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I’m a massive ukulele fan and have an amazing collection from across the globe that include Shimos from Japan, Collings ukes from USA, a Howlett from Wales and others. I recorded three albums where I primarily wrote all the material on ukes and played live using a variety of ukes. I also set up OUS almost 4 years ago to promote original music and to combat a lot of what I saw as a problematic public image for this mighty instrument.

Many fellow musicians looked surprised when I started enthusing about the ukulele, but mostly their experience of this instrument was limited to Tiny Tim and a few other novelty acts. Yes, in recent years the excellent ukulele orchestra have helped gain more credibility for the instrument and both Jake and James Hill’s output have changed a few minds. That said, unfortunately a lot of what I see and hear is really only for the hardcore enthusiasts. I always remember Phil Doleman commenting during one of our meetings at his house “Uke players don’t like to listen to artists, they just want to strum” I was quite shocked at the time, but in subsequent years began to appreciate how right he was.

Uke shaped objects and cover versions

If I hadn’t bought a Collings concert uke many years ago, I probably would never really appreciated how great this instrument is. Unfortunately there are a lot of uke shaped objects that sound really horrible. When I was in Moscow I was introduced to the Enya brand and couldn’t believe how terrible the ones I tested were to play and how poor they sounded sonically. Online there are endless reviews of budget uke shaped objects that to my ears sound terrible and many are not even in tune. These are certainly a far cry from Jake’s main instrument I played during one of our meets and Martin Simpson’s excellent Howlett.

The other issue that IMO doesn’t help with the image is the huge number of cover versions that appear online. Yes, there is a place for cover versions, but often (not always) these are not great and the uke is more like a prop than an actual instrument. Many of the artists that play uke festivals play cover versions. I sponsored a stage at one uke festival where we only had original music and it was very well received, but most artists playing had not written their own music and the standard with a few exceptions although enthusiastic, was not great. I stopped sponsoring stages and playing at such events as it was clear that Phil’s comment was 100% right and like any niche community there was a lot of status seeking that IMO at times veered into “Wicker Man territory” especially when people started talking about “non ukers!”

Yes, there is hope!

The artist page on this site has over 150 excellent diverse musicians all creating original music. Although its not all to my taste, I applaud anyone who takes the time to create something new. Some of the ensembles (mostly from overseas) are really excellent and I’d pay to see such entertainment.

In recent times I’ve started to create new more diverse musical platforms, but still love this tiny instrument and hold out hope that new artists will emerge who transcend the gimmicky comedic image to produce some material that really shows the real magic of this tiny instrument. Here’s a perfect example of a brilliant musician showcasing just what can be achieved

The trio Le Temps d’une Étincelle is Armand Charlot and his two associates: guitarist Thibaut Dasté and bassist-percussionist Bruno Rodrigues. I confess to always having some apprehension when reviewing uke based music as a great deal of it (not all of it) tends to be very similar and or quirky covers of classic songs, old blues reinvented and other attempts that don’t sound great to my ears.

I was pleasantly surprised on this winter Sunday morning to hear an album that is very well recorded and created with some really good musical attention. There is a good range of material that kicks off with a great driving track and doesn’t let up for the rest of the album. The instruments compliment each other and there’s a lot of space in the recordings with the vocals front and centre in the mix.

These guys can certainly play and are musicians who happen to include the ukulele among their instruments, rather than consider themselves “ukulele players” Crucially all the music is original rather than re-treading songs we have heard a thousand times before.  

The stand out tracks is Elle et pour moi which has a great compliment of instruments which don’t clutter the track. The harmonica on this and the opening track work to great effect with the other instruments giving them a unique sound. If I were to offer any constructive advice, it would be to explore some different tempos, but aside from that, this album makes for an enjoyable listening experience.

I suspect these guys would be great to see live as well

Check them out HERE

Nick Cody Jan 2021

Covid 19 has changed the face of entertainment and thrown a massive spanner into artists being able to play live gigs. All over the globe major music festivals have been put on hold including South by South West and Glastonbury as well as all the smaller ukulele events.

