HUG, Monday Apr 8

Hey ALL,

We’ll be rockin’ the uke at the Celtic Corner tomorrow from 7-9PM.  As always, everyone is welcomed to attend with or without a uke.

Here’s a new piece to bring to HUG.  Something from this Century!

Ho Hey

Rev Hank Uke Trio show

Hey All,

The Rev Hank Trio will be playing Sat, Mar. 23 at the Trellis Cafe in Hubbards, NS from 7:70-9:30PM.  This is a great little restaurant with a cool vibe, and the show is FREE.  Here’s a bit about the trio:

And now for something completely different! You’ve never heard the ukelele played to such swinging effect.  
The Rev Hank Trio transports the diminutive ukelele from its home waters of Tahiti to the speak-easies of Storyville, Harlem and South Chicago, turning the once again popular ukulele into a 4-string swing machine.
The Rev Hank Trio features Andrew Beazley on Ukulele Bass,  Frank den Haan on suitcase, and ukelele master Mike Diabo on lead “Uke”.  The band’s repertoire includes standards & not so standards from Jerome Kearns & Duke Ellington to Thelonius Monk & Ornette Coleman. 

Drop by here for details:   http://www.trelliscafe.com

HUG Postponed

Due to today’s weather, HUG is postponed until Feb 11 at the Celtic Corner.  See ya’ll then.

 

Mike

An Invitation to Stuart McLean of CBC’s Vinyl Cafe

Here is the letter I sent to Stuart McLean of CBC’s Vinyl Cafe:

Stuart,

Greetings from Halifax, Nova Scotia!

My name is Jonathan and I am, for lack of a better description, second in command of the Halifax Ukulele Gang, or HUG as we like to call ourselves. (Our fearless leader, Mike, prefers to call us the Halifax Uke Gang as he feels that sounds tougher. He likes to stress the “gang” end of it.)

HUG is a ukulele strumming group that has been meeting monthly since early 2008. We started with a handful of people and have since grown to a regular turnout of 30-50 ukuleles per month, packed into a tiny room in a pleasant little pub on the Dartmouth side of the Halifax Harbour.

Some of our members are amazing musicians. Many, like myself, are learning (and enjoying the company and atmosphere along the way). Every month brings someone new with their first ever ukulele or the battered old attic uke they or their parents used as part of Chalmers Doane’s famed ukulele program of the 1970s and 80s. Whatever the skill level, we always try to send the person away at the end of the night with a couple of songsheets, a bit of a song they can hammer away at, and an invitation to next month’s gathering. It is always a joy to see them arrive the next month, uke in hand, and ready to strum away another night.

Our members range in age from those in the latter part of their teen years to well into retirement age. The music we play is a mix of anything and everything – traditional folk and camp songs, songs from the 20s, 30s and 40s, old rock and roll, country, show tunes, new pop, rock and alternative. We’ll try anything at least once. And the best part is that everyone is singing along!

If you were to visit our monthly gathering, you would see a happy throng strumming away in a tiny room to some of our club favourites like ABBA’s “Mama Mia”, AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and the Bonzo Dog Band’s “Urban Spaceman”. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is absolutely mind-blowing when played by 40 ukuleles. Our night always ends in true Canadian-Rock-Anthem style with Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently”.

And now to the reason for my letter: ON BEHALF OF THE HALIFAX UKULELE GANG, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO A HUG GATHERING. Please join us for a relaxed opportunity to strum, learn and laugh!

I know you have made a commitment to learning the ukulele and you have been singing its praises for years on the Vinyl Cafe. Come out and join us when you are in Halifax later on this month. Bring your ukulele (or if you – heavens forbid – don’t have one, we can lend you one – we have lots) and come out for a relaxing strum. Normally we meet on the first Monday of the month, but I know that many of our members would love to throw together an extra gathering just for you.

All you need to do is tell me when you might like to get together and I will contact the rest of our group and arrange for the location. If you come, we will build it!

Thank you,
Jonathan Grady

Upcoming HUG Gathering Dates

For those of you who like to like to be organized, here are the dates of the HUG gatherings until the Summer of 2013;

• Monday, February 4
• Monday, March 4
• Monday, April 1
• Monday, May 6
• Monday, June 3

Remember that we meet from 7-9 pm at the Celtic Corner Pub on Alderney Drive in Dartmouth (Across from the Library / Dartmouth Ferry Terminal)

Some New Songs! (Getting Started on Songbook Volume 2…)

Here are a couple of new songs to try out at this week’s HUG gathering:

• Drunken Sailor (Traditional) - Updated Jan 7/13
• Farewell to Nova Scotia (Traditional)
• I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
• Johnny B Goode (Chuck Berry)
• Little Boxes (Malvina Reynolds)
• Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves)
• Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves) - In the key of G - Updated Jan 7/13

See you on Monday from 7-9 at Celtic Corner

Next HUG Gathering – Monday January 7, 2013

See you all on Monday, January 7 from 7-9 pm at Celtic Corner for our first strum of the new year!

Happy New Year – The Official HUG Songbook Volume 1 is available

Happy New Year Everyone!

It has been a long haul, but I finally have the vast majority of the HUG songs available in a single document.

Welcome to The Official HUG Songbook Volume 1. This is a collection of most of the songs played at our monthly meetings since our humble beginnings in the spring of 2008.

I think there are about 130 songs formatted in this songbook. Over the next little while I will try to get the MS word version of this document posted so that anyone who wishes can play with the format to their heart’s desire.

As well, I hope to put together a 25-30 song “HUG Essentials” book of some of our most often played songs.

Please contact me if you notice any glaring errors or omissions.

Download the songbook HERE

Here is what’s in Volume 1:

• Across the Universe (The Beatles)
• Ain’t She Sweet
• All I Have To Do Is Dream (Everly Brothers)
• All of Me (Seymour Simons / Gerald Marks)
• All My Loving (The Beatles)
• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python)
• Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• Big Rock Candy Mountain
• Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
• Build me Up, Buttercup (The Foundations)
• Bye Bye Love (Everly Brothers)
• California Sun (The Rivieras)
• The Charleston
• Centerfold (J Geils Band)
• City Of New Orleans (Arlo Guthrie)
• Come Dancing (The Kinks)
• Come On Eileen (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)
• Cover of the Rolling Stone (Dr. Hook)
• Crazy G (HUG Style)
• Creep (Radiohead)
• Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
• Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (Culture Club)
• Don’t Stop Believin’
• Doo Wah Diddy Manfred Mann
• East Bound and Down (Jerry Reed)
• Eight Days A Week (The Beatles)
• End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys)
• Every Breath You Take Police
• Every Day Buddy Holly
• Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen)
• Feelin’ Groovy – 59th Street Bridge Song (Simon & Garfunkel)
• 500 Miles (Proclaimers)
• Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash
• Forget You – Cee Lo Green
• The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)
• Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
• Handle With Care (Travelling Wilburys)
• Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
• Help Me Rhonda (The Beach Boys)
• Henry the Eighth (Herman’s Hermits)
• Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
• Hey, Good Lookin’ (Hank Williams)
• Hey Soul Sister – G (Train)
• Hey Soul Sister – F (Train)
• Honey Pie (The Beatles)
• Hooked on a Feeling (BJ Thomas)
• Hotel California (The Eagles)
• House of the Rising Sun Animals
• I Don’t Like Mondays (Boomtown Rats)
• I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles)
• I’ll Tell My Ma (Traditional)
• I’m a Believer (The Monkees)
• I’m Looking Through You Beatles
• I’ve Been Everywhere – in one key (Hank Snow)
• I’ve Been Everywhere – with key changes (Hank Snow)
• I Walk the Line (Johhny Cash)
• I Wanna Be Like You (Sherman & Sherman)
• I Wanna Hold Your Hand (The Beatles)
• Iko Iko (Dixie Cups)
• In the Jail House Now (Jimmie Rodgers)
• Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
• Joy to the World (Three Dog Night)
• Karma Chameleon (Culture Club)
• King of the Road (Roger Miller)
• The Lazy Song (Bruno Mars)
• Let Me Call You Sweetheart
• Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian (John Prine)
• The Littlest Hobo Theme (Terry Bush)
• Lola (The Kinks)
• Long Black Veil (Johnny Cash)
• Lookin’ Out My Back Door (CCR)
• Mack the Knife
• Maggie May (Rod Stewart)
• Mamma Mia (Abba)
• Maxwell’s Silver Hammer Beatles
• Me And Julio Down By The School Yard (Paul Simon)
• Midnight Special
• Mister Sandman (The Chordettes)
• Move it on Over (Hank Williams)
• Mull of Kintyre (Paul McCartney)
• Nine Pound Hammer (John Prine)
• Nowhere with you (Joel Plaskett Emergency)
• Oh, Susanna
• Oh, You Beautiful Doll
• Red Red Wine
• Rehab Amy Winehouse
• Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)
• Rock & Roll All Nite (KISS)
• Rock Me Gently (Andy Kim)
• The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
• Sea Of Love (Phil Phillips)
• Settin’ the Woods on Fire (Hank Williams)
• Sh-Boom (The Chords)
• Shaving Cream
• She Ain’t Pretty (The Northern Pikes)
• Short People (Randy Newman)
• Singin’ in the Rain (Freed and Brown)
• Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
• Sloop John B (Beach Boys)
• Something (George Harrison)
• Something Stupid (Nancy Sinatra)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow / Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwo`Ole)
• Space Oddity (David Bowie)
• Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats)
• Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)
• Sweet City Woman (The Stampeders)
• Sweet Georgia Brown
• Sweet Home Alabama
• Take it Easy (The Eagles)
• Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)
• Tiptoe Through the Tulips (Al Dubin and Joe Burke)
• Tonight You Belong to Me
• The Unicorn Song (Shel Silverstein / Irish Rovers)
• Urban Spaceman (Bonzo Dog Band / Neil Innes)
• Walking After Midnight Patsy Cline
• The Weight (The Band)
• When I’m 64 (The Beatles)
• When I’m Cleaning Windows (George Formby)
• Why Don’t You Get A Job? (The Offspring)
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken (A.P. Carter)
• Working Man (Rita McNeil)
• You Are My Sunshine
• You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
• You’ve Got a Friend in Me (Randy Newman)

Happy Holidays All

 

Christmas Ukulele – Monday, December 3 at Celtic Corner

See you all on Monday, December 3 at Celtic Corner.

So far the best Christmas Songbook I have found is one produced a few years ago by the Seattle Ukulele Players Association (SUPA). As far as a single packaged Christmas collection goes, it has a good number of familiar tunes. Here is the link:

• http://www.bytownukulele.ca/Portals/UkuleleClub/Song%20Books/SUPA_Holiday_Songbook_2008.pdf

By the way, be sure to look at many of the Christmas songs ahead of time. Even the common Christmas standards feature a host of unfamiliar chords, insanely quick chord changes or a minimum of 6-12 chords per song. Bring on the eggnog.