these dudes.  Maybe it's the beard talking.

And here is my bathroom version of Dead Puppies.

This song is just one of those touchstones for me.  I can't explain in.  In fact, my brothers and I are working on a ridiculous requirements for our funerals.  For example, the other brothers have to have Coolio hair, or everyone at the funeral must listen to 3 hours of my old 4-track recordings.... etc.  Well, I'm pretty sure Dead Puppies is going to need to be played at my funeral and my ghost will ensure that everyone is singing along.

Related Items:

Planet Waves Pro Winder String Winder and Cutter

Martin M600 Standard Ukulele Strings

So, the night before I went on a little mini-vacation to Wisconsin, I got my 6-string Aquila string set in the mail.  So, I strung up my new OU-26T 6-String Tenor Ukulele so I could show you guys how it sounds with the proper strings on there.  I think you'll agree that the sound differences between my 6-string tenor uke and my low-G tenor uke are pretty dang dramatic!

If I don't seem as perky in this video, it's because my wife and two boys had been gone for over a week at this point.  So, if you have kids, then you know how that goes.  It's like 2-3 days of late nights, beer, bad movies and video games and then the rest of the days are spent moping around the house.  I honestly missed the sound of the boys screaming at each other.  Heh.

Also, I'd thank you to not look up my shorts during the whole video.

Related Items:

Lanikai Tenor Ukulele Polyfoam Case

Lanikai Standard Soprano Ukulele - LU-21

So, I was so freaking excited after getting my new Oscar Schmidt OU-26T Tenor 6-String ukulele that I was pretty much making up reasons for putting it in a video.  Case in point, last Friday night I went to a get-together at my brother's house.  Beers and ribs were enjoyed by all and then I made my way on home with no definite plans.  Hrm.  What to do?  How bouts a hop on my old friend and enemy, Facebook.  Next thing I knew, it was 4:30am.  You see, here's the thing.  Colin, my brother, does this thing on Facebook that he calls CTV.  Basically, he drinks beer and posts Youtube videos and pretends that a) he's a DJ (which, in reality, he is) and b) that we are listening (well, sometimes we are).  Well, on Friday me posted something like "CTV is about to start!".  So, I thought it would be hilarious if I suddenly "invented" something called STV and if I pretended that I didn't know what CTV was.  Thus began a mighty Youtube DJ Battle on Facebook and my sobriety was the main casualty.

So, anyway, during the back and forth video attacks between CTV and STV, Colin's CTV posted this video.

Wherein I responded and said that I liked that song when it was called Needles in the Camel's Eye.

I considered that my checkmate.

So, why am I going on and on about this?  Hmm... good question.  Oh yeah, I remember.  You see when I picked up my new 6-string ukulele and heard those octave A strings (slightly out of tune) it popped Needles in the Camel's Eye right into my brain.  That's all the excuse I needed to make a uke video for it.  And, here it is.

This song is real easy to learn, it only has 4 chords.  Here's a quick tab for it.

Needles in the Camel's Eye - Brian Eno

E         A
Those who know
E                 A
They don't let it show
E                  B
They just give you one long life
D          A
And you go, oh oh, oh oh

Goes to show
How winds blow
The weather's fine
And I feel so so-so, so

Birds of prey
With too much to say
Oh what could be my destiny
Another rainy day

Why ask why?
For by the by and by
All mysteries are just more
Needles in the camel's eye

Those who know
They don't let it show
They just give you one long life
And you go, oh oh, oh oh

Why ask why?
For by the by and by
All mysteries are just more
Needles in the camel's eye

Related Items:

Oscar Schmidt UC3 Concert Ukulele Case

Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele

So, yesterday was a damn fine day. Two ukulele events coincided with each other and the stars truly aligned for awesomeness. First, the mailman delivered my set of Orcas Low-G tenor strings (which I was going to use for my Lanikai CK-TEQ tenor ukulele). Next, I scored an Oscar Schmidt OU-26T 6-string tenor ukulele for a meager $45 on Craigslist. The guy who was selling it lives in Polson, MT. That's about an hour away from Missoula (where I reside), for those of you who aren't familiar with Montana geography (for shame!). But, as luck would have it, his wife was traveling to our shopping mall yesterday and he sent the uke down with her.

