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The Ukulele Podcast — Music
The Ukulele Podcast

Welcome to The Ukulele Podcast.

Whether you want to hear how James Hill put together his famous arrangement of Billie Jean, or how Jake Shimabukuro played the ukulele for the Queen, it’s all in this podcast.

Join me, John Atkins, for long-form uke-centric chats with everyone from Cynthia Lin, Bernadette Teaches Music and Victoria Vox, to Nick Cope, Bakithi Kumalo and Will Grove-White.

There’s also stories recorded on-the-go such as my behind-the-scenes account of a local ukulele festival in England, and audio diary of my trip to the NaMM music convention in Los Angeles.

Plus listener contributions about your favourite ukuleles and what they mean to you.

The Ukulele Podcast is sponsored by Kala Brand Music.

Sign up to my Patreon page for bonus content, early access and behind the scenes gossip!

Want to be on the show? Have a suggestion for someone you’d like to hear me chat with? Drop me an email to uketeacher1@gmail.com and let’s chat!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © John Atkins

Latest Episodes:

Kevin Presbrey May 30, 2023

Show notes

This week I'm speaking to the brains behind the excellent All For Uke website/YouTube channel: Kevin Presbrey.

Kevin has been a recording artist - both as part of a band, and solo - since the early 2000s, and his music has appeared in hit TV shows on MTV, VH1 and more. He's also shared a stage with the Doobie Brothers and members of the band Train, as well as writing some terrific songs in the course of his long and illustrious career.

In this interview we talk about how a tongue-in-cheek video he posted called "The Prettiest Ukulele Song In The World" led to him becoming a full-time YouTube teacher. We also talk about how fatherhood has changed our perspective on work and music.

If you have any thoughts, comments or guest suggestions for the show please send me a message to UkeTeacher@GrabYourUke.com

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

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LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Kevin Presbrey:

Official Website: https://www.kevinpresbrey.com/

All For Uke Website: https://www.allforuke.com/

Ukulele Tales:

Website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Reburn May 23, 2023

Show notes

You may have seen Anne Reburn and her clones in some terrific YouTube cover videos on her channel (Mr. Sandman, with over 9 MILLION views is perhaps the most famous one!), but she also writes and records her own music, produces and directs her own videos, and has done voiceover work for a Netflix animated series.

She was also one of the first musicians that I met when I was living in the U.S.A. and the one of the first people to collab with me., so it was great to catch up with her when I was back in L.A. last month for NaMM.

If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions for the show please send me a message to UkeTeacher@GrabYourUke.com

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Anne Reburn:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnneReburn

Official Website: https://www.annereburn.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearanneroar/

Ukulele Tales:

New website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phil Doleman May 16, 2023

Show notes

This week journeyman musician Phil Doleman stopped by on the way to a folk music festival for lunch and a chat!

We talk about:

Being a ukulele YouTube OG
Playing on Top of the Pops
Performing at Downton Abbey
Why he's "not an Ed Sheeran guy"
Why he took his music down from Spotify
The importance of keeping old music alive
His comedy double-act The Re-Entrants
Getting over stage fright

And lots, lots more. Give this one a listen, as Phil is a really knowledgeable guy with bags of personality!

Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Phil Doleman:

Official website: https://www.phildoleman.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PhilDoleman

BandCamp: https://phildoleman.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdoleman/

Ukulele Tales:

New website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ron Telpner May 09, 2023

Show notes

In 2016 Ron Telpner received a cancer diagnosis and was told he had just months to live. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to learn how to play the ukulele, posting a new song to Instagram every single day to chart his progress. Now seven years later, Ron is alive and kicking, and he credits the uke with helping him outlive his diagnosis.

This is a must-listen episode, as Ron is full of positivity and has an incredible story to tell which I feel honoured to share with you.

We talk about:

His diagnosis
His pre-cancer career working in marketing for several multi million dollar companies
Learning the ukulele to fight cancer
His unique dress sense
His positivity
Performing at NaMM and nearly getting the entire Kala booth closed down!
Ukes Not Nukes - his annual virtual flashmob for peace
The naked ukulele player!
And lots, lots more

Ron is an absolutely terrific guy, and I think you're going to love getting to know him just as much as I did.

If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions for the show please send me a message to UkeTeacher@GrabYourUke.com

---

Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

New website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Ron Telpner:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rontelpner/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daudia - The REAL Interview! May 03, 2023

Show notes

This week I'm chatting with Davide and Claudia - collectively known as Italian musical duo "Daudia", who I met up with at NaMM 2023.

