FABULOUS weekend uke adventure and end of an Era!

good-bye Oakside Cafe! we made many good memories here and shared lots of music.  and we bonded and became good friends...we'll still play music together no matter where we do it.

It was bittersweet, the end of an era, yet also it's a time for new beginnings. 

The next very warm morning, I headed out on another adventure, this time to San Francisco to the Oakside Cafe where we've been meeting for years now every other Sunday to play ukulele. We have alternate meetings at other places, but this was always our "home base" where we've gathered and grown as a group...and developed so many close friendships along the way as we played ukuleles and sang songs together. 

I decided to take BART because I heard there were so many things going on in the City and was afraid traffic would be horrible, not to mention parking -- especially since the Haight Street Fair right up the street from Oakside Cafe was going on! Unfortunately, I was super late. I missed the BART train I wanted to catch by a minute -- THEN Market Street in downtown San Francisco was completely blocked due to Indians marching right down Market Street -- with cops escorting and making sure this was a peaceful march...I wasn't sure what it was about, nor did I have any idea it was even going to happen. None of us standing on that island waiting for a bus that never came knew until a cop on a motorcycle mentioned no busses would be coming down Market for a while...

So I bailed and headed underground and caught the N Judah street car, which I probably should have done to begin with. I almost forgot to get off right before the Duboce Tunnel -- I would've been even later if I hadn't! I was bummed to arrive over an hour late for our gathering -- the Oakside Cafe bustling with about 25 people gathered around playing ukuleles -- all my friends, including Dave and Sue who had driven all the way up from the Sacramento area! 

There was Steve playing U-bass and Dean, Becky, Vickie and Mark, Don & Carol, Stephanie, Christina, Ray...and a bunch of the gang playing away...!

I had almost given up on getting there because I was running so late, but now I'm so glad I made it because after the song, my friends told me the sad truth... that it would be our last jam at the Oakside Cafe.

May 25, 2014 at the Oakside Cafe

with David and his family from the UK!

 It was collectively decided we go elsewhere even though they loved having is there and we loved being there because not only did BMI come after them for fees but now ASCAP! We all helped to pay the BMI fees, but it was evident this was all too much for this small venue that normally did not host music at all.  The nice people there are being harassed to pay fees just cuz we play ukes there. We don't perform or make money. We just play. What now? We take to the streets and keep where we're at on the down low as much as possible! Or find a place that already has live music. It won't be the same but nothing's gonna stop us from playing our ukes! Can't let those evil empires get us down!

Suddenly, as I looked around at everyone playing, so many memories floated by in my head...that time we all played and sang "Take On Me" at the tops of our lungs, and Alex sang all the high parts... and Nancy bringing in those 80's songs like, "Friday I'm In Love."  Unexpected gems from the Daily Ukulele book, songs we would have never thought of... Dave and Sue commuting all the way from Sacramento to join us as carpoolers -- ending up together in a relationship...hanging out with all my good friends...feeling like I really missed something those times when I couldn't make it. I always thought we'd be able to play there, that somehow it would work out. But I was wrong. Sometimes good things must come to an end. check it out:

Friday I'm In Love at the Oakside Cafe!

but we always have each other!!! no matter where we are!

So we say good-bye to the Oakside Cafe, but definitely not to the San Francisco Ukulele Rebellion! 

Me and Sue in January 2013 at the Oakside Cafe

Dave & Sue in January 2013 -- they'd travel all the way from Sacramento to join us!

In spite of the bad news at the Oakside Cafe, me, Dave, Sue and Steve headed over to the Haight Street Fair and to to Haight Ashbury Music! She and Dave started off as carpoolers and they have many wonderful memories of the Oakside Cafe... we reflected on all that as we walked down Haight Street. Sue bought a new cajon and Steve bought a battery-powered amp because he said, if the San Francisco Uke Rebellion is taking to the streets, he'll need one! good vibes flowed on Haight Street as we strolled down the street and groovy live music...we ate at a noodle Thai house so we could sit down...

Groovy Haight Ashbury Fair! 

Steve, Sue and Dave with all their wares...

And so ended another weekend adventure, one of many...some things will change, but others will remain the same.

The Ukulele Beach Trip!

And it was a weekend of changes. Life sometimes doesn't work the way you expect it, but things seem to work out in the end. First, it was a bummer that the Little Basin Play Day Event a bunch of us had been looking forward to was canceled due to "lack of interest." I was supposed to lead six Beatles songs there and was fully prepared. So we decided to go to the beach instead and jam with "Sons of the Beach." I carpooled over the hill to Santa Cruz with John, Albert and Margaret. It had been ages since I'd played on the beach with my Santa Cruz friends whom I missed so much. Many of the "regulars" were there, all happy to see me...it started off cloudy, but the cooler weather was welcome during the Bay Area heat wave.

And Marty had copies of the long-anticipated Santa Cruz Ukulele book number 3! People have been waiting for this since like 2007. The first two Santa Cruz Ukulele songbooks were the first ones I ever purchased -- and I pretty much learned to play ukulele with the 400 songs in those two books -- a variety of songs, including Beatles, folk music, lots of standard songs we all know and love... Bob Dylan, even some Grateful Dead. the new book also has a bit of everything -- more Beatles songs (hey I'm all for that!) that weren't in the other books, more classic rock music such as Jet Airliner by Steve Miller -- and really, a bit of everything. Anyway, lots of people are excited about this new book!

Yay Carolee and Pat on the beach...they were going to help me out with the Beatles songs. they love the Beatles as much as I do!

We had so much fun playing with a gang of close to 100 people, and Margaret did a hula dance with others on one of the Hawaiian songs!

The sun came out as we ate our lunch right on the beach looking out at the ocean after the jam. We got out the new books and played a few songs from it, like Harvest Moon and Jet Airliner and a few others. Albert played guitar and the rest of us playing ukuleles... Then we walked on the beach and the cool water and sand felt good...

We missed Nancy's performance at the Meow Luau up the street, but John bought some fresh fish. 

I really dig the hat John "borrowed" from his daughter! it suits him well!

Then we went to Sylvan Music and played expensive instruments we didn't buy -- but so much fun there!  and Albert guided us to a funky buffet in downtown Santa Cruz that serves Asian food -- turned out it was pretty good...and we had dinner there. Never knew the place existed before and even Albert had a hard time remembering exactly where it was! 

We parted ways at the Cheesecake Factory parking lot Valley Fair where we'd all gathered that morning... my super close friends who play music with me. the four of us will go to Kauai together in August where we'll meet Sue and Dave.

the Jamathon Marathon!

STELLAR jam in Mitchell Park! Janet Lenore's Beatles jam!

Today I'm recovering from my jamathon marathon yesterday! whew, eight hours of jamming -- first at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto where Janet Lenore's Beatles jam attracted loads of people...

then hightailing over to Bronco Billy's, which as usual was LOADS of fun with Diane and the whole gang, and of course we closed the place down with the song, "Runaway!" rockin' good times! 

Our good friend Steve Clemons traveled up from Santa Barbara to join the jamming fun...

I admit there were a few Beatles songs in the packet...but lotsa other songs too...Steve played STELLAR u-bass for us...and friends from all over showed up! YAAAYY! I'm a bit sore today after all those hours of standing and exerting lots of energy but it was soooo worth it! thanks to all my awesome jammin' people...