Suggestions for end of year

• Tuesday 24 November – think about some Christmas songs for Semaphore Street party
• Friday 27 November – pretty normal white board number in front bar
• Sunday 29 November – Semaphore Road – mix of things we know by heart and may be something festive (but not twee)
• Tuesday 1 December – Richard Tonkin’s class – some of the easier Chrissie songs
• Tuesday 8 December – the Chrissie song learning binge
• Friday 11 December – SPECIAL Front bar gig – with much seasonal festivity including eggnog, carols and frivolity
• Tuesday 22 December – oh, whatever

Here’s a clip of us at rehearsal on 27 October, thanks James!

Have a look at some great pix, taken by Ian Fisk, at the Fleurieu Folk Festival a few weeks back.

Diary update for next 3 months

With everyone’s diaries filling fast, here’s an AUAS diary update for the next three months.  Of course, there might be extra gigs, royal command performances and surprise record deals to add, but  the bones of it are below.  We’ll basically take a break from 22 December to 12 January.

Concert request
Brendan Moore’s school, St Michaels (East Avenue, Beverley), is very keen to have AUAS play a concert to the school in the week commencing 23 November.  Karina Moore and Richard Gibson have already done a presentation of ukes and uke music to Brendan’s music class, which was a great success.

This performance is a fab opportunity to promote the uke to a younger audience and the school, which is growing its music program…and be a good performance practice for us!  The catch – it’s in school hours – Wednesday 25 November, 11am-11.45am is the proposed time.

Are there enough of us with flexible time agendas to do this? If you can take part, could you email Richard immediately at rgibson@scorpex.net?  If you can’t do that day but are available at another time during that week, let him know that, too.

First Tuesday Uke Class
Richard T’s classes aren’t just for beginners – if you want some more advice, practice, to learn some different strums or are having trouble with particular chords or songs etc, come along – it’s like a private workshop. Always relaxed, very nice and about an hour or so long, unless we all get carried away.

DIARY UPDATE 2009

• Tuesday 3 November – Richard Tonkin’s class – at the Gov, 7ish – race wear optional
• Tuesday 10 November – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Tuesday 24 November – fourth Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Wednesday 25 November – Concert at St Michaels 11am
• Friday 27 November – Friday front bar gig at the Gov
• Sunday 29 November – Semaphore Road street party – details to follow
• Tuesday 1 December – Richard Tonkin’s class – at the Gov, 7ish – santa hats optional
• Tuesday  8 December – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Friday 11 December – SPECIAL front bar gig – with much seasonal festivity including eggnog, carols and frivolity
• Tuesday 22 December – fourth Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov

Remember – no front bar gig on 25 December!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2010

• Tuesday 12 January – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov

And lots of pix from the Fleurieu Folk Festival performance here – thanks to Ian Fisk.

SMF is over and FFF is coming up

Congrats and thanks to everyone involved with Semaphore Music Festival – it all went very well.  About two dozen people came to our workshop – 18 of whom required loan ukuleles – big thank you to everyone who generously lent their instruments. We’ll see some of these workshoppers soon at our Tuesday sessions.

Our Sunday morning performance went well too – we sang away the clouds and the sun shone forth.  Ukulele Baby was the hit.  If you’re a beginner and perhaps felt too shy to perform, ask Robyn, Evie and Elley about it – they nearly stole the show!  And thank you to Richard and Wendy Gibson for their superior green room and breakfast service. See the photos from the festival on our Flickr group.

Fleurieu Folk Festival 24 and 25 October
FFF have asked us to play two 45 minutes sets on Sunday:
Village Marquee 11.45am-12.30pm and Cafe Acoustica 2pm-2.45pm.  And they’ve offered free camping sites to performers.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you can be part of this event (and if you want a camp site), so we can advise the organisers of numbers.  We’ll provide directions, meeting times and details to those who are attending.

For each session, we’ll do eight songs together, and we’re looking for smaller groups to do some songs in the middle. This is the moment to put up your hand if you’ve a burning desire to perform something you’ve done as a small group on a Tuesday or Friday night.  Bring your suggestions on Tuesday 13 October (or email me).