The viability of live events?

When covid 19 first hit, many of us hoped that the problem would disappear within a few months. This is clearly not the case and the UK as well as many other countries are now preparing for a second wave. All uke based festivals are cancelled for 2020 and its hard to see if these will return in 2021. One of the major problems for uke based events is that they mostly attract an older demographic of attendee and this is the group that is at the highest risk. Another problem is that many such events are primarily social events and this dynamic can’t be replicated with mass social distancing.

Aside from a few major artists many ukulele musicians are playing to small to medium sized audiences. The venues for these audiences are the ones most at risk during the pandemic and many were struggling before they were closed for many months. These small to medium sized venues have the same problem as theatres in that they need 80% capacity to remain financially viable, but covid regulations mean most can at best only fill 20 – 30% which means they lose money. I’ve had to cancel all band appearances for the next 12 months for this reason

Streaming fatigue?

Many artists have understandably moved to streaming live events and some have even recorded artist materials and then tried to sell these on as “mini festivals” The challenge with such initiatives is that many attendees are not used to paying a fixed ticket price to watch entertainment on a laptop. Its a 2D as opposed to a 3D experience and of course a very different atmosphere. Many people I know are already complaining about “streaming fatigue” seeing artists play in their living rooms where often there are also technical problems with the visuals and audio.

This of course is not just a problem for ukulele artists, but the field is already quite niche and many established uke players bemoan having to play for a few dozen audience members pre covid 19. Its far from an easy life and many relied on doing the uke festival circuit where mostly the same acts played festivals in the UK and overseas.

So what’s the good news?

If this all sounds a bit depressing, then I totally understand. A few years ago I realised that the ukulele image was problematic for many of the public and this was not helped by festival acts and endless cover versions played online. When I launched the 2nd album for The Small Change Diaries, we had a good sized audience of 180 people but most came to hear the band and if I had billed it as an evening of uke based music I would have lost 70% of the audience!

I set up OUS many years ago to showcase many of the superb musicians writing and playing original uke based music. During covid 19 a few such musicians that I have mentioned to date including Jack and the Vox have really demonstrated how they are primarily entertainers who happen to play the uke alongside many other instruments. I’ve sent donations as they constantly do a great job and IMO should be encouraged. Jack and the Vox had the best balance in blending original material with cover versions. I have always advocated creating new material but of course there is always a place for cover versions done well and in Jack and the Vox’s 100 shows they killed it every time!

On the OUS FB page some excellent new talent like Towse have appeared. Other musicians like Captain of the Lost Waves set the bar for entertainment and in my view deserve to be centre stage at future uke festivals if they return. One longstanding music professional noted that when live work finally returns many artists will “have to drop down a division” as there will be far less opportunities to play.

I unashamably continue to champion original music and my hope is those creative types will continue to emerge and show the way for what is possible with this terrific instrument. My hope is that post covid 19, there will be a new era fro great music of all sorts, but I suspect both inside and outside the uke world, it will be very different

I have just pulled a blog post on manners online as it seems that some characters are engaged in a massive spat which I have no interest in.

There is no excuse for poor manners and its in my view important to be respectful of other people even if you don’t agree with them.

By discussion and debate we all learn from each other, which can only be a good thing.

If anyone feels offended by any blog, then I apologise as there is never any offence intended.

Warm Regards

NC

It turns out that I love a story, whether a true one, or an imagined one. Most of my songs tell a story of some nature and many of them are true. I’ve always loved music and played music. I’m from a musical family and so grew up singing, my degree is in music. In the last few years, I came to writing songs and that came about through my ukulele playing. There’s something about the sound of the instrument that lends itself well to composing as well as performing. 

