The Bigfoot & tiki show, was on ukulelehunt’s Friday links. If you haven’t checked it out yet, and are partial to bigfoots, ukuleles or tikis, then do. It’s a comic strip with a bigfoot. Also, if you sign up to the newsletter by the end of August, you could win a Lanikai banjolele.
Image – www.bigfootandtiki.com
I recently caught up with all girl ukulele trio, the Strumpettes, in the East London pub the Nelson’s Head.
The Strumpettes are a ukulele close harmony trio who, if legend is to be believed, formed in the 1920s and through some kind of miracle, have never aged a day. That’s one version of events but alternatively, they might have just met at university and decided to form a swing inspired ukulele band at the end of 2009. But that would just seem a little far fetched.
The Strumpettes Photograph by: Sophie Allen
The Band includes, Kitty Kowalski, a Polish Aristocrat who fled native land in a vodka barrel, and ended up singing in New Orleans’ dive bars until she was saved by the Strumpettes. She also has quite a talent for poker, so best not play for money against her.
Kitty Kowalski – Photograph by: Sophie Allen
Velma Valentine grew up busking and picking pockets on the streets of Brookyln. She rose up the cabaret scene in New York, before moving to London to become a Strumpette. Oh, and if you have any nice diamonds you might want to keep, best not wear them around her – she’s known for her love of diamonds.
Velma Valentine – Photograph: Sophie Allen
Also, of late there’s been some changes to the Strumpettes, as Bettina Winters has fled the coup. So what does it take to be a Strumpette? According to Velma and Kitty, “she needed to look hot in a 1940s dress and act like an American tart as well as being amazing at singing and playing the ukulele, of course.”
Auditions were held, lots of men disturbingly applied, but in the end they spotted their new member, Scarlett Munroe, singing a sick dolphin back to sleep in a New York zoo. The unwanted love child of Marilyn Monroe and Roger Rouge, a Russian Contortionist, she was sent to a school for performing monkeys and mammal, hence the dolphin thing. I think the life of a Strumpette is probably more appealing than singing to unappreciative dolphins all day long.
Scarlett Munroe – Photograph: Sophie Allen
Despite being formed in the 1920s, a big influence on the band are the Andrew’s Sisters. According to Velma Valentine, “the Andrew’s Sisters are kind of what triggered the whole thing. Also, Hollywood – old movies were a big influence, especially Marilyn Monroe in the film, Some Like it Hot, where she’s playing the ukulele.”
Their early demos were recorded underneath the Rio, a deco period cinema in Dalston, London, and they have plans to record an album in a few months time. Despite playing live for less than a year, they’ve already played Glastonbury. “It was amazing, we played three times. The first night was our largest crowd we’ve ever played too, about a thousand people. Ironically, the last night, was when we probably played the best set we’ve ever done.”
The Strupettes play the Thames Festival, September 11th and 12th, and also ukuelele cabaret with Tricity Vogue, 21st september 2010. You can see all future gigs on their website, www.thestrumpettes.com, and also, on myspace.
All photographs © Sophie Allen
For a long time, when I though of Betty Boop, the song Doop, by Doop, a nineties dance monstrosity, would automatically come in to my mind. I’m still not sure why. These ukuleles date from the 1930s, had a limited run and were then pulled. I’m led to believe they’re now quite sought after.
The Wainwrights are turning into the music equivalent of the Kennedy’s – a kind of music royal family. It’s like they don’t have blood in their veins they just have music. They don’t talk to each other the phone they sing and if they ever order pizza on the phone it’s in harmony. I particularly love Loudon though. He seems to embody the spirit of songwriting and is also a very charismatic and funny man, which helps. Here he is with an out of tune ukulele promoting his ukulele heavy new album, 10 songs for the new depression:
Arms, is a one man band from ex-Harlem Shakes guitarist, Todd Goldstein. This song’s been round a while, but I’m slow. It’s got some nice ukulele in it and the video has some kind of bigfoot creature, which is a bonus. I might do the chords for this when I’ve got time.
