Smoldering Uke 2013 Adventures!

Me and Nancy wrote a song at Smoldering Uke! (in the key of D!)...I love teh ukulele in the mornin' and the night, I love the ukulele, makes me feel all right...

Check out Me and Nancy singing our song!

We arrived to Carmel Valley late Friday afternoon. As we pulled into the parking lot behind the Hidden Valley music camp, Nancy and I could hear ukuleles playing -- oh yes, we're in the right place. We were in Room 12 right next door to the fireside room and the kitchen where all the action was. I liked that.

Me, Sandor and Nancy

Me and Nancy Cassidy

me and Steve Lussie - he finally made it!

I recognized Dave F.'s booming voice, the dude who runs the Ukulele Club of Silicon Valley -- singing and playing all the familiar songs we've done over and over again...but somehow never tire of them -- a group of jammers already playing away in the Fireside Room. We all gathered for dinner in the dining area just beyond the lovely fireside room and I saw so many familiar people -- a bunch from Santa Cruz and Burning Uke, and Alex from the SF Uke Rebellion, a young guy with an amazingly wonderful voice who leads us so well on those 80s songs like Friday I'm In Love and Take Me on -- he was there with his friend Emily. And of course Marty, Sandor and Carolee...and a bunch of people from the Silicon Valley Ukulele gang.

After dinner we all convened in the music hall -- an amazing room with great acoustics as this place we were staying at was a Music Camp -- and the evening began with lots of ukulele playing and jamming. I went up and played with Sandor and Carolee on some of the more rockin' songs... of course we jammed after the events of the evening -- Leonard's jam happened in the Fireside Room and my Beatles jam occurred in "Joe's Place," an Octagon shaped room with great acoustics... and of course I didn't get to bed until the early hours of the morning...barely getting up for breakfast in the morning.

Steve showed up Saturday morning with his U-bass and massive amplifier system and accompanied us all weekend.

Smoldering uke rocked! Even with time change! 

I played ukes and sang with all of my fabulous uke friends wrote a song with Nancy in Nancy Cassidy's songwriting workshop learned amazing ukulele tricks and played and learned about ragtime and blues from Leonard and Judy and how do I even describe the most amazing fabulous Beatles jam ever that lasted for hours! We had Steve on u bass Albert on percussion bob and Beth on harp and a huge group of amazing singers and uke players! We rocked the joint until after midnight! 

Steve blows everyone's minds with his solo uke rendition of the Beatles' Michelle!

Ok so I admit I innocently pulled together those Beatles song packets and brought them to share suggesting perhaps there could be a Beatles jam and it all magically happened! Best time ever!

The BOND GIRLS rock on Secret Agent Man! (with Steve Lussie on U-bass! (check it out)

me and my two favorite jam buddies, Albert and Steve, the three AMIGOS!!!! (oh and Amiga!) -
SMOLDERING UKE 2013