Happy Birthday George Harrison

Posted on February 25, 2011 by phredd

The quiet Beatle would have been 68 today.

My friend Milt Stoltzfus‘ wife was standing in line at a hotel one time in Branson, Missouri. There was some kind of ruckus at the check in counter and Lois overheard that the hotel was fully booked and because of some snafu, the lady with the British accent at the counter now did not have a room.  Lois had a double room and was by herself, so she decided to speak up and offer the empty bed to the distraught woman. Turns out the distraught British lady was George Harrison’s sister, Louise.  She was in town for the Beatles tribute show – LIVERPOOL LEGENDS.  And that is the story of my one degree of separation from Beatle George Harrison.

Remember Live Aid?  Many years before Fundraising Concerts became fashionable, George did Concert for Bangladesh.  Watch til the end and you will get a taste of why George is repeatedly voted, by other guitarists, as one of the greats of all time.

Jake Shimabukuro pretty much became known, initially, because of this video.

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Billie Jean Times Three

Posted on February 25, 2011 by phredd

I never got into Michael Jackson’s music, though I always appreciated his immense talent.  One of his most popular songs, “Billie Jean” has spurred a veritable plethora of covers.  These are three of the best.  I can’t decide which is my favorite. At the moment I’m leaning towards the James Hill version.  But wait a few minutes and that could change. Which one is your favorite?

James Hill is a Ukulele Genius.  There are several of his interpretations of “Billie Jean” on the net. Some of them pair him with other artists.  I think when it’s just him and a uke, you appreciate the wizardry a bit more.

The Civil Wars are amazing.  I love their Americana Interpretation…

Wow, this kid is talented. Please note he has a rare (at least in America) Blue Ovation Ukulele hanging on the wall.

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Most Watched Video

Posted on February 24, 2011 by phredd

How ironic is it that my most watched YouTube Video of all time is a 25 second flub?

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My Honeybee

Posted on February 21, 2011 by phredd

Many songs have been written about the “birds and the bees”.  It was a more quaint time when adults referred to the “birds and the bees” in the presence of children.  Times have certainly changed.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that Love makes the world go round.  Love has certainly made my world go round, and she’s been my love for over 35 years now.

My friend Steven Courtney invited me to sing on a local remake of the Beatles “Sgt Pepper”. I am pretty excited to say that I have now played uke and sang on a Beatles recording.  I’m part of the trippy Beatles-like cacophony near the end.  Matt Goss, Ryan Shenk and many other local dignitaries also are part of the melisma. It will be out soon.  I will keep you up to date.

Have I mentioned that my friend Steven Courtney is a genius?  No, I mean, he is a certifiable genius. His IQ has been measured at 168.  He’s not just smart, he’s scary smart, but not in a scary way. He’s probably the most well adjusted genius I know. I would say his smarts are off the charts, but that would only be true if the chart went to 167.

Anyway, so my friend Steven Courtney calls me up and says, “bring over your uke and trumpet and play on this Sgt. Pepper song I’m working on.”  Instead of singing as part of the song,  Steve says, “Sing something George Formby-esque, but make it Phredd-like.” This is apparently how Geniuses tell non-geniuses what is going on in their head without getting too technical.   So I take an E7 and an A7 and sing, “Honey, Honey, Honey, Honey…”  Steve says, “That’s it!”  and I say, “That’s it?” and Steve says, “That’s it.”

So he makes it all reverby and put’s it backward and forward and mixes it with Sitar and Sgt. Pepper horns and crowd noise and, there you have it; I’m playing uke and singing on a Beatles song.

Fastforward a couple weeks and I decided to take the “Honey, Honey” chorus and make it into a complete song (so, hey, Norkey, we’ve written yet another song!). I wrote this one for my one true Honeybee.  We’ve been “a thing” since we were 14.  She’s my one true love.  I haven’t written nearly the amount of songs she deserves, and none of them sappy, that’s for sure.

So here you go My Honeybee, don’t you ever let me be!

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One Hand Uke

Posted on February 19, 2011 by phredd

My friend Al (better known as Woodshed) saw a post on Yahoo Answers.  Someone who doesn’t have use of their right hand asked if it was possible to play uke one-handed. So he took it as a personal challenge and made this video.

