Ralph’s Blog
Ralph Shaw, our Illustrious Leader, writes:
My purpose in starting this uke-log of the meetings and activities of the Vancouver Ukulele Circle is to give those people who are unable to be at the a meetings a chance to get a flavour of what they missed. I can tell you now that not all the information will be entirely accurate. As I sit down to update this uke-log in the days after any given meeting I will be sure to have forgotten some key moments and one or two worthy performances and I hope that feelings won’t be hurt. I will do my best but if you notice any omissions or major inaccuracies please feel free to email them to Wendy Cutler so that corrections can be made.
Note from Wendy: Ralph has been keeping this blog since the very first meeting in September, 2000. The full set of previous years’ entries is available in the
Blog Archives.
And another note from Wendy: Hansol Kim has been documenting the events in photos. Many of the photos on the page are his, but not all of his are shown here. You can find all the ones he’s posted in Hansol’s Vancouver Ukulele Circle collection on flickr.
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday December 16, 2014
[Note: The unedited audio of Performance Time through the end of the evening is now on SoundCloud. Links below take you directly to each performance.]
Indeed ’twas a very merry strum filled time! The Christmas ukulele circle has come and gone – our fifteenth can you believe!
So many great moments. I particularly enjoyed that we had quite a few kids and some of them even won prizes in the Christmas quiz. It was a hilarious quiz too. We learned about the Finnish equivalent of Santa Claus called Joulupukki who is a nasty goat man who scares children and demands gifts. Maybe this shows my perverse streak but I kinda like that. More exciting than the boring ho ho ho guy. 1st prizes for the quiz were lovely Hawaiian folders (sent by Wendy from Hawaii). 2nd prize winners got a selection of Christmas CDs. 3rd prize winners won rolls of “musical” Christmas paper – that is if you’re into “wrap.” Ha haa – Well I thought it was funny.
And the underdog losers in a tiebreak situation won 6 pairs of…..SOCKS!!
Performance time: Deryl did an awesome job of I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Then Russ and Debra Jeen (on vocals) with Tom (helping out on uke and harmony) did a truly heartbreaking version of Blue Christmas.
Paul played his favourite Christmas song, named, appropriately, The Christmas Song, on a Uke he made.
Boaz sang A Christmas Carol – by Tom Lehrer. That song is probably 50 years old by now but its truths about the commercialization of Christmas are still as fresh as a newly cut fir. I came on next to sing a raunchy little number called Dear Mrs Claus (by the Barr Brothers.) A song about going to visit Mrs Claus on Christmas night…. Thanks to Tom, Russ, Boaz and Ron for backing me up on that one.
Ron sang the Huron Carol – made extra special by the artful playing of a perfectly tuned little bell. Baby It’s Cold Outside is one of those tricky songs that can fall apart if you don’t know what you’re doing and Gary and Gayle did know and pulled off a splendid performance of it. Tom came up to sing a nifty Buck Owens number called Santa Looked a Lot like Daddy (with Russ helping out.)
Edwin, looking resplendent in his $1.25 dollar store Christmas bow (worn as a bow tie perhaps to look like me???), sang Michael Buble’s Grown Up Christmas List. Then, perhaps the most delightful surprise for me tonight was to hear Ed’s group of ukulele students. They are all women who work with Ed at the HSBC bank and Ed has been teaching them uke for a few months. Their song Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant us Peace) was beautifully played and sung – with harmonies. They were a credit to themselves and to Ed’s teaching. I hope we hear more of them!
It was a fun packed evening with so many songs and laughs and thanks to Tom and Gary for helping me lead the songs. And also my gratitude to the Rogue volunteers and everyone who helps out so willingly in so many ways.
2014 has been a blast and I hope 2015 continues in a similar vein. So remember to keep on coming to uke circle nights at the St James Hall- as long as you keep coming I will keep doing it!
Have a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!
Oh yeah – and keep strumming and smiling!!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday November 18, 2014
Hey there Strummers! REMEMBER: next uke circle (Dec 16) will be our Christmas party so come along for some festive fun. Bring your friends and/or relations. It’s a great opportunity for a good old fashioned sing song. And in late breaking news… someone from a craft brewery is offering to set up a liquor licence for the Christmas event. No promises yet – we still have to dot the t’s and cross the i’s – but let’s hope it works out!
Tonight we tried something a little different. As you know I’m working towards a new songbook. It’s a slow process so I’m introducing songs as we go. Tonight we set up a projection system to display the songs and we played 5 candidates for the new book: Autumn Leaves, Breaking up is Hard to Do, Don’t You Want Me Baby, The Log Driver’s Waltz and Rawhide. It went pretty well (the whip cracks in Rawhide provided by Tom M. using my belt were especially amusing) so we’ll continue to present new songs in this way.
Performances tonight began with Keith, a reformed guitar player who did a very presentable performance of Jake Shimabukuro’s rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Derryl sang Dustin Bentall’s 3000 Miles. Matt did an interesting thing – he sang 99 Red Balloons – but in German. Quite amazing. I don’t think he’s a German speaker and it was very cool that he learned this song phonetically and sang without the lyrics in front of him. I do speak some German and could tell he wasn’t just making up German sounding gibberish, “Ich splikken tanken rechtiguntermuntergerausch hasen mit dumferbloden” as an example of what I might have ended up singing.
Tom Saunders sang Burt Bacharach’s song I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. BB has created some neat songs – Tom tells me his creations even impressed the not easily impressible Frank Zappa. Tom Moody then came up to sing an appropriate song for these oil pipeline times called I Want to Be an Oilman’s Sweetheart based on a country song called I Want to Be a Cowboys’ Sweetheart. His kazoo/ukulele solo was surprisingly pretty. You don’t expect that somehow.
Ronin sang Sweet Home Chicago with some nice ukulele blues picking. Paul sang No Diggety (by Black Street.) He said it’s a song he liked when he was about 10 years of age but had no idea the subject matter is all about prostitution. Nicely played too, he laid down a good groove and stayed there throughout. Speaking of nicely played, Boaz and Tom S finished things off with Ventura Highway (by the band America.)
There will be more news of Christmas events coming up but note these dates: December 9 I’m teaching a workshop of Christmas songs and uke techniques at Gandharva Loka music store. December 12 Christmas dinner and Singalong at the Billy Bishop Legion December 16 Vancouver Ukulele Circle at St James Hall
For these and other dates of events check my website: www.RalphShaw.ca
Keep Strumming and Smiling!
Ralph Shaw
PS. The workshop this Sunday at 2pm is nearly full but if you want to get in on it you can do so at: [email protected] Here are the deets:
Cost: $20
Date: Sunday, November 23, 2014
Location: Pinetree Community Centre Room 4, 1260 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, B.C. V3B 7Z4
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
RALPH SHAW’S 1960’S UKULELE SONGSHOP The great music of the 1960s provides the material for this workshop. Every song is handpicked as a means for teaching invaluable techniques and strumming styles. And you’ll pick up some heavy/groovy/far out repertoire along the way! You may also record the lesson for your personal use.
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday October 21, 2014
Wow – thanks to everyone who came in costumes! The contest was awesome. We had a Rabbi, an egg, a sexy dancer, a ghoulish something or other, someone else and a person with a pair of scissors stuck through their head. Brilliant. The prizes were all musical instruments (mostly percussion) and the winners joined in on the Monster Mash as the backing band.
Performance time was equally fab. Derryl did the Addams family theme (though he was impossible to recognize with his mask on.) Rabbi Bob Jamieson sang Bye Bye Blackbird for his first time on stage. Wade sang Folson Prison Blues. And towards the end he forgot the words, but he did so with such Johnny Cash like style, singing, “I don’t know the words” that the crowd hooted and hollered like the inmates at San Quentin Jail.
Ron sang The Doors: People are Strange. Boaz sang Auntie Christ (from the band: Feeding Time at the Zoo.) Ed gave us another Doors song: Riders on the Storm complete with stormy sound effects by Rich, the sound guy, who had a very good time tonight punctuating the proceedings with his sound effects machine! Ronin sang Muddy Water’s Hootchie Cootchie Man. Russ, backed by Tom and Boaz did the song Sleepwalk – his uke sounding great through his Fender amp. Then Tom did Joni Mitchell’s This Flight Tonight (backed by Russ.) btw. Russ has a Mele Tenor ukulele for sale and is open to offers.
Olivia and Edwin our beautiful dancing Zombies sang the last song in the uke circle songbook which happens to be called Zombie. No matter how they dress up to look strange and scary they just cannot help but being so cute. A lovely way to finish the show.
Many thanks to Marnie and the Guys and Ghouls from the Rogue Folk Club who decorated the Hall.
