I'm pretty sick today and I didn't think I was going to post anything, but then I was watching some Gus and Fin videos on Youtube and they cheered me up. So, here ya go.
These guys are the best! The pick the best songs to cover (Hooray for The Ramones!) and they look like real characters to boot. It looks like the fine folks (Woodshed probably?) wrote out the chords for this one, you can find them over at ukulelehunt.com. Anyway, I'm headed back to the couch now to wallow in a wicked chest cold, but I hope this video brings a smile to yer face! See ya tomorrow!
Oh yeah, this reminds me. I have a Ramones cover band with my 5-year-old song (we are called "Second verse same as the first"), I'll upload a video of us real soon. I'm just waiting on my Gorillapod!
So, a friend of mine is really into Travis Bean guitars. You might even say he's obsessed. But, it makes sense, they are beautifully made custom guitars. So, I get to thinking, what's the ukulele equivalent of a Travis Bean? You know what I mean? Let's say I hit the lottery and I want to buy a fantastic NEW ukulele. Who is making those? Who are the ukulele master craftsmen?
Well, I'm not sure I have the definitive answer, but I definitely think ASD Hawaii is in the running for the title. Here's a snippet from their webpage:
one look and you will see a difference in ASD ukueles. ASD ukuleles are different. but they are not different for the sake of being different. instead, as form should follow function, so does the design of ASD ukuleles. each component of the ukulele has been purposely designed to maximize sound quality and playing comfort. ASD ukuleles are created differently in both sight and sound and may change your preconceptions about ukuleles.
Well.. I certainly like the sound of that. I did some searching on eBay and found this beautiful Tenor Ukulele that they make. It's like a work of art!
Kinohi asd tenor ukulele w/case
I can honestly say that I've never seen a ukulele body shaped like this tenor ukulele. Wait, I know what you are wondering. Where is the sound hole? Well, go to the eBay auction page and look at the other thumbnails (I haven't figured out how to link them here, yet). Go ahead... I'll wait. 😉 Pretty cool, right?
So, the other day when I was trying out my new $13 digital tuner I really wanted to make a video to show you guys. But, I found that I didn't have enough hands. I couldn't hold the uke, the video camera and the tuner all at the same time. Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the video camera that I have. It's a Flip MinoHD Camcorder and it freaking rules! Here's a picture and some specs:
Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)
* Holds 60 minutes of HD-quality video (1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames per second; 16:9 widescreen) on 4 GB of built-in memory
* Weighs only 3.3 ounces; Super-slim, super-sleek design, fits into your pocket or purse
* Features one-touch recording and digital zoom
* Flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your computer to launch built-in FlipShare software
* FlipShare software lets you save and organize your videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, email your videos, and upload them
Yup. I love it dearly. But, I needed to make it work for filming myself play the Ukulele and talk and generally make a buffoon of myself. Then I notice that there's a little hole at the bottom of it. (NOTE: Yeah, I'm the Ukulele Guy, not the camera guy, obviously). So, I start searching for "Flip Video stand" and junk like that until, some time later, I remember.... Oh yeah! They call those things tripods, right? Heh.
So then I found this little number that I'm ordering as soon as I finish this post:
Flip Tripod for Flip Ultra and Mino Camcorders
Huzzah! Now I can make all sorts of videos for this site, cause there's tons of stuff I want to show you guys. For example, I'm fairly decent at the following songs:
Facts of Life Themesong
Diff'rent Strokes Themesong
Sweet Child o' Mine Medly with Baby Elephant Walk
Rubber Ducky
See.. that was worth sitting through a tripod post, right? As soon as I get that thing you'll have all sorts of ukulele hilarity to keep you buys!
HOLD THE PHONE!
ilovefizzypop, on Twitter, told me to get a gorillapod instead. Thankfully I had to rush out the door before I ordered the other tripod because I was late pickup up my son from school. Heh. I just now checked it out and it looks awesome! Plus, you can get custom colors (hello blue!). Also, the price is so low that it's one of those deals where you have to add it to your shopping cart to see the actual price ($16.29 shhh... don't tell).
So, I'm buying it now. I'm going to go with the GP1-EBEN, but it looks like there are fancier ones as well (with bubble levels, no less!). Here's the pretty blue picture of the one I'll soon be holding.
Well.. my day is now officially made. I was, once again, randomly stumbling through the interwebs looking for cool new ukulele news when I stumbled on a Youtube video of someone named, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer. Somewhere in the short description it something about a Banjolele (Banjo + Ukulele hybrid) so I hopped right on over to Youtube. What did I find? Oh... not much. Only a perfect British chap recounting the history of hip-hop, on banjolele, in about 5 minutes. That's right, from Rapper's Delight through Run DMC and the Beastie Boys all the way up to Eminem. My mind is blown and I need more!
So, being someone who plays ukulele, you are used to being happy and the center of attention, right? I mean, let's face it, people count on us to play the clown a little bit, right? If you ever saw me play, you'd know it was true. Seeing a big guy playing this tiny little instrument just brings a smile to your face.
Now... imagine if that ukulele was decorated to look like a frog. Huzzah!
Hmm... that thumbnail is freaking tiny! Sorry about that, but if you look at "Stagg Frog Ukulele with Gig Bag" you'll see the whole deal. I did some searching on the Internet and the only other one of these that I saw was on a site that I didn't know much about. Besides, everyone has an ebay account, right? 😉
Anyway, here's some more information from the auction:
Traditional soprano Ukulele w/ Frog graphic top, in black nylon gigbag - Top: nato - Back & Sides: nato - Neck & Headstock: nato - Fingerboard & Bridge: nato - Tuners: geared pegs w/ "antique white" plastic knobs - Scale length: 349 mm, (13.74 in.) - Fingerboard Dim. 177 mm (7 in.), 12 frets - Neck & Head: 300 mm (12 in.) - Body: 240 mm, (9.3 in.)- Total length: 540 mm, (21.25 in.) - Finish: Frog design.
Now get out there and make a fool of yourself! But, for god's sake, do it tastefully.
