CROWD PLEASERS: The Strumpettes — Emma Pere, Molly Pardoe, Marg Hansen, Phillida Eivers and Sher Green.
PERHAPS it’s night bowls, you wonder as you drive down Rawiri Street on a Friday evening and see all the lights blazing upstairs at the Gisborne Bowling Club and cars lining the streets.
But then the unmistakable strains of ‘I Walk the Line’ come drifting out of the open windows accompanied by the equally unmistakable sound of ukuleles en masse.
Intrigued, you climb the stairs and are astonished to see well in excess of 100 people exuberantly strumming away, with a look of glee on their faces.
You have inadvertently stumbled upon an ‘underground’ movement but one that is neither secretive nor exclusive — it’s the monthly get together of the Gisborne Ukulele Underground (GUU) which began in August last year and now calls the Gisborne Bowling Club home.
The inspiration for GUU came after long-time ukulele enthusiasts Keren Rickard and Scott Casley visited the Hawke’s Bay Ukulele Underground at the Cabana Bar in Napier.
“We loved it so much, we sought their blessing to set up an Underground in Gisborne.”
“It’s a mix of strumalongs for everyone to take part in, led by experienced players, and performances by a range of individuals and groups.”
Ukes on UtesThe couple also formed the popular Ukes on Utes group in the early 2000s, original members of which included GUU co-founders and organisers Mike Eriksen and Sheridan Gundry.
To progress the Underground idea, the foursome successfully sought a Creative Communities NZ grant to run ukulele workshops with Taranaki Tony Hansen and set up the monthly gathering.
Keren, who began playing the instrument at the age of eight, carried on teaching ukulele to beginners after Tony’s original workshops. She says everyone has a ball at the Underground.
“There’s such a good vibe. We provide an opportunity for people to get up and give performing a go in a supportive, encouraging environment with an incredibly enthusiastic audience.
“If you want to perform, you just put your name up on the board but if you would rather not, there’s absolutely no pressure.”
Renowned sound mixer Russell Braithwaite, who is responsible for the sound each month, says he’s never experienced such a polite, respectful audience as the Underground’s. People listen and participate instead of talking the whole way through.
“The atmosphere is non-confronting and members can just strum along or do a ‘Z’ cord (muting the strings) if they can’t play,” Keren says.
StrumalongsThe evening starts with a couple of strumalongs, which people follow from the words and chords projected on a screen, followed by a couple of performances, then a few more strumalongs and so on.
The songs are a mixture of newies and oldies covering all musical genres; the age group, late teens onwards.
“There’s a good mix of absolute beginners, groups who are quite good, polished performers and those who just come along to watch and listen.
“People come from as far away as Tokomaru Bay and Wairoa and from all walks of life.
“We have a fabulous young group of guys from the Cook Islands, called The Island Boys, one of whom plays a ukulele made from a coconut shell with fishing line strings. Their instruments sound quite different from regular ukuleles, and they’re masters at the Island strum.
“Then there’s the all-girl Strumpettes, who dress in dramatic outfits and put on quite a visual show-biz act. They are real crowd-pleasers.
“Ukuleles range from soprano, concert and tenor to baritone, bass and even electric. They all have different qualities.”
Mike Eriksen says the attraction of the ukulele is that it’s accessible, versatile and easier and faster to master than a guitar.
“After a two-hour ukulele workshop, you will have mastered several chords and be able to play numerous songs. Before long, you will be able to play hundreds.”
Bar does good businessThe GUU evenings are popular with the bowling club too whose members are always keen to operate the bar.
Good teamwork is the key to its success, the organisers say. They all have their own strengths. Keren looks after the music side of things; Mike is the lighting and general factotum; Scott is an excellent MC and sets up the strumalongs on the computer; and Sheridan is a great organiser. Several uke players and groupies help on the night.
Sheridan and Mike have successfully recruited many new members, some of whom they discovered playing ukuleles on the town beach.
They are thankful to Andrew Kirk of The Music Room who sponsors spot prizes and a free ukulele every month.
Looking ahead, The Nukes from West Auckland will perform at the July GUU, conduct workshops and hold a public concert — again thanks to a Creative Communities grant.
Sheridan is keen to stage possibly a North Island ukulele festival in Gisborne.
“It would be a great way to attract people to Gisborne and enlarge our ukulele community.
“The benefits of making music are huge. It’s great therapy and it’s such a buzz seeing everyone having fun.”
Mike says learning a musical instrument and playing along with others is a great confidence builder, the ideal way to overcome fear of performing in public.
“The Underground is a good excuse to dust off the old uke, get some free tuition, meet others, get up and perform or just sit back and enjoy it.”
New member Jo Tietjen is full of enthusiasm for GUU.
“You can sing your heart out and enjoy yourself without being judged. It’s fun mixing with like-minded people who enjoy the art of making music. There’s a great mix of age groups from teenagers to grandparents, all there to enjoy the company and the love of music.”
The history of the ukulele is an interesting oneThe name ‘ukulele’ is the traditional Hawaiian name that was given to a small stringed instrument called the machete (machete de braga), which was originally developed in the Madeira Islands of Portugal.
Mike says the instrument was introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants, many from Madeira and the Azores, who went to work on the sugar cane plantations.
The Hawaiians then adopted it as their own because it was such a versatile and portable instrument to cart around. In the 19th century, King Kalakaua incorporated the ukulele into performances at royal gatherings.
The ukulele is on its third renaissance, the first being in the music halls of the late 1800s; the second being the 1920 and 30s big band era; and the most recent being the huge popularity of such groups as the eight-member Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and New Zealand’s own Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra. Bret McKenzie of the Conchords also plays the ukulele.
“These groups have taken the instrument to another level of virtuosity,” says Keren.
But the ukulele has always been popular on the East Coast, she says
“There’s never really been a time the ukulele has not been played here. Our community has been in touch with the ukulele for many generations.”