Thanks to Tomek for this photo
Stay cozy with your ukulele and I’ll see you on the 3rd Tuesday of November – that’s November 18th.
Keep Strummin’ and Smilin’ Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday September 16, 2014
It’s September. School will soon be back and the ukulele circle completes yet another year of joyful strumming. That’s fourteen years we’ve been doing this – not bad going!
Next month is October’s Spookulele night (Oct 21)!! We’ll have prizes for best costumes! Think of Halloween related songs to sing at Performance time!!
The temperature is slightly cooler in the St James Hall now that fall is coming but the energy and music was on full-blast as always. Visitors included Dave and Anna from San Luis Obispo and Sue and Dave from Sacramento plus Jeff and Jane from Australia.
Performances began with Lisa singing The Pirate song by The Arrogant Worms. Her performance was totally overshadowed by her young son Quinn who was dressed as a pirate and spent his whole time onstage hitting himself on the head with his sword and rolling his eyes at the audience. A born performer. Speaking of kids, our youngest player tonight was Owen who is only one and a half years old and got up onstage with his red ukulele. He can’t play much but he has all the moves down and that’s the main thing! I also noticed he was getting a lot of attention from the chicks in the front row, I somehow think he’ll be back again!
Ed sang Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress (by the Hollies.) Paul Joachin, now a ukulele luthier, sang Rude (by Magic). Ron, our bass player did something a bit different. He’s a lawyer and he was at a conference where they were informing people on the importance of being legally prepared for getting older or dealing with disability in the family. This is done with living wills and such. Ron created a very informative and entertaining song to the tune of Sentimental Journey that told the main details of what you need to do to get set up. If you have an elderly relative it’s certainly worth checking out. There’s information here if you’re interested: www.nidus.ca
Geoff sang Hey Soul Sister (the 3rd most requested ukulele song in the world after Over the Rainbow and I’m Yours apparently.) Tom (that’s moustache Tom not tall Tom) did a splendid rendition of September in the Rain. He sang in both English and French and played some truly fine instrumental work. It’s still going around in my head!
Sue and Dave from Sacramento got up to sing The Cowboy Song – famously sung by Tom Hanks in the movie Joe and the Volcano. After them, and with the Scottish Independence vote only two days away, Ed and I sang what has become the theme song for the Independence side: Cap in Hand by the Proclaimers. I was also moved to mention that our Prime Minister Steven Harper went ahead and ratified FIPA late on Friday afternoon thus locking Canada into a trade treaty with China that we can’t get out of for 31 years. The fact that he made such an unpopular and dastardly move at a time when the media were gone for the weekend and all other news was pretty much taken up with Franklin’s ship and Rob Ford’s tumour shows that there is more than one way people get to lose control of their own country.
Boaz, using a strange dropped-D tuning that I’m not familiar with, played a stirring song by Stephen Stills called Tree Top Flier. Very neat to hear. Gary Cyr finished things off with a Dean Martin song – but I didn’t get the name – sorry Gary! But thanks also to Gary for joining me onstage with his fine harmony singing. I had fun and I hope you did too!
See you October 21 for Spookulele night and until then keep strumming and smiling!!!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday August 19, 2014
Another hot and sultry musical time in the St. James Hall. A good excuse to stay cool in our Aloha shirts while the big fans blew a gentle breeze across our glistening strings.
Before I tell you what went on tonight, here’s the news for September Ukulele Circle: It will be a normal night! No theme, no games, no raffle just full-on music and singing! Which feels like a bit of relief for me. All these extra activities are fun but require coordination and help from others to pull off. Which brings me to Marnie! It was Marnie who brought us to the St James Hall 1 year ago today. That’s right! Tonight was our 1st anniversary at the Hall and it is Marnie who is responsible for decorating the room and coming up with all the extra skits and games that add so much colour and fun to the evenings. Thank you Marnie! Three cheers to you!!!
A lot of first time performers tonight. So many in fact that the Uke Circle audience got habituated into giving standing ovations for anyone who strummed so much as one note. Everybody got a standing ovation. Which was kinda nice actually. Todd (1st timer) sang Waste by Phish followed by Jess who did Runaway with Ed (her first time playing uke – normally she just shakes her egg.) Joan (1st timer) sang Leadbelly’s Good Morning Blues. And Gary gave us the Hawaiian song Kahlua (no it’s not named after the drink.) Victor Lee sang Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours. English is not Victor’s first language and he did a fine job of this song that has some tricky phrasing even for us native speakers.
