A GREAT LEI Elvis ukes it up in 1961’s Blue Hawaii

The Uke’s on Them

How the wee stringed instrument is moving beyond its kitschy past

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: PARAMOUNT PIC TURES GE T T Y IMAGES; BRIAN HINELINE RE TNA; HULTON ARCHIVE GE T T Y IMAGES; JASON MERRIT T WIREIMAGE; SOPHIA JONES RE TNA; GAR Y GERSHOFF RE TNA; JIM DYSON GE T T Y IMAGES

Long associated with the oddball ministrations of Tiny Tim (and more recently, American Idol birdbrain Jason Castro), the ukulele appears to be enjoying a hip renaissance. At the CMJ festival last year, Dent May, a Mississippian in gold-rimmed glasses and Cosby sweaters, won over a jaded audience with uke-kissed ’70s-style pop; Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer’s novelty Radiohead covers are burning up You Tube; British twee-poppers Noah and the Whale scored a Saturn commercial with their sunny uke jam “Five Years Time”; and the debut album from Fab Moretti’s Little Joy prominently features the Hawaiian music staple. Former Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes did them all one better, however, releasing an album of Beatles covers performed on multitracked ukes.

Why ukes? Why now? “It’s probably a symptom of the newish generation branching out for the most possible sounds to make a song,” says Zach Condon of the uke-friendly Beirut. Says May, who this month releases The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magni cent Ukulele, “It’s just more of a democratic instrument. I have a nice ukulele, and it was, like, $200.” He’s even planning to strum it on an album of dance music. So will techno-uke be the electroclash of 2010? “I certainly wouldn’t want to pioneer that genre,” May says, “but I think it would be cool.” ELLEN CARPENTER

LISTENING IN
Kevin Connolly, music video director, costar of He’s Just Not That Into You
and, of course, Entourage’s “E,” on the soundtrack to his life

What band are you embarrassed to admit that you used to like? I was into Skid Row for a minute. I was mostly a fan of hip-hop, but everybody else started listening to it and I was trying to be cool. Luckily, I was acting at that point, so I couldn’t have the hair. That would not have gone over too well with my agent. Is there an artist you would take credit for turning friends on to? I feel like I brought A Tribe Called Quest with me when I moved to L. A. in 1992. I introduced my friends out there to The Low End Theory, and they turned me on to Dr. Dre and The Chronic. Name the last song you downloaded illegally. Here’s the thing: There’s no way I’d download a song I can buy for 99 cents. But what I would do is illegally download a mix. Anything that G Unit or 50 Cent does—when they start remixing,

forget about it. Who comes after Radiohead on your iPod? Rilo Kiley. Blake Sennett is an old buddy of mine. When you watch an actor get a good job, it’s di erent from watching a friend who worked hard

make it in the music business. One minute it was like, “Oh, they’re starting
a band,” and now they’re selling out the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
What’s your favorite film soundtrack? I was a wrestler in high
school, so I still pop the Vision Quest soundtrack into my car stereo
and get nostalgic. Can you remember who you were listening
to the first time you smoked pot? I’m guessing it was the Steve
Miller Band. One summer, early on in high school, I was at their
concert in Jones Beach [Long Island] with some friends. That sounds
about right. What song was playing during your first

slow dance? I have no idea, but Def Leppard’s “Love
Bites” was playing while my friend was dancing with
the girl I liked. I was at a dance in ninth grade, and
it came on, and I went looking for her so I could
ask her to dance, and she was making out with
him. I was heartbroken. Do you ever
pretend to like a band you’re just not
that into? Yes: Radiohead. I’ll talk about how
great they are just ’cause I don’t want to
argue with anybody, but there are a lot of
other bands I’d rather listen to.

SEE THE AR TIST OF THE DAY AT SPIN.COM FEBRUARY 2009 29