My EP Paths & Stories is a collection of five stories told through song, with the ukulele as the primary instrument for both composing and the performance.  There’s something really powerful in telling stories through song and something challenging in the process, of how to make the lyrics, melody and accompaniment all come together in expressing this person’s life in no more that three verses, how to do justice to what needs to be said and how to create something to engage the audience.   

Paths and Stories is an eclectic collection of insights into the lives of five individuals – from a real-life World War 1 conscientious objector and a seventeenth-century pioneer of women’s education, to the enchanting – or enchanted – figure at the centre of a Victorian painting which hangs in Port Sunlight’s Lady Lever Art Gallery. 

Through this EP, I enjoyed working with Jon Lawton who produced it, at his Liverpool recording studio Crosstown Studios.  It’s great to see the different layers of a song emerge into a final recording and to hear someone else’s ideas as part of that.

The reason I wanted to release an EP was to have good quality recordings of my music, that people could take home and listen to, think about – and, I hope, enjoy!

Paths and Stories is released 28^th March, with a launch event at 81 Renshaw Street, Liverpool.  Tickets available through Skiddle.

EP available to pre-order from mid-March from alisonbenson.com

Twitter: @alisonbensonuke

Instagram: Alison_Benson_Music

Facebook: Alison Benson Music

I am delighted to report that there will be an OUS stage at Upton Uke and Roots Festival in June this year.

The Upton Uke and Roots Festival is a breath of fresh air in the niche festival world. The last OUS supported festival was in 2017 where there was a 4 hours 20 minute slot for 7 artists. There was great feedback but the time constraints were frustrating for both artists and the public alike. The problem is that with a curfew policy of 20 minutes for any set, the artists can only play a very small amount of material, before there is a change over of just 5 minutes, making the whole experience extremely hyperactive. The other issue with that northern uke festival was that on both occasions when my band played, there were sound problems and on the last main stage appearance I had no instrument sound at all for most of the brief 20 min set!

With the Upton Uke and Roots Festival, I am pleased to report that a more sensible policy is in place and great attention to detail in terms of set lengths of 45 minutes with 15 minute changeovers and professional sound engineers on hand.

Get your tickets HERE

Adding “Roots” to attract a wider public

The addition of “roots” in the festival means that the event can attract the best from the ukulele world but is not restricted only to ukulele specific acts. I love the uke as an instrument but the instrument has an image problem for the wider public. Crucially The Upton Uke and Roots Festival brings together a more diverse and professional range of artists from across the globe as seen below.

An opportunity to play

The application to play at Upton Uke and Roots Festival is simple. Rather than daft “rounds of applications” there’s a simple link here for artists to apply HERE

I’m pleased to have my own band “The Caravan of Dreams” playing the main stage alongside many other superb acts.

Something for everyone

There’s a reason why Upton has been the choice for so many festivals over the last 30 years. Blues, Jazz and Folk festivals are extremely popular at Upton and crucially there are facilities to accommodate far more than just a few hundred attendees. Crucially the public has much greater choice and value for money that what is often offered at uke specific festivals. In forthcoming months more of what is on offer will be revealed.

Get your tickets HERE while they last

I set up OUS 3 years ago with trhe view to bring together ukulele artists from all over the globe who were interested in showcasing original music. There’s been some success with bringing artists to the site, but I realised after sponsoring a stage at one uke festival that we need to look at a bigger musical vision and therefore work started on Music for The Head and Heart.

After two years Music for The Head and Heart is not fulfilling a great deal of what I had in mind for OUS. The problem with uke based music is that its very niche and this means there arew a lot of limitations. Another issue is that many events are more social (which is fine) rather than around the love of music. Music for The Head and Heart is all about the love of music and we have already released 17 artists from all over the globe on the main site, including Martin Simpson and Pete Brown, the original writer for Cream.