Remember Tom who wore a Canadian/Hawaiian snowbird costume and did a tapdance in snowshoes last month? He came back – with costume and showered us with mini Canadian flags – and sang Moonlight and Shadows (from a 1937 film with Dorothy Lamour.) Boaz, Craig and Tom brought us the song Woodstock taking us back to that mud-filled festival that happened this month 45 years ago. Adam and Jen, with nicely blended voices, sang Bring Me Your Cup by UB40. So many of the first timers to this stage, particularly tonight you can tell have done this before!
Derryl sang the funny song I’m My Own Grandpa and hastened to inform us that it is not autobiographical. Craig, Tom and myself sang the Inkspots song: If I Didn’t Care. First with Craig’s personal vocal stylings and then me coming in later with the more “authentic” Inkspots sound. Sadly Craig is leaving us to go and study law in Halifax (not something I would do but thank God not everyone is like me!) Craig sang U2’s Beautiful Day. And finally another 1st timer Jennifer sang an original song called Walking Backwards. A little metaphor to encourage us to do things that are not considered “normal” or “run of the mill.”
I wish to thank Jane McCauley for her help this evening. She will be teaching a course called Write and Perform Your Own Musical Revue at Coal Harbour Community Centre. I’ll be doing a guest-speaking spot in her course to talk about performing. If you’re interested in getting more info about this class that runs Thursdays from September 25 to December 4 please visit: http://janesmusic.wordpress.com/courses/
And Vancouver Tap Dance Society is hosting a festival at which they’ll be teaching how to play uke and tap dance at the same time on Aug 30 and 31. Here is their website:http://www.vantapdance.com/tap-festival/tap-festival.php
Thanks to Tom and Ed for leading songs and Gary for his back up singing. And thanks to stalwart Ron – always there with his bass. Also to the Rogue folk club and their volunteers who do all the setting up and taking down.
Next Ukulele Circle Meeting is our 14th anniversary. We’re the oldest little uke circle in all America folks. That’s something to be proud of eh! See you September 16 and… Keep smiling and strumming!
Your friend,
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday July 15, 2014
Alohalele was a resounding success!! A little too successful perhaps since we went about 20 minutes overtime – something we never do. Next month we’re going to continue our Island theme as there were songs and games we didn’t get to. We did do a Hawaiian trivia quiz and the tacky tiki raffle was wonderful (prizes included a shirt, a dress, a flashing necklace, a mug, a lei, bubbles and a bra plus the original Olympic torch uke we passed around Our Town in Feb 2010) but the spear throwing was definitely a highlight (actually large paper airplanes made surprisingly dangerous in the hands of our contestants.)
I have to thank our three (!!) Hula dancers – only one of them I knew about ahead of time: that was Margot who managed a costume change between Blue Hawaii and Pearly Shells. Suzanna also danced she was from Burbank and is here for James Hill’s Ukulele Initiative along with friends Danielle (Reno), Debbie, (Nashville) and Moses (Washington D.C.) Finally Rani did a beautiful hula to Little Grass Shack. Special thanks also to Gary Cyr for helping out with his voice that gives so much feel and authenticity to the Hawaiian songs. The hall was tropical in temperature and we were glad to be wearing aloha shirts.
It was a packed performance time started by Ron and the CUTIES who sang Summer Wine. Aaron (only 5 years old) sang Down By the Bay. Danielle did St James Infirmary. Tom M. dressed up in a Canadiwaiian snowbird costume of his own device that included wool pants with grass skirt, a coconut bra, straw hat + wool toque and, you’ve guessed it, snowshoes. He sang Princess Poopoolay Has Plenty Papaya – and even attempted a primitive snowshoe tap dance. Stunning eh!
Tom S. and Ed did Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll – not very island but it kicked butt! Also kicking some rock and roll butt was Ronin who did Prince’s Kiss. Debbie then changed the mood completely with a song she wrote called Vigilando – a word meaning a protector who watches over you. Her emotionally powerful song was written after a shift at the serious burns ward where she works.
Ken sang It Don’t Mean a Thing with his wonderful scat singing. Great feel! Bill did a barbershop number but I never got the name of it – sorree!! Edwin played an instrumental written by Eddie Kamae called Morning Dew. The next performer, Moses, then told us he is from Kauai and happened to know that Eddie Kamae wrote the previous song as a proposal for his wife. He then sang Maui Hawaiian Super Man.
