References, Links, Resources, Et al.
Here's where you can find ukulele related references, links, resources, or anything that seems to be of interest or useful to members and friends of the Free Range Ukulele Society of Oak Park. Know of anything else that you think would be good to put here? Contact us by e-mail from our website with your suggestion.
Links
- Archie McPhee's Rubber Chicken Museum (ArchieMcPheeSeattle.com/rubber-chicken-museum/)
- A destination to add to your itinerary the next time you're in The City of Goodwill, Seattle, Washington. You can buy a rubber chichen of your own at the Archie McPhee Store Can't wait? Then order one online.
- Other Ukulele Playing Opportunities
- On our Meetup site we have a discussion board dedicated to this topic which we do our best to keep current.
- Top 50 Ukulele Sites (BoatPaddleUkuleles.com/top50)
- The mother load. A webpage maintained by Hoffmann Lutherie, formerly the Boat Paddle Ukulele Company.
- Uke Hunt
- Blog with references, reviews, and lessons by Alastair Wood, author of Ukulele for Dummies.
- Ukulele for Dummies Chord Chart
- Full disclosure: This chord chart from Ukulele for Dummies by Alastair Wood is provided without permission. Mea culpa. If you are the copyright owner, please contact the webmaster if you want it removed. We took this chance because we couldn't link to a printable copy on the For Dummies website, and we think it's good.
- Ukulele Gcea Tuning Chord Chart - the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Chord Chart
- The one-page encyclopedia of ukulele chords in gCEA (they say Gcea) tuning. There are chords here the average ukulele player will never use. Nevertheless, the chart has the advantage of being alphabetical, and all the most common chords can be found in the maj (major), 7 (7th), m (minor), m7 (minor 7th), and dim (diminished 7th) columns. Well, sometimes a 6 (6th) chord comes up. Oh, okay, we have seen and played the other columns as well, simply not as often. This chart is compliments of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, one of the old celebrities in the World of Ukulele. And they have some really fun and amazing YouTube videos.
- UKULELE japan (ukulelejapan.weebly.com)
- Created and maintained by member Kevin Crowell who says this site mashes his love of Japan with his passion for playing the ukulele. It gives information on Japanese instrumentalists, their CDs, instructional books, videos, and more. Kevin asks you to bookmark and visit the site often.
NOTICE: The Home page plays music when you bring it up in a browser. - ukelele search on Curlie.org (curlie.org/search?q=ukulele&stime=92452189)
- Curlie.org is a manually maintained search engine. Certainly not as sophisticated as Google, Bing, et al., but there are no ads, and you may find something here that you wouldn't find elsewhere.
- Ukulele Underground
- A website that's been in existence since 2007 with a blog, lessons, store, forum, and songs library, most of it open to the public, but some parts limited to members only.
- Ukulele Zen YouTube Channel
- The online collection of ukulele lessons by Stu Fucks. His song-sheets are masterpieces.
Ukulele Groups
- MAUI Madison Area Ukulele Initiative (MauiMadison.com)
- Madison is blessed with a thriving ukulele community. MAUI is the Madison Area Ukulele Initiative, an organization that (1) supports other ukulele groups in the region, (2) offers it's own events, (3) publishes a weekly calendar of all ukulele events in the region, and (4) maintains a free, high-quality song book for anyone to use. For a list of other ukulele groups in the Madison area, and respective contact people, see their website's Calendar page.
Venues
- Eastgate CaféEastgate Cafe (EastgateCafe.net)
102 Harrison Street
Oak Park, Illinois
708-660-9091
Map - The Eastgate Café has been generously lending their restaurant dining room to ukulele players on Thursday nights almost since the day owners Patrick and Olya Dailey opened their doors for business in June 2008. This little restaurant describes itself as “a blend of European culture and American fare in a relaxing and friendly environment… a great place to relax and enjoy the finer things in life.” It has a modest menu, and everything on it is excellent. Most Friday and/or Saturday evenings there's live entertainmnet, and every Saturday morning it's where you can listen to the eclectic music of the Band Without Borders jam band while enjoying breakfast or brunch.
- Two Way Street Coffee House (TwoWayStreet.org)
1047 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove, Illinois
Map - The Two Way Street Coffee House has been presenting mostly local folk and acoustic performers to audiences in the western suburbs every Friday, except holidays, since 1970. This is a nationally known venue, and there's a reason it has survived so long. You should find that out for yourself by coming by any Friday evening. Member George Mattson has been a very active volunteer for many years.
Articles
- All Your Favorite Vacation Spots Have Been Overrun by Feral Chickens
- Key West, Kauai, and Bermuda each have too many chickens—but very different ways of dealing with them.
