Tag Archives: Mullum Ex-Services Club

Jan 2020 – Back in Mullum

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Thanks to all who came along to the first Mullum Uke Night. Clelia Adams had taken out another award in Tamworth. This time for Best Female Vocalist and we could see why as she was in very fine form. As was Erina Leech with Patty Smith’s ‘Because The Night’ and the challenging ‘Highwoman’. Val Hodgson gave us a Memphis Minnie classic and her new original climate aware Christmas Tune – ‘Santa Santa’. Daughter Rosie and Miss Amber were hitting the very high notes with wonderful renditions of ‘Waterloo’ and ‘Xanadu’. It was nice to be back in the auditorium at the Ex-services. Such a great sounding room.

 See more of Lyn McCarthy’s pics here (Big thanks to Lyn from nichepix)

Big Thanks to the debonaire Mr. Rod Coe on bass and Evan Sun on other stringed things and Ash on the door.

It was great to see some new faces and beginners in the audience. We lost a few in the second set. Scared ’em off again. Next March will be more like a mass lesson. Till then. Happy International Ukulele Day! STU

Feb 2019 – Love & Heartbreak

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What a surprise this UKE NIGHT was. Everyone agreed it was a great selection of songs, although not the easiest to play, many memories were stirred up and there was a great feeling in the room.

The band was relaxed and hardly missed a beat. The Amazing Kate Gittins who played keys, flute, clarinet and accordion was remarkable as was the smiling Jaime Pattugalin with his snappy drumming and the ever solid Rod Coe holding down the bottom end with both electric and acoustic bass.

Miss Amber slayed her tunes and although young Rose (15 YO) had a head cold, she still impressed everyone with her soulful stage presence and confidence.

Erina Leech – Sad Song Erina she calls herself was up next. Erina voice has a unique earthy quality. She touched our hearts when she sang two modern tunes – Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and I Wasn’t Expecting that by Jamie Lawson.

Clelia Adams is always a powerhouse vocalist. Still recovering from brain surgery in the last 12 months it really takes it out of her to perform… and yet perform she does, winning over the crowd with her singing and her funny jokes. We love Clel who has been a regular at Uke Night since year one back in 2011. In fact she will be back next month for Back to Basics with another favourite, Multi Instrumentalist Chris Cook.

Thanks again to all of you who attended the evening, Club Mullum for hosting the event, Luis and Deb for sound, Ash on the door and Samb Brown for the live stream. Check out the night here:

SET ONE | SET TWO

Nov 2018 – Best Of 2018

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This was the final official UKE NIGHT of 2018 and a good chance to choose our favourite songs from the year. Miss Gittins on wind and Roddy Coe on bass were on board along with Evan Sun on other stringed things and we were thrilled to have Jaime Pattagalin back on drums.

The setlist was largely chosen by the Uke Mullum Community and was a very well rounded selection of quality tunes with a varying degree of difficulty. It was a lovely way to wrap up the year.

Photos by Lyn McCarthy available here

The Live Stream of the sets are available here: Check em out: SET 1 |  SET 2


August 2018 – 80’s

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Thanks to everyone whom came to 80’s UKE NIGHT. There were a lot of regulars away, though many new faces and even some welcome little people. It was a great night. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself: SET 1 | SET 2

Feb 2018 – Crooners

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This was one of most enjoyable nights I have ever done… I loved the set and the genre and I loved having Dan Brown on Keys and Kate Gittins on wind instruments and accordion. Kate is the answer to my dreams. I have been searching for a clarinet player for ever and a day. She also plays Sax, flute and she debuted her accordion skills on the night. Everyone loved her and she really enjoyed being in a combo that she can hear herself. To be honest I could play the evenings set for the rest of my life. Really enjoyable music.

Apart from Terry Flatley who did a fine version of Mona Lisa there were no special guests. Although we performed 23 songs and then repeated one at the end we finished the evening at 9 on the dot. Jan won the poster and I’m very happy for her as I know she loved the theme. Commiserations to Jan’s good friend Lizzy who was sitting right next to her and missed out even though she won the 3 free raffle tickets in the Name the Dancers Comp.

Miss Amber sang beautifully. Highlights for me were The Carpenters ‘Close To You’ and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ I love singing ‘Far Away Places’ and ‘I Get Ideas’. The other notable difference out the evening was we set up on the floor and the sound was beautiful thanks to Luis Christia. Everyone in the room could hear themselves and the band blend together. Great work from Jason Caspen and Rod Coe on drums and Bass respectively. Thanks to Ashara on the door and the club for hosting us. Jolly good.

Photos by Lyn McCarthy from Niche Pics

Nov 2017 – PUNK

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This was one the most fun nights I can remember. My theory is that the music you listen to when you are around 13 years old becomes ingrained in your psyche so much that nearly 40 years later you can recall what it felt like when you were their the first time. I had a ball playing these songs. Special guests Vesudha Harte loved singing the Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated and of course fooled everyone that she is French with Ca Plane Pour Mois. Jono Hillman cut the image a dirty punk very well with his renditions of the Saints’ Stranded and Know Your Product and and even went bare top for his Iggy Pop number.

John Campbell from Brisbane dropped in to play Harmonica on ‘Another Girl Another Planet’, Erina Leach sang Patty Smith’s Because The Night and nailed Frenzal Rhomb’s Never Had So Much Fun. Most agree though that Val Hodgson’s Oh Bondage Up Yours was the highlight of the night. For me the the best fun was seeing all the old punks come out of the wood works and… was I surprised to see Monday night regulars Jan and Lizzy in there above and beyond punk outfits. Great work from Sam Sanders on Guitar who only had a few days to get his parts down. Thanks to Al Brooker on bass and Jason Caspen on drums who kept the energy up. Luis on Sound and Ashara on the door. Thanks To Lyn McCarthy from nichpix for these great pics of the night. OI!