Gary sang a song about a place on Kauai called Koke’e. He sang it so well that it prompted a standing ovation – usually reserved for 1st timers. But this one was for just being good! Boaz, Vanessa, Tomi and Craig finished it all off with the ambitious 3 part (or is it 4 part) song called Suite Judy Blue Eyes. It’s a long song with some tricky playing and full-on harmonies and they nailed it. A superb end to a great list of performers!
Next one is August 19 and we’ll keep the Island feel happening – who knows, between now and then I may even find some more items for another tacky tiki raffle!!
Keep on Strumming and Smiling!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday June 17, 2014
Hey Everyone! Before I forget – next month (July 15) is Alohalele – so wear your Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and coconut shell bras for some Island style fun at the St James Hall. (It’s basically an excuse to keep cool in the hall in the summer months.) If you know any willing hula dancers who want to come along please invite them – I don’t want to be the only one up there moving my hips in a sultry and suggestive manner. There’ll be prizes!!
As I type this I am still sporting my painted on Frank Zappa moustache and soul patch (a facial hair styling known as the Imperial don’cha know). I’ve been into Zappa’s music since I was about 17 and tonight marks the first time I was able to convince 4 other guys (Tom, Boaz, Craig and Ron) to play a FZ song with me. We sang one of his more easy listening numbers: Uncle Remus from the album Apostrophe (this album also has the classic ditty: Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.)
Edwin sang Bus Stop by the Hollies. Deryl gave us Monty Python’s Galaxy Song and did a remarkable job remembering all those astronomical statistics. Interestingly many of those statistics, such as the numbers of stars in the milky way etc. have been corrected by physicists and Eric Idle rewrote the song with the changes included. The largest ensemble of the evening was Ronin’s ukulele beginner class who got up (about 7 of them) and performed Tom Petty’s Free Falling – very competently too!
Amber, a Canadian who luckily avoids our winters by living in Hawaii as much as possible, sang Sweet Child of Mine (Guns and Roses) dedicated to her dear childhood friend who passed away from breast cancer a few years ago. I want to mention the instrumental parts of the song were very sweet and skillfully played. The same can be said for Ed’s rendition of Blueberry Hill. We discovered this song has exactly the same (da da da da da da da da da da da da da) intro as Only You. I really enjoyed Ed’s slow blues finger stylings on this one.
Russ and Tom sang The Beatles song If I Fell. And then, first timer to our stage, Krista sang Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark – (how people can read lyrics from their phones amazes me!)
Boaz sang the Stephen Still’s song 4+20 and in his intro he made a reference to Joni Mitchell and the Dick Cavett show which I missed – if you’re reading this Boaz do get in touch and enlighten me! Jeff sang Paul Simon’s Me and Julio.
Ronin was Freddy Mercury and Craig took the part of David Bowie for their duet of Under Pressure. And another first timer, Maria, led us all in Jamaica Farewell to finish off.
See you next month at our island themed uke circle – July 15. And below is news of a strumming workshop I’m teaching this coming Tuesday!
Sithee with Aloha!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
Tues June 24 8pm Create Amazing Ukulele Rhythm Solos using the Syncopated Split Stroke. http://www.gandharvaloka.ca/events/ Often considered the “Holy Grail” of ukulele strums because it’s so hard to learn just by hearing it. You’ll learn two kinds of syncopated strum plus finger-tapping ornaments and the thumb roll which combine to make jaw-dropping rhythm solos for up-tempo songs. These techniques were famously used by 1940s British ukulele star George Formby. Suitable for levels of ability from advanced beginner and up. The workshop cost is only $20. Everyone and all ages are welcome.Ukulele rentals are possible for $5. Register on their website at www.gandharvaloka.ca or by calling 604 683 7733. Location of Workshop = Gandharva Loka, 1650 Johnston St. Granville Island. Tues June 24 8pm
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday May 20, 2014
Hmmm interesting – most nights we get a full slate of performers but tonight we didn’t. Not that it mattered – it just gave us more time to play songs together. And we had a visit from world traveling guitar virtuoso Don Alder. He brought a harp-guitar and he played Space Oddity (with Craig and myself doing the vocals.) Don recently played this song alongside astronaut Chris Hatfield and William Shatner (beamed in by satellite.) I then broke one of the sacred rules of ukulele circle allowing Don to play a solo song on guitar called The Rogue (the name of the song not the guitar.) boy was it worth breaking a rule for – what a player. You can catch him this Friday May 23 performing at the St. James Hall. Don was amazed at the sight of all you ukulele players in one room and between you and me I would bet money that within a few months he’ll have his own uke and it will be part of his show. I think we turned him on to ukulele!
