The Stretchlinks Podcast
Category: Podcast

One of the more beloved figures profiled in "Rock That Uke" is a ukulele genius/wildman from Cleveland Heights named Richard "Heinous" Rynes who, along with Robert "Uncle Wonkles" Caruso, formed a duo in the early 1990's called "The Stretchlinks."  They sang insanely wonderful and demented original songs that were sophisticated in their musicality and pulled the listener deep into the point-of-views of personalities so weird that one was left screaming in horror and beating on the insides of the characters' craniums, begging to be let out.  Heinous's sound was like the Bernard Hermann of the ukulele.  Wonkles's vocals sounded like a combiniation of Jerry Lewis and Jonathon Winters.  Together they made magic unlike anything I've ever heard before or since.

While Heinous stills sells cds of their music via his web site, the boys have also started a podcast that plays their songs, augmented with their bi-coastal commentaries.  Here's their description, courtesy of their MySpace page:

"THE LINKS ARE BACK!

Heinous and Wonkles, the comedy/folk/rock/alternative duo known as the Stretchlinks, have been gazing at the bottoms of their musical souls for far too long. Having put up their feet decades ago, they've made the difficult decision to go ahead and pollute another generation with their incessant caterwauling. This time the boys are wailing cross continent, broadcasting from Cleveland and San Francisco! So listen in real regular to the first ever Stretchlinks Podcast and enjoy the classics and a few new ditties to boot. And while you're here check out rare Links music, comedy and noise never heard before in this episodes' Nugget of Wonderness.

The Stretchlinks Podcast: www.stretchlinks.com stretchlinks podcast"

We here at "Rock That Uke" are subscribers.

Shouldn't you be too?  Hmmmmm?

Bill

10:12 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Bad customer review on Amazon.com
Category: Friends

Someone finally wrote a customer review about Rock That Uke on Amazon.com!  Unfortunately, it was a woman from Texas who absolutely hated the movie.

She calls herself "Musical Mamaw." Looking at her past reviews, she seems to like WWII books about women and gave very high marks to one of those recent cute family-oriented penguin movies.  She called Rock That Uke "a piece of crap."

She gave us one star (not to be confused with a Lone Star, I guess) and called it a waste of time, though, oddly, she didn't see the irony of her own extension of that experience by writing a review.  And not just a bad review, but a vitriolic one that insults the artists profiled.

One thing I did find funny, though, was that she went on to tag the movie with the search term "uke crap."  I found that legitimately funny.  It means that if anyone should decide to go onto Amazon in the future and type in the search term "uke crap," for whatever perverse reason, "Rock That Uke" will come up.  (Maybe I should go find some Ukrainian movies on Amaon and write bad reviews of them just so I won't be lonely.)

It's funny to me how passionately people dislike Rock That Uke when they dislike it.  Which I guess is a validation of the movie's themes.  They never say the movie is badly done or isn't successful artistically.  It's not these things that cause them distress,.  It's the people profiled in the documentary and what they have to say about being creative and social outsiders.  That's what upsets them.  And this reaction only supports what the people in the documentary are saying about the mainstream. 

This, then, is what people are really saying when they denounce the movie.  They are saying to the people profiled:  I don't like you.  I don't like who you are.  And I guess this is what makes angry.

That more often than not the nastiest of these comments are coming from other uke players just makes it worse.  I understand they feel threatened by things that are different and that's why they lash out.  Still, cruelty is, if nothing else...a waste of time.

I'd like to ask a favor to those of you who actually have seen Rock That Uke and liked it.  Go to Amazon.com and write a positive review for us to counter the meaness of Mamaw.  Say nice things about Oliver Brown and Ukefink and Carmig de Forest and the other folks.  Just say the things you've already written to me personally or posted in comments.  Right now there's a one star rating for the dvd and it looks kind of bad up there.

You can go to the Rock That Uke page on Amazon by clicking here.

Bill

11:25 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

RTU breaks into UK market!

It's been no secret to us that we have a fan base overseas.  We've screened "Rock That Uke" at events in the UK and Australia and have gotten nice emails from folks in those places, as well as from France, Germany, and Finland.  Until now, international ukers have had to purchase RTU through online providers like Amazon, Elderly Instruments, Fleamarket Music and Lark In the Morning.

Well, actually, that's probably still the case...

Unless you're one of the lucky sods who lives in or near Worthing, UK, and knows how to get to Revolutionary Music, 9 Warwick Lane, off Warwick Street, Worthing, BN11 3DP, open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am-5pm!!

Revolutionary Music is now the first and (at this writing) only retail establishment outside the United States to carry the dvd of "Rock That Uke."

