PINHOOK WRAP-UP

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Pinhook on Friday May 15th!

The performances were A. MAZE. ING. Everything but the kitchen sink was broughtn', ukulele style. Some beautiful original pieces, as well as some dynamite covers. (My personal favorite was a mezmerizing ukulele rendition of Springsteen's "Im On Fire" with claves, a thumb piano, and a silver sparkle minimalist drum kit. I wish it was my job to listen to that over and over...) We definitely got some new ukulele converts, musicians and listeners alike.

The audience was just as amazing. An incredibly warm, energetic, and generous crowd from all walks of life, bringing the respect, the rowdy, and the love in equal measure. Not only did they keep the energy high for the entire 3+ hours of music. They also helped us raise $800 to help keep Ukuleles for Peace moving forward with it's own community music projects.

There will be pictures posted shortly, and videos of the event will not be far behind. So keep your eyes and ears peeled!

A very special thanks needs to be extended to High Strung Violins and Guitars (AND UKULELES) of Durham. So much of this would not have happened without their generous $100-per-act donation to help our musicians purchase their ukuleles for this show. And their donation didn't come from their advertising budget (they'd like to have one of those someday...). It came from their heart, and their commitment to their community at large, and their belief in the sublime connection that we can all share through music. It's EXACTLY the kind of business that we all want to succeed. So please come by and visit when you're in Durham, at their storefront at 1116 Broad Street. Or visit them on the web at HIGHSTRUNGDURHAM.COM.

I would also like to thank the editorial staff of The Independent, whose generous coverage leading up to the show brought people from all over the Triangle to the Ukulele Challenge.

A BIG THANKS to the Pinhook for being the foxy people that they are, for giving us the chance to turn their stage into a ukulele lab, and for their infectious enthusiasm for simply bringing people together to create and share.

On to the next challenge. Details will be posted soon...