Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Lil' Rev tonight!

Today's the day, folks. Come to High Strung at 6 p.m. to learn from and listen to Lil' Rev, one of the great teachers on the uke circuit these days. Tonight's workshop will include a short performance by Lil' Rev. Details below.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Uke Jam 7-8 tonight!

Come on out and play with us at the uke jam tonight.
For this week only, the jam will be just one hour, starting at 7, ending at 8.
The first 30-40 minutes we'll stick to beginner friendly tunes, with the option to challenge ourselves for the rest of the hour.

Come hear us gush about Dan Zanes and friends. Bring songs!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

BOULDER ACOUSTIC SOCIETY: Old School But Never Old

Yet another great event for uke players/lovers/listeners in the area:
Looking Glass Artists Collective in Salisbury, NC, presents a day of workshops and an evening performance by Boulder Acoustic Society on Wednesday, July 22nd.

If you haven't heard (of) this band, check out their web site or look them up on You Tube. They are returning to LGAC after playing there in the Spring and being asked back for another show and some workshops. They describe themselves as "old school but never old" and have a great mix of traditional sensibility, modern flair, creativity and musicianship. Note that their descriptive blurb on the home page of their web site does not mention ukulele (what?!?!), but 3 of the 4 band members play uke (and do so on stage) and have had special ukes made for them by luthier Mike DaSilva.

The best source of info is the flyer, available at High Strung. Stop by and get one, or call them for details @ 286-3801

There's uke, jazz history, and fiddle workshops that are $5 each, if you register before Monday. After that, the price goes up to $10 each. Go to three and get into the evening show for free.
Online details (that I've been able to find) are few, but you can check out the LGAC web site or their google calendar.
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=operamama3%40gmail.com

And there's this, from the Salisbury Chronicle website:
Fiddling, ukulele, history of jazz — July 22, master classes led by members of Boulder Acoustic Society coming to Looking Glass Artist Collective, 405 N. Lee St. Classes $5 each- "History of Jazz:" 2 p.m.; "All Things Fiddle:" 4 p.m.; choose between "Ukulele 101" or "Simple Songs for Uke" at 5:30 p.m. (loaner ukes available). Each class approximately one hour. Those registered for three classes get free ticket to attend evening concert. 704-245-2302. www.salisburyartists.org

Note: According to the High Strung flyer, there is another class at 6:30: "Indie and Punk Ukulele songs demonstration", but this one is free & won't count for the "buy 3, see the show free" deal.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Lil' Rev uke workshops July 29th

















Lil' Rev, a highly regarded ukulele player and teacher, and the author of some of my favorite ukulele instructional books, including the green book we've used in the past at uke jam, is coming to High Strung for an evening of ukulele workshops. From the High Strung web site (click the link to sign up):
Tunes and Techniques for Ukulele
This workshop will cover learning rolls, triplets, slides, tremolo and other tricks
that will expand your toolbox and bring new texture to your repertoire. Lil Rev is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music-historian who teaches and tours nationally, around the continental U.S
Wednesday, July 29th
6-9p.m. $20/person

There are plenty of video clips on Lil' Rev's website. Here's a good one from YouTube.

Dan Zanes and Friends

Dan Zanes and Friends are coming to the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh this Saturday, July 18th. AND... their web site says there are "lots of surprises planned for this one." Now, these surprises wouldn't be surprises if we published them here before the show, but we can promise you that these surprises will involve ukuleles and members of the Durham ukulele community. Said surprise(s) could involve you too, but you'll have to be in touch to find out more. Or just come to the show and see for yourself.

Dan Zanes (formly of the Del Fuegos) and Friends are a family friendly band of musicians who love ukuleles and promote community music making for everyone.