Midori began performance time with an instrumental called Flowers Will Bloom Again, a song written for the Japanese tsunami victims. If you buy the song on itunes all the money goes to help those people. Darryl, proud owner of a new (electric ukulele) sang a medley: Ain’t She Sweet/Yes Sir that’s My Baby. Anne sang When Banana Skins Are Falling – a song loaded with bad vegetable puns (the puns were bad not the vegetables.)
Ed then played his instrumental of Moonglow. It’s a song he knows inside out and yet he managed to make a mistake that he had never made before. I know this because he gave us a running commentary of what was going wrong with the performance while actually playing. This in itself was pretty cool I thought. Russ played a 1921 song called Right or Wrong which is pretty much identical to Anytime (also 1921 but different songwriter.) I backed him up on rhythm uke.
Craig sang Paul McCartney’s Mrs Vanderbilt. And I was resoundly booed for saying that I prefer listening to Wings than the Beatles. Can’t a guy express an opinion! Ron sang Daydream backed up by Russ on uke and me on harmonica. Boaz sang Jim Croce’s song Operator and I finished it all off with my own song: I’m the Handyman at the Mustang Ranch – it’s a modern day George Formby style song full of cheeky innuendo and double entendre that I recorded on my album Laughter!
Thanks to Ed, Anne, Craig and Peter for leading songs and Ron for his awesome bass playing and the Rogue Folk Club volunteers who get things set up. As I head home to England for my dad’s Eightieth Birthday I wish you happiness, good weather and joyful strumming until we do it all again on June 17.
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday April 15, 2014
Roses are Red
Violets are purple
Sugar is sweet and so is maple surple.
I’ve been doing this Vancouver Ukulele Circle thing for close to 14 years and every time it is always a surprise. It blows my mind that I can show up every month and be thoroughly entertained by people and performances I had no idea were going to happen. And it was the first time I led the event dressed all in purple!
Adam started performance time off with a song called My Girl Bill (by Jim Stafford) which was very funny. A sort of “play on grammatical usage” is what it was. Peter sang Say Something (Great Big World) and Jeff sang Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees. Then a complete change of style when Midori and Hae-lin sang Cherry Blossom Ending in Korean – actually reading the Korean lyrics from an iPhone screen. There was something about these young ladies being able to read Korean script and see it as song lyrics that amazed my little brain. And their song was an altogether pleasant sound.
Ever had an earworm? Darryl sang a song about an earworm that was also in itself an earworm. Then Ken played It Don’t Mean a Thing (if you ain’t got that swing) putting out great energy for someone sitting down! Ronin played his version of Jake Shimabukuro’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Boaz sang I’m So Afraid (Lindsey Buckingham) and Tom came up with his gang of blues buddies (Ed, Russ and Boaz) to sing Baby Whaddaya Want Me to Do. Four ukes jammin’ the blues – nothing finer!!
Jenny and Alan sang Brown Eyed Girl with help from the audience. And then Craig came and sang one of his favourite songs from when he was eight years old: Patricia the Stripper (by Chris de Burgh). What a rousing item that turned out to be! Then Edwin and his wife Olivia did their Uke Circle debut singing Hello Dolly. They were the sort of couple you want to adopt and take home! Sit them in a corner and any time you feel a bit down just get them to sing a song and you’ll soon be smiling again. And the show was finished off with Shannon singing by the Time It Got Dark.
Wonderful performances and a joyful evening with song leading help from Tom, Ronin, Ed and Peter plus Ron as always on bass.
I’m heading off on tour for a few weeks but I WILL BE BACK in time for next May’s ukulele night at the St James Hall on May 20. Till then – Keep strumming and smiling!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday March 18, 2014
Being the day after St Patrick’s we didn’t go too heavy on the Irish theme but we managed to sing a few hi diddley dee diddley ditties and special kudos to those of you in green hats, ties, socks and trousers. Before I continue I want to encourage/remind you to get on stage to lead and or perform a song. There is no safer and more fun place than uke circle to be making music in public. YOU CAN DO NO WRONG!! And also do send me your song ideas for the next book – and if you can email them to me in Arial font with the chords in the correct places – that would save me a serious bunch of time.
