Tiny Pleasures #206: Crazy String Face
I do enjoy finding images in ordinary things. Tonight I found faces in ukulele strings. The restringing workshop I ran for my ukulele class tonight was surprisingly fun.
Tiny Pleasures #157: Mustang Sally
It doesn't come any groovier than Mustang Sally. Wilson Pickett stretches that 12 bar blues to the limit and lays down the groove with such cool sophistication. I love teaching this in ukulele class, especially because Wilson's version is in the key of C, the ukulele's favourite key. It means any uke player can turn
Tiny Pleasures #37: Tuned Ukuleles
In preparation for my first ukulele class of the year, I tuned all of my ukuleles. They say that a house of tuned instruments makes a house in tune. I'm not sure that's the only requirement, but it certainly makes my ears and heart happy to have them all in tune and ready to play.
Happiness as Anarchy #347: Micro TV series
I don't watch a lot of TV, but I must confess I'm watching more these days. It's just nice to see some faces, hear some voices. I find Australian shows particularly comforting, probably because it feels like seeing ordinary people from my ordinary world. I watched Love in Lockdown yesterday. It's a tiny tv series
Happiness as Anarchy #295: Melbourne Ukulele Festival
It is always a pleasure to play the Melbourne Ukulele Festival. I wondered as I headed down to the city on Friday whether it was a good idea or not, given there's a nasty little virus high-speed globetrotting right now. I guess I'll never know the answer to that question, but I am awfully glad
Happiness as Anarchy #37: Little gigs in little bars in little towns
I love doing gigs in my little home town, playing for the people who make up my community. Friday night I played at a new bar - Pearl & Rose - that opened just for the evening. My friend Chantel owns the bar, her kids are friends of my kids, half the people there I
Happiness as Anarchy #21: Realising I Know A Few Songs
Once upon a time I found it very difficult to remember chord changes for songs. I just wrote a set list for tomorrow morning's gig at Clunes Market - tunes I know from memory and can play on uke. When I started, there was a little nagging question floating around the back of my head:
Happiness as Anarchy #19: My Audience
My audience brings me joy every single time I get on stage. I don't know if they realise how special they are and how much I love them. I do a little gig once a month at Craig's Hotel in Ballarat, down in the cellar, and every month I go home with a smile on