Wine Country Ukulele Festival, Sept. 10 - 14, 2015

Elainede

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
200
Reaction score
0
INstructor Collage copy2.jpg

There's lots of new stuff happening at the Wine Country 'Ukulele Festival this year including:

  • a campfire jam at Bothe State Park on Thursday evening
  • shows and free lessons at the St. Helena Farmer's Market Friday morning
  • a flash mob at an undisclosed location on Friday afternoon
  • an Ukulele Picnic in the Park Friday evening
  • The Quiet American at Farmstead/Long Meadow Ranch Friday night
  • Ukulele workshops for players of all skill levels at the Upper Valley Campus of Napa Valley College on Saturday and Sunday
  • Interactive workshops from the festival stage on Saturday
  • The Big Play-Along and Flea by Night Band Saturday night
  • Heidi Swedberg and the Smoking Jackets at Velo Vino on Sunday afternoon
  • and possibly more

The best way to get all the news as it becomes available is to subscribe to the website: www.winecountryukefest.com

Stay tuned, there's more to come...and we'd love to have you join us!
 

Attachments

  • INstructor Collage copy.jpg
    INstructor Collage copy.jpg
    37.9 KB · Views: 13
Get there early so you don't miss the String-along.....

This just in! (and added to the festival schedule):

HAPPY HOUR STRING-ALONG at Farmstead/Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena
4 - 6 pm, Friday, September 11, 2015​

Grab a libation at the bar and join us in an epic String-Along featuring Heidi Swedberg, Daniel Ward, John Bartlit, Aaron & Nicole Keim, Fred & Lynn Sokolow, UkuLenny and more!

Then order up some epic mac & cheese, grilled artichokes, or cheddar biscuits and sit back and enjoy the Quiet American from 6 - 8pm.

What a great way to ring in the 2015 Wine Country Ukulele Festival!

OldFashionedForSlider.jpgthumb_275.jpgcentral-bar-draft-beer-940x626.jpgFarmstead-Grilled-Artichoke.jpghamsandwich1.jpg
And this is just the beginning!
 
It would be nice if the organizers of these wonderful uke gatherings could communicate and not hold their festivals at the SAME TIME!

The Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz is holding their Burning Uke at the same time, Sept. 10 - 15.
 
It would be nice if the organizers of these wonderful uke gatherings could communicate and not hold their festivals at the SAME TIME!

The Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz is holding their Burning Uke at the same time, Sept. 10 - 15.

I am not connected with either event and always look forward to attending both. Wine Country was all set and Burning Uke was set for the following weekend. There was an issue with the park and Burning Uke was moved.
Unfortunately the SC organizers knew of the conflict.
 
IMG_2249.jpg 11391715_10206751782854254_4751525301327105682_n.jpg
The amazing Fred Sokolow and his equally amazing wife, Lynn, will be joining us this year. Here's what Fred is bringing to the table:

  • BLUES UKULELE
  • SLIDE UKULELE
  • BANJO STYLES for the UKULELE
  • UNDERSTANDING CHORD PROGRESSIONS
You can visit the website for more detailed descriptions of these and other workshops available at the festival.

If you've looked through any of Fred's 100+ instructional books you know that he is a master at most (if not all) stringed instruments. Plus, he is the consummate professional musician, with the chops to match.
 
With all due respect to the UCSC, the Wine Country Uke Fest since its inception has always been held the first weekend in September. The same happened one year with the Reno Uke Fest and Northern California Ukulele Festival. It happens.
 
944937_10151509345313650_1262970488_n.jpgThis just in! Dani Joy joins the staff of the Wine Country 'Ukulele Festival and brings a lot of Crazy stuff with her!

Here's what she'll be teaching for us this year:

CRAZY

What does “Crazy” have in common with “Do-Re-Mi?” Like every single song in Western music, they are both built off a center tone and a diatonic scale. “Yikes!” you’re thinking. “This smacks of music theory!” Indeed it does, but Dani Joy has a developed a way to make this necessary bit of musical understanding both fun and enlightening. Take “Crazy,” for example, written by Willie Nelson and made famous by Patsy Cline. All it is is a center tone + scale + chords + melody. Go ahead, challenge Dani with any familiar song in one of five popular keys (C, G, A, D, F) and she’ll find the melody without any effort at all. And by the end of this workshop, you will, too. It’s a valuable tool to have in your arsenal. And who knows? No matter what your ‘ukulele skill level, you just might find yourself writing your own songs. Now that’s just crazy. (All Levels)

SYNCOPATED PATTERNS

Once you’ve got a few of the basics under your belt, it’s time to try some simple right-hand patterns that will give your music the twist and flavor that you (and your audience) have been craving! All you need is a handful of easy-to-learn techniques--rolls, taps, outside pulls, and chucks, that you can apply to music of just about any genre, and you will wow yourself in no-time. Well…..not exactly “no” time—because in order to master any of these techniques and pull them into play without having to think about it, you’ll have to practice them at home. But you will come away from this workshop with all the tools you’ll need to kick that muscle memory into gear and launch your playing to a new dimension. (Level 2 – 3)

LITTLE BOXES

Picture this. You’re sitting there minding your own business when a song comes on the radio that simply sings to you. Pretty soon your head’s bopping and your fingers are drumming in tune with your tapping foot. “Shoot,” you’re thinking, “if I just knew how to play it on my uke!” But here’s the deal: after taking this workshop with Dani Joy, you will! Just five Little Boxes will reveal the mystery of just about every song ever written and it comes with a laminated, "easily digested," color-coded cheat sheet to take home with you. So the next time that tune comes on, you’ll find your fingers gliding deftly over the strings, each familiar shape gliding painlessly into the next, while your mind takes flight, and the song becomes yours alone. (Level 3 – 4)

You can read more about Dani and the rest of our instructors and workshops here: http://winecountryukefest.com/2015-instructors/dani-joy/
 
How much is the entrance fee this year?
 
Sorry, for the delay in responding. I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row, first.

The entry fee for the Wine Country 'Ukulele Festival is $15/day or $25 for both days, if you register in advance.
For that you get admission to the festival, which includes the following workshops and Play-alongs:

  • Learn to Play in a Day and Let's Get this Party Rolling, with Heidi Swedberg.
  • Silly Love Songs with the Smoking Jackets
  • "Auld Lang Syne" in Bengali with Laurie Kallevig, founder of the Survivor Girl Ukulele Band
  • Sunday Morning Stretch- Play & Sing with Janet Lenore
  • Kanikapila with Ukulele Friends Ohana (UFO)

In addition you get access to all the wonderful merchandise being displayed by our vendors and live entertainment all day long on the festival stage.

Other workshops are available for $25 each.

On-line Registration has just opened and Early Bird gifts are available for the first 20 people who register.
 
Only one week before on-line registration closes for the 2015 Wine Country ‘Ukulele Festival! If you’re planning on coming, here’s why you should register now:

  • SAVE A LITTLE MOOLAH! Entrance fees and workshops are $5 more at the door! So, you can save up to $50 by registering in advance!
  • NO WAITING! By registering in advance, all of your registration materials will be waiting for you when you arrive. One stop to pick it up, and you’re ready to go!
  • GUARANTEED WORKSHOPS! Some of our workshops are close to being full, already. But, if you register online, you are guaranteed a seat in the workshops you choose.
  • LUNCH! If you pre-order lunch, we’ll have it ready and waiting for you between workshops. All you have to do is pick it up, grab a seat outside, enjoy the music while you eat, and start your afternoon workshops on time.
  • SELL AT THE FESTIVAL FLEA MARKET! Do you have a lovely old uke you’d like to sell, presumably to make room for another? Folks who pre-register for the festival will receive their inventory form before the festival so they can take advantage of “speed processing” and get their merchandise into the Festival Flea Market sooner for maximum exposure.
  • GET A T-SHIRT THAT FITS! You can add a T-Shirt to your on-line registration and make sure you have one that fits when you check-in!
  • EVERYBODY’S HAPPY, ESPECIALLY US! We don’t want to see you waiting in long lines. We don’t want to see the look of disappointment on your face when you find out the workshop you want to take is sold out. We don’t want you to have to wait while we have to print more hand-outs or get extra chairs. We’re happy, when you’re happy! And the best way to be happy is to register on-line now.

So don’t delay! Click the Link! And join us in the beautiful Napa Valley for a rollicking good time!


Still not sure? Check out all the great things you can do, Thursday – Sunday, on the Festival Schedule of Events.

Want to know who’s coming and what they’re teaching? You can check out all of our instructors and workshops on-line, before you commit!

Do you just want to strum and sing? Join us at the Happy Hour String-Along at Farmstead Friday night!

Got a date for Saturday Night? You should join us Saturday night for the Flea-By-Night Band show. Tickets are on sale now!

Want to taste some wine? Hello. It’s Wine Country! What better way to while away a sunny afternoon in the Napa Valley, than sipping wine on the back patio of Velo Vino, while Heidi and the Smoking Jackets put on a show, just for you! Find out how you can join us!

That’s it for now! Hope you’ll be joining us! It just won’t be the same without you.
 
cant wait to meet some of you folks at the uke festival next week.. we are driving down from vancouver bc on wednesday morning.

Barry and Sahm :)
 
Top Bottom