Why I became a Ukulele Singer/Songwriter!
It is not an instrument that the regular singer/ songwriter uses to express their soul. I have never been what you call regular. Some people think because of Train, Tiny Tim, Bruno Mars, Jack Johnson or even Jake Shimabukuro. I love them all, especially the latter two, which I will go over in future blogs. The artist that made me believe that I could write and even perform with a ukulele was Eddie Vedder, yes, the singer from Pearl Jam.
As you know from my first blog, "Why I Play the Ukulele!," I started to play the jumping flea with my uncle. It was an album by the legendary Eddie Vedder called “Ukulele Songs," that made me a believer. After, I told my uncle I would use the ukulele as my main instrument, I wondered has this been done before? I found the album and it blew my mind.
Here was full album of mostly just a singer and his ukulele. I must have listened to it religiously for more than 2 weeks. The songwriting was of course amazing; this is Eddie “F**king” Vedder. The way that he played the instrument and the way it flowed with his voice gave me the chills. Even the little chords to picking melody combinations was inspiring. I hope to one day to come close the awesomeness that is this album, and with your support, I feel I will.
I will do a proper review of the album where I go over each song in a later blog, this one is how it made me feel. All of them are great but the ones that hit me the most were “Longing to Belong," “Can’t Keep," “Satellite," and “You’re True." Each had their own feeling and it gave me the confidence as a songwriter to write and perform with this four string canvas.
I could go on and on about this album and how it changed my life. I think the best way for you to feel what I felt is to go and listen to it. It may not bring you the moment of Zen it did for me, but I know it will make your journey a little better.
I will go over different ukulele players and how they have inspired me in music and life in future blogs. The next ones will be Jake Shimabukuro and Danielle Ate The Sandwich. This is not in any particular order of importance in my heart and soul. I am seeing Jake for the first time in a few days and seeing and meeting Danielle in a week. I want these writings to be fresh from actually experiencing their music live. Until we meet again remember, “Let the music set you free!"
Always Believe,
BANIC