I’ve never played with one hand before. But I did have to learn how to play with a broken arm one time. I fell at a concert. I had to keep doing shows. I had to figure out how to play the ukulele upside down. Here is a collage from a cd release party we did at the WJTL studios in 2008.

By the way, if you enjoy all things ukulele – you would love Al’s uke blog.  It’s amazing.

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I Play My Ukulele Daily

Posted on February 18, 2011 by phredd

In an era where so much music is made by machines, people truly desire that which is made by humans. ~ Bob Lefsetz

“The ukulele is a noble little instrument… anyone serious about music will eventually come to play one.” ~ Bob Brozman

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. ~ Eric Liddell

Inspiration, therapy, entertainment, fun…YES!

It’s a good day, and it’s a good day to play ukulele.

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Charlie Peacock Trio

Posted on February 17, 2011 by phredd

Yesterday I mentioned Charlie Peacock Trio. I got such a great response, that I thought I would share a few songs today.  I wish I could share their performance at the Creation Festival many moons ago.  Don Barley of RCTV would always archive the performances for Tim and Harry. Don was gracious enough to make me a duplicate of the performance that year.  I must have watched it a couple dozen times.

Unchain My Soul

Dear Friend

Big Man’s Hat (this isn’t just the trio, but it’s still excellent!)

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Thank You Charlie Peacock

Posted on February 16, 2011 by phredd

Thank You Charlie Peacock! Thank You Civil Wars! Thank You Joy Williams! Thank You John Paul White! Thank You Ann D’Alessandro-Zuck!

I love the Civil Wars.  I love their songs. I love their amazing vocals.  I LOVE the sound of John Paul’s guitar.  I’m not sure why it sounds so much better than most guitars. Is it the guitar?  Is it the way he plays it? Is it the way Charlie Peacock recorded it?  It just sounds great – sonically, I mean.

Speaking of Charlie Peacock, when I discovered the Civil Wars (thanks to Ann, who told me I would love them.  You were right Ann) I sent Charlie a message congratulating him on the success of such a great band and fine recording.  He sent me a very nice reply. In addition to thanking me for messaging him, and telling me he was thrilled by the buzz, he also said…

Great music wins out in the end! Haven’t recorded anything that sounded this good so simple since the trio with Jimmy and Vince.

Charlie is such a gracious man.  If you haven’t yet heard or seen the Civil Wars, these videos will be a nice introduction.  But please, don’t stop there.

PS Dear Ashlea who is in Hawaii with YWAM, I don’t know how I missed you liking these guys way back when.  I must be dumb.  Next time hit me over the head with your computer!!!

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Those Noisy Whistling Newcomers

Posted on February 14, 2011 by phredd

I’m loud.  I mean that I talk loud, I sing loud, I play music loud, I can’t help it, my volume control is broken. This is a malady shared by several of my children. One of them (one that might be a couple decibels louder) once was quoted as saying, “Why are the stupidest things you say the loudest?”  Now that is a song title if every I heard one.  I’m still working on that one.

Speaking of working on songs, sometimes it seems like songs are never finished.  I enjoy tinkering with them; adding here, changing there.  This is one of forty plus songs Steven Courtney and I wrote via email.   He would write a line and email it, then I would laugh my head off and send a line back to him in hopes of inspiring an asthma attack.  Of course I’m kidding, however, the sign of a good lyric is when Steve laughs so hard he is gasping for air.  Steve originally recorded the demo, then I recorded a version for the cd EVERYBODY GET HAPPY.

Recently I added a middle section encouraging the audience to participate even if they can’t whistle. That’s because some of my audience hasn’t learned how to whistle yet and I want them to feel included.  I also read somewhere that if you want to freshen up a song you should add a solo.  Ukulele chord solos are fun, so I stuck one in after the bridge (or middle section) as a lead into the third verse.

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Text the Cell

Posted on February 13, 2011 by phredd

My friend Jason Gallagher likes to let everyone know where he is at and what he is doing at all times.  He ends all his Twitter and Facebook posts with TEXT THE CELL, just in case you don’t know how to get in touch with him.

Our world is connected.  It used to be that you had to send me a letter or call me on the phone if you wanted to get in touch. Now there is facebook, twitter, myspace, cell phones, email, skype, and what seems like a thousand other ways to get in touch.

Sometimes its overwhelming.  I’ll be playing my uke, taking a nap, or making chili.  Text the Cell.

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