By Greg Olwell What we’re in love with today: A recent cover of a hot-ukulele classic from “King” Bennie Nawahi. In this clip shot for the Japanese Ukulele magazine, Belgium-based ukulele phenom Ukulelezaza and “Masked” Mario Takada play “Ukulele Benny,” one…
With the Ukulele magazine team about to depart for a holiday break, a few of us are humming “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” around the office. Since we know that hearing a song can be the best…
By Greg Olwell For this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re dialing the time machine back to June 2010 to visit with Hawaiian falsetto legend Richard Ho’opi’i. Filmed for Hawai’i Magazine, filmmaker David Croxford captured Ho’opi’i playing his Kamaka Liliu 6-string tenor in the backyard…
By Greg Olwell Without a doubt, Ledward Kaapana is one of the true living masters of the ukulele. For decades now, the Big Island native has been one of the premier musicians from Hawaii with his work on ukulele and…
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By Greg Olwell The ukulele has many cousins throughout the world. Since the ukulele evolved from the machête, a small instrument brought to Hawaii from the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, there are many similar stringed instruments throughout the lands colonized by the…
By Greg Olwell For her finale performance on America’s Got Talent, the wildly popular Grace VanderWaal played “Clay,” onstage September 13. Like last week’s performance, the 12-year-old singer-songwriter from Suffern, New York was backed by a cellist, percussionist, and pianist. Watching…
By Greg Olwell Today, we can’t get enough of “We Were the Only Ones,” a new video single from Danielle Ate the Sandwich. Known to her parents as Danielle Anderson, the Fort Collins, Colorado-based singer-songwriter just released her sixth album…
By Greg Olwell For this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re dialing it back to 2009 for a clip of late master of the ukulele, Bob Brozman at the Santa Cruz Ukulele Club. In this video, the fleet-fingered Brozman plays through the classic…
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By Greg Olwell Thanks to another show-stopping performance, a 12-year-old singer-songwriter-ukulelelist heads to the finals of a popular talent show. With her Luna Uke Tattoo Concert and a small band backing her, Grace VanderWaal debuted a new song, “Light the…
By Greg Olwell At 6’ 4” and 315 pounds, Nila Kasitati seems born to be an offensive lineman in the NFL. The 23-year-old rookie, who will be playing guard for Washington D.C.’s professional football team this season, recently picked up…