The Dallas Ukulele Headquarters (DUH) reveals that Acoustic Guitar magazine is considering publication of a Ukulele magazine, but needs to see how many folks are interested. So pop over here, on the Acoustic Guitar site, take a look at the proposed uke magazine, & fill out their survey. Enough positive reaction to the survey may cause a Ukulele magazine to happen.
Here it is– the revised version of “The Letter” that we played along with at the September 13 meeting. The document is called “The Letter – Presentation Format.” It’s also in the Ukulele Music Library.
The turnout was smaller–unlike the 40 to 50 folks we h
ad at some recent meetings, about 30 attended on September 13–but, as always, we had a great time. We sang the classic “The Letter,” and asked aloud with our tongues in our cheeks, “Hey–what’s a letter?” (What would the title of the song be in 2012? ‘The Email’? ‘The Tweet’? ‘The 
Text’?” None has that same ring, don’t you think?) We also brought back a favorite we hadn’t done for a while, “Secret Agent Man,” and that was a lot of fun to sing again.
Plenty of folks also had material to share during the “open non-mike” period of the program. It was a real mix. Woody sang the Dan Daly song “Still in Saigon.” Sandra and Ray sang the classic uke number “Tonight You Belong to Me” (made famous by the first Steve Martin movie “The Jerk”). If you’ve seen Martin perform the song in the movie, yo
u should know that the uke on the soundtrack was played by the famous studio musician Lyle Ritz, and that immediately after the last take, Ritz stepped on and crushed the vintage Martin uke he’d been playing.
Other performers included Bill and Kathy, who performed the old and awesomely cool surf instrumental “Mr. Moto” (the Challengers, 1963). Mardi sang the John Prine song “Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian,” Bob sang the Nick Low
e/Elvis Costello number “(What’s so funny about) Peace, Love and Understanding,” and Walter (yours truly) attempted an original song called “Take a Shower with the Blues.”
We all had a great time, and we all (I hope) look forward to the October 11 meeting. We’re not yet certain what the song for October will be, but watch this space and you’ll find out soon. Suggestions are always welcome–send us a comment or write us at austinukes [at] gmail.
Hey, look–another baby-boomer favorite will be the featured song for our September meeting– “The Letter” of Box Tops and Joe Cocker fame. It’s an enduring hit, though, so you probably know it no matter your age.
If you want to hear it again, here you are. First the original 1967 Box Tops version with singer Alex Chilton (who sadly died in 2010 just before traveling to SXSW to perform):
and then the more famous 1970 Joe Cocker version:
Which version of the song will we play at the meeting? Come to the September meeting on Thurs., Sept. 13 at 7 pm to find out. Also keep in mind that Bob will have an enhanced “presentation” version for us to use at the meeting. This version is for you folks to practice before the meeting. We’ll post the complete “Presentation” version on this blog & in the UML after the meeting.
Our next AUS meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 13th, at 7:00 pm, at Memorial United Methodist Church, at 6100 Berkman Drive (Austin, TX 78723) – it’s just southeast of where I-35 and US-290 connect, and a few blocks east of Cameron Road.
September’s song will be along soon; check this space.
Here’s something new and unusual–a fellow in Oregon, Scott Seelye, who is trying to gather $125,000 in funds on Kickstarter to finance manufacture of a serious plastic soprano ukulele. His prototype, in black, is a nice-looking but odd design with a truly unusual set of tuners (and check out the unusual neck, too). And plastic ukes were popular with adults back in the 1950s. I don’t know how much hope to hold out for him, though. With $125K as his goal, as I write he has collected only about $5,000, with 27 days to go.
I am considering pledging the $125 necessary to receive one of his first black plastic ukes. If you like the idea of a (hopefully) inexpensive uke you can take on a rafting trip, spread the word, & perhaps we’ll see this one happen. —Walter
PS: This project failed, coming in $100K short. I think it’s a shame.
We had an
action-packed meeting last Thursday! Close to 50 strummers, eight sing-along tunes (three of them brand new to the group), and so many great solo performances. Many thanks to Jack, Bill and Kathy, Bailey and Weston, Ray, Kendra, and Gary for sharing your talents with us during the open mic part of the program. The breadth of musical styles and the displ
ay of skills was an inspiration.
A special Austin Ukulele Society welcome to the many first-timers who joined us — we hope you’ll come back and play with us again!
Walter will be posting a summary of the meeting and a few pics (thanks Jen!) on our blog soon, as well as the Tin Pan Alley Medley in the presentation format we worked through on Thursday. Give it a try — we’ll be playing it again at a future meeting!
Mark your calendars: our next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 13, 7:00 – 8:30pm. We’ll be sending 
information soon, so keep an eye out.
I say this after every meeting, but it’s true: it’s such a pleasure to play with you all. Can’t wait until we meet again!
Cheers, Bob G.
[Well, folks, I wasn’t there–the first AUS meeting I’ve missed! But I will see you in September. So I’m posting Bob’s message. Looks as if you folks who were there had a lot of fun. Between now & then, look for September’s song. —Walter]
PS: Here’s one more thing–we have now posted for everyone’s delectation the Tin Pan Alley Medley – Presentation Format that Bob shared during the August meeting. It’s now here and in the Ukulele Music Library.
Here’s our song for our August 9 meeting (well, actually five songs). It’s a medley of Tin Pan Alley favorites from 1926 to 1931 that folks have played on the uke for more than 70 years: “All of Me,” “Ain’t She Sweet,” “My Blue Heaven,” “Five Foot Two,” and “Please Don’t Talk about Me When I’m Gone.” All of them feature the chords C, E7, A7, D7 & G7. A couple of them we’ve played before, but we haven’t played them enough. So start strumming; here’s the Tin Pan Alley Medley No 1 .
One of the most famous ukulele players on earth was George Formby. Never heard of him? Most Americans never have, but he was a huge celebrity in Britain in the years between 1934 and 1960, and he was a major morale-booster for the UK during the Second World War. His trademark was the banjo ukulele, which he played in 20 films of that time.
If you’re curious to see who he was, and why there are plenty of folks in Britain who still celebrate his comedy and music today, you should watch this BBC documentary about him, hosted by British comic and Formby fan Frank Skinner:
Warning–this is an hour-long program, but well worth your time, unless you’re not a George Formby fan; for many 21st-century folks, he’s the equivalent of Tiny Tim in the USA. But there’s lots of ukulele stuff within. —Walter
This is a brief reminder that we’ll be meeting on the second Thursday of the month, August 9, as usual, from 7 – 8:30 p.m.
We’re still selecting the music for the next meeting, and we’ll be in touch several days before the meeting to share the chord chart(s), so that you can practice ahead of time. Watch for it.
Remember, we meet at Memorial United Methodist Church, at 6100 Berkman Drive (Austin, TX 78723) – it’s just southeast of where I-35 and US-290 connect. Google will give you good directions from any part of town.
Enjoy the rest of July and we’ll be in touch in early August!
Austin Ukulele Society (AUS) 