So, beside the fact that I was going to have to intentionally visit the mall, the day was really looking like it was gonna rule. The lady I was meeting suggested we meet at the coffee shop in the center of the mall. I'm sure she naturally assumed that since I was from Craigslist that I was murdering rapist. Heh. So, I met her and had a look at the 6-string tenor and it was in perfect condition. I played it a little bit (long enough to entertain other coffee shop patrons and not so long as to be tossed out of the mall for busking) and something sounded a little weird about it. It looked to me as if he strung it a little bit weird. But, no matter, still a fine deal.

So, when I got it home I realized what he had done. The A and C strings on the OU-26T are supposed to be double strings. But, they are also supposed to be octaves. Now, he had both strings playing the same note and not octaves. The end result being that the smaller gauge string was really "floppy". I did my best to fix it up and, sadly, snapped the C string. The A strings are a real nice octave, though. I just ordered a new set of Aquila 6-string tenor strings, though, so I'll make more videos when I get it strung up properly.

Anyway, here is a video that shows you how a Low-G tenor ukulele sounds and also how the OU-26T sounds with only 5 strings.

I should probably mention, again, that these Orcas strings are really incredible.  Do yourself a favor and get a set to see what I mean.  And, if you have a tenor ukulele, you should definitely get a set of the Low-G strings.  They sound so full and rich.

Best Match Items Ending First Newly-Listed Items First Price + Shipping: Lowest First Price + Shipping: Highest First

aNueNue BANJOLELE 1 SOPRANO BANJO UKULELE with HARD CASE Orca Strings $339.99 Time Remaining: 19d 9h 35m Buy It Now for only: $339.99

Anuenue Ukulele Orca Floor Stand NEW $36.99 Time Remaining: 25d 2h 26m Buy It Now for only: $36.99

Related Items:

Oscar Schmidt by Washburn OU2 Concert Ukulele Bundle with Gig Bag, Tuner, and Polishing Cloth - Mahogany Top, Back, and Sides

Oscar Schmidt UB3 Concert Ukulele Gig Bag

You know, I've always been looking for one of these, but they don't seem to come up on eBay all that often. The other day I was right in the middle of a project and suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue, I thought "Treholipee!" and instantly ran over to eBay. Sure enough, someone was selling one for a great price (probably because it needs some love). I snapped that baby up and now I'll see if I can restore it a little bit.

If you didn't know about these strange instruments, they were marketed to surfers in the 60s. It came with a strap so you could wear it on your back and it has the huge headstock so you can dig it into the sand and it'll stay put while you are doing all your surfing stuff. Here, check out this video I made about my new one:

If you know anything about these instruments, I'd love to talk to you. And/or if you are a crafty person who might have some ideas as to how I'm going to replace that tuning paddle, I'd love to hear it!

Best Match Items Ending First Newly-Listed Items First Price + Shipping: Lowest First Price + Shipping: Highest First

Swagerty Singing Treholipee Four String Uke $200.00 Time Remaining: 22d 4h 42m Buy It Now for only: $200.00

Rick Griffin Swagerty ukulele original decal strip 1960s $595.00 Time Remaining: 24d 8h 16m Buy It Now for only: $595.00

Related Items:

Lanikai LU-11 Soprano Ukulele

Savannah Color Ukulele with Bag, Black

So, I'm not sure my office has ever looked this fun before.  Dig it:

Mahalo Ukuleles for Kids

Did I really buy 8 Mahalo Ukuleles?  Yup.

Did I get a discount?  Nope.

Are all of these Ukuleles for me?  Sadly, nope.

I'm teaching a ukulele class for the kid's of our local Flagship program.  I asked them how many ukuleles they had and I think they only have like 2-3 to work with but there are going to be like 13 kids or something?  So, scrounging together my own ukuleles, I realized that I needed to buy some more.

