Somebody Else Is Taking My Place

Guess there aren't that many ukulele players around...because when this sign went up, people began telling us they planned to be there on April 14 to hear the YesterUkes.  Well, we may be the best known ukulele band around these parts---but this concert isn't us!

Real-deal ukulele players, Ralph Shaw and Joel Eckhaus are on a Southeastern tour.  And Laurens County conveniently fell between their Charleston concert and the Asheville concert.  Both men have taught many workshops across the country.  They will be here to teach a workshop for the YesterUkes and friends.  Later that day they will give a public concert.  It will be fun to be audience for a change.  Come hear how the pros do it!

Don't Fence Me In

Real ukulele players came face to face with real cowboys this week.  The YesterUkes played pre-dinner music for the Spotlight on Agriculture dinner, which recognizes and honors the agriculture industry in Laurens County.  We had such a good time, playing for over an hour as about 300 people from across the county gathered for this annual event.

We decided that for this program, we needed a special song.  We did a spectacular version of "Rawhide", complete with whip cracking and shouts loud enough to move those cows!  You could almost hear the thunderous roar of hooves pounding the ground.  It was great fun.  The man who was later named Cattleman of the Year came over to see how we made the whip sound.  We think he was concerned that we might be using a real whip.  

When the YesterUkes started, the plan was to do a few programs in nursing homes.  And while we certainly do play at these places, we didn't put limits on our potential.  It has been exciting to perform at a variety of venues.  A pub, coffee houses, restaurants, a hospital and a festival have been mixed into our schedule of churches and retirement homes.  Each one, challenging us to grow and learn.  And, oh...do we ever sound better than when we started!

Are You Havin' Any Fun?

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A question was posed to members of the YesterUkes this week.  "Why do you put so much time and effort into this ukulele band?"  Two quick replies came from a couple of gentlemen in the group.  Chandler said that will all the bad news on TV, he loved to get together with these folks and forget the 'gloom and doom' that is dominating the media at the moment.  There couldn't be a better way to improve your mood than to strum a happy tune on the ukulele.

As a youngster, Bob, dreamed of a career as a singer but practicality won out and he set that dream aside.  But now that he is retired, he has found his audience.  He is one of our soloists and says, "Sometimes I feel guilty, because I get more out of a performance than the audience." Not so!  People across the upstate have loved hearing his rich voice.  Loud applause and whistles after a song often attest to that.  He also said, "I get to do what I love with people I love!!!"

Much of the YesterUke experience is about being part of the group.  No doubt about it--we love to perform, but that is just a 'part' of what we do.  Friendships have sprung up and grown strong among people who met at practice.  We've managed to squeeze in a couple of get-togethers with good food and visiting. And time on the road, as we travel to various places across upstate South Carolina, gives us a chance to chat and get to know each other better.  A couple of carpools are among the best social groups around.  Maybe playing ukulele is just a side benefit!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Here in our part of the South today, most eyes are glued to the window, waiting to see snow. It's something so rare, that just the mention of snow here sends folks into a frenzy.  It will be a great time to find a cozy spot and settle down with something you enjoy.  For the YesterUkes, it's likely to be a ukulele and a new tune or two.  We all complain of not having enough time to practice, so some "inside time" (it's doubtful this group will be out sledding) will be welcome.  The YesterUkes are working on some new songs in anticipation of several upcoming gigs.

While we never create a program specifically for one event, we might add songs to our set list that are particularly well-suited to a given place.  People always tell us they love our songs and ask how we find them.  We choose ones that we enjoy.  Band members often bring a list of ones they remember and like.  Then we'll pick one or two from each list.  Sometimes old music is pulled from drawers or chests.  Those yellowed, crumbling  pages might yield a musical gem.  

In our group, the age range spans quite a few years, and we grew up in various parts of the country.  So it isn't unusual for someone to shout out "Here's a song everyone knows" to be followed by, "Nope, I've never heard of that one."  We do our best to learn from each other. Many in our group do not read music, so we learn from lyric sheets, chord symbols, and YouTube. (Our kids and grandkids have nothing on us!)  It can be comical to listen to our first attempts, though.  But every now and then, we nail one the very first time.  Our practices are as much fun as our programs.  There is as much laughter as music while we work our way through new pieces.  This week's practice was one of the best, as we had a couple of those "got it right the first time" moments.

At this week's practice,  Ralph came back for a second visit.  Last week, he came --ukulele in hand -- from his home about 45 minutes away.  He had not seen us play, nor did he know anyone in the group, but he had heard about the YesterUkes and tracked us down.  He is quite a player.  And he is such a pleasant fellow that we hope he decides to join us full time.  The more, the merrier!

Update:  It's Monday morning and we have 5 inches on snow on the ground!

Come On Get Happy

The exercise class for seniors was still going on in the gym when we arrived at Buncombe St. United Methodist Church.  As soon as they finished, we began our set up for another YesterUkes program.  We dashed around, unpacking mics, stretching cables across the floor and tucking them under chairs and tuning ukuleles.  By the time we had everything connected and did a quick sound check, it was time to begin the fun.  For thirty minutes we took the senior adults on a musical memory trip, singing old favorites and telling them about our adventures with the lowly little ukulele.  About 50 folks sang along and laughed together, remembering days when these hit songs were played on the radio.  

We enjoyed lunch with the group before it was time to go.  Visiting with people after the program is a always a pleasure.  The favorite comment of this trip was, "That went by so fast, I didn't have time to clap!"  We pride ourselves on presenting a lively, fast paced program, but we love applause, so maybe we'll slow the pace -- but not too much.  

 In conversations with some of our faithful readers we found that not everyone realized that last week's blog post included a video.  If you missed it, scroll down and look again.  The third "photo" in the middle of the article is from YouTube.  Click on the small arrow in the lower left corner of the picture and you should we able to look and listen to the YesterUkes.  You can also find more videos on YouTube.com   Just put "yesterukes" in the search box there.

Also, we would love to hear from you.  At the end of each post, you'll see the word "comments" with a tiny pencil beside it.  Just click on the word "comments" to post your thoughts.  

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

On Tuesday, the first men to arrive at the church fired up the grill and put the steaks on. As others arrived, the hall filled with laughter and chatter. The Methodist Men's Club had invited their sweethearts for a Valentine dinner and music. After the meal, the YesterUkes entertained with some favorite love songs. As always, we included the audience in the singing so that everyone could serenade the one they loved. When the evening was over, people left hand in hand, talking about which songs they liked best.

Later in the week, on the day before Valentine's Day, the YesterUkes brought their special brand of music to two assisted living homes. On Friday morning as we were hooking up the last mic cables at Magnolia Manor, people began rolling into the dining room. We had been here before, but this time the audience was much larger. We were told that residents who rarely came to any program were here today to see what the YesterUkes do. It took some time for everyone to be wheeled into place.

Some of the early arrivals had nodded off before the program started. Some were not able to communicate much, even when they were awake. But as the music started, it was like watching magic. Heads raised, eyes opened and fingers waved along in time with the music. Many sang along, some could only mouth the words, but almost everyone participated in some way. A gentleman on the front row used one hand to "conduct" as we played and sang. He even strummed a little "air" ukulele along with us. We later learned that he had been a choir director when he was younger.

That afternoon we moved to Morningside, where red hearts hung from the chandeliers. Florists were busy making Valentine deliveries to residents. As we were setting up, people came in with canes and walkers and settled in for our sing along. This is a generation that enjoys making music -- not downloading it. About 40 minutes later, when we had finished singing, some headed back to their rooms for a nap. Others lingered, visiting with their neighbors. As we packed up, we could overhear some of the comments: "I knew those songs." "They don't write ones like that anymore." "I remember when we used to stand around the piano and sing some of those." Music and memories -- that's what we do.

Tea For Two...And 65 More

There has been some discussion that we could change the name of our blog from "Sing Along" to "Eat Along" with the Yesterukes.  Sharing a meal and fellowship with the many wonderful people we meet is always a pleasure.  Now that we seem to be averaging four covered dish dinners a month (well, maybe not quite that many), there is no doubt that the best cooks are in the South.

Today's performance was for a community gathering of senior adults.  There were 67 people present, representing 10 churches.  We had such fun singing and reminiscing.  After singing along with us for about 30 minutes, the audience gave us a standing ovation.  We are always well received but we do not always move folks to their feet at the end!  It's certainly fun to know everyone had a good time.  

Visiting with the audience after the program is a favorite part of the day for the YesterUkes.  Today, a lady commented that we must be very well known in the area because it was the largest attendance they've had in a very long time.  A gentleman said he knew every song we sang but one---and that was because he married his wife just before that one was recorded and he didn't need love songs any longer!  

Someone asked how we found our band members.  The answer is they usually find us.  One of our newest members saw us play at in Greenville in December and called to ask if he could join us.  Another member read about us in the newspaper and called about joining.  She had played with a ukulele group in Ohio before moving here.  And we are delighted that these folks are now part of the YesterUkes.