At the moment the draft list is:
First session

1. Bye Bye Love
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Is this the way to Amarillo?
4. Eight Days a Week
5. (smaller groups)
6. Pay me my money down
7. If I had a Hammer
8. Ring of Fire
9. Ukulele Baby

Second session

1. Brand New Key
2. Sloop John B
3. Walking Down the Line
4. (smaller groups)
5. Under the Boardwalk
6. You ain’t going nowhere
7. Jamaica Farewell
8. Flowers on the Wall
9. Ukulele Baby

These might change with your suggestions and depending on numbers of players for the event.

Playing for WCH on Saturday 24 October
One of our members has asked if some uke players would like to do four tunes at the beginning of the Amazing Race – it’s a mad treasure hunt/competition organised by staff of the  Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
The starting line is at the lovely Pinky Flat (riverbank park in the corner of Montefiore Rd and War Memorial Drive) and you’d need to be there by 9am.
The four tunes are:

1. These Boots Are Made For Walking
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Is This the Way to Amarillo?
4. Ukulele Baby

Other diary dates

• Friday 23 October at 8pm – our Front Bar gig at The Gov – all welcome, whether you want to play a little or a lot. Or not at all – just be social. if you want to know how it works or what it is, just ask!
• Tuesday 27 October – our regular session at The Gov at 7pm
• Tuesday 3 November – Richard T’s class – and Cup recovery
• Saturday 29 November – Semaphore Street Party gig. Still a possibility – note date in your diaries.

Uke beginners session

Just a reminder that Tuesday 7 October 2009 is the first Tuesday of the month – that means Richard T is leading a session for beginners, novices and people who want to be better players.

And he says this time The Strum’s The Thing: we’ll look at how to strum, and new strums for all occasions.

Starting time is 7.30pm, at The Gov.

www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcomm/ / CC BY 2.0

Festivals, gigs and workshops coming up

It feels like we’re fast approaching the height of ukulele season, what with our regular session, our Friday gig and Semaphore Music Festival all taking place in the next three weeks.

In this post:

• Our next session on Tuesday 22 September at the Gov
• Our workshop at Semaphore Music Festival (SMF) on Saturday 3 October
• Can you lend a ukulele for the SMF workshop?
• Our performance at SMF on Sunday 4 October
• Dates for your diary

Tuesday 22 September our regular get-together starts at 7pm at The Gov. We’ll practice our songs for the SMF (see below) and maybe have a break and do something different or new. Don’t worry if you’re not part of the SMF troupe – you will get to do something other than rehearse!

Saturday 3 October there’s lots of interest in the workshop AUAS is running for SMF – thank you for helping us promote it. Please forward the flier to everyone you know, or print some out and put them up and pass them on. If you really can distribute lots of these, let me know and we can arrange copying. If you’re able to help at the session – welcoming, tuning, inspiring, playing, even leading a small group – let Richard Gibson know – he’s at rgibson@scorpex.net

Can you lend a ukulele? Do you have a spare uke that we can borrow for the workshop? Several people have said they’d like to be part of it, but don’t have a uke – yet. We’re not after your rare and heirloom instruments – perhaps the one you started out on, or the one you take to the beach or let the children use? We will tag it and look after it.

Let Kate know (if you haven’t already) if you are joining the two dozen or so seasoned and novice players who have already signed on. Reply to katejm@adelaide.on.net

Red ukulele by Benoît Derrier

Ukulele Workshop @Semaphore Music Festival

Saturday 3 October 2009 Semaphore RSL 3pm – 5pm

The Adelaide Ukulele Appreciation Society will be holding a ukulele workshop as part of the 2009 Semaphore Music Festival

• All ages welcome!
• Make music! Sing! Learn a song in 15 minutes! Have fun!
• Ukes available or bring your own!
• Attendees in bright floral shirts will be given extra attention!
• Join the worldwide ukulele movement!

For more information ring Richard 0412 974 327 or Kate 0419 803 507

Semaphore RSL: south side of Semaphore Road close to the Esplanade

AUAS will be performing at the SMF Foreshore Concert 11am Sunday 5 October

Here’s our flier!

The ukulele trees are bursting into bloom!