That's what led me to 8 shiny new Mahalo ukuleles on my office floor.  I'm going to be donating these to the flagship program in the hopes that they can use them over and over again.  And, I'm going to have to admit, I'm going to be sad to see these little babies go.  They've been making me smile all dang day.

My plan for the kids is to show them a few chords and talk about having fun with music and then teach them Big Rock Candy Mountain and/or Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, by the Flaming Lips.  Hopefully we can get through both.  I really wanted to tackle Livin' Thing by ELO, but there are a fair amount of tricky chords in there.

Here is the modified version of Big Rock Candy Mountain that I'm going to be using:
C - 0003
F - 2010
G7 - 0212

"Big Rock Candy Mountain" (Modified by Ukulele Guy)

Introduction:
One [C]evening as the sun went down
And the campfires all were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hikin',
And he said, "Boys, I'm not a-turning.
I'm [F]headed for a [C]land that's [F]far a[C]way,
Be[F]side the crystal [G7]fountains,
So [C]come with me, we'll go and see,
The Big Rock [G7]Candy [C]Mountains.

Verse 1:
"[C]In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a [F]land that's fair and [C]bright,
Where the [F]french fries grow on [C]bushes,
And you [F]sleep out every [G7]night,
Well [C]all the schools are empty,
And the [F]sun shines every [C]day,
On the [F]birds and the [C]bees
And the [F]candy bar [C]trees,
The [F]lemonade [C]springs
Where the [F]bluebird [C]sings,
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.

Verse 2:
"[C]In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You [F]never change your [C]socks,
And the [F]little streams of [C]chocolate milk
Come a-[F]tricklin' down the [G7]rocks,
The [C] teachers do your homework
And your [F]parents clean your [C]room.
There's a [F]lake of [C]stew,
And of [F]soda [C]too,
You can [F]paddle all a[C]round 'em
In a [F]big ca[C]noe,
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.

Related Items:

PYLE-PRO PUKT12BR 26-Inch Tenor Ukulele Kit with Bag, Picks, Pitch Pipe,Straps - Maple/Brown

Mahalo U-40SM Ukulele

So, let's talk about Muses.  You might expect that a Muse would be a foxy Greek godess, or maybe a supermodel or maybe even Jodie Foster (Hay, maybe you are inspired to shoot a president, right?).  Well, in my case, my muses are a rad southern dude (who makes incredible pottery and ceramics and who also happens to write code) and his amazing wife.

Keith and his wife Gina (aka Gi Gi) have appeared in music I've been a part of for many years.  Going back to Volumen, Gina was the inspiration for the "That's niiiiice" in Underwater.  Years later, Keith and Gina warranted at least 12 lines of the PWT song BBQ Funk.  Most recently, Keith created a freaking rad video game called Redneck Jellyfish and he asked me to make the soundtrack for it.

Yup, you heard me right.  After a lifelong addiction to video games and a recent obsession with the Ukulele, I was finally able to dip that chocolate into that peanut butter.  I was part of making a video game!  I can die a happy man now.  Here's a trailer for the game:

When Keith first asked me about it, he wanted to know what I would charge him.  Charge?!  Pshaw.  I feel like I should have been paying him for the privilege.  Especially considering that he designed the original Volumen logo (which you can see at Volutunes) and also the logo for my wife's toy store (Walking Stick Toys, y'all!).  He didn't charge us for either of those so money was not changing hands.

Well, Keith got the last laugh by naming the main character in Redneck Jellyfish after my youngest son, August.  Yup, the jellyfish is named "Gus Hickey".  RAD.

Keith created this game with a lot of help from his amazing kids Greyson (age 12) and Iva (age 11).  The concept was based on one of Greyson's drawings and I think Iva had a lot to do with the design of "Gus" and also some of the other art in the game.  Gus's voice, in the game, is 100% Greyson and it's pretty freaking hilarious!  Also, his crazy sayings are probably going to be tough for you to figure out if you happen to have been born north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Anyway, if you have an ipad/ipod touch/iphone then y'all should shell out the measly $.99 and get this rad game.  There are 64 freaking levels!  So, it'll definitely be worth your money.  Also, I think the most recent version posts your scores to Facebook so you can get in some bragging rights.

