Tag: ukulele

Jackson Porter improvs on the ukulele

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Jackson Porter in front of the BB&T building in downtown Asheville.
Sitting alone in front of the BB&T Building near Pack Square, his large backpack casually flopped to one side, Jackson Porter was quietly playing to himself when I met him. He wasn’t exactly busking, as he didn’t have a hat out or anything, but he wasn’t no-busking either. He told me he was taking some time off from school, and had been backpacking and hiking around, doing sections of the Appalachian Trail among other adventures. He’d only been playing the ukulele for a short time, but found that his guitar experience transferred pretty well.

Here, Porter improvs a little ditty, which he called “Living on the Streets.” Continue reading Jackson Porter improvs on the ukulele

Patrick and Cody play an untitled original

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Patrick and Cody playing in front of the Woolworth Walk on a sweltering summer day.
It was scorching hot on the streets of Asheville when I met Patrick and Cody, but you’d never know it from how chill these two were during the recording. They were hanging out in the shade in front of the Woolworth Walk, brought there by local busker Charles Clyde Toney II, and all three were performing together as I approached. Continue reading Patrick and Cody play an untitled original

Mister Gunn & The Pistol Packin’ Mamas cover “My Fat Gal”

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Mister Gunn & The Pistol Packin’ Mamas perform in front of the Woolworth Walk.
Filmed on a gray spring day outside the Woolworth Walk, Mister Gunn & The Pistol Packin’ Mamas performed an exceedingly fun take on the Merle Travis tune “My Fat Gal.” In other hands, it’s one of those songs that could be interpreted as insensitive, or even outright offensive. But here, it’s neither. It’s just a great band playing a truly entertaining song. Continue reading Mister Gunn & The Pistol Packin’ Mamas cover “My Fat Gal”

Jessica Dennison and her ukulele perform “Grave”

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Jessica Dennison plays her original tune “Grave” on ukulele in 2010.
In the summer of 2010, New York-based musician Jessica Dennison was passing through Asheville, and decided to give busking a try on our streets. By the time I ran across her, however, the looming clouds and drizzle made it very clear that her next song would be the last in her set. So, armed with her ukulele and charm, she performed her original tune “Grave” for the Busk Break project. Continue reading Jessica Dennison and her ukulele perform “Grave”