Oh, I like a lot of stuff. Anything with a ukulele in it is cool: IZ, Herb Ohta, Jake Shimabakuro, Bill Tapia, Victoria Vox, George Formby, Janet Klein, the Hazzards. But I also like AC/DC and lots of other rock like the Stray Cats, the Clash, Chuck Berry, and all the other common ones: Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Van Halen, and all of that. In high school, I was the world's greatest expert on Canadian power trio Triumph (with guitar hero Rik Emmett). But I like Barry Manilow now as much as those people, and no I'm not just kidding. That guy's great, really.
Other than those and the usual suspects (Beatles, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, standards from what's now called "The Great American Songbook," etc.) I'd add Joe Jackson, Brian Setzer, and Harry Nilsson. Also: Cyndi Lauper, Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Sarah McLachlan (she's great), Randy Newman, George Jones, Loudon Wainwright, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney--anybody who can write or sing a nice song. There are just too many influences to name, but basically any record or CD is an influence, even Britney Spears, and you might be surprised how nice her songs can sound on a ukulele. After all, she didn't write them.
And those influences are nothing, really, compared to the influence of people I've actually played music with like Drew Vance and Kurt Hagardorn and the great undiscovered songwriter Dan Ennis. And then there are the bands and people almost nobody knows about. If you just list the big influences that people will recognize, your list sounds like everybody else's. If you list your real influences like friends and bands nobody's ever heard of, then people don't know what you're talking about.
So let's just say it's music in general that influences anybody who plays music.
Sounds Like
Sounds like? To me, it all sounds like Plez. But over the years, some people have heard this or that song and said, not that I agree:
Willie Nelson
Stray Cats
AC/DC
Arthur Godfrey
George Harrison
Joe Jackson
James Taylor
Loudon Wainwright
Randy Newman
Chuck Berry
These days, with all the ukulele things I've been doing, you could mention all sorts of ukulele people like Ukulele Ike and be pretty much right, I think.
Give it a listen and tell me what you think, if you think anything. I'd love to hear. And if you like any of it, write to me and let me know. I might just agree to send you some more. None of this is for sale at this point, but I've sure been known to give it away--usually to people who don't want it, but sometimes to people who do.
It's like this:
I play the ukulele, the guitar, and other assorted instruments but mainly uke and guitar. Over the years, I've been in a number of different bands, including the Pleztones and the Twi-Niters in Johnson City TN, the Killbillies in Auburn AL, and Virtue Trap and Electrik Sirkus in Conway SC. Anything up on this site might have been recorded by any of those bands or just by myself, but if it's up here, I wrote it.
The Pleztones have been, are, and were: Drew "Duke/D.B. Cool/Bench" Vance (bass), James "Stig" Hensley (drums), Kurt "Little Rivethead" Hagardorn (guitar), and Phil Bowman (drums). There were too many other guest performers (sax, bongos, etc.) in the Pleztones to list here. We did and may do again original rock/pop songs and butchered classic rock covers on purpose.
Electrik Sirkus is really me and visionary talent Eric Hall. We play ukuleles and do a variety act involving juggling and magic and other such stuff.
Virtue Trap is a rock band whose membership has included a number of and nothing but professors at the university where I teach. Current lineup: Arne Flaten (vocals and art history), Dan Ennis (guitar and 18th century lit.), Steve Hamelman (drums and literary theory), and Jim Solazzo (bass and differential equations).
Like I said, I'm a guy (and there are thousands of us!) who writes songs and plays some instruments. Right now, I've got a thing for the ukulele, but I still do a variety of other stuff and always will. Hope you like some of it. If not, that's why there are thousands of other people doing this--probably hundreds of thousands.
I'm so disappointed that I'm going to miss the Down Home show. I was talking to John Smith, who told me about it. I'm going to be in East Tennessee, visiting family at that same time. But, I'm leaving to come back to NC on the 5th. DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BILL TAPIA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION & SHOW! Emcee: King Kukulele - Featuring: Kristin Korb, Tony Presti & Abe Lagrimas Jr. Also Appearing: Smokin' Menehunes, Jim "Kimo" West & the Polynesian Paradise Dancers
WARNER GRAND THEATRE - 478 W. Sixth Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Sunday, November 18, 2007 - Doors: 6:00pm / Pre-show: 6:45pm / Showtime: 7:00pm CLICK HERE to buy tickets or call (323)547-3482 . ON SALE NOW: $35. Reserved | $20. General
NOW ON EBAY - CENTER ORCHESTRA 1st & 7th ROW TICKETS! Auction #1 - Auction #2 - Auction #3
www.sanpedro.com Make a day of it, Discover San Pedro!
i love Uke On! wish i could hear more live uke from you. i'm thinking of getting one myself . . . but how will i manage to get you to teach me how to play?
