Cool Hand Uke's Strum Bums Ukulele Extravaganza Rescue and Relief Band

04/22/2024

Richard Gill was a sculptor, poet, bassist and the last of the traveling medicine men. He passed last year. He built the Snowshoe Thompson sculpture that is in the Squaw Valley shopping complex. His last major work, six statues called The signs of Our Times have been on display at the Madelyn Helling in Nevada City since last October. This Saturday local poets will read the poems associated with each of the sculptures at a special library event at 1pm. If you can't make the event I encourage you to stop by a view his work--it has something important to say.

03/08/2024

I make an E chord by placing the side of my ring finger across the GC and E strings on the fourth fret and my in index finger on the second fret of the A string. A good way to train yourself to get used to making this chord is to play a Bb chord then roll your hand a drop your ring finger across the third fret to make an Eb chord. Once you get it into your DNA you can play 1-4 (tonic-subdominant) chord sequence in any key on the neck.

03/05/2024

The first time I played the International Ukulele Festival in Honolulu, 1989, I ended with a somewhat political note. We rented a cheap video camera and Joan caught it. Took the Strum Bums to perform at that festival 19 and 22 years later.

Performed at 1989 Honolulu International Ukulele Festival.

03/05/2024

When looking for something else today I came across this video I put together years ago of a conversation between Utah Phillips and redwood tree activist and labor leader Judi Bari. Both have left this planet but their work survives. I post it here because of its historical importance.

This video is about Judi Bari and Utah Phillips

01/29/2024

I'm excited to cohost a World Ukulele Day free ukulele jam at Wild Eye Pub in Grass Valley this Friday, Ground Hog Day, Feb 2 at 5:30-8pm. Singers and other musicians welcome. No stress!

04/16/2020

A couple of tunes from the 1920s I'm including in a collection of Apocalypso Music to whistle past the graveyard.

Two old tunes from the 1920s performed on a La Pacifica banjo-uke from the 1920s by Dan "Cool Hand Uke" Scanlan.

03/17/2020

My ukulele classes at the library and weekly gigs have been cancelled until further notice. I pulled a lesson on the trull strum for ukulele from my on-line course at Udemy.com, and am posting it here so sheltered ukulele players can explore the strum. enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqpAHt876Fo
This video is about astrumming a trill on the uke

This video is about astrumming a trill on the uke

01/23/2020

Bums on the web:

The Strum Bums Rescue and Relief Band of Grass Valley California

01/23/2020

Visit Strum Bums website:

The Strum Bums Rescue and Relief Band of Grass Valley California