It’s a small collection, yeah, but we now have a Ukulele Music Library, for the basic lyrics-&-chords sheets we use (and project) at our meetings. From now on, you’ll always be able to find them in one place, and we will be adding more of them as we select ’em for subsequent meetings.

On Thursday, come over to the Triangle to play some uke. Jen sez:

Friendly reminder:

What: Strum-along to “Three Little Birds” “Ring of Fire” “Stand by Me” “Eight Days a Week,” ” (All I Have to Do Is) Dream,” “On the Road Again,” and “Dont Fence Me In” – Be sure to print these out if you don’t have them!

When: Thursday, April 28th; 7:00p-8:30p

Where: Triangle Park (south side of the park, on the grass, near the podium/stage) – it’s between Guadalupe & N. Lamar and 46th & 47th Street – please ‘google map’ “Triangle Park Austin” and zoom in – it works! 🙂

As we’ll be outside, there will not be a projector. Please bring printed song sheets.  Bring a picnic blanket, too, if you like!

Bob sez, about our April meeting:

Cheers to everyone who came to our April meeting last night [Tuesday, April 12]. What a great sing-along. My fave was “On the Road Again.” We’ll definitely be doing that one again!

Special thanks to Ukulele Tim Keough for sharing his approach to mastering a very useful finger-picking pattern. For a recap, you can see his online introductory lesson on the pattern here: http://ukulelesecrets.org/2011/03/27/ukulele-secret-2-folksy-fingerstyle/. And check out the rest of his blog, Ukulele Secrets (http://ukulelesecrets.org/). There’s lots of challenging stuff to keep you practicing for hours and hours — you will dig it.

A reminder to come by Sweet Pea’s Ukulele Night at Skinny’s Ballroom, next Wednesday (April 20) at 7:00. Location info and calendar here: http://skinnysballroom.com/.

There are rumors of a bonus outdoor Austin Ukulele Society meeting sometime very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for a note from Jen about that. [See below!]

Looking forward to our next monthly meeting: Tuesday May 10th at 7:00pm. We’ll be sending out a reminder and posting on our blog and FB page. If you have song suggestions for future group play-alongs, please send them in – just reply to this message!

As always, it’s a pleasure to play with you all. –Bob G

And about that second April meeting? Jen sez:

We are planning an outdoor bonus meeting, later this month.  It seemed like a great opportunity to get together while it’s still not too hot or buggy out and enjoy our self-made outdoor music! 🙂

What: Strum-along to “Three Little Birds” “Ring of Fire” “Stand By Me” “Eight Days a Week” “On the Road Again” “(All I Have to Do Is) Dream” and “Don’t Fence Me In” – if we’re going to add any more songs, we’ll send another note and the song sheet!  Please let me know if you need any of the above song sheets emailed to you, too!

When: Thursday, April 28th; 7:00p-8:30p

Where: Triangle Park (south side of the park, on the grass, near the podium/stage) – it’s between Guadalupe & N. Lamar and 45th & 46th Street – please ‘google map’ “Triangle Park Austin” and zoom in – it works!

As we’ll be outside, there will not be a projector. Please bring printed song sheets.  Bring a picnic blanket, too, if you like!

We’ll plan to meet at the Community Room at Central Market, as usual, on the second Tuesday of May (5/10) at 7:00pm and send a reminder about it as well.

If there are any questions, let us know – looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, 4/28!

See you then!

Our next AUS meeting is coming up on Tuesday, April 12, between 7 and 8:30 p.m. As usual it’ll be in the Community Room of the Central Market, 4001 N Lamar.

What will happen? Our special guest will be “Ukulele Tim” Keough, the ‘mad picker’ at many of our meetings so far, who will provide the Tip of the Month. We’ll hear a report about the Lone Star Uke Fest in Dallas on the previous week, Apr 7 – 9.

And of course, songs! Bob tells us that we’ll play “Three Little Birds” (which appears to have become our official warm-up song), the Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week,” and one or more of the following: “Don’t Fence Me In” (Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, & many more), “All I Have to Do is Dream” (Everly Bros), & “On the Road Again” (if you don’t know who sings that one, you’re living in the wrong city).

Download these song sheets, and build your repertoire. Remember, if you have songs you want us to sing, let us know.

Folks–if you were at AUS’s Mardi Gras meeting at Central Market Tuesday night March 8, you all seemed to enjoy yourselves (we heard bucketfuls of positive remarks afterward). We had 25 people or thereabouts show up, so it looks as if the Austin Ukulele Society will continue strumming in the months ahead.

Bob Guz, our Fearless Meeting Leader, as well as Fearless Tipster (we learned how to execute a Fan Strum at the meeting), gave us his impressions the next day:

Lots of energy in the room last night — everyone looked like they were having a really great time.

I continue to be amazed by the level of ukulele talent and enthusiasm we have right here in Austin.

We had several professional musicians–or they fooled us with their skill–playing during our Open Mic at the end of the meeting, & all were delightful. We heard about the upcoming Maplewood School Fundraiser (see below), & the Lone Star Uke Fest, coming up in Dallas on April 7-9–and the Complete Beatles show coming on Wed & Thurs, March 16 & 17, at Jo’s on S Congress.

