Ukuleles: Automatic Happiness!

I love Portishead. I love their twisty, distorted, often '20s-harkening sound. But what happens when you combine Beth Gibbons with a ukulele?

"Deep Water," apparently. Give it a listen:

Even a ukulele will sound eerie when Portishead gets behind it.

Then again, even Portishead will sound hopeful and cheery when there’s a ukulele involved.

This Oxford, Mississippi-based hipster sensation shows us how it's done. Apparently in his sophomore album he's moved on from the ukulele, since he doesn't want to be pigeonholed, but frankly he makes it a pretty good hole to be pigeoned in.

(There's also an official music video, but I like this version best.)

I've been saying for weeks now that I'm going to bring back Daily Ukulele. No more waiting! Hope everyone's been doing well -- any breakthroughs, people who play? Or people who have begun to play? Sing out! (Redwall made a very strong impression on me as a kid.)

I discovered Victoria Vox this morning while looking for Queen covers; as it turns out, this lady is semi-internet/Kickstarter-famous for undertaking some pretty cool projects, including one in 2011 where she challenged herself to learn 52 covers, or one cover a week, over the course of a year.

She also writes original works, and honestly, they're pretty great. She's got a beautiful voice and a killer trumpet impersonation (no really). Here are three songs from a show she did in Wisconsin -- enjoy!

( Summertime, C'est Noyé, Tugboat )

You may recognize Cliff Edwards as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney's Pinocchio, but apparently we have him to thank the most for the ukulele craze of the 1920s! So says Wikipedia, so it must be true. Below is a neat little clip mixing a fun song with a series of improbable lit cigarette gags. Plus it's in glorious, glorious technicolor -- as should be your weekends! Happy Friday, all.

In conclusion, have a great weekend, folks!

An original to round out the week! I found out about Erica Dreisbach from a mutual friend (who happens to live in Berlin); she was giving a concert in Chicago, and would I be interested? Turns out attending that concert was a really, really good idea. Here's a version of my favorite of her songs from that night, called "Ulysses" and, shockingly, about Odysseus (and more!). Happy Friday, guys!

She's giving a concert in Chicago on April 11 that I can't make, but I'd thoroughly recommend anyone who can checking it out!

A number of sources have picked up this story, including BoingBoing, and I have every hope that the internet will pull together to help these folks get a library that can accommodate them (not to mention refrain from melting the soles of their shoes!).

The M.N. Spear Library (MNSpearLibrary) in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, has created a video to help raise money to build a new library. It's backed with a really sweet ukulele, which is, I think, part of what made people sit up and pay attention. Clearly the uke is a mighty beast! But yes, watch the video (it's only a minute or so) and, if you can, why not throw a few dollars their way? There's a donation button on their website, and continuing with the "tiny" theme, every little bit helps!

Breezy and, like the title says, sweet. Happy weekend, everybody!