When I'm Sixty-Four

"this is so amazing, Im only 22 now and when I watch this video I always imagine myself getting older like you and have so much fun :XD" connie

As much as we'd like to pretend that we are not old---or hope that no one notices that we are old--this young person did notice. Her comment today on one of our YouTube videos affirms that, yes, we are old. (It might be that all the gray hair is a give away.) But the important part of her comment is dead on.  

We are having so much fun!  And we are so happy that you think we are amazing. We also hope that when you are our age that you find something that brings you this much joy. Thank you, Connie, for taking time to add the comment.

When I'm Sixty-Four, The Beatles, 1967

After You've Gone

It is always sad to say goodbye, but Ron & Betty, two very special people, have decided it is time to move on to other endeavors. Both have so many talents and interests that there was not enough time to do them all.

They were part of the original five people who completed the "Learn To Play The Ukulele In 8 Weeks" class. Those five people were the beginning of the Yesterukes. If memory is correct, in one of the first news articles about the band, they were quoted as saying they did one new thing each year. Ukulele was the new thing for 2007. So we can't complain---they've been with us for four wonderful years.

We will miss Ron's sense of humor (read his experience about his stay at Mepkin Abby after playing with us for a while. It was not the same as "before ukuleles"!) Ron was also one of our whistlers, one who wowed each and every audience. And no one will ever hit the high notes like Betty. Her true soprano voice will be missed in our vocals.

And Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center will miss the great photo ops of these two in their blue shirts! They've been featured in assorted PR materials over the years. They always looked like they were having such great fun.

So here's to Ron and Betty! Enjoy your new adventure. We can't wait to hear what you do next.



After You've Gone, by Layton & Creamer, 1918

You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You

If the song is true, we are definitely "somebody" because the folks at First Baptist Spartanburg really loved us. First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, SC is a huge congregation--about 7,000 members. If all of them are as friendly as the 150 or so we met, it's a fantastic place to be.

It might be the most enthusiastic audience ever. If we gave prizes for singing along with us, this group would win, hands down. It's so much fun for us to play when everyone listening gets into the music.

We love meeting new people and everyone here was so nice. We even met some old friends that had moved to this area. That was unexpected but it was fun to catch up after many years.

The Yesterukes never turn down a dinner invitation. Guess we truly "sing for our supper." 

When the evening was over, this crowd jumped to their feet (well, as fast as a group called Young At Heart can jump.) Another standing ovation! They all left humming and singing and there was a smile on every face.

We were all smiling, too. It made us glad that we do what we do. All of our hard work was so appreciated. This was a perfect place to end our season. Yes, it was the last performance before summer break. The Yesterukes have worked hard this year and will be taking a much deserved break. We'll be back on the road in the fall. 

There will be some blog posts along the way, but if we skip several weeks, don't give up on us. We're just resting.

You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You, written by Morgan, Stock & Cavanaugh, 1944

Time After Time

For years we had an encore song in the back of our notebook, just in case. We practiced it time and again so it would be ready. Just a bouncy little song. But after many performances the song lanquished in the back of the book, so we took it out. Today we got a standing ovation from the crowd and a request for another song! And we didn't have one. 

Maybe if we put the song back in, five years from now another group will shout, "Encore, encore!" 

This was a huge group at Monaghan Baptist Church and we had a wonderful time visiting with them after the program. Several folks had heard us play at other churches and had brought friends to hear us today. We have fans!

We are fans of the good folks at Monaghan Baptist, too. They fed us well and told us over and over how much they loved the program. One man said several times, "You've got a good thing going here." We think so, too.


Time After Time, by Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne, 1947

S'Wonderful

Blogger seems to have gone back to normal so we are back online. And we only missed telling you about one gig while it was down. The Yesterukes had a great time playing for the good folks at Greer First Presbyterian Church. They treated us to a huge salad buffet before we played. (Still wishing we had the recipe for the Strawberry Spinach salad.)

We played through our usual list of songs from years ago. But this particular audience seemed to enjoy it more than most. When we had finished about 45 minutes of music, almost every one there wanted to come talk to us, many telling stories about a particular song they liked. They stood around talking to each other a long time, swapping stories and sharing memories.

One gentleman who was seated at the front, very close to the band, never smiled during the program. Not one time. We really thought, "Well, you can't win them all. He's not enjoying this one bit." But after the program he told us, "I have not heard that much good music in years. Wonderful! Just wonderful!"

People tell us everywhere we go that one reason they have fun at our programs is because WE have so much fun playing. It's contagious! And there is no doubt about it---we have a lot of fun everywhere we go.


S'Wonderful, George & Ira Gershwin, 1927

Stuck In The Middle With You

For reasons we don't begin to understand, the blog has been inaccessible for days. Stuck in some kind of limbo. There is a new post coming soon now we have a way to get here.  So don't give up on us. We're still out there playing lots.

Who knew playing ukulele was also going to require us to learn lots of computer and internet things?

Stuck In The Middle With You, Stealers Wheel, 1972

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