We talk about:

What’s the ukulele scene like in Italy?
Appearing on the X Factor
What’s Simon Cowell really like?
Why didn’t they stay in England after X factor?
Did social media make them or break them?
How success on YouTube brought them fame around the world, including Kenya and Argentina and South Africa
How did Covid affect their growth?
Which do they prefer - performing live or making YouTube videos?
Their new album coming out

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

New website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Daudia:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@daudiaofficial

Official Website: https://www.daudiaofficial.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daudiaofficial/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plastic Jeezus Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

This week I'm chatting with Simon and Aaron - collectively known as musical comedy duo "Plastic Jeezus". There's lots to talk about, including how they got their start, their musical backgrounds, their award-winning shows and their attention-grabbing performances at ukulele festivals up and down the land.

But it turns out that Simon and I were actually in the same class at school together and haven't seen each other for over 20 years so there's also a fair amount of chat about GCSE music lessons, underage drinking, and the famous Bournemouth music venue, Mr. Smith's!

If you haven't heard of Plastic Jeezus before, do yourself a favour and check them out - they're hilarious, and they're going to be huge. The video E for Effort, which we discuss briefly in the interview, is a great place to start.

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

New website: http://www.UkuleleTales.com

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Plastic Jeezus:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlasticJeezus

Official Website: https://www.plasticjeezus.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Plastic_Jeezus/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My NAMM 2023 diary! Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

This week I went to the 2023 NAMM music convention in Anaheim, California. Although I collected lots of interviews while I was there, this episode is my audio diary of exactly what I got up to while I was away!

The people I met, the places I went to, and all the things I did and saw are all covered in this audio diary adventure of my brief trip to L.A.

---

Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Magnus Sjöquist - Swedish U-Bass Supremo! Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

I met Magnus Sjöquist - Swedish U-Bass Supremo, and fello Kala Brand Artist - at NAMM last year. We didn't get to chat for long but among the topics that did come up were his 15-piece Steely Dan tribute band(!), his thoughts on using the bass as a lead instrument, and duetting the U-Bass with a bassoon back in his native Sweden.

Magnus also talks about how he decided to take up the U-Bass... after reading a review of it in a magazine!

There's also some fall-out from last week's episode that I need to address directly at the start of the show.

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Magnus:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playubass/

Official Website: https://playubass.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bassMAGics

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aryy Apr 04, 2023
Show notes

Today I'm speaking to Aryy - the girl who made headlines around the world last September when she led a ukulele singalong at 30,000 feet for Southwest Airlines!
Unfortunately, this interview took place before that happened, so we don't talk about it at all But we do talk about her awesome music, being a proud representative of the LGBT community, growing up on YouTube (believe it or not, she's been on it even longer than I have!), being a multi-instrumentalist, and her terrific new single, Villain Arc.

Aryy is a great musician and was a lot of fun to chat with, so be sure to subscribe to Ukulele Tales now - available in all the usual podcasty places - so you don't miss it!

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:
Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher
Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher
Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Aryy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aryyzona/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aryyzona
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aryy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants) Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

Grammy award-winning musician, Danny Weinkauf, has composed music for television, film, children, and - for the last 20+ years - has been the bass player for They Might Be Giants. Not only that, but on their 2002 kids album No he became the first person to write and sing a song on a TMBG record that didn't have the name John.

I caught up with him about a week into the current TMBG world tour, and we spoke about everything from how he started out as a musician, playing and performing with They Might Be Giants, wedding bands, the music of The Simpsons, his solo children's music projects, songwriting on the ukulele, and helping to produce his son's first record. We also learn the secret of the red pants, and find out exactly where they do make balloons!

They Might Be Giants have been one of my all-time favourite bands ever since I was a child, so this was a real thrill for me, and Danny didn't disappoint. If you want to hear more from him I really recommend you check out his latest solo album, Light Up Your Love, released at the beginning of this year, and available now on all streaming services.

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Ukulele Tales is sponsored by Kala Brand Music! For a 10% discount on anything on the Kala website, just click on my special link!

If you want to support the podcast, please share it with your ukulele friends and communities. You can also help fund it by signing up to my Patreon where you'll get additional content, occasional bonus mini episodes and the chance to ask questions to future guests.

---

LINKS:

Kala Brand Music: https://kalabrand.com/uketeacher for a 10% discount on any Kala products.

Ukulele Tales:

Patreon: https://www.Patreon.com/UkeTeacher

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/UkeTeacher

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/UkuleleTales

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTeacher

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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