Hal-loween - finally they named a holiday after me!

Well fall is definately here and that means that old man winter is coming closer with every breath. I remember as a kid being so excited about today. I would plan my costume for weeks ahead of the day and think about all the candy I was gonna get. Then after a cold night walking around yelling "Trick or Treat" I would come home and pour out the contents of my pillow case on the living room floor. No pirate ever loved his treasure more than I did right that moment.

Now I'm an adult and every year I buy some small chocolate bars (no peanuts) and some gum and put it in a bowl beside my door and wait. Last year I counted. Only 8 kids came down my street. Now I should mention that I live in a residential neighborhood right across from a school. I figure that at least two dozen kids live within a couple blocks of my house. But they just don't seem to be trick or treating like they did when I was young.

Tonight I'm going out. Or at least I'm going to keep the lights out and just sit quietly watching TV. I don't want to buy any candy and certainly don't want to eat it once the night is over. What are you doing?

And it turned out nice again today

A lot of people make jokes about Winnipeg. I also get asked often about how I deal with the cold weather. "Isn't it really cold there all the time?" people say. The answer is NO it isn't. Today in fact it is forecasted to be the HOT SPOT for all of Canada.

So while you are all shivering or hiding under umbrellas we are basking in the sun at 17 degrees above on the 27th of October. Okay I'm gloating and pride goes before a fall but really it's a great day. Hope you all are keeping warm out there.

Stuck at my computer

Well folks I'm hip deep into administration land. I've been busy making up presskits for the festival season next year. It is a bright sunny and warm day outside and I haven't left my desk all morning. What a useless way to spend a day off from the day job. Anyway the work is almost done and I'll be sending new presskits out soon.

It's like Christmas in October

Today I got two pieces of great news. No make that three.

1) Today I got a new exterior door installed and a new storm door installed. Not only does this secure my home a little better, it will undoubtedly help with the heating bill as well. Wooooooooo!

2) My electric uke arrived this morning from RISA and I can't wait to open it. It arrived as I headed out to work this morning so it is sitting there waiting for me when I return. I am tingling with the possibilities that this uke brings with it.

3) and lastly...yesterday a friend of mine pointed out a review of a performance I did in Ottawa last year. I didn't know this review existed and was surprised by it. Its a great review! That doesn't surprise so much as the fact that I didn't know about it. Anyway here is the link.

Have a great day! Oh and while I'm typing here. If you are one of the folks who want the Ukulele Bluesman CD but don't want to download it you can e-mail me and request the CD by mail. I will happily send you a copy. Ciao.

Ukulele Bluesman ONLINE NOW!

Hey I'm pretty pleased with this. With just a few simple clicks you can download my latest CDs including all the artwork. And all it costs is $10USD! That's much less than they sell for at any show and you don't have to wait! Go to the music page and follow the prompt for complete instructions.

On a related note, the first publishing of the Songbook for Ukulele Bluesman was a huge success. In fact the initial pressing SOLD OUT at the Ukulele Ceilidh in Nova Scotia. I will be making more over the next two weeks, but I need to do some revisions first. It started as an 8 1/2 x 11 size and its going to be reduced to half of that size. Also I want to work on a couple of the arrangements in the book to make sure they are as acurate as they should be. If you're waiting for a book (i.e. Mr A. from Spokane) I will get them sent out before mid November in plenty of time for Christmas.

Ciao for now. H

A New Endorsement

It's Official! RISA Ukes from Germany has decided to endorse me. I've picked out a nice semi-hollow Soprano uke with shown above. All the best players play RISA! They are number 1 in the world for Electric Ukes! I am so excited about this I can't even begin to tell you. These ukes are so great sounding and have such a big sound. Play Loud Ukulele! I can't wait to start recording the next batch of songs with this one. I'll let you know when it arrives!

Tales of Ukuleles and Thanksgiving

This is a shot of me with some new ukulele mates in Lunenburg standing in front of the Bluenose. We were on our way to the airport and stopped to see this Canadian landmark. The gentlemen are from the right Mike, Maurice and Peter. I'm the handsome fella on the left. Mike and Peter are from Manchester, England and they came on holiday for the ukulele ceilidh this past weekend. Maurice is from New Glasgow, NS and he was our tour guide.

Along the way (after this photo) we stopped for lunch in the small town of Hubbards NS. We ended up at this small diner called Trellis Cafe which features live music on Friday nights. We wander in and they tell us that there is only one thing on the menu today and that is Turkey and it's FREE!!!!! So we have a wonderful meal and then in Ceilidh fashion pull out our ukuleles and serenade the audience. After our brief concert we donated a potfull of money to the charity the diner supported and headed on our way. What a wonderful end to my first east coast adventure. Oh and I fell in love, but that is another story.

From the Ceilidh

Hi folks! I'm at the Ukulele Cielidh in Nova Scotia and let me tell you the playing here is magnificent! There are tons of great players and tons of great learners too so its a wonderful experience. The weather here has been great and we are overdosing on ukulele sounds and strums.

Highlights for me so far are the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Boulder Acoustic Society and Risa Ukes from Germany (Hi Rigk!). I also saw some great baritone ukes and some wonderful handmade ukes by great luthiers.

The scenery here is marvelous and I don't want to go home. Please don't make me.

ciao for now.

Ukulele In the Snow

Today the title of this blog is fitting. The first snow of the winter is falling on the streets of Winnipeg. I know it won't last and will probably be gone when I return from the Ukulele Ceilidh but it still saddens me a little. It is a cold windy day full of wet snow blowing mixed with rain. A good day to bundle up inside with a roaring fire and a good book or favorite movie. Or your favorite ukulele to keep you company as you sing songs of the islands; of warmer days.

By this time tommorow, I'll be somewhere near Ottawa about 30,000 kms in the air. I can't wait, I'm so excitied I'm vibrating.

Three days till ukulele madness (again)

Three days till I hope aboard an Air Canada Jet and fly to Halifax. Then I get in a car and drive to Liverpool NS on the south shore of the province for the first ever Ukulele Ceilidh. The songbook is done (as mentioned before) and I've been getting my repertoire ready. I am so excitied I can hardly stand it and time is just melting away faster than I'd ever imagined possible.

The best news for me though came in the form of a phone call last night from an old friend who had moved to Halifax a few years ago. She called to say she was going to try and come along to the expo. Ruth Blackie was my first ukulele buddy and partner in live performance. She taught me to read the rhythm of notation and has played a huge part in the development of the songbook and my ability to communicate that way. Ruth and I would spend hours sitting at her kitchen table strumming away on our ukuleles and it came at a time for me when I had few friends. It was a sad day for me when she decided to move to Halifax, but she is much happier there and feels like she's found home. Ruth I miss ya and I'll be glad to wrap you up in my arms and squeeze you till yer blue in the face!

In other news I built a little shelf/cabinet for my kitchen yesterday. I'll post a picture tonight. The reason for not calling it either a shelf or a cabinet is that the job is half done. Right now it is a shelf. When I complete the doors it will be a cabinet. Nuff said?

Have a great day!