Again

It always makes us feel good when people want us back again. And in one week we had two return engagements. This was our third time at Christ Church Episcopal with their senior adult group. It was a warm and gracious audience. They love to sing along with us. And we love that!

It was truly a treat for us to be at one of the most historic churches in the area. The building is beautiful outside but when we play here, we get to see the beautiful inside. We've already been told that when we come back next year the theme will be a Hawaiian one. Hmmm... Wonder who in our group can hula?

The following evening a smaller group made a second appearance playing outdoors at the 3rd Annual Sip-n-Stroll, a wine tasting fund raiser for Main Street Laurens. We could not have wished for more perfect weather. It was fun to relax and play songs we love.  Sometimes people would stop and listen for a bit before they continued on their way. And sometimes they would stop and sing along with us.

We wouldn't want to do back-to-back gigs many times, but just every once in a while, it works out just right.

Again, written by Lionel Newman and Dorcas Cochran, 1949

The 3rd Time Around

People started arriving early to get signed in and settled before the program started. This was the third time we have played at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, so they knew exactly what kind of program they were coming to. They have loved our music. And we love that they sing along with us!

 

With just a few preliminaries, it was time to get started. This time they wanted to use every minute of their time for the music. We started right on time. And folks continued to arrive as we played and sang.

The room had filled by the time we were well into the music.

When it was all done, we were their guests for lunch. And their lunch is always delicious. The good folks at Buncombe St. UMC feel like old friends now. Hope we might visit with them again sometime.



The 3rd Time Around, third studio album by Roger Miller, 1965

Once In Awhile

The Yesterukes started a few years ago with a group of six players and since then has grown into a band so large that we won't all fit into a picture!  Hence, the tilted shot--a homemade wide-angle photo.

We played a concert at the Laurens County Library last week for a rare open-to-the-public performance. The library community room was full. And the audience included some people who had made their first trip ever to the library. That made the library staff very happy. We were glad these folks came to hear us, but hope these newcomers will visit the library again to check out the other things available there.

We also had a very special visitor for the evening.  Flat Stanley attended the concert with a special 3rd grade friend. Flat Stanley even had his photo made playing the ukulele so that he can show the class what he did during spring break. Maybe we can get a copy of the photo later.

Everyone had fun. We hope it isn't too long before we can do another concert that is open to everyone.

Once In Awhile, Tommy Dorsey, 1937

Sweets For My Sweet

A feast! There is no other word to describe the meal that awaited the Yesterukes today at Waterloo United Methodist Church.  The Friends & Neighbors group meets monthly for food and fellowship.  We were so happy to be part of this today.  The photos only show part of the spread.

And, yes, the Yesterukes have learned that a little discipline is needed when the meal is served before the program. It would be so easy to overindulge. We played for about 50 minutes after lunch for the audience, singing some of our old standards and some of our new favorites. This was a group that sang along with us on every song. One lady told us after the program, "I'm so glad you invited us to sing along...because I think I would have exploded otherwise! I knew all of those songs. I love singing them." And we loved having her--and everyone else--sing along with us.



Sweets For My Sweet, The Drifters, 1961

Meet The Yesterukes - Bob

A chance encounter at a music store jam was where Bob was "discovered". He was a voice looking for a place to use it. And the Yesterukes were a perfect fit. Here is his story:

Music is the thread that kept and still keeps my family together. My greatest thrill was singing with my brothers at my daughter’s, niece and nephew’s weddings. I started out in the 3rd grade loving when the music teacher came around a couple of times a month.  I did not know at the time if I loved music that much or just liked getting out of regular studies.  Santa Claus brought me a plastic uke that year, and I learned to play it. I learned to play it good enough to get a wooden one the next year. I played that one for several years and then I got a baritone uke.   But this fellow named “Elvis” came along not too long after that and I switched to guitar because that was where the girls were.

I earned my way through college playing in a Rock and Roll band.  When I became an accountant, my only music was singing in the church choir.  When I retired, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I decided to learn to really play guitar by reading music as well as by ear.  At a local jam session, I ran into the Yesterukes leader. She had just formed a group of uke players and asked if I would come and visit with them.  The rest is history as they say.  To enhance my “career” with the Yesterukes, I now take guitar, piano, and drum lessons in addition to playing the ukulele.  I would not want to get “fired” from the Yesterukes!!

And here is a project Bob just completed with help from some of his Yesteruke friends:

Poetry In Motion

Sometimes you find ukulele players in the strangest ways. Walking through a shopping district in Atlanta, we encountered a couple of gentlemen offering free poems. After passing them by, the thought occurred that it might be fun to see if they could write a poem about a ukulele--thinking this might be a challenge.  So we turned back and asked for one. 

Who knew the poet was also a ukulele player? After composing our poem, he pulled out his ukulele and played us a tune. We told him about the Yesterukes.  He was equally surprised to come across another ukulele player--especially one who is part of a 20-piece band!

Here is his poem...

Jumping flea, hop off me

onto nylon strings under

waving palms.  A song comes

over waves as sunshine plays

between the bright wood, koa

and rose, tiny bubbles or

tim.  Flying strum or slim

notes, mele or hapa hoale,

sweet small music always 

at hand, bare feet and 

sand.  I love thee, ukulele,

reminder and mind of place.

We Yesterukes often think of ourselves as the only ukulele players around, and at many locations, we truly are. But it's even nicer to think of ourselves as part of a ukulele community that exists around the globe.

Poetry In Motion, by Johnny Tillotson, 1961

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

There was no doubt that this senior group--the YAHs-- was glad to have us come and play for them.  The first thing we saw was this delicious cake, waiting to be cut after lunch. It was one of the warmest welcomes we've ever received. (YAH stands for Young At Heart.)

Getting set up and settled in is just a part of our regular routine. Visiting with each other is always fun.

But meeting new people everywhere we go is even more fun. John Knox Presbyterian Church was so friendly. They were interested in us and what we do and it was so good to have time to meet these folks and get to know them. They had such good stories to share with us.

We thought the cake was dessert but the desserts just kept coming. So many choices! Decisions, decisions.

And the meal before we even got to the desserts was wonderful, too. Everyone brought food to add to the table. Thanks to these lovely people for making a dreary rainy day special for us. We hope we brought some fun to the program! We added a few Irish songs to our regular set list since St. Patrick's Day was nearly here.  But it was our old standards that folks enjoyed the most. One comment heard more than once was, "These songs brought back so many memories." That's what we do best.


When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Olcott & Graff, 1912