The platform launch was this Oct and it was great to see a spirit of cooperation and a total lack of politics. MHH will be my main focus, although OUS will continue to exist and run here as well as on FB. We also have a FB group for the project and this will be much bigger than OUS and much more inclusive

Getting to a new musical level

I’m a massive ukulele fan and own over 20 ukuleles from all over the world. My first band The Small Change Diaries have played festivals overseas and in the UK and I’ve loved playing live. SCD also recorded two albums and an EP. My latest ensemble “Nick Cody and The Caravan of Dreams” includes me playing ukuleles, but also a bunch of other instruments to create a much more diverse sound.

A seasoned ukulele professional with many years of playing ukulele festivals commented “There’s only so much ukulele strumming an audience can stand as its all in one sonic range” I have to agree 100% and set up OUS to highlight more sonic explorations. Personally I’m not a fan of the quirky, ukulele cover versions than flood the internet. I get that there’s a place for this, but IMO its not that musically interesting. I saw an artist do a nice cover of a classic song on a ukulele festival main stage and on social media was full of “This was awesome” comments. For me Neil Young playing Hammersmith Odeon 1974 was awesome, a solo artist covering a classic song is fun, but certainly not “awesome!”

I was lucky to spend an afternoon at Jake Shimabukuro manager’s house where I got to preview the excellent new “The Greatest Day” album. I was pleased that these tracks included a real diversity of instruments and when playing live, Jake is playing as a trio. This is for me far more interesting that most of what I see and hear. I note that James Hill plays with his wife who plays cello and its a terrific sound. Eddie Vedder played solo ukulele, but had a big range of instruments in his superb live set. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great solo performers, but increasingly I prefer duos or bands for more than a 20 minute set.

Just a personal opinion of course and of course many people will disagree which is fine!

Many OUS folks know that I have written many articles on OUS and ukulele related subjects in recent years. I remain totally seduced by the instrument and have met many terrific players and builders. To date I have interviewed many terrific folks including Jake Shimabukuro, Bill Collings, Takahiro Shimo, Martin Simpson and many others. Much as I have loved writing these articles, I have always thought that the magazines I have seen to date really missed a trick and usually covered a very narrow range of artists and interests. That’s of course a totally personal view but I always suspected that there is a much bigger opportunity to connect to a wider global audience and now somebody has taken up the challenge to do exactly that!

Ukulele Bonanza Magazine is much more diverse, brings together a wide range of writers, focuses on what is happening globally rather than just one country and is not only online, but is out on a monthly basis. If that wasn’t enough, its also FREE! This is really smart thinking and this is why I am happy to be a contributor to this initiative. You can subscribe HERE

The core ethos of OUS is to bring together lovers of original ukulele based music and to focus on the love of music rather daft discussions that occur online where there’s all too often too much status seeking that doesn’t make for fun reading. Ukulele Bonanza Magazine is the polar opposite where there are many contributors with different views, who are all very respectful to each other. Did I mention its totally FREE?

STOP PRESS – Its also available in all languages through translation online!

Subscribe HERE

PS There is also a FR group HERE

To be revealed in 2019…

I set up Original Ukulele Songs three years ago and its been quite a ride bringing together many amazing artists. I originally had the idea to sponsor stages for uke based music and did actually do this for a UK event back in 2016. However it taught me that much as I love uke based original songs, this sector is far too niche and I needed to think much bigger. Also as with niche music genres there tends to be a lot of unhelpful politics and status seeking, so I started working on what I call THE BIG PROJECT, with a few like minds.

OUS was always a beta tester for what will be known as “Music for The Head and Heart” This will be an international platform which will operate by invitation only and grown organically. There will be a strong web presence as well as live events and collaborations. We already have 12 artists involved, but its a lot of back-end work, so it won’t launch until later in 2019. It’s a big undertaking and as with all worthwhile projects, requires a lot of attention to detail, especially on the back end. 

The focus is on the love of music in all forms and what inspires artists to create and perform music. I’ll gradually be giving out more details and inviting artists to the platform. It’s NOT uke based, and quite deliberately more expansive in reach and content. 

Regards

NC