Local ukulele players hit the right notes

It was at the Montrose Christmas Parade more than a year ago when a group of ukulele players first got together as a band and marched down Honolulu Avenue, but that ended up being their only gig on foot.

“Honestly, marching and playing the ukulele is actually more work than you would think,” said Bambi Leigh Hale, a founding member and director of the Honolulu Avenue Strummers.

Since then, the 12-piece ensemble has performed while seated at several farmers markets and special events in Glendale and neighboring cities.

Hale said the idea to form the band spawned from impromptu jams that were held at a Montrose coffee shop, which later became the Elbow Room.

The size of the live band varies depending on availability of the players, and the tunes are predominantly covers. The size of ukuleles vary as well because there are four sizes. The Strummers’ repertoire includes plenty of old-time hits, but also newer songs from bands like the Lumineers.

Band members are always quick to adapt songs on the small-stringed instrument, Hale said.

“We’re developing anything from the early 1900s to the turn of this most recent century and going into more current hits because our goal is to show how versatile the ukulele is and that it’s not just about Hawaiian music,” she said.

Band member Sue Olson plays the tenor ukulele — one of the larger versions of the four-string instrument — and said one of her favorite songs to play live is “Rattler’s Pup” by the late banjo player Grandpa Jones.

Olson has also written a few original Christmas songs for the group and said she would like to do more original material down the line.

“The ukulele is such a happy instrument,” she said. “It’s easy to learn. It’s easy to bring along. It’s almost like a friend.”

The Strummers have played the Montrose Harvest Festival a few times and another show is planned for later this year. Olson said it’s fun to play live around town because passersby enjoy it just as much as the band members.

“There’s such a camaraderie and joyfulness in the ukulele community itself and much more so in this area… I think when we play that’s really expressed and felt by the community,” she said.