Stories

Fun at the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival

By Craig Chee The 2nd annual Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival was a fun-filled celebration of the ukulele, held at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, in Torrance, California, September 24. There were many more events this year including uke workshops,…

Roy Smeck Ukulele Magazine God of Uke Wizard of Strings Vita Uke Marcy Marxer

Gods of Uke: Roy Smeck Gives a Lesson to Remember

From the Fall 2014 issue of Ukulele | BY MARCY MARXER A visionary player on the ukulele, guitar, tenor banjo, and lap-steel guitar, the vaudeville performer Roy Smeck certainly earned his nickname “Wizard of the Strings.” Born in Reading, Pennsylvania…

New Eddy Finn Cigar Box Uke

There’s a long tradition of upcycling old cigar boxes into musical instruments. Over the decades, many homegrown builders have taken to making ukuleles, guitars, or just about anything else for strings with these lovely leftovers. While this is mostly been…

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Letter from Cairns Ukulele Festival

By Craig Chee & Sarah Maisel Just as there are many different styles of ukuleles (and styles of playing them), ukulele festivals also come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Every great uke fest includes a mix of workshops…

Picking in the Pines at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop

By Jim D’Ville Imagine six days of music immersion in the beautiful environs of a Pacific Northwest pine forest surrounded by like-minded musicians. That’s the idea behind one of the most prestigious music camps in America, the Puget Sound Guitar…

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Dennis Quaid’s Backstage Ukulele Band

By Greg Olwell Cast members on the sets of movies and TV shows are known for bonding together backstage. While some antics are notable for legendary stories of intemperance, the backstage exploits of a British crew sounds a lot more…