July | 2020 | Austin Ukulele Society (AUS)

Hello, friends! Bob, Sho and Jen want to express many, many thanks to our fans and friends who tuned in and donated generously to Kick Butt! It feels wonderful to have had an immediate impact on a venue we all treasure. Kick Butt is a great friend to a huge area of performing arts, including all genres of music, spoken word, and comedy. Their support of the ukulele community, by hosting Austin Ukulele Society ukulele open mic nights, Kevin Carroll’s Ukulele Joy events, and Cynthia Lin for a uke jam and concert, is unparalleled.

Thomas Gohring, or Master Gohring as he is affectionately (and appropriately) called, sent us this note: “You raised $1,583.58 (not including any checks that may be sent)… I am deeply touched and eternally grateful. I just transferred the funds to Kick Butt; this will be an immediate help to cover outstanding paychecks and expenses for Kick Butt.”

In case you didn’t get to view the show, the performance was recorded and is viewable on the AUS YouTube channel:

Heartfelt thanks to the wonderful artists who so generously donated their time and talent for the concert! Please visit their websites and support them!

Sho and Shin Humphries

Kathy Murray & the Kilowatts

We look forward to having you join us for our next virtual meeting on Thursday, August 13, at 7:00pm U.S. Central Time! Take care and be well until then, friends. 🙂

While we have your attention…

If you don’t already follow this website, why not take a moment to click on the “Follow Austin Ukulele Society” button? We’d really appreciate it! It’s in the right margin, just under the “Like us on Facebook” button and looks just like this: .

By following our website, you’ll always be kept up-to-date with the latest meeting announcements and other Austin Ukulele Society news. Thank you so much!

The Austin Ukulele Society’s July virtual meeting was a lot of fun, with over 200 ukulele enthusiasts of all skill levels joining in to play and sing. From Hawaii to Nova Scotia, Australia to Germany and points all over the continental U.S., we enjoyed sharing the global ukulele spirit with our friends. After some greetings, Bob shared news about upcoming ukulele events, including the upcoming Kick Butt Coffee Benefit Ukulele Concert hosted by the Austin Ukulele Society and Sho Humphries on Saturday, July 25, at 5:00pm US Central Time. It’ll be streamed on the AUS YouTube channel, and everyone is invited to tune in (and, if possible, donate to this wonderful and quirky Austin venue, struggling while closed throughout the shelter-in-place orders).

As usual, we warmed up our hands, voices and spirits with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” then dove into learning our featured song. The Beach Boys conjure up images of favorite summer pastimes like going to the beach, surfing, daydreaming, and more. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is a delightful musical endeavor with a theme of summertime yearning, and we’re glad everyone was so positive about learning this fun (and a little challenging) song. Bob did a fantastic job of breaking down the song into components, to help everyone get comfortable with the chords, including chord progressions, positioning and alternatives. He went through strum styles in detail as well as options for picking. With Bob’s guidance, we all felt ready to play the song through a few times. We then wrapped up the evening with Willie Nelson’s timeless “On the Road Again.”

A big thanks to Bob Guz for sharing his expertise, Lyda Guz for timely presenting of the PowerPoint slides, and Jen Richardson for moderating and responding to the live commenting.

You can download the lyrics and chords for our arrangement of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” or download a copy of the presentation and instruction guide, including exercises and drills. You can also watch a replay of the webcast. Watch the entire show or jump to the part you most want to see!
      ● Welcome
      ● “Three Little Birds” warm-up song
      ● Bob’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” Tutorial
      ● “On the Road Again” closing song

We love all of the feedback and photos you sent! The feedback was very thoughtful and kind, and we’re so glad everyone felt they learned something.

We look forward to having you join us for our next virtual meeting on Thursday, August 13, at 7:00pm U.S. Central Time! Take care and be well until then, friends. 🙂

For more downloadable music, visit our Ukulele Music Library. For more Austin Ukulele Society videos, check out our YouTube Channel.

While we have your attention…

By following our website, you’ll always be kept up-to-date with the latest meeting announcements and other Austin Ukulele Society news. Thank you so much!