BLISS BLOOD

Hailing from New York City the Moonlighters harken back to the days when a band didn’t need a drummer to rock.  The Moonlighters have been part of the New York jazz & pop music scene since 1998, with a mix of 20’s Pop & Hawaiian Swing with a touch of jazz and western swing. Fronted by the accomplished Bliss Blood the Moonlighters have five CD releases on their Onliest Record Label. Besides being well know in their New York haunts the band has toured repeatedly in Germany.  The band consists of a bassist, a steel guitar player, a baritone ukulele player and Bliss Blood who plays her bright red soprano Pohaku ukulele. This instrument was made especially for Bliss to compliment her striking stage presence and rhythmic playing style. The Moonlighters are signed onto the World Sound label.  www.blissblood.com

CRAIG ROBERTSON

Craig of Boston, Massachusetts has been in the music business ever since he was a young rebellious lad during the French & Bulgarian revolutions. As a teen he performed courtly music in the Palace of Ruddivel the 4th before being forced to flee the country to the American Colonies where his musical career got put on hold for a spell.  During this time Mr. Robertson made a name for himself as one of the finest Haberdashers in the world.  Unbeknownst to him, in the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean forces were aligning on the tiny island kingdom of Hawaii letting the ukulele to come into being. Little did he know that this small yet mighty instrument would change his life forever. www.robertsonstudio.com

KITTEN ON THE KEYS

 Kitten is one of those performers that help make San Francisco, San Francisco. I know Kitten to be dangerously honest, she’s rumored to be deviant in her activities and listening to her music reaffirms that she is sweet in her insanity.  Her skills as a pianist, ukulele player and accordionist allow her to focus on the theatrical aspect of her performances, and theatrical she is, think Betty Boop on a rant, throw in a touch of insanity, a spot of burlesque a little more than a pinch of shameless genius and you have Kitten on the Keys.  Kitten needed a killer ukulele and I was delighted to be able to make one for her. Meow, meow. www.suzanneramsey.net

TIPPY

Concert size ukulele built for local San Francisco ukulele songstress Tippy Canoe, a prolific performer, one of our major pivotal point persons for the local San Francisco ukulele scene and the leader of her band ‘Tippy Canoe & the Paddlemen’. Tippy studied art in college and is fond of the Bauhaus movement of art which inspired the custom silk-screened graphics on her custom Pohaku Ukulele. If you’re out of our area and can’t enjoy the Paddlemen firsthand you can enjoy their self released album Parasols & Pekingese.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjYTO-iTqec

MAD TEA PARTY 

Ami Worthen said that her dream instrument would have flames on it. She gave me a picture of a 50’s Hot Rod that had flames on it and said “I want my ukulele to look like this”. How’d we do? Out of Asheville, North Carolina Ami Worthen & Jason Krekel make up the duo of the Mad Tea Party now signed onto the Nine Mile Record label. They bill their music as Ukeabilly, I call it rocking. Jason plays the electric guitar and foot drums while sometimes busting out the fiddle. Ami is on the ukulele and most of the lead vocals. Sometimes I too am surprised that her high-energy playing doesn’t cause her ukulele to self ignite. This is why I built her soprano ukulele and coated it with a special fire retardant. Hot! www.themadteaparty.bandcamp.com

SWEET SOUBRETTE

Brooklyn’s Sweet Soubrette is a ukulele-powered indie rock band with dark, poetic lyrics, songs that tell stories, and lush instrumentation. Sweet Soubrette’s edgy love songs explore troubled romance, works of literature, and the mysteries of existence.  Sweet Soubrette plays frequently in NYC, and internationally, ranging from a solo singer/songwriter act to an acoustic trio to an 8-piece band with bass, drums, and a horn section.  She has released multiple albums with sensational reviews. www.sweetsoubrette.com