SD Ukulele Festival Star Derick Sebastian

While hanging out in the sun at the SD Ukulele Festival my wife grabbed my arm and said, "Did you hear Derick Sebastian play? You should get him on the chalkboard ukulele!" Never one to miss an opportunity, I waited patiently in line with his other fans and asked him to draw a little something on the uke. He was laughing the whole time he drew his big-eared creature. It seems that his family says he has no artistic talent! I think he did a great job. He also did a great job at the ukulele festival. He shared the stage with Jake Shimabukuro, did a set of his own, and taught a couple of workshops. A week later he was in Arizona playing the national anthem at a Diamondback's game. Derick is one busy guy. You can keep up with him over at his site http://www.dericksebastian.com/ Enjoy!

San Diego Ukulele Festival

Dateline San Diego - I spent a wonderful day at the San Diego Ukulele Festival. I got things started by checking in with festival organizer Jan Hatch. She was kind enough to use the chalkboard ukulele to help promote the event. With an all star line up that include headliners Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill, as well as Ukulele Bartt, Derick Sebastian, Fred Thompson and the Ukulele Orchestra of Southern California, Uncle Dave, James D'Ville, Sarah Maisel, Ukulele Ray, Ronnie Seno, Brad Norris, Erich Blase and Bassman Mike, the Kalama Brothers and Mitch Chang there was a great assortment of music to listen to. There were also quit a few ukulele vendors there as well. Whether one was an experienced ukulele veteran or a first time strummer there was a ukulele wait for you to play. I avoided UAS, ukulele acquisition syndrome, and left with a DVD of The Mighty Uke and a Rhythm Ring for my strumming hand. Liberty Station (the former Naval Training Center) was a great venue for the event. The large grassy mall and the sea breeze made for a wonderful time. Although I couldn't spend as much time at the festival as I would have liked, I did manage to get a few guest artists to pose with the chalkboard ukulele. I'll be posting more updates as I have time to write them. Stay tuned, I think you will enjoy what's coming up. In the mean time, check out the San Diego Ukulele website to see what you missed. And, bookmark their site so that you will be ready for the 2012 festival. http://www.sandiegoukefestival.com/