All the info about the new album (Tuesday 21st May)…

Join our maillist and be the first to know about it!

http://eepurl.com/uGUOb

I wondered if the group would be okay and if fit, I was not sure at first: it is unusual especially in Spain to see a washboard as a musical instrument.
Many percussion instruments need to be tuned, luckily this is also one of those who do not. But what you do need to play are few thimbles: I use some of steel, but you can get aluminum, plastic even wood also. The beauty of each is the sound that you get: the steel are especially great when you play with other amplified instruments because it gives more sound power besides being the most resistant. The wood and plastic are very interesting to play acoustic and unamplified, because with them what you get is less metallic sound. Nevretheless, they are less resistant than steel or aluminum.
You can actually use as much as you may need, you have 5 fingers on each hand, I use in each hand 3.

I found a washboard very interesting because we played a lot on the street. Besides being easy to carry, I realized that attracted a lot of attention from people, it isn’t very common to see something like that and having the tin plate with corrugations and rubbing thimbles, the sound that it produces is very characteristic and very rhythmic.
Soon after using it, I quickly realized that it could fall into a rut and I decided to put a cowbell and a Chinese box, with this I wanted to find other different textures and sounds to play with. It is the beauty of this device, you can gradually add other things to your liking, if traditional, much better. It is very interesting to get the rhythms played with fingers, arm movements are important, and playing with the scratching, hitting, changes of pace, intensity.

It deteriorates with the pass of time, of course. The undulations of the tin plate are smoothing, blackening, wood also loses its protection, but is hard and it resist because it is prepared enough, especially if you play on the street and you are exposed to different temperatures.

Currently I think it was a good decision on my part, I am very happy because some times I have to make huge efforts to get a good sound or rhythm that is not repetitive, reinvent myself and above all, that this instrument provides the band a unique sound, different, and very personal.

Robert Washboard.

You might also like Cesarov’s Bassuke article.

El pasado 14 de Abril pasamos por el Talavera Spring Festival y lo pasamos genial. Desde aquí nos gustaría agradecer a Sergio y Borja por darnos la oportunidad de tocar, nos ha hecho mucha ilusión haber asistido por primera vez a un festival como músicos, y haber recibido el calificativo de “sorpresa de festival”; y tan buena acogida por el público durante el festival. Os dejamos una crónica del festival en el  blog El Perfil de la Tostada.

Desde nuestros inicios, los concursos han sido la base de nuestra financiación para los proyectos o para nuestra difusión. En 2011-2012 participamos en un montón y llegamos a ganar hasta 5 certámenes: Colmenar Viejo, Radio Utopía, Hoy Empieza todo de RNE3, NoiseOffFestival,y hasta el AVICINE de Ávila como “mejor videoclip”, nos han otorgado premios. A día de hoy seguimos presentándonos a ellos, el blog Nos Gusta Polifonik nos ha dado la posibilidad en 2013 de ser parte de su cartel. Pues bien,seguimos de enhorabuena con nominaciones como finalistas para los concursos de grupos de  los festivales @JamónPop y @Emdivmusic . Muchas gracias a todos ellos por la oportunidad y por valorar nuestro trabajo, intentaremos dar lo mejor en caso de resultar ganadores.

Por último, este viernes volvemos al local de nuestra querida V de Diego, es simpática diseñadora gráfica capaz de pasar de trabajar en una multinacional a montar un estudio que vende diseños en un mercado de Madrid, y publica fanzines autoeditados. Desde aquí agradecer todo el apoyo que siempre nos ha brindado con sus “BOSQUE COBARDE”, o su terraza “live Sant Eugení”. Podéis encontrar más información sobre su trayectoria en esta entrevista del programa Hoy Empieza Todo de RNE3.
Animaos a pasar por el mercado, no vayáis muchos que no cabremos. Os dejamos el cartel del evento y seguiremos dando información de fechas, proyectos y concursos por nuestras redes sociales. Twitter, Facebook, y lista de correo.

@WeyCienfuegos

Last news: Wey Cienfuegos, drummer of Ukulele Clan Band has suffered a luxation in extrange circunstances when he felt down from a coconut tree. Still, the Tour will continue without changes as we decided after some rehearsals. 

We have prepared for next Friday in Pamplona a special  contingency show with a unique set list wich has been adapted for 5 musicians. We are managing to have a substitute for Talavera show and we hope that he will be recovered for the rest of the shows.

 
 
¡Big huge and support, Wey!

Date: Thursday, March 14. [DAY 88]
Time: 09.30 Hrs.
Location: Garganta Producciones Home Office.
Other tasks: Provide classes 08.30 hrs, 14 hrs and 16.30 hrs. Errands. House cleaning.
Publication tour dates: March 20, 2012.

DESCRIPTION:

Coffee in hand, breakfast at the desk, papers on the table, empty cups, ashtray, and other documents piled up waiting their turn to be dispatched by the workload. Mobile out of battery power.

