|
Event
Mighty Uke Day Concert - Michigan: The Great Uke State
Michigan has a long ukulele history: the classic tune "Waikiki" was written in Lansing by Andy Cummings on a mid-winter tour, Gibson Guitars made ukuleles in their Kalamazoo factory, Lansing's Elderly Instruments is one of the largest ukulele retailers in the world, and Dave Talsma from Swartz Creek hand-builds fine ukuleles for some of top players today. Michigan is home to at least 13 active uke groups and ukulele programs for children and seniors are supported by Mighty Uke Day, which is quickly becoming one of the top ukulele festivals in the country.
We are honoring this unique connection to the ukulele with a special concert featuring some of the finest players in Michigan:
Gerald Ross (Ann Arbor)
Blending the sounds of jazz blues and swing, Gerald Ross has created a ukulele style uniquely his own. Whether he is playing jazz standards, popular favorites, delta and urban blues, Tin Pan Alley melodies, New Orleans rhythms or boogie woogie, it's bound to be a delightful surprise to any listener. He travels the U.S. and the world with his uke, delighting audiences with his instrumental abilities and infectious humor.
The Springtails (Lansing)
For The Springtails, musical eclecticism is the name of the game. Performing a variety of songs from vaudeville and swing-era standards to more recent pop and folk tunes and originals, The Springtails are husband and wife Andy & Julianna Wilson singing and playing ukulele, harmonica,and pocket trumpet. Their song selections are heavily influenced by the human experience of love: the initial thrill of love, the looniness of love, regretted love, lamented love, redemptive love, and love lost but not forgotten.
Magdalen Fossum (Ann Arbor)
12-year old Magdalen has a presence and soul that belie her tender age. She grew up in a musical family with a variety of influences ranging from folk to rock and has melded them together in a style of her own. Over the past few years, she has graced the stages of the Ark, Wheatland, Trinity House Theatre and has been featured in the Detroit Free Press and Huffington Post.
The Fabulous Heftones (Lansing)
The Fabulous Heftones have been proponents of the ukulele before the uke was cool. The Brian Hefferan plays ukulele, sings and scats while and Lynn Troldahl-Hershberger sings and plays a unique instrument called the Heftone Bass. Their repertoire draws heavily from the "moon/June/spoon" tunes and ditties from the 1920's and they are a favorite of ukulele festivals across the nation.
Strangers in the Night (Lansing)
"Strangers In the Night" is a loose configuration of Elderly Instruments employees; about as close to a "house band" as Elderly Instruments has ever had. Led by Elderly founder and president Stan "The Alligator Man" Werbin with a rotating cast of characters, SITN offers everything from ragtime chestnuts to Cajun to bluegrass, with a pile of vintage and unusual instruments including guitars, ukes, saxophone, harmonica, trumpet, accordion, banjo-uke, bass, and even a jaw harp or pennywhistle thrown in the mix. An all-ukulele version version of a traditional bluegrass song? Only Strangers In the Night would attempt it!
|
|
 |
LocationCreole Gallery (View)
1218 Turner Street
Lansing , MI 48906
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
