ukulele porn

The Descendants – the slack-key soundtrack featuring Gabby Pahinui

ukuleleporn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:56:04 +0000

The Descendants, a film set in Hawaii, has just had its UK release. I’ve always been a big fan of Alexander Payne’s films and this has the added bonus of a slack-key soundtrack featuring lots of Gabby Pahinui. I know Pahinui’s music a little through Ry Cooder and it really is great. Hawaii has such a strong musical heritage and there’s a wealth of great music there so it’s great to see it featured in a film this way.

A great soundtrack, which I’ll be listening to spotify, and a great director, this has to be worth a trip to the cinema.

Gabby Pahinui – Lei Aloha Lei Makamae

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J1lz5U6DmI

Ukuleles & a charango watching TV

ukuleleporn — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:56:44 +0000

A charango, a Mele soprano ukulele, a banjolele, a SpongeBob ukulele, and a Lehua ukulele all together, just hanging out.

The Ian Whitcomb show on Luxuriamusic radio

ukuleleporn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:47:05 +0000

Ahoy fellow ukulele lovers. If you’ve not heard of Luxuriamusic.com, it’s a great eclectic Internet radio station. Rockabilly, jazz, easy listening and also the home of Howie Pyro’s brilliant show Intoxica, surely one of the best things on the radio. Anyway, New Years Eve, the Internet radio was on Luxuria as I was getting ready to go out and I kept hearing lots of ukulele songs. Turned out it was The Ian Whitcomb show. Ian Whitcomb had a US hit in the sixties, he’s an author and also, amongst other things, a ukulele connoisseur.

I’ve only listened to a couple of the shows but there’s a feast of ukuleles on there and I intend to make my way through the archives as soon as I get some free time. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, listen online every Saturday evening, or download them at the podcast archive page.

Zooey Deschanel & Joe Gordon-Levitt – What are you doing new years eve? (Ukulele cover)

ukuleleporn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:20:50 +0000

Zooey Deschanel’s pulled out the ukulele again for this cover with her co-star from 500 Days of Summer, Joe Gordon-Levitt. Bit slow on this one but I’m still digesting Christmas lunch. There’s ukulele chords of the Frank Loesser version on chordie.

Hope everyone has good things planned for NYE and also for the new year in general.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSq1cez_flQ

Ode to Uke – a novelty ukulele book

ukuleleporn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:30:27 +0000

Over the past year or two, away from the day jobs of curing male baldness, finding a solution to the world economic crisis and also figuring out who invented liquid soap and why, I’ve also been working on a ukulele book. It’s a novelty book, a light hearted look at the ukulele. Each chapter has a comedy vignette, illustrations and a song to play. Chapters titles include Country Music, Hawaii, Ukulele Heroes of the Western World and lots more. It’s the sort of book you might find on the counter of your local bookstore, an impulse purchase or a present for someone else. If you want to learn how to play the ukulele like Jake Shimabukuro or Roy Smeck then it probably isn’t quite what you’re after. If you want some lighthearted fun then this is the book for you.

Image: Paul Andrews

I have a fantastic illustrator working with me on the book, Paul Andrews. The book will first be released as an eBook for iPad and kindle. We also plan to produce a high end hardback edition, perhaps limited edition maybe even with a small print of one of Paul’s illustration’s with the book. Nothing’s decided yet though, so that’s a wait and see. There’s also a good chance we might extend it to a mass market print book as well.

The book’s written and the illustrations are just being finished but there’s still loads to do before launch. I’ve not figured out the interactive parts of the ebook yet and there’s lots of other stuff to do like meta tagging and other ebook type stuff.

There’s a small book site - www.ukulelebook.co.uk. I’ll be adding some stuff, perhaps even starting a humble blog with some videos and other bits and bobs about ukuleles, depends on time. There’s also plans for a book trailer, time permitting as well.

You can sign up to a mailing list to be notified about release details of Ode to Uke. Any other enquires, please use the form in the contact section.

Lap steel slide ukulele – Amazing Grace

ukuleleporn — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:22 +0000

I wish I could play lap steel ukulele like this guy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoP8AHzqeM8

Dreamgirls and Ukes – Amy Crehore

ukuleleporn — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:16:10 +0000

Dreamgirls and ukes was an exhibition in 2009 by artist Amy Crehore. I think it was a mix of works on canvas and ukuleles. These painted ukuleles are just great.

Image: Amy Crehore

Homemade jag-stang ukulele

ukuleleporn — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:21:32 +0000

This was sent by email from a chap called Daniel. Looks and sounds great. There really should be more ukuleles in the world like this one. I would love a surfcaster ukulele.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmA2-SubCvc

Ukulele t-shirt extravaganza

ukuleleporn — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:08 +0000

Look at these sweet ukulele t-shirts that my friend made. The two white ones I’ve had for a few years and are a bit faded. Excuse the crumples, I don’t have set of drawers at the moment and I’m having to make do with one of those ikea hanging things which just encourage you to crumple up your clothes.

Screen printed t-shirt – L’uke

Marilyn Monroe plays the ukulele

Proust plays the ukulele

Amanda Palmer, Stephin Merritt, Neil Gaiman and Moby -

ukuleleporn — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:44:17 +0000

I’m off out now but have to quickly blog this. I’ve seen a few mentions of it and have only just got round to watching it. Amanda Palmer with guests on Craig Ferguson Got to be one of the oddest looking supergroups of all time. I love it. If Stephin Merritt lived in the UK they would have cut his benefits after the riots. Ukuleles and toy piano.