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The MCUF Is Now a Destination Ukulele Festival Coming to Bon Aqua, Tennessee in 2025
by Rich and Laura Lynch
The second annual Music City Uke Fest is set to launch at a new and historic venue located just forty miles west of Nashville making this year's incarnation a truly much-anticapted destination event. We took a few minutes with MCUF founder and organizer Melanie Ching, aka "UkuMele" to discuss the continuing allure of the ukulele and what to expect at the 2025 edition of the MCUF.
MCN: So, this is not your first rodeo so to speak. You arranged two previous similar undertakings in Franklin, Tennessee. But, this time around you have chosen the slightly more remote location of Bon Aqua - held on the site of the former farmland home of Johnny Cash - to host your event. In what ways do you expect that this change in venue will impact the festival?
UkuMele: You're right, this is my third "rodeo" with ukulele events and putting together Music City Uke Fest (MCUF) 2025. I chose The Hideaway Farm as the venue to make it a "Destination Ukulele Festival" you won't want to miss! Festival-goers will have a real treat seeing Johnny Cash's former farm, including the Farmhouse with his bedroom still set up the way it was & tons of Cash memorabilia, the Barn where he used to unwind & play music with his friends, and the Garage where he kept his One-Piece-at-a-Time-Car (a Chevy built with different car year parts as noted in the famous notorious song about the car). I'm hoping this is a draw for anyone considering coming to MCUF 2025, even though it is a bit south of Nashville.
MCN: What is some of the feedback you received from last year's attendees regarding the direction that the MCUF is heading in?
UkuMele: We received wonderful feedback from last year's attendees regarding MCUF. I received an email today from a former attendee who got back from another festival. He wrote: "Nice event. Comparatively, you must know that without a doubt your MCUF 2024 was a grand slam out of the park! Seriously!" Our Feedback Survey was filled with compliments and also a few good suggestions for future festivals. Attendees were looking forward to MCUF 2025, however, some are unable to attend because it happens to fall on Easter weekend and they were very disappointed. I had secured the venue and artists before I realized that the date of the festival was just before Easter Sunday. Because of this, we are offering several options to attend MCUF 2025: Full Festival Passes, a One-day Pass, or Concert only tickets.
MCN: Anything new planned for the 2025 incarnation of the MCUF?
UkuMele: For MCUF 2025, we are bringing in Hawaii Master Ukulele artists: Herb Ohta Jr. & Bryan Tolentino. They have won awards, have toured widely, and are professionals! We are so excited to bring the Hawaiian culture to middle Tennessee with local-style kanikapila jam sessions and workshops featuring Hawaiian music techniques. We also have the "swoon-worthy harmonies" of The Birdwatchers in the lineup and they are bringing their percussionist with them to add a new flair to their music. Sam "Hillbilly Uke" Anderson will be performing and leading open mic sessions. We'll also have a female group with wonderful harmonies, The Cheeky Tiki Trio performing and leading jam sessions. A new feature for MCUF 2025 is our Silent Auction with amazing items up for bid! These include beautiful ukuleles from KoAloha and Kala, our sponsors. We also continue to support Maui Food Bank as our chosen charity to give back to the Hawaii community. All of the details and info for MCUF 2025 can be found on our website: MusicCityUkeFest.net
MCN: In the rock and pop worlds there are certain records - "Thriller" by Michael Jackson and "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd come to mind - that really were game changers in their time in terms of cultural and economic impact. Is there one Ukulele based album in recent memory that you can point to as being noticeably transformative or important in the genre?
UkuMele: The ukulele-based album that has been enormously transformative and important in this genre is Brother Iz's album, "Facing Future", released in 1993 with the iconic song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World". It is the best-selling album of all time by a Hawaiian artist, reached Platinum status in 2005, and sold more than one million copies. The amazing song medley has been licensed for movies, TV shows, & commercials both nationally and internationally and has been used by many for weddings, memorial services, and parties worldwide.
MCN: You are certainly an authentic figure and the right person to put on an event of this caliber and magnitude in the Nashville area. What have your learned about yourself in the process of putting the MCUF together?
UkuMele: My "mission" with planning and organizing MCUF has and always will be to "Spread Aloha with the Ukulele" and bring the ukulele community together with a quality event. My goal is to bring more of the Hawaiian culture to future festivals as I'm realizing that this is a unique part of who I am, being a transplant from Hawaii now for almost 14 years. I'm growing as an event organizer & promoter and learning to delegate more to my Core Team, who are amazing! It does take a village and I'm so grateful to my wonderful group of ukulele friends that help plan and run MCUF with me!
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
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