Nationally, Rev is a presence on thegrowing circuit of ukulele clubs and festivals after authoring threeinstruction books and a DVD on the instrument for music publishing giant HalLeonard.
“People are getting tired of playingNintendo and going to movies,” he says. “They want to find ways of entertainingthemselves. The ukulele is exploding!”
Rev organized the Milwaukee UkuleleFestival, an all-day event this Saturday at The Coffee House in Milwaukee’s Downtown.
“My great strength is being extremelydiversified,” Rev says, explaining his ability to make ends meet in music. Heloves performing Americanaof all sorts and his interest in keeping old-time music alive led him to theukulele in the first place. He conceived a presentation-performance on theJewish influence on American music, which he’s taken on tour through templesand Jewish community centers across the United States. And whether playingmandolin, harmonica or ukulele, Rev’s pre-World War II repertoire has beenwelcome at senior centers and children’s programs alike.
“No matter how hard you try to paint adark picture with it, the ukulele is imbued with humor and novelty,” Rev says,explaining the instrument’s emotional resonance. “There are YouTube videos ofheavy metal performed on ukulele, and it’s fun to see. I like playing ‘Blisterin the Sun’ on ukulele. It’s fun to apply ukulele to other kinds of music.”
At the monthly sessions of the MilwaukeeUkulele Club, usually held Sunday afternoons at Bay View’s Anodyne coffee shop,20 to 30 club members gather in front of an audience to perform the songs theyknow and work out new ones. The repertoire is wide, from calypso (“tropicalsongs go really well on ukulele,” Rev says), to Tin Pan Alley, folk andbluegrass, Hank Williams, even rockabilly.
Milwaukee’slong-standing venue for acoustic music, The Coffee House (631 N. 19th St.), is the host for theMilwaukee Ukulele Festival. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Sept. 26 withworkshops on playing the instrument. Ukulele makers, including Wisconsin’s Todd Korupand Kyle"Zeke"Boguszewski, will be on hand. An open mike in the afternoon will be followed bya 7 p.m. concert featuring an eclectic array of talent from across America. Ontap: Wisconsin expatriate Victoria Vox, performing French songs and rockoriginals; ragtime and 1920s music by The Fabulous Heftones; the BoulderAcoustic Society’s “ukubilly” sound; Gerald Ross playing swing and rock; andLil’ Rev and Frogwater focusing on Celtic blues. The event’s MC, Jumpin’ JimBeloff, is a pivotal figure in the ukulele revival.
“One thing we all agree on,” Rev says,“is that the ukulele is a happy instrument that projects a lot of joy.”
