Episodes
Guests: Cynthia Kinnunen, James Hill, Amber Rozel, Jimmy Brink Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown Wow! We’ve got a content-rich podcast for you, featuring JHUI members Cynthia Kinnunen, Amber Rozel, JHUI founder James Hill, PLUS first time guest and Music Teacher, Jimmy Brink. So join us on this Ukulele Education journey as we talk about the why’s and how’s of teaching music, drive-by ook’ing, and SO MUCH MORE. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ooktown Subscribe on iTunes:...
Published 02/24/20
Guests: Phil Doleman, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown We welcome back our friends Phil Doleman, Heidi Swedberg, and Daniel Ward for a holiday-Christmas themed exploration of mentors and mentoring, ukulele in the UK, the way cool and hopeful London Ukulele Project, and the annual Whamageddon game. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ooktown Subscribe on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ooktown-the-ukulele-podcast/id436722774 YouTube...
Published 12/16/19
Guests: Phil Doleman, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown We welcome back our friends Phil Doleman, Heidi Swedberg, and Daniel Ward for a holiday-Christmas themed exploration of mentors and mentoring, ukulele in the UK, the way cool and hopeful London Ukulele Project, and the annual Whamageddon game. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ooktown Subscribe on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ooktown-the-ukulele-podcast/id436722774 YouTube...
Published 12/16/19
Guests: Matt Stead, Andy Andrews Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown It’s a fun-filled episode with first time guest Matt Stead of the Uke Room, and regular guest Andy Andrews of PUKA joining Doug Brown and me to  talk about creating an ukulele experience, looking at ways of inspiring us, creativity traps, ways of using the ukulele to connect people and end loneliness, and a whole bunch more! YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWKuVjsJKQUHYXaXXfmGtA/ Shoutouts: • Greg...
Published 11/30/19
Guests: Stu Fuchs, Amber Rozel Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown Ukulele Zen Instructor extraordinaire Stu Fuchs returns to the show, along with first time guest and Level 3 Certified JHUI instructor Amber Rozel, PLUS text message kibitzing from Doug Brown, as we explore the world of Zen workshops, harnessing the healing power of ukulele music, discuss some unexpected ways of teaching ukulele, and D minor, the saddest key of all. YouTube channel:...
Published 10/27/19
Guests: Sam Muir, Terry Carter Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown First time guests Sam Muir and Terry Carter go over their recent ukulele festival experiences, delve into finger style and classical ukulele, compare notes on music education in the UK and the US, and get me hankering for Tim Tam, vegemite and making a visit to the folks down under at Valla Beach, plus lots more! Subscribe on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ooktown-the-ukulele-podcast/id436722774 Shoutouts: • To...
Published 09/29/19
Guest: Jodie Lee Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown What summer songs have you been listening to? On this episode, we take a deep dive into songs with Jodie Lee and my co-host Doug Brown as we dig into the top ukulele songs playlist, then later try to guess who’s playlist we’re looking at, and talk about John Atkins and Grace Vanderwaal, deconstructing and reconstructing songs, and so much more! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ooktown Shoutouts: • John Adkins - cool twitter pics...
Published 08/25/19
Guests: Mary Agnes Krell, Gerald Ross Hosts: Stuart Yoshida We’re all about the 50th anniversary of the landing on the moon, Zero-G ukuleles, GNUF awards, and welcoming back two of my favorite guests, Gerald Ross of geraldross.com and Mary Agnes Krell, one of the driving forces behind GNUF. Plus, we talk about ukulele festival workshops, creating “experiences” at ukulele festivals, and much more! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ooktown Watch us on YouTube:...
Published 08/03/19
Guests: Victoria Vox, Hope Dunbar Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBPlOeJiuU As the heat and allergies of summer roll in, we welcome back two great singer-songwriters to the show: Victoria Vox and Hope Dunbar! We follow a circuitous path while we talk about ukulele travels, tackling writers block, ideas on expanding listernship, collaborating on songwriting, and much more!  Shoutouts: • Swallow Hill for hosting the OokTown Podcast at the 12th...