Performance Time managed to tip over into the same hilariously surreal realm that we used to enter occasionally when we resided at Our Town Cafe. Read on!
The madness began with Craig and Geoff singing Hey Ya by The Outcasts. Apparently the original version got 53 million views on youtube which just goes to prove…I dunno, something or other. Then Darryl gave us The Irish Rovers’ perennial favourite: The Unicorn (Green alligators and long-necked geese etc.)
Tom and Boaz sang Mr Spaceman with Boaz’s 5-string banjo-uke giving it a distinctly hillbilly air. And we stayed in the outer regions as Jim sang Space Oddity using some minor seven chords that worked really well. Keegan has been working on Danny Boy for ukulele and I joined him on harmonica and vocal. Ronin did a mash-up of a U2 song and Maroon 5 – but somehow I managed to only hear the U2 part – dunno how that happened – I think my brain was still in outer space somewhere….
Jenny came up and sang Baby Beluga. Not only was it her first time playing ukulele on stage but she only learned her first uke chords This Evening!!! So if Jenny can do it maybe you can think about it too! She said she ultimately wants to be able to play a song on ukulele to friends around a campfire – so we had a spontaneous creation of an impromptu campfire using the table lanterns. Nice job everyone concerned! Russ played the Santana song Smooth. I want to rename him Carlruss Santana. Back to Ireland again while Ron sang McNamara’s band and the rest of us tried to do the actions of the various instruments.
Then came the surreal part. A lady called Stephanie had signed up to perform. I introduced her and when she got onstage she told me she doesn’t play ukulele. I explained that the whole premise of the event is that we do things involving ukuleles; that’s sort of the point of the thing. But she was so nice and so I let her sing a cappella. That was when she put her earbuds in and sang along with a song that only she could hear on her phone. Remarkable! Most of the people that come are too afraid to get up and sing with a ukulele and here was Stephanie singing along to a song that only played in her own head. And it wasn’t a short song either. And it had long quiet parts where the instrumentals were – of which she was the sole beneficiary. But I have to say, “Thank you Stephanie for it was pretty darn entertaining” But please no-one else do that okay!!
Boaz, Craig, Tom, myself and Ron on bass finished things off with Bowie’s/Mott the Hoople’s All The Young Dudes. A nice spot of glam rock to finish off the evening.
Thanks all for coming and we’ll do it again on April 15 – so see you then.
Keep strumming and smiling!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday February 18, 2014
Another February – another uke circle – and ooh it was luverly. We had our
very own sexy cupid giving out chocolates. We had contests: the first group
of people to make a heart out of their ukes. Also a “guess the punchline of
the joke” contest. Now that was flipping hilarious. The suggested punchlines
were way funnier than the correct ones and several people came pretty close
to losing control of their functions!
Btw. Pick up a copy of the Vancouver Courier newspaper next week. They’re
running a piece about the Vancouver ukulele scene and it’s highly probable
the uke circle will get a mention. Glory hallelujah – fame at last!
Before I forget, the Rogue Folk Club has very nicely asked if there are
ukulele people who would be interested in volunteering to help set up chairs
and tables and take them down at the end. It’s kinda funny because the lines
are blurring as some Rogue Folk volunteers are enjoyed the evenings so much
they’ve become ‘ukulele people’. So now it’s time to return the favour. If
you want to volunteer please contact Brian Jones: [email protected] and
he’ll fill you in on the details.
Tender and loving performances tonight came from the following: Ron sang
Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns, Bonita and Boaz did Fleetwood Mac’s
Landslide, Tom taught us all about ways of love with Al Green’s Let’s Stay
Together, Ronin gave us the Everly Brother. hit: Let It Be Me.