Sept 2017 – Ukelectica

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As I mentioned in the weekly mailers and on the night, I had literally run out of ideas for themes this month. There are plenty of themes that I could have chosen, though as these nights have turned into a labour of love, I have learned that I must be inspired to bring any kind of magic. Also I had limited time to produce a book so I went with some songs we have done in the past and improved the charts.

Each night’s set list relies on who I have as special guests… this month as Rod Coe was away I also needed to find a bass player. After producing the poster and the flimsy concept of Ukelectica… my cohort from Byron Reggae / Funk band Ragga Jump, young Max Foggon contacted me about being a performer. He was inspired by the image on the poster of the space girl as he has recently purchased a Vocoder with the view to performing a cover of Daft Punks ‘Something About Us’. Boom! Max became the star of the show as well as the bands bass player. I had also prior to that been contacted by Phil Frea – local freaky fella with a smooth deep voice about doing a few 40/50’s tunes. So Ukelectica it became… a bunch of eclectic songs for the uke – So Eclectic it was Out Of This World! (Yeah Right!)

We began with Iz’s version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ with my newly acquired strum pattern, followed by a stirring version of Cow’s with Gun’s (where were you Coorabell kids!!!) and then Summer Time Blues before Miss Amber came out and lead with a really tough song to sing from Sia, Electric Bird and nailed it. Daughter Rose performed Adele’s ‘Send My Love To Your New Lover’ and then showed off her rapping skills with Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’. That was way fun. We love Britney Spear’s ‘Baby One More Time’. Some of these songs are not great for Uke Players with limited technique I admit. It pays to come on Monday nights to learn some tricks. Phil Frea got up and somewhat tumbled through his tunes… he has had it tough and his mind is very active, though posses a rich and striking voice. Route 66 was a highlight.

The N.R.U.O were back and in really fine form. All the tunes went down well, particularly Patsy’s Gypsy Swing. Pete’s Apache is a favourite and fun to strum and the Duo Harmonies of ‘Hey Sherrif’ always ht the mark as we segue-wayed into the stirring ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.  The Poster also influenced the choice for The Carpenters – Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft. Not an easy tune by any means though it really worked. The band handled the tempo changes with smooth ease. Top work Justin Bannister on Keys, Jason Caspen on Drums and Of course max Foggon on Bass.

I played bass for most of Max’s songs. I now appreciate any bass player who can sing as well… It’s not easy at all. Max Foggon is a quadruple threat… awesome bass player, fantastic uke player, wonderful singer and showman and… he can perform a very tuneful  mouth trumpet. Max lead a very entertaining set with a sweet version of Bill Withers ‘Just The Two Of Us’ and a flawless and atmospheric rendition of Daft Punk’s ‘Something About Us’. Disney’s ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ was a blast, taken home by a reggae version of ‘What A Wonderful World’… then after thank yous we all enjoyed ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ with the whole cast joining in apart from Rosie who had gone home to watch Netflix.

The numbers were down, perhaps because it was in the school holidays though everyone who was in attendance had a wonderful time even though there were more challenges in this months book than usual. Next month I will address that and make the book more playable to make up for it. Thanks to Luis on the sound and Deb on the door as well as the club for having us.

May 2017 Hawaiian Night

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This night was quite a production, augmented with grace and beauty by Hula Tomoka, Yuri and Kanami from the Gold Coast School of Hula Dance. These beautiful Hula Dancers are true joy to behold, breath taking! Aloha Baby – Stu, Paul Agar and Rod Coe provided the bulk of the music including some lush instrumentals. Jason Caspen provided the beat with Miss Amber leading a few tunes as well. The highlight was the Hula dance lesson with a line up of dancers having a great time. Also the best dressed was a lot of fun with the youngest male in the room scooping the Kahuna Massage for dad and Dorothy taking home the ladies prize for her colourful outfit.

Unbelievably, Bede Cooney won the poster… it’s a running gag that Bede wins all the time… he does!  The evening was streamed live on Facebook. Unfortunately there was a little hitch in posting to the Uke Mullum Facebook page, so apologies to those who tuned in. A work around was quickly put in place and the 2nd set was live. Thanks to Samb from Bay Stream who did and amazing job and thanks to those of you who tuned in. Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2

Also big thanks to Luis for sound and lights, he went many extra yards to make the show look great. Big Thanks also for Sista Mary who to care of the door.

It was lovely to see some familiar faces returning to Uke Night and great to see some folk from Yamba, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

April 2017 – Hits Of The 70’s

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One of the best nights we have had in a while, both attendance and the quality of the show. New comer Justin Bannister on Keys was a huge hit. He played most awesome keyboards and even sang ‘Spirit In The Sky’. Monday night crew Erina and Mac did a great job on ‘ Meet Me On The Corner’ guests Ash Bell and Sara Tindley brought down the house as usual. Very fine version of Piano Man in the original key must have special mention.

The coolest moment for me was when Daughter Rose and Sara’s daughter Poppy danced to Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and nailed the movements. Rod Coe on Bass, Jason Caspen on Drums and Evan Landers on guitar and Mando.

Lucky Duck Brad Green again nabbed the poster. There was laughter and smiles and even dancing. The themed nights seem to be more popular and better attended so for now that’s what we’re gonna do. Back to themes every Month.

Thanks to Lyn from Niche Pics for the photos.