What is a 30's Uke Girl up to these days??

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I’m a lifelong musician, been writing songs since I was 16. And, they got better with time and practice. Everything gets better with practice! As a wise man once said, “Don’t practice till you get it right, practice till you can’t get it wrong!” I love teaching ukulele, and also teaching voice and of course, songwriting. A song is nothing more than a story, and if you sing it as if it were a play, then you are using your voice correctly. If you write it as if it were a play, you engage the listeners. And bonus, if you use an instrument as an extension of your feelings, you can make the song soar. I intend to use this blog for the promotion of my ukulele passion, to introduce performers, review instruments, luthiers, and give links to great UKE websites. I also will keep links to festivals, events, and clubs. My other passion is biographical content, and I’ll be adding many of those, especially about the early artists from the 20s 30s 40s. A lost treasure trove of talent. Hope you enjoy the varied content. It will be eclectic, like me!

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Tampa Bay Ukulele Society's Annual Getaway Festival

Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway has come and gone.  What a weekend! What a line up!  What a concert!

Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel This was sweet, jazzy, and harmonies were ethereal! I must say I teared up at the lyrics, the vocals and the exceptional playing of the Ukulele.  The workshop they gave was so awesome for all levels.  I found myself practicing much of what they taught throughout the days following the session!  They filled in at the last minute for a cancellation of performer, Hal Manitoba!  We were all thrilled that they were able to swing by and be a part of this festival again!

Stuart Fuchs What can I say? Stuart Fuchs has become a dear friend of mine.  The versatility of this performer is mind boggling!  Running the gamut from Jazz, Gypsy, Formby, Vamp, Rock A Billy, he kept us guessing as to what he would do next!  The Brazilian/Latin pieces were exquisite! Classically, there is none to compare, but pair that with a spiritual take on performing and throw in Didgeridoo, and you have an experience bordering on ZenErgy!   That is a word I made up to explain Stu to all my peeps!! ZenErgy!!! His workshop is still being talked about today on Facebook. Everyone LOVED this workshop!

Danielle Ate The Sandwich Then! OMG!  LOL.  This girl of whom I honestly didn't know a great deal about, just stole our hearts!  Her lyrics were honest and soul searching, and irreverent at times!  I LOVED IT!  Here we have someone who seems so natural and confident, and funny and sure and true, AND, what a vocalist and ukest!  I honestly didn't know what to expect but I am SO glad I got to experience her workshop and performance in person!  She is also very delightful in person, with a relaxed demeanor, and upon meeting her, you feel like you've known her and have been friends all your lives.  Def want to see this performer again!

Aldrine Guerrero  Shut The Door!!!!  What a go give spirit this guy has!  And to top off his humble soft spoken personality, add the driven expertise of a heavy metal Shimabukuro looping monster talented Uke-Al-Alien! Aldy G blew the roof off of the Concert with a feverish build up to a finale that NO ONE WILL EVER FORGET!  His hand was moving so fast at the end, that I literally couldn't see it anymore!  He had about 20 (or so it seemed) amazing loops going together that had us standing and screaming at the end when he raised his hands and just let all that music sink in as it played on without him!  O. M. G.  Workshop was awesome with finger exercises, (that we were so happy to do, lol, cause that didn't hurt or stretch our hands at all, no, no, it was so kind to show us that we needed to do this every time we are going to practice! LOL), and again, referring to Ukulele Underground, we can  continue to build and grow our skills!  

Overall, it was a spectacular weekend, with the exclamation point on awesome fun being Mike Hind, the MC for Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway!  More on him and his unbelievable journey on another post!  Needless to say, don't know what it would be without him!  He is so very much a part of this festival, and this Bermudian is one heck of a Floridian!!  LOL

A big thanks to all the volunteers and the committee for all the hard work and planning that went into giving us the Super  Sized Fun Weekend of a lifetime!  Jay Nunes and the whole committee are to be applauded for this fantastic line up and a seamless three days that will be memorable for all who attended!

 Also, the vendors this year as always, they Brought IT!  Perfect selection and blends from each vendor, Augustino LoPrinziUke Republic , Mainland Ukulele , Rhythm Inlet UkuleleDixie Ukulele  and none other than Mim's Ukes
A big thank you to all the vendors and your family and friends who came and helped everyone take home new babies, and helped with set ups and strap pegs etc.  Also for all the donations for the raffles!  So many happy ticket holders!
  Next years plans are already in the works and TBUG is going to the BEACH!  YAY!!!!  More on THAT later too!  
Ever Yours, 30s Uke Girl, Norine Mungo

 

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