I'll make another post soon with tabs for the main song in the game, in case you want to play along with your uke.   In the version of the song that appears in the video game, I was playing my aNueNue Banjolele and also my 1974 Gibson EB-0 bass.

Click here to download Redneck Jellyfish!

Related Items:

aNueNue aNN-P3 Papa III Mahogany - Tenor

aNueNue aNN-GBS Gig Bag for Suprano Ukelele

Last week I got an e-mail from a guy that I initially thought was spam because it was so brief.  He just asked me to check out his Ukulele Video.  Well, today I'm deleting hundreds of e-mails from my inbox and I happen upon it again.  What the hell, right?  Might as well check it out.   Turns out, it rules!

I'm a huge fan of this kind of video.  You know, where the guy shows themselves playing each individual part.  I think this style of video even has a name, but I forget what it is.  jreng is the king of these videos if you ask me.  Here's his video for Bohemian Rhapsody.  Sure, it doesn't have any ukuleles in it, but it's still rad.

I think maybe the reason I love these types of video is that I don't foresee myself ever having enough patience to make one.  I'm all about sudden inspiration, quick recording and then moving right on along..... that and live shows.  Maybe I'll get patience as I get older?  I'm not hopeful, though.

Related Items:

Luna Guitars Mahogany Tattoo Tenor Concert Ukulele w/ Gigbag

Luna Honu 21 Inch Soprano Ukulele

So, here is how this happened.

Monday Night: I mention to my wife, Erika, that I'm thinking about playing some Call of Duty: United Offensive tomorrow night with the boys.  She asks, "Are we doing anything tomorrow?"  Instantly I get my sinking feeling in my gut.  What have I forgotten now?  Is tomorrow Valentine's day?  No, that doesn't make sense.... this is June.  Hrm.  So, I go ahead and hang myself by asking, "What's tomorrow?"   Yup.  You guessed it.  It was our 8th wedding anniversary.

Tuesday Afternoon: During an insanely busy day at work, I keep playing Ukulele between stabs of productivity at the keyboard.  It's time for the hail Mary pass.  It's time for an authentic anniversary love song for my baby doll.  But, more than that, it's time to deliver it on our actual wedding anniversary.  As you've seen in the past, I normally deliver these a day or so after the special event.  Come hell or high water, that was not happening this time!

So, here it is.  Four verses even!  Of course, there isn't a bridge yet, but I can work on that down the road.

If you are interested in the chords and words (Hay, maybe your life is exactly like mine so you can re-use the song for your wife?):

F# C#7 F# A# B C#

8 years ago, we got joined, in holy matrimony
then I took the band and left you while we toured around Estonia
In those two weeks I knew that I needed to be near ya
wherever you are I'll follow you and make your "there" our "here"-a

C# fiddly part

7 years ago, we told just about everyone who'd listen
that the world was too damn full for us to put any more kids in
well it turns out that we that last part wrong
you need at least 4 voices to sing our family's song (maybe just 4, eh?)

D#min B F#
C# D#min B C#7

We got engaged for all time
or at least the rest of our lives

And I'd be lying if I didn't admit
that I think I got the better deal by more than a little bit

6 years ago we got ourselves a towheaded something special
I thank my lucky stars that we weren't being careful
I can't imagine our empty lives without that tiny babe
Sure we'd get more sleep,  but we can do that in the grave

4 years ago, we decided to make our boy a brother
and even though they fuss and fight I know they love each other
who coulda guessed that ours hearts had holes inside
that our boys patched right up because they were exactly the right size

Chorus

Related Items:

Mahalo U-40SM Ukulele

Mahalo U-30BK Painted Economy Soprano Ukulele, Black