Jeff was a last minute signup and I didn’t write down what he sang. But it
was good – trust me! There was some falsetto but that’s all I can remember,
soz Jeff! First timer Gayle sang her reworking of a Peggy Lee song: I Love
Being Here With You. I sang a song about a very very VERY bad cat from my
new album -the song’s called Bird Lover.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from another first timer: a young woman called
Izel, since she had asked me to tune her baritone uke for her and didn’t
even know what notes to tune it to. I obliged but feared (slightly) for her
performance. However I needn’t have worried, her song Riptide was strong in
both singing and playing. How can that be! I can only assume she is
extremely wealthy and has someone at home whom she pays just to tune her uke
for her. Ed, who also did a fine job leading some songs btw., sang Sugar
Sugar: from 1969 – this was sung by The Archies, cartoon character Archie
and his friends sing the song in voices that sound nothing like their
cartoon voices (in large part because it isn’t them singing, it’s a bunch of
session musicians and not cartoon characters after all!!!)
Craig sang Without Mythologies by The Weaker Thans. A fine performance
considering that during his overly energetic leap towards the stage he sent
someone’s uke skittering across the floor. He recovered well I must say. I
didn’t hear about the uke though, but my prayers are that it survived
healthy and intact. Keegan played the Eric Clapton Classic Wonderful Tonight
and I did vocals. And I did them through a kazoo. Nobody commented but my
feeling is that the emotional impact of the song was heightened by the
kazoo’s tender rasp which sweetly offset Keegan’s ukulele playing. The
finale was a full-throated rendition of the Turtles song Elenore. It’s
similar to, and just as awesome as, the Turtles big hit song Happy Together.
Elenore was masterfully shouted by Tom, Craig, Boaz and myself with Ron on
bass. Ron also helped out several other folks too. Yay let’s hear it for
Ron!
So that was it! If you want you can write a letter to the liquor licensing
commission or the Vancouver Sun to protest the stupid liquor laws that make
it prohibitively expensive to have a liquor license to sell a few glasses of
beer and wine to a gentle group of ukulele strummers.
And keep those song suggestions coming – as I slowly work away on the next
song book.
I look forward to doing it all again March 18 – 3rd Tuesday. Oh begorrah!
’tis St. Patty’s day – how about calling it a ceilidh-lele? I’ll talk to
the chief!
See you then.
Keep strumming and smiling and saying “Yes Ralph!”
Ralph Shaw
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting – Tuesday January 21, 2014
I didn’t write my ukulele circle report after the meeting last night since I was pretty knackered having only just returned from the UK and my body clock was eight hours behind. I was pleased enough however to stay awake for the whole evening. Before I tell you about what went on here are some things to know for next month:
February is Valentines. So will be our Sizzlele meeting! The theme will be love songs. Bring along your romantic ditties to sing at performance time. If you want to help out by dressing up in sexy lingerie and fishnet stockings then you have my full approval to do that too.
If the Rogue Folk club hasn’t sorted out its liquor license by then I will have something else in place so you’ll be able to have a glass of wine while we play and sing. I can’t believe that in 2014 we’re still battling BCs old school Presbyterian liquor laws. I mean, come on.
Nevertheless last night we had as much fun as if we’d each drunk several pints of Baileys. Keegan (with me on harmonica) brought the new year in with an instrumental of Auld Lang Syne. Abbotsford Ken, using a open tuned baritone uke, played an original called Ford ‘conoline. Darryl sang the tragically yet comic Australian ballad Pub With No Beer, managing to insert some Vancouver ukulele circle references in there.
Daphne and Andy sang an old folk tune called the Wayfaring Stranger. Andy using a sweet playing style that sounds similar to banjo frailing. Jeff, recently back from Honolulu, did a song by Ryan Adams called Firecracker. Bill, also from Abbotsford, told us how he and Ken have been working with an impoverished local school to fix their ukuleles and help get their music program going again. Great work. He then sang the old folk favourite Titanic with a jolly singalong chorus somehow not really reflective of the song’s tragic theme but great fun.
Jill sang an original song called The Star Trek Erotica Love Song which is exactly what it sounds like: a little bit naughty, a little bit spacey and a little bit logical. Boaz performed an original tune he calls Blueprint. Midori, a visitor from Japan, played a uke she built herself and performed a Japanese folk tune and was surprised to receive her first-timers standing ovation. Jerry, another first timer, sang a part romantic and part funny song called The Gift.
Craig sang Pink Floyd’s Time from their iconic album Dark Side of the Moon. Boaz backed him up on uke and harmony. It was pretty creditable considering they’d only just had one short practice during the break. Russ finished things off with Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman.
Keep strumming and smiling and we’ll clink glasses and smooch ourselves silly at next month’s Sizzlele night!
With love,
Ralph Shaw Ralph Shaw ~ Entertainer
[email protected]
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