Published 07/12/19
Guests: Aldrine Guerrero, Aaron Nakamura, Stu Fuchs, Casey Cormier Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown We’re back at Swallow Hill for our annual spring Denver UkeFest Podcast with first time guest Stu Fuchs, plus Aldrine Guerreo, Aaron Nakamura, and Casey Cormier. Our conversations go from song arranging using a fish bowl, to ukulele festival cruises and sea sickness, to Scandinavian blue grass heavy metal, and so much more. Watch the show on YouTube:...
Published 05/11/19
Guests: Ben Hassenger, Andrew Nufer, Cynthia Kinnunen, Steve Espaniola  Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown Ahhh… spring time in the Rockies! With april showers, snow and hay fever, all is new again. And speaking of new, we have new guest Steven Espaniola, Clark Holmes of the Naked Waiters, plus returning guests Cynthia Kinnunen of the Royal City Uke Fest, and Ben Hassenger of the Might Uke Day festival. So you bet we’ll be talking about ukulele festivals, plus the JHUI program, NAMM 2019, and...
Published 04/20/19
With returning guest Jodie Lee of Baristas Unfiltered, plus co-host Doug Brown, we have first time visitors to the Podcast George Bartle and Mandi Harkett (aka Opera-lele) for some laugh snortin' good fun as we meander through talking talking about performing, finding your style, Huffle Puff, new stuff we’ve seen or gotten, and more! Shoutouts: • Hope Dunbar - how about coming on the show in April?  • Ben Hassenger - ditto! Links: • Opera-lele: https://www.opera-lele.co.uk/  • Barista...
Published 03/17/19
Guests: Mary Agnes Krell, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown t’s a mid-Winter Podcast, and it’s great to have back regular guests Heidi  Swedberg and Daniel Ward, along with Mary Agnes Krell of GNUF. And Doug is back after surviving the National Western Stock Show. There’s lots of discussion on ukuleles and public libraries, upcoming events and guests at GNUF, the Denver Ukulele Fest, finding the “Why” for your ukulele groups, and much more. 
Shoutouts: • John...
Published 03/13/19
Just ahead of the arctic vortex (which thankfully didn’t reach Colorado), it’s a mini-summit on Ukulele Podcasting! My guest and ukulele paddler, Jodie Lee, comes aboard to talk about her experiences starting a podcast, the shared experience of Wonderstruck, and we even had a guest appearance by Doug Brown as he takes a break from the last day of the National Western Stock Show. PLUS, I reveal the name of the 15 year old singer-songwriter prodigy. Guest: Jodie Lee Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug...
Published 01/27/19
Guests: Lucy Laforge, Victoria Vox Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown The season of Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful, and so it’s with deep gratitude that I welcome back Lucy Laforge fresh off her tour of Europe, along with Victoria Vox, ukulele artist and mouth trumpeter extraordinaire. We celebrate Grrl Power, talk about what it’s like being a female ukulele artist, explore the ins and outs of getting onto the Ukulele Festival Circuit, and much more. Shoutouts: • Renée for becoming a...
Published 12/05/18
Guest: Gerald Ross Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown
 On our last Podcast of the year, we visit Wendy’s in search of product placement sponsorship, talk about our top five ukulele gadgets and songs; send shoutouts to all our guests in 2018, patrons, listeners, and our families; and in general celebrate our time together just laughing and talking about the ukulele with regular guest Gerald Ross and co-host Doug Brown. Shoutouts: • Too many to list! To all my guests, listeners, family, and...
Published 12/05/18
Guests: Mike Hind, Ben Hassenger Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown The Fall is bringing the cold air down from Canada into Lansing, home of returning guest Ben Hassenger. We’re also bringing in the warmth from Bermuda with first time guest Mike Hind. You’ll get a sneak peak at what it was like at Wonderstruck, get some tips on performing, building a better ukulele club, and so much more. Become a Patron of the Podcast! Visit www.patreon.com/ooktown Shoutouts: • Cynthia, Michelle and Jody - it...