Aloha everyone,

It must be spring, for the ukulele trees are bursting into bloom! In this post:

• Our next session on Tuesday 8 September at the Gov
• Our workshop at Semaphore Music Festival SMF on Saturday 3 October
• Our performance at SMF on Sunday 4 October
• and dates for your diary

Tuesday 8 September our regular get together starts at 7pm at The Gov, but this week we’ll be in the dining room.  There’s free parking at the Entertainment Centre this week.
In the first half of this session we’ll practice our  songs for the SMF – see below. In the second half, in smaller groups, we’ll learn something new (or half-remembered) then perform these for each other in the front bar. The novice group at this session will probably learn one of the SMF songs. Anyone can bring along a song, or suggest one – what about we use the ideas for AUAS part of our website to advise what you’re bringing and where to find it, or to make suggestions of songs you’d  like to see at future sessions. You can do this at anytime.

Saturday 3 October SMF has asked AUAS to run a free ukulele workshop from 3pm to 5pm in the RSL.  What a fantastic opportunity to liberate those poor ukuleles that are held captive, unloved, in laundry cupboards, beach houses, garages and as props in unrestored hotels.  Everyone is welcome – please come along and bring your families, friends, colleagues, lovers, publican – anyone that you think should be sharing our ukulele vibe.  More details in a separate email shortly.

Sunday 4 October we’re slated to appear at 11am on the stage at the Semaphore Foreshore Concert. Our songs are
You are My Sunshine
Eight Days A Week
Brand New Key
Is This the Way to Amarillo? we’ll do this one this coming Tuesday
Ukulele Baby
Bad Moon Rising
These Boots Are Made For Walking
Could everyone planning to be part of this terrific event let me know by return email? Then I can send details of where to meet, what to wear and bring etc to just those members.  Of course, everyone is welcome to all the regular sessions and practice sessions even if they can’t make it to the concert. It’s still a great way to learn and improve.

AUAS @ SMF 2008

Other diary dates – see our gigs page

Kate

Planning ahead – ukulele festivals in 2010

Looks like 2010 could be a big year for ukulele festivals.

Our friends, the Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, are holding MUF 1, the INAUGURAL MELBOURNE UKULELE FESTIVAL from 26 February to 2 March 2010. And then there’s the Cairns Ukulele Festival, 3-4 July 2010.

Start saving up, and either give up your day job to fit them all in or book your annual leave now!

Melbourne Ukulele Kollective

Front bar session + other gigs

The Friday night session on 28 August starts at 8pm. It’s a lot of fun. If it’s your first time: it’s not a gig where you are on stage the whole time. Just join in for the pieces you really like, and socialise for the rest of the time – or am I giving away a personal preference here? Dress: colourful, eccentric. The very bold could try to out-Phil Phil if time permits, but we cannot guarantee you will get the attention he always garners.

Then on Tuesday 1 September, Richard Tonkin will hold a one hour-ish session that’s good for novices, beginners, or anyone who wants to ask Richard to show them particular ukulele techniques and chords etc.
This one is at 7pm, somewhere in the pub – ask the staff or someone else carrying a uke case.

Coming up: Semaphore Music Festival 2009 www.semaphoremusicfestival.com Friday – Monday 2-5 October
An AUAS workshop on Saturday: more on that soon.  And the AUAS gig on the Foreshore on Sunday at noon for 30 minutes: it was great fun last year.

Fleurieu Folk Festival www.fleurieufolkfestival.com.au 23-25 October at Willunga

Join our Google Group!

We have created a Google group for the Adelaide Ukulele Appreciation Society.

The purpose of the group is to simplify our email communications. It enables us to use a single email address (adelaideukes@googlegroups.com) to send an email to all members of the group. This is a simpler and more reliable method than wrangling with an unreliable list of 80 + (and growing) individual email addresses.

It is necessary to join the Adelaide Ukulele Appreciation Society Google Group if you wish to receive email communications sent to this group. If you do not wish to join it will be more difficult for us to communicate with you by email, but you can still check this website or contact other members to find out what’s happening. Joining the group is quick, easy and free. Once you have joined you can manage your own membership. Anyone can join or leave the group.

An invitation to join has been sent to all the email addresses we currently hold, and we have had a good response. Some people have not responded so far to the invitation. Please check your email inbox and click on the confirmation link in the email invitation (sent on 17 August 2009).

Some people did not receive the email. If you are in this category and want to join, please follow the instructions provided here.