Bob also says:

Looking forward to our next meeting: Tuesday, April 12th, in Central Market’s community room, at 7:00pm. If you have song suggestions for future group play-alongs, please send them in – just reply to this message! If you can include a song sheet or a link to one, even better.

We’ll be in touch! It’s a pleasure to play with you all.

Cheers,

Bob G.

PS: Someone left a jacket in the meeting room Tuesday night. [Let us know] if it’s yours. Cheers!

Next meeting: Tuesday, April 12th, in Central Market’s Community Room, at 7:00pm. Same time, same place as always, just a different month. See you there.

What better place to celebrate Fat Tuesday than a supermarket, right?

Not only is it our third monthly meeting, it’s also Mardi Gras, on Tuesday, March 8, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at Central Market, 40th and N Lamar. As always, enter through the Produce Dept door near the north end of the building, but don’t enter the Produce Department. Instead, keep turning right until you enter the Community Room.

What will we be doing? Bob Guz will be presenting another of his “Tips from Bob” sessions. Pick up some pointers to improve your playing, and bring your questions. We’ll hear about the upcoming Lone Star Uke Fest in Dallas, and about the Maplewood School Fundraiser (see previous post). And we’ll play a bunch of songs, in particular the Beatles’ Eight Days a Week. Oh, and how about When The Saints Go Marching In, just to show a little respect for Mardi Gras?

We’re sure to hear more about the Uke Beatles program at SXSW. More stuff, too, will happen–just don’t forget your uke, and if you want to, bring along a song to share with the group during our Open Mic! (Well, we don’t actually have a mic, but our room is so small, you don’t need one.)

AUS appears to be establishing itself; we’re not just a one-meeting wonder any more. For the second month in a row, over 20 people have gathered to celebrate the ukulele. (Here are a couple of pix to prove we’re not hot-dogging you. Thanks, Jen, for the pictures.)

Bob Guz, one of our founders (plus a ukulele pro–or at least a pro-quality player–that’s him with the green vest in the picture to your left) did a great job leading the group in a few songs–Ring of Fire, Stand by Me, and Three Little Birds–while encouraging members of the group to stretch their picking and strumming limits.

Bob says,

“I’m so pleased with the turnout and the level of excitement. After the meeting I had several people tell me how much they liked the meeting and are going to pass the word about our group to friends.

“I even had a Central Market shopper ask, ‘What’s the deal with all the ukuleles?’ Turns out he plays and will try to make next month’s meeting.

“There was a suggestion to put up a sign outside the room with our name and web address so passersby could learn about us.”

Remember! Our next meeting is Tuesday night, March 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Central Market’s community room, 40th & N. Lamar. See you then! –by Walter

Yes, we’d like to hypnotize all the Austin uke players (can’t you picture little lightning rays zipping throughout Central Texas) and lure them over to Central Market at 40th and North Lamar, on Tuesday evening, February 8th, at 7 p.m..

Follow these instructions: You will enter through the produce department door, but turn right immediately (do not enter the produce dept) and come into the Community Room, where we promise a great time and an opportunity to strum, sing, and learn more about our instrument.

Bring a solo performance to share if you’d like–but don’t forget to bring your uke.

Print off (& practice if you can) these song sheets: Ring of Fire, Three Little Birds, Stand by Me, and Eight Days a Week. Be ready to suggest other songs for next time, if you have some favorites.

Here’s your chance to push your uke envelope and step outside your uke box. See you at Central Market!

Bring your uke! AUS’s second meeting is coming up on Tuesday, February 8 at the Central Market, 4001 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, in the Community Room (come in through the produce-side door and keep turning right instead of entering the produce department). The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and run until around 8:30.
If you were at the January meeting, it will be almost the same. If you’re new to the group, we’ll ask you to introduce yourself to the rest of us and tell us why you’re a uker (or why you’re interested in checking the uke out). We’ll be strumming and singing some songs we shared then (Ring of Fire and Three Little Birds) and sharing some new ones (Stand by Me, the Beatles song Eight Days a Week, and maybe something else).

Do you have a song you’d like the group to sing? Send us a message (austinukes [at] gmail [dot] com) & let us know what it is.
We’ll begin a new feature of the meeting, “Tips from Bob,” in which our own Bob Guz will offer suggestions to make you a better player.
We particularly want to encourage you to prepare a solo to perform for the group. We had some great ones at the January meeting. Whether you’re a performer who’s comfortable onstage or a beginner who feels a little hesitant, here is a chance to try out a song, or your performing skills, for perhaps the friendliest audience you’ll ever find.
Check this space again soon! More details coming!

Hi folks! We’re just starting our blog, which will be a great source for everything that’s happening, uke-wise, around Austin, TX. We keep hearing that Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World,” and there sure are lots of guitars playing in this town. But that hasn’t seemed to be the case for ukes until now.

That’s about to change, with your participation…