Published 10/26/18
Guests: Danielle Anderson, Erin McGrane and Jeff Freling Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown As the Summer winds down, we’re still all about The FUN of talking ukulele with folks like Danielle, Erin, and Jeff, AKA Danielle Ate The Sandwich, and Victor and Penny. It’s all kinds of talk about wrassling, Wonderstruck, UkeFest 2.0, busking, and lots, lots more! Become a Patron of the Podcast! Visit www.patreon.com/ooktown Video of episode:...
Published 09/12/18
Guests: Ben from "Ukulele Roadtrips," Gerald Ross Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone, and as the year flies by our theme for this episode is appropriately about traveling. And who better to bring on the show than Ben from “Ukulele Roadtrips,” and our regular guest Gerald Ross. Both of these Road Warriors share stories with Doug and me as we explore how to travel with an ukulele. Shoutouts: * Jodie and her Paddle and Strum classes:...
Published 09/12/18
Guests: Heidi Swedberg, John “The Ukulele Teacher” Adkins, Andy Andrews Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown (maybe) We have a hot one for you on this summer day, with Andy Andrews and the Volcano, John “The Ukulele Teacher” Adkins, Heidi and Daniel, plus my co-host Doug Brown who took time out from Bass fishing to join the Podcast. This episode we discuss bridging the partisan divide with ukulele playing, revisit the ukulele bass, talk about gear to record ukulele videos, and much more! Become...
Published 08/14/18
Guests: Zoë Bestel, Abe Deshotel Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown The dog days of summer are upon us, and to be the heat we’ve got some cool guests on the show like Zoe Bestel and Ukulele Abe, along with my co-host Doug Brown. This time out we go off the rails right away exploring hot dog buns, appropriate cosplay accessories, and lots and lots of ukulele, including physicality when performing, Kala bass ukuleles, and much more. Shoutouts: * Shoutout to Andy Andrews - great to hear from you...
Published 06/17/18
Guests: Gerald Ross, Craig Chee, Sarah Maisel, Marcy Marxer, Cathy Fink, Ben Hassenger Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown Broadcasting from Daniel’s Hall at Swallow Hill Music, we bring you the OokTown Podcast recorded in front of a live audience during the 11th Annual Denver Ukulele Festival, with plenty of returning guests, new guests, and a surprise (but not really) guest appearance from the Mighty Uke Day Festival! Shoutout to: * Andy Andrews and PUKA - we wish everyone there safe passage...
Published 06/02/18
Guests: Ben Hassenger, Victoria Vox Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown It's our 7th anniversary Podcast, and it’s just like starting over again. So watch us stumble through our first LIVE Podcast - and, yes, I said “watch us” because you can view our first LIVESTREAM broadcast on YouTube with returning guests Victoria Vox and Ben Hassenger, along with my co-host Doug Brown, as we reflect back on our seven years of Podcasting. PLUS, watch a Victoria sing a cut from her “Colorful Heart”...
Published 04/26/18
Guests: Aaron Keim, Phil Doleman, Mary Agnes Krell, Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown Welcome to Springtime in the Rockies! We muscled through the winter, survived the change to daylight savings time, and we’re here with returning guests Aaron Keim, Phil Doleman, and Mary Agnes Krell to talk about ukulele strings for busking, beginner workshops, Guh-nuf 2018, and so much more! So stay right here… for the OokTown Podcast. This is the OokTown Podcast, Episode 65, recorded March 25, 2018. “Go...
Published 04/01/18
Guests: Andy Andrews, Gerald Ross Hosts: Stuart Yoshida, Doug Brown In the bleak mid-Winter, my co-host Doug Brown and i bring you ukulele joy with returning guests Andy Andrews and Gerald Ross. We get to talk about Burt Bacharach songs, Andy Andrews first Ukulele Festival, the evolving Ukulele Workshop instructor, ukulele amps, Warren Buffett, and much more! Shoutouts: Don Thorne: Opening song is "Gilligan's Island" and "Hidden" Dennis Hicks: Good job on wanting to practice and play Doug's...
Published 03/01/18