Go forth!  Get thee hence!  And supporteth this fine and wise establishment of most excellent and progressive vision.  Tell 'em Bill sent ya!

3:36 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Berkshire Fringe Festival! July 25!

ROCK THAT UKE:
An Epic Evening of Tiny Music!

July 25, 2008
The Berkshire Fringe Festival
Great Barrington, MA

Featuring a Screening of Rock That Uke
Followed by a Live Ukulele Concert With:

OLIVER BROWN!
Sir Ukulele Extraordinaire!

ALAN DROGIN!
French Impressionist Ukulele Maestro!

BEDROOM COMMUNITY!
The New Ukulectronica Solo Project from Steven Swartz!

SWEET SOUBRETTE!
The Fishnet-clad Femme Fatale of the Ukulele!

The Daniels Art Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock.

Time: 9:00 PM
Admission: $12.00

For tickets and info call (413) 320-4175
Or visit www.berkshirefringe.org

5:31 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Film Threat gives RTU 3 1/2 Stars!
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

Film Threat's Mark Bell has just given ROCK THAT UKE a stellar review with a rating of 3 1/2 stars and the astounding personal proclamation that he "might" have been inspired to pick up his girlfriend's ukulele after seeing the movie! You can read more at http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=10997.

The positive Film Threat review comes after the equally exciting 3 1/2 star rating of ROCK THAT UKE by DVD Talk's David Cornelius last November (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/32069/rock-that-uke/).

It's a long, slow process getting noticed when you're self-distributing your work, and these are two great validations.

Welcome Film Threat!--our new best friend!

2:11 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

In concert with Rose Turtle Ertler and more!

The next few weeks are going to be busy ones for "Rock That Uke," with three upcoming screenings, one on April 6 at 1 pm in New York, NY, in the Theater for the New City’s Cabaret Theater as part of the NY Ukulele Festival, then two in Nor California in concert with our dear friend Rose Turtle Ertler from Australia!  The first of our Rosie Gigs will take place at the Cozmic Cafe in Placerville, CA, 594 Main Street, on Sun. April 13 at 5 pm--admission $7.  The second one will be on Fri. April 18 at the DaSilva Ukulele Co. in Berkeley, CA, 2547 8th Street, Suite 28, at 8 pm--admission $15.

If you haven’t heard Rose’s "wonky folk" before, it’s a truly unique and magical sound, simultaneously old and modern in its evocations as she plays her ukulele both acoustically and electronically, sometimes singing into the body of it for effect.  Haunting and beautiful, plinky and fun, Rose is a treasure.  Come hear her and be changed.  Oh, yeah--our movie’s good, too.

4:00 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Amoeba Music Hollywood & Berkeley to carry RTU!

I'm only just now recovering from my exciting week-long excursion to New Castle, UK, for the sold-out Ukelear Meltdown event at Star and Shadow Cinema, where I got to meet Eilidh MacAskill, Cat Green Bike, Cockland, Molly and Me, George Welch, Ira Lightman and Dirty Diamonds--all wonderful and wonderfully different ukulele players.

In the comings days, I'll be posting new info on upcoming screenings in New York, Berkeley and Placerville, CA--the latter two in conjunction with concerts by my dear friend Rose Turtle Ertler, the Electrik Ukulele Lady, who will be visiting the USA in April.

But for now, let me just announce the joyous news that our hip, protozoan friends at the Amoeba Music stores in Hollywood and Berkeley can be added to the growing list of vendors across the country now carrying the DVD "Rock That Uke!"

Whoo-hoo!  I mean...very impartial and astute business decision, Amoeba Music...

1:41 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

RTU welcomes Lark In the Morning to its vendor list!

Lark In the Morning, with stores in Mendocino & San Francisco, California, Seattle, Washington, as well as an online presense, is the latest addition to the growing list of vendors across the country who are carrying the DVD to "Rock That Uke!"

3:55 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Scarecrow Video to carry RTU!

For all you folks up in Seatte, Washington, I'm very excited to announce that we've just added the very cool temple of cinephilia, Scarecrow Video to the list of vendors carrying the DVD to "Rock That Uke."  They're just one of many around the mainland US and online carrying it, but, hey, they're cool, and they were excited enough about carrying us that they said they're going to take out print ads featuring us!  So keep an eye out for ads with the RTU cover in the Seattle area!  Groovy, no?

5:12 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

RTU gets 3 & 1/2 out of 5 stars from dvdtalk.com!

Hey, kids! Read this groovy review we received over at dvdtalk.com!

Click:  http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=32069.

10:40 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment