Sing the Body on the Twilight Zone against the Ukulele Wall with a Pono

I just wanted to see how ridiculous of a title I could use on this one. Zack and Eli from the store were playing when I came into the shop last night. Zack had just gotten a Pono a few weeks ago and was writing this song about an episode of the Twilight Zone where a man refuses heaven because …

The Ukulele in Modern Pop and Alternative Music

a beautifully filmed performance at the UK MTV awards of Bruno Mars playing his Pono Tenor Ukulele. A good example of the ukulele in the most current, popular music of the day. Bruno’s album is at #1 on the pop charts in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Austria, Belgium (isn’t that a waffle?)
As musical trends spread through our “connected” world, there is more exposure to diverse musical approaches than ever before. Genre’s are now melting together and influences include 10, 20, 80 GB of harddrive space from 6 different genre’s in your average musicians iPod……Ingrid Michaelson, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Portishead, Florence and the Machine, and many others. Train’s “Hey Soul Sister” has sold over 4 million copies and spent 22 weeks at No.1 in the adlult contemporary chart,…….this comfort sized instrument has proved to be the perfect harmonious companion to many great songs, and it is getting more love than ever.

3 Ukulele Players Highlighted

Here is a some unreleased footage from our Ukulele Keaka series for your enjoyment!
The first performance is from the one and only, Mr. Kimo Hussey. Kimo has the ability,like all great musicians, to take a song and make it his own. I could tell Kimo’s playing from a mile away because his style is so distinctive and ….delightful! This link is to a post showing some of his workshop

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Tenor String Review

In this video Aaron runs through 6 of the 20 or more string options you have with a tenor ukulele. The first set is the Kamaka all nylon. Aaron describes them as bright and loud. To me they are strong in the higher mid range, so you get a cutting, punchy, mid range tone. Very different from the Aquila strings brightness, which are sharper in the highest frequencies with a more scooped mid section. The scooped mid range is a common way to make an acoustic sound “sweeter”, but you lose a little body as you go. The two biggest factors are the way the instrument was built and the technique of the player. And even after that, the way a string affects the EQ of an instrument can not prove it to be better, because the best sound is still an opinion.

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Ko’olau Curly Koa Cutaway

This is one of the finest instruments to come through the shop and so I wanted to share it with you. The Ko’olau ukulele sound has excellent body and balance. An instrument of this caliber gives a player the inspiration to attain a higher level of musicianship, and enjoyment! Corey here plays the Tenor Ko’olau in a few different styles …

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Lanikai or Kala?

Let’s first go back in time to the year 2003 and see how this story starts. Mike Upton worked for the Hohner company and was heading the design and production of a new line of ukulele’- Lanikai. At that time I still worked for my dad at Ko’olau doing finish and final assembly for some amazing instruments my brother, Noa, was making. We also had started to warehouse Lanikai ukes in the upstairs of our shop in Kaneohe and the stores would come pick up from us. My dad helped Mike tweak the construction a bit giving him pointers and the Lanikai’s started sounding better and better. At some point along the way, around 2005 Hohner made some changes that left Mike “out in the cold”. …

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Kala Travel Tenors Compared- Cedar and Spruce, Low G and High G

So with these two models the main difference is that one has a solid cedar top and one has a solid spruce top. Now keep in mind that each instrument and model is unique in how it sounds with different woods. One thing I have learned is not to assume the same woods will have the same sound in different brands and shapes. Still, I was suprised at how bright the cedar tops are. A little scooped in the mids and a wider range than we have heard in the travel tenor. Very dynamic!

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The Ukulele Keaka

I built Higher Ground with the same principle that has me up at night doing videos instead of eBay listings – The principle that if you do good things for the community, the money side of things will take care of itself….Unfortunately for Higher Ground, that was not totally the case, but it was fun, AND we have a ton of unreleased footage!! I am going to start putting it on The Ukulele Review exclusively! We want to have our own community of uke enthusiast. A portal of inspiration and education. So let your friends know, because we got some guys comin’ up that you probably have not heard yet. Up next is a young man named Kuhio, and his voice will blow you away.

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Ukulele Performances from NAMM 2011!

this year it was great to see the ukulele captivating many genres and musicians! I was lucky enough to capture some footage at the show and after show to give you a piece of the Ukulele talent at NAMM 2011. Playing for Kala this year was the ingenious Canadian, James Hill. James is flowing in music and thought. Listening to him play, or even talking with him has an almost calming effect because he is so captivating. James has a multitude of styles and techniques that cross boundaries and fascinate a diverse crowd. He is an entertainer, an educator, and a testament to the Langley Ukulele program.Another highlight from the show was Aldrine Guerrero playing at the Kanilea Booth. His rhythm and percussive strumming has so much energy it is exciting to watch and hear.