Ultimate Tribute to Davy Jones...

At first, when I got to work on Wednesday, February 29th, the "leap year" day, I was super excited because I had just managed to win two tickets to the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion concert at the Greek Theater on June 1st! It's not easy to be caller number 103 on the radio, especially when you're in bad traffic and you just randomly push a button and hope that a cop doesn't catch you messing with your cell phone and give you a ticket. What really blew me away was the I won as the radio station began playing John Lennon's, "Imagine" on the radio. It almost seemed surreal when Don Blue said I won!

So yes, I was flying high when I got to work that morning and even shared the good news with all my friends on Facebook. But then the news came...the sad news..

Davy Jones has passed away. THE Davy Jones from the Monkees, THE Davy Jones who was the original Artful Dodger in the Broadway hit Oliver! back in the 1960's...THE Davy Jones whom I had seen perform with Peter and Micky just last July -- the Monkees concert at the Saratoga Winery. And what a fabulous show it was. What girl didn't have a crush on Davy Jones, even the die-hard Beatles fans like me (who knew the Beatles ruled but still watched The Monkees on TV).

Suddenly I went from being excited to sadness as a whole bunch of us remembered Davy Jones on Facebook...and beyond. What could I possibly do to pay tribute to the great Davy Jones? What could all of us do?

Then it hit me -- so I contacted my good friend Steve and told him we just HAD to lead the song "Daydream Believer" at the Second Monday night ukulele jam. He agreed of course. And I knew it would work out with Steve helping out because he's a mega ukulele player who can play anything on ANY instrument! 

Annette, Bob and the gang play another song earlier in the evening...

I let our fearless leader Dave F. know that I was going to bring in like 50 copies of Daydream Believer to share with everyone and that we would lead the song -- perhaps right before the break or right after. Dave said "okay" but said he had his reservations. Why? Because he thought the song would be too hard for many people at Dana St. Roasting who go every month to play -- it was not a three chord song and it was in the key of G. I talked him into it -- "It's for Davy Jones!" I emailed back. "We must do it."

And so at the UCSV Dana St. Roasting Second Monday night jam, we all paid tribute to Davy Jones in the most stellar way EVER!!!

Check out The Ultimate Tribute to Davy Jones!!! (<---click here!)

This is what the Ukulele Club of Silicon Valley as well as the ukulele spirit is ALL about!

AFTER NOTE: on November 11, 2012, I saw the remaining three Monkees, Peter, Micky and Mike Nesmith, perform at the Flint Center. They said they couldn't decide who should do "Daydream Believer" because it was Davy's song...in the end, they "gave" the song to the all of us, the audience...I like to think that on March 12, 2012, we all did the same thing...we all sang and played Daydream Believer together...

Ukuleles, Music and the Return of a Wayward Soul!

Albert and Steve my FABULOUS music playin' friends!

The Amigos are BACK! me with Steve and Albert at the South Bay Acoustic jam in Campbell (March 3, 2012)

It had been almost a year since I'd seen my friend Steve Lussie -- the three of us, me, Steve and Albert were virtually unseparable at the Reno Ukulele Festival in 2011. I drove up there by myself from the bay area in my little Honda Civic Coupe and literally got stuck in the snow in the Sierra Nevadas! I had to turn around in Colfax due to shut down roads and spend the night at my Dad's in Placerville and I was a whole day late for the Reno Ukulele Festival -- missing most of the workshops for Saturday and the big Friday night show.

STUCK IN THE SNOW -- HEADING FOR RENO UKULELE FESTIVAL 2011!!!!

Me and Dad (I was supposed to already be in Reno at the Uke Festival in 2011!)

I was so sad when I finally arrived, and I must have looked down trodden because my friend Albert immediately took me under his wing -- and took my picture with Jim Deville and Daniel Ho! Then he introduced me to his new buddy Steve. We got stuck in a rain storm

Me with Jim DeVille -- who gets excited about songs with only 2 or 3 chords!

me with Daniel Ho -- thanks Albert! :) I already felt better even though I missed the workshops that day!

As it turned out, another major snow storm hit and EVERYONE (or almost everyone except those who left early) was pretty much stranded at Johnny Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks, Nevada. So what did we do? We all walked around with ukuleles and jammed -- we jammed in the swimming pool area, we jammed in empty rooms we found, we jammed at the restaurant where we ate most of our meals, we jammed at the Starbucks and out in the lobby...! it was ukulele craziness with Albert and Steve and the gang! and I will never forget it!

Me and my new-found Ukulele Playing friend (aka Truck Driver) Steve!

So, we finally parted ways and went back to our regular lives, whatever that would be. I heard from Steve sporadically on Facebook throughout the year. Steve had asked me about Burning Uke 9 at Plasket Creek Park in Big Sur and I gave him all the necessary info -- and had even hoped perhaps I'd see him there in September 2011. Albert made it, but no Steve...didn't hear from him again for several months until he reappeared in the SF Bay Area at the beginning of March 2012! I first saw Steve and Albert -- the three of us amigos (and AMIGA, hehee!) together once again at the South Bay Acoustic jam in Campbell! Steve and I attended the San Francisco Ukulele Rebellion meeting the next day -- I hadn't been in ages and forgot how much I loved that jam and group of people. Because I had just moved over to Union City, I found myself close to the BART station which made it easy to get to the jam. this past year, we've had many interesting ukulele and music adventures...and I'm grateful for that....