Bay Area native...Have lived and worked in SF for about 10 years now. I work as a product manager for a videogame publisher ("videogame pimp")... I love stringed instruments and my apartment looks like a pawn shop (guitars, ukuleles, mandolin, lap streel, etc)... I still play guitar/sing in a band with my high school chums - no aspirations of 'stardom' but we still get out and make some racket from time to time...Check out THE DOORMATS MySpace page for info on that lunacy... Meanwhile our 'uke side project' (The Tatamimats) just did an encore performance of DARK SIDE OF THE UKE on Fri July 6th @ The Knockout in SF... We also won a Best of the Bay Award! So glad people loved this crazy little idea we conjured up...
BEST PINK UKESThe ukulele has cast its slightly ominous spell over many a non-Hawaiian performer. Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple were accomplished players. Jon Brion has been known to perform a ukulele version of Thin Lizzy's anthemic "The Boys Are Back in Town." And who could forget Tiny Tim? Not us. So it was no surprise that local punk rockers the Doormats came back from a holiday in Hawaii with a burning desire for all things uke. After stumbling on some sheet music, the band found that much of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon sounded absolutely killer when played on the little stringed gizmo. Following in the footsteps of fabulous local tribute act the Ukulele Apocalypse ("Purple Rain: When Ukes Cry" and "Uke-y Stardust"), the freshly remonikered Tatamimats debuted Dark Side of the Uke this year onstage at the Knockout, replete with myriad ukuleles of various size and pitch, a RISA electronic soprano uke (no doubt to amplify the sonic psychedelia), and a drum, bass, and lap-steel rhythm section. The boys really went the distance, even incorporating fog machines and a light show. Uke on, you crazy diamonds.
In case you missed them here are some videos from the Nov 06 show:..
