The Maritza, 3-string Cigar Box Guitar

I have recently completed this 3-string slide guitar and i am VERY HAPPY with it indeed. Pretty damn elegant for a cigarbox i'd say. Sounds great too. Big smooching thank you to Marko. His slide playing expertise were very helpful in fine tuning the design. Oh, and his soldering technique helped me electrify it. You can plug this sucker in! Video coming soon...

Cigarbox Ukulele Inspiration

You know how you look up something on Google and wind up finding something completely different but amazing. I was looking at different F-Hole forms on Google Images for my next cigarbox ukulele and came across these two nifty items on Etsy.

F-Hole Belt by Contrived to Charm
Cigarband Ring at BrightSmith

King Of The Urban Jungle

I know that everybody thinks they have the cutest cat in the world. But, they are lying. Look how damn cute Atticus is. Just look at him!

He's the star of the Zaagmolenstraat. He hangs out in our shop window and flirts with all the folks passing by until they can't stand the cuteness anymore and whip out their telephone to take his photograph.

I think i'll make him a little tip jar outside of the window. Wouldn't do us any good though. He'd just blow all of his kitty cash on CHEEZIES.

Blues Legend Pinetop Perkins dies at 97

Pinetop Perkins, one of the last old school Bluesmen from Belzoni Mississippi, died peacefully in his sleep last night. He had played the blues since the 20's, starting out on guitar but later turning to the piano after having been stabbed in the arm by a crazy damn woman.

He's probably best known for holding down the piano bench in Muddy Waters band for 12 years and he became the oldest man to win a Grammy just this past February for his work "Joined At The Hip" with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for Best Traditional Blues CD.

Apparently Pinetop was about one of the nicest fella's you could come across. Not too surprising since Mississippians are usually very gracious folks if i may say so myself. The one thing that does really irritate me about Pinetop is that he smoked till the day he died. I'm trying to quit and i'm trying not to hurt anybody while i do it. Maybe that's why that woman stabbed Pinetop in the arm. She was probably trying to quit smoking and lost control. Boy would i love a smoke.

Well, there aren't many original Missisippi bluesman left. Makes me sad but boy am i thankful for him and his fellow blues players for giving us such amazing music that will surely be treasured forever. Pinetop will be layed to rest in Clarksdale Mississippi. Goodbye Pinetop.




Muddy Waters with Hollywood Fats 1973-09-25 door checker758

It's National Corndog Day!

A special post for a special virtual friend and corndog connoisseur, Eric Schelander... Let's CORNDOG!

'What in the hell is a Corndog?', some of you may ask. Well, it's a hotdog coated in cornmeal batter and then fried on a stick and usually eaten with mustard. It's said that they were invented in Texas, which somehow isn't that big of a surprise, is it? YEEEHAW!

Since Erik and i don't live in the land of Corndogs we'll just have to make our own. Click here for the Corndog Recipe from the Hillbilly Housewife.

BUT BEWARE!: When in CornDog country, have respect for one another's corndog or some one is liable to get hurt, real bad.

In The Middle Of A Kiss

From the 1935 Paramount Picture
"College Scandal"

Click Here to Download the Sheet Music with Ukulele Chords.

'A Fistfull of Carrots' - A Vegaphonic Soundtrack

This musical composition was recorded using instruments made completely of vegetables (and 3 rubberbands). It was inspired by the soundtracks from such films as 'Once Upon A Time In The West', 'A Fistfull of Dollars', and 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' composed by Ennio Morricone. Marko and i call our composition...


'A Fistfull of Carrots'
composed by...
ONION Morricone.
*pause for knee slap*

Characters and Instruments:
Horse - Bottle Pumpkin Clapper
Steam Train - Bag of Onions & Paprika Shakers
Steam Train Whistle - Carrot Flutes
Notes of suspense - Pumpkin Guitar with Rubberband strings
The Hot Breeze - Baritone Carrot Flute
The Dripping - Pinto Bean dropped into a Pitcher of Water
Note: The dripping noise is meant to give you as the listener a 'view point' in the scene. Your standing on the train platform and there is a constant drip from a leaky water barrel close by.
Outlaw #1 - Winter Carrots 'walking' through Pinto Beans
Outlaw #2 - Leek 'walking' through Pinto Beans
Voice - Note: On this track there is a spoken conversation between the two outlaws. In the live version this 'conversation' takes place between a Cauliflower Trumpet and a Bottle Pumpkin Trumpet.
Gunshots - Carrot flutes played by popping your finger out of the mouth peice.

This composition was written especially for Museum Rotterdam and was executed on MuseumNacht 2011. Will we ever perform as The Vegaphonic Orchestra again? Yes, if you pay us a substantial amount of money. Have you ever tried tuning a carrot? I can tell ya, it ain't easy. : )

Cigarbox Guitars in the LA Times

An excellent article was published in the LA Times today about Cigarbox Guitars written by reporter and music critic Randy Lewis. Also, there is an additional blog post on the LA Times website. On it, i came across this video of 3-string cigarbox player Pinecone Fletcher who became one of the grand finalists in last year's national “King of the Blues” competition sponsored by Guitar Center. Whoa Daddy-O...

Let's say you were going to buy just one ukulele CD...

It would have to be this one! Ukulelezaza has just released his first solo CD and it's amazing. Ukulelezaza is the best traditional ukulele player i've ever heard. But, it's not just ukulele music on this CD. He's a multi-instrumentalist and an absolutely amazing musician.

On this CD he plays lots of vintage ukuleles (Martin, National, Ludwig) but also several other vintage instruments from his collection (National lapsteel, Vega plectrum banjo). Lots of multi-tracking backed up with double bass, accordion and/or acoustic guitar. The CD is just €12,- + €3,- shipping. If you like traditional jazz, hawaiian and stringband music in general, get your copy now!

FAT TUESDAY

Oh man, it's Mardi Gras back home and boy i know i sure would like to be there. But since i can't be here's the next best thing. The sound of Mardi Gras! For me, that is Professor Longhair.

Never heard of him before? Oh boy, you're in for a treat. Here's a short profile about the Professor from NPR.

The Vegaphonic Orchestra on the News

We made the 6 o'clock national evening news (Starts at 9:40) with the Vegaphonic Orchestra during Rotterdam's Museum Night! And even better, we also made it on the The 'Jeugd Journaal' which is a daily national news program for kids here in Holland. (Starts at :40)...

Nachtverhalen&Dagdromen/NightTales&DayDreams

The ingredients are all there in any case: provocative performances, thunderous dance, sparkling theater , enough fresh poetic words, lively music, interactive sound installations and great food. Late in the evening DJ's are there to loosen the hips.

Nachtverhalen&Dagdromen (NightTales&DayDreams)... But, what is the atmosphere of this new festival? Stories in the night surrounded by a certain magic: full of wonder, romance or perhaps alienation. The same goes for daydreaming. Can you even remember the last time you've had a nice daydream? What were your thoughts then, did the atmosphere ebb slowly back into your reality when you returned? Hold it tight! Hold it close and bring it to our festival. www.nachtverhalenendagdromen.nl

March 11&12
Het Schieblok
Schiekade 189
Rotterdam

The Vegaphonic Orchestra on Museum Night

This Saturday, the 5th of March, Marko and i are conducting a Musical Vegetable workshop during Rotterdam's Museum Night at Het Historisch Museum, Het Schielandshuis. Uh, a WHAT?! Yes, we'll actually be teaching folks how to make musical instruments from vegetables...pumpkin drums, carrot flutes, gourd trumpets!

Once the instruments are made we will form the Vegaphonic Orchestra which will then perform the soundtrack from the classic western film, 'Fistfull of Carrots' composed by Onion Morricone. Come on down and play along! You can join us at either 20:00 or 22:00.

Also for your enjoyment at the Schielandshuis: Get to know your grapes at the spectacular Wine College, Batik your own Bag, Enjoy delectable bites with lip-licking film scenes, Cleanse body & soul with The Ritual Girls and get a goodie bag to spoil yourself at home & of course, DANCING in the Party Tents of Steel by 'Rotganzen' with DJ Tom Hokke from 'We Own Rotterdam'. This is going to be a NIGHT y'all! See you there, sweet potat'rs!

The Schielandshuis was built between 1662 and 1665 and is the only seventeenth century building in the centre of the city to have survived the bombing of Rotterdam. In addition to a permanent exhibition of the city’s history, the museum also often has various exhibitions and displays.