Vancouver Ukulele Circle Meeting

Hello Strummers!
Indeed it is true. The Vancouver Ukulele Circle turned 16 years old today
and that fact totally slipped my mind. Oh well, maybe this is a good time to
mention that next month is October and that means Halloween and Spook-a-lele
so start thinking about your costume!

Tonight was one of those times when performers were harder to come by but we
did get 9 very entertaining spots in all. Starting with Willie and the Hand
Jive from John and Lynn visiting us from Winnipeg. First timers Stephanie
and Shastine sang a Pixar song about a lonely lovesick volcano called
Someone to Lava.

Tom Moody has a fondness for September songs. This year he sang (and played
beautifully) Try to Remember from The Fantastics. Johnny pulled out a Velvet
Underground song called Aftermath. But hearing it on a ukulele it actually
turned a dark song into a light ditty that sounded more like a children’s
song. I’m not sure Marshall McLuhan was thinking of ukuleles when he said,
“The medium is the message.” But he might have been.

Two original blues songs were next. First was Ed with Ron (bass), Boaz (lead
uke) and myself (harmonica) to play Ukulele Deathbed Blues. This was
followed by Jess and Ed who gave us The slippery Ukulele Blues, oh and I did
a slippery harmonica solo in that one too! After that there was time in the
program for me to sing a rare performance song so I sang I Just Wish I Was
In Love from my album Table For Two.

Because of the passing of Fred Hellerman (The Weavers) Ron sang their hit So
Long It’s Been Good to Know Yer. But he sang the original Woody Guthrie
lyrics which set the song in the dark and dirty days of the dustbowl decade.
Interestingly it happened that a good friend of Fred Hellerman’s son was
there tonight and knew the family well. Small world!

Tom Saunders and Boaz finished performance time off with a somewhat rare
Beatles song in ¾ time called Babies in Black. About once or twice a year I
hear a Beatles song I’ve never heard before and this was a new one for me.

I’m looking forward to seeing you on October 18 at Spook-a-lele night.
Costume is not obligatory – just fun if you can get that together!

Until then keep strumming and smiling!

Ralph Shaw

www.ralphshaw.ca
www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic