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There aren't a whole lot of Thanksgiving songs out there, so when a friend recently challenged me to write one, I jumped on it. This is called "Let's Give Thanks (It's Thanksgiving Day)". Listen here: Let's Give Thanks (It's Thanksgiving Day (demo) If you'd like to try it out tomorrow...

This year's New Jersey Uke Fest, presented by The Folk Project, will feature Daniel Ward and Heidi Swedberg, Gerald Ross, Rachel Manke, and Christopher Davis-Shannon. We'll have two nights of concerts, a full day of workshops, plus an open mike, a silent auction, play-alongs, and an all-day...

This year's NJUF, presented by The Folk Project, will feature Victoria Vox, Abe Lagrimas Jr., Gracie Terzian, and The Aloha Boys with Alan Distajo. We'll have two nights of concerts, a full day of workshops, plus an open mike, a silent auction, play-alongs, and an all-day outdoor jam...

Anybody have experience playing miked ukes in a band setting? I play ukulele (and a few other instruments) in a number of bands, and I've always used instruments with pickups. But I have a number of instruments without pickups that I never get to play out with. I was just adding up the cost...

Anyone have a pickup they recommend for a banjo-uke? I have a Gold Tone tenor banjo-uke. My current pickup (a JJB EXT-100 passive piezo stick-on mounted on the underside of the head) has died. - FiL

I'm happy to announce that the fifth annual New Jersey Uke Fest will be taking place the weekend of Aug. 25-27 with some amazing acts: Kimo Hussey, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Rachel Manke, The Lords of Liechtenstein, and The Curt Sheller Jazz Trio. Of course we'll also have workshops, jams...

Hey all, I'm helping put together this year's New Jersey Uke Fest, which will be Aug. 26-28 in Whippany (26-27th) and Morristown (28th). This year's headliner is the one and only James Hill! Other fantastic acts include the adorable Victor & Penny, ukulele bluesman Manitoba Hal, power-pop...

I can't tell you how excited I am about this possibility! - FiL

I occasionally hear people talk about the thickness of a neck, yet while researching uke purchases online, I can never get a good sense of how thick or thin (as opposed to wide or narrow) a neck is, and that tends to be an important factor in how a uke feels when you play it. Do any of the big...

This is Smile More's cover of Elton John's "I Need You to Turn To", with Madeline Brennan on lead vocals and classical guitar and myself on backing vocals 8-string uke: - FiL

I woke up this morning, heard the news, and this song started coming to me while I got ready for work. I had Steve Earle's melody in my head from the start, so I decided to just go with it. "Christmas in Washington, Part 2": I hope Steve don't mind. - FiL

Has anyone played one of the new Lanikai SOT-8 or SOT-8EK 8-string ukes? Wondering how they compare to the old O-8/8E ukes. I love the sound of the O-8E but like the looks of the new SOT-8. Cant find any sound clips or videos of it anywhere. - FiL

What if The Incredible Hulk wanted to play the uke? This is my earworm for the rest of the day: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/hulkulele (Note: Requires Flash to play.) - FiL

My beloved Lanikai O-8E took a dive off of my desk yesterday, and now there's a several-inch long crack on the top, along the grain in the center, from the bottom to the bridge. It's more than a hairline crack--if you run your finger over it your can feel it. I only paid $275 for the...

Welcome to the 56th Season of the Ukulele! I'm from New Jersey, but I love a lot of music that has come out of Texas. I'm especially fond of the songs of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, and Robert Earl Keen. So, this week's theme: "FiL's Favorite Texas Singer-Songwriters" Official Entry...

I've been using Aquilas on my Lainikai O-8E for years, but with all the sting choices out there, I thought it would be nice to try something else. So I took a look around, but it seems that string choices for 8-stringers are fairly limited. So far, I've found: Aquila Worth (both Clear and...

I was reading some threads recently on tuning a bari down to gCEA, an octave below standard tuning, and it struck me that it would be interesting to create a ukulele quartet using the gCEA and dGBE tunings in octaves thusly: Sopranino or Sopranissimo:dGBE Soprano or Concert: gCEA Tenor: dGBE...

Hey all, The Ukulele Club of New Jersey is having its monthly jam this coming Sunday (Feb. 12) at 1:30 in a private home in Denville (in Morris County). Join our Yahoo Group if you're interested. All skill levels welcome! - FiL

Hey all, The Ukulele Club of New Jersey is having its monthly jam this coming Sunday (Jan. 8) at 1:30 in a private home in Ocean (in Monmouth County). Join our Yahoo Group if you're interested. All skill levels welcome! - FiL

The Ukulele Club of New Jersey meets on the second Sunday of every month. Our November jam will be on Nov. 13 at a private home in Franklin Park, NJ. If you are interested in attending, join our mailing list at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/njuke/. All levels of ability welcomed. - FiL