NOTES:

In December we began closing our possible tour dates for 2013. During the last month (March) were made about 50 calls and have sent about 250 emails: promoters, sponsors, managements, close contacts, bars, festivals 1st, 2nd and 3rd line, groups, individuals, etc. ..

Being an emerging group, for firms in the national music scene, yet it is difficult to even open our emails, almost impossible to answer or show interest.

We will get through the deadline with a date still unconfirmed, but today should be settled without problem.

Today a date is added to the list of the tour, yesterday around 22 hrs we confirmed our presence in Medina del Campo, in June.

VALUATION:

The campaign has been a success, we achieve our goal of reaching music festivals. We reinforce cities that opened last year, and will reach 4 new: Pamplona, Zaragoza, Barbastro, and Valladolid.

In total 11 dates in two months, better ratio than last year. Today we close the campaign until June, but we are preparing for July dates and fall.

@WeyCienfuegos

Foto del cuartel general de UCB. Picture of UCB's Headquearters

I bought it on this website with the wise advise of Choan almost 3 years ago. At first, I was doubting about spending the money without knowing if I would like it but he guaranteed i would not regret.

The first view is a perfect finish bassuke in all its aspects: the wood is soft but strong. Gives a sustain Epiphone EB-3-like  and the sound that comes close to a Contrabass, I love it being so small. Hipshot tuners are perfect for holding his thick ropes without losing too much tune.Yyou must know that it wears rubber cords and must be frequently retuned. Not too much but if you’re not careful, you will be out of tune.

Cesarovis happy playing bassuke

Also, as it has 4 pickups, one for each string, the sound you get is gently compensated and does not generate couplings if you play on a big stage.

I use it quite a lot to play in the street with my band. It is very comfortable to wear and along the RX Bass Amplifier Microcube, also battery powered, I get a great bass sound. No one can believe that they are listening a bass guitar on the middle of the  Street. On the stage, no one in my band wants me to use another bass guitar or another amp, even if only 5w. Just plug it through a DIand  sound technicians freak out.

As not everything will be wonderful, one negative thing to say about the bassuke is the input jack. It is one of those that goes thorugh the strap. Getting unscrewed every 2 or 3 shows. Screwing that piece is uncomfortable because you have to open the back cover  and with needle nose pliers tight the nut bent. I finally solved it by attaching a rubber piece at the nuts and so far it has never got unscrewed again.

Shortly, I am delighted with it and soon I’ll have to buy a replacement one because I am using it so much. but hey! who wants a bass guitar not to play it. I guess  that if it wears out of too much playing, it would have been a great purchase.

In order to gratify your support we would like to raffle an album or t-shirt to one of the persons on our mail list Yo can sign in here:

http://eepurl.com/uGUOb

PolifoniK Sound

We will celebrate this good news with a concert on our hometown. It will be Saturday 2nd March in Bar El Punto, Colmenar Viejo. Let’s have some fun. Free entrance. We hope we see a lot of you there.

Regards,

Dani Red,

Ukulele Clan Band.

With a little perspective and analysis, during the short time we stopped, I realize how much stress I absorb. The only thing that can calm me during the week, is the longing for the next concert. A kind of drug, with its spiral of vice which the makes the body shudders just remembering  the smell of the rehearsal room, the smile of the audience during a concert, or notes into the air when we tune and prepare ourselves to go out and play .. Paradoxically, it is the musical activity, which requires more effort, travelling, and not being able to rest during the weekend, however, is what tires us the less. Back to reality: we don’t live of the music, we live for the music, I think we’ve got that cristal. Here we go again:
After meditating, evaluate, and resume efforts, we’re fitting dates and starting new projects. Despite the times in the industry, they still reach us proposals for playing, and do not want to lose the opportunity to continue growing up with you.
During our long walk, we`ve meet with a lot of very talented people who are looking to show what they do. Among those people we have met a small group around the promoter label “THIS MONKEY”. They’re  Sara Navarro, big Manu (video editing), and María Arguelles (Painting / Art).

Next Friday February 15 at Café La Palma, Madrid (La Palma, 62.) To 21.30, we will be in a concert with SOLLETICO. A special evening, since the colective I introduced to you some lines above, will be making some visual art projections on some of our video clips, graphics and more. It will be a night filled with good company in a very special place for us also, Café La Palma, there we present our first LP The Sun, last March.
We will also have our usual PHOTOCALL, and we will continue presenting  songs from “The Sun”, and probably some new songs, too.

In brief announce many more dates in several cities of Spain.

I leave here the poster of the event, thank you for your attention.

W.

Related show

• Ukulele Clan Band: Ukulele Clan Band
• Date: Friday, February 15th 2013
• Time: 21:30
• City: Ukulele Clan Band in Madrid
• Venue: Cafe La Palma
• Address: C/ de la Palma, 62, 28015 Madrid
• Country: Spain
• Admission: 7 €
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal