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UkeMele Forges a Fun Festival at The Factory in Franklin
by Rich and Laura Lynch
Music City Uke Fest (MCUF) was a multi-day event that took place August 01 through 04, 2024 at The Factory at Franklin in Tennessee. The celebration of the four-string included jams, open-mics, raffles, vendors and workshops for beginners through experts along with plenty of opportunities to network with uke players from near and far.
They set the bar pretty high at the inaugural Music City Uke Fest.
On Both Friday and Saturday nights - the MCUF featured live performances as Lil' Rev, Dani Joy & Perry Stauffer, The Birdwatchers, Ukulele (Greg) Gent, Art Hopkins and The Ukedelics took the stage over the course of the weekend. This educational and entertaining festival concluded on Sunday morning with a Kanikapila-style Open Mic at the Best Western Franklin Inn. MCUF also raised money for the Maui Food Bank throughout the weekend. The Maui Food Bank's mission is to help the hungry in Maui County by collecting and distributing food through community partnerships.
We had the pleasure of attending one of the two MCUF concerts that were held at the Turner Theater. First up on Friday was Nashville's The Ukedelics. Yes, this sizable group may play a few Hawaiian songs but they excel at exploring a wide range of genres on the uke such as blues, country, jazz, rock and pop.
Lil' Rev at the Music City Uke Fest in Frankin.
They kicked off their set with Led Zeppelin. In addition to ukes they incorporated bass, drum and persuasion into their mixes and throughout the night they switched roles. So, each member got several moments in the spotlight as the majority of the band were multi-instrumentalists.
The Ukedelics took us all the way back to the 1920's with an animated "Ain't She Sweet" countered by the disco anthem "I Will Survive". Later we enjoyed their swinging take of Disney's the Jungle Book theme and their originals were also quite witty. The Ukedelics demonstrated that all kinds of music from various eras can be engaging on the four-string.
Perry Stauffer and Dani Joy at the Music City Uke Fest in Frankin.
Next was the dynamic duo of Dani Joy & Perry Stauffer who took turns playing the uke and other stringed instruments. They too presented an impressive set of covers and originals. After working through a few tech issues, they got down to business with a delightful version of Disney's "He's A Tramp" that showcased pretty picking. A bit later they proved that Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" and even a Talking Heads tune works well on the uke. Their own compositions ran the range from humorous to sentimental which ended their set on a winning note.
Last but not least was multi-instrumentalist Lil' Rev. Per his website his musical focus changed in the early 90's when a fan gave him an old beat-up ukulele. As time went by, he became more enamored with the instrument which led to connecting with other players, recording ukulele records and even writing books. Today, Lil' Rev teaches and also performs about 125-150 shows a year, sometimes alone or with his wife Jenna and daughter Mariela.
The Ukedelics at the Music City Uke Fest in Frankin.
Lil' Rev presented a potent set peppered with classics such as Bob Dylan's "Buckets of Rain". Lil' Rev mentioned the Grand Ole Opry a number of times and performed songs made famous on that stage including "Davidson County Blues" (De Ford Bailey) on harmonica. A bit later Marilea joined him to sing two songs that were popular in the 1980's which was a sweet moment in his set. Lastly, the other artists joined Lil' Rev to pay tribute to Johnny Cash with a creative trip to Folsom Prison.
This last selection provided a clue as to where the MCUF is headed for its second annual incarnation festival as it has already been announced to take place at The Storytellers Farm in Bon Aqua next year. This property in Dickson Country is an expansive oasis of wooded acreage and was once the longtime home of the Man in Black. This exciting news found the concert ending with a satisfied and dancing UkuMele doing the hula as a large crowd looked on. As the founder of this unlikely event in Music City - UkuMele - the organizer, guiding force and the master of ceremonies of the fun four-day fest was celebrating the fact that she just might be proving to all of Mid-Tenn that she is on to something really special here after all. Stayed tuned for more news on MCUF 2025.
UkeMele and more scenes from the Music City Uke Fest in Frankin.
Related Links:
For more information on the MUSIC CITY UKE FEST and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -
Music City Uke Fest |
Maui Food Bank |
Lil Rev |
Dani Joy |
The Ukedelics |
Factory at Franklin |
Ukulele Extravaganza Plays For Maui Fire Relief in Franklin
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