Writer Chick With A Ukulele: 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...