Ukesters celebrate 10 years of music, ‘therapy’

Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Alan Ash can hardly believe that what he and his Village neighbour Doug Widdicombe started for fun is still going strong, in fact getting stronger, 10 years later. 

Ash and his fellow members of the NOTL Ukesters celebrated their 10th anniversary last weekend with a special gathering at the St. Catharines Club on Ontario Street. It was a visit Ash paid to the Corktown Ukulele Jam in 2012 that gave him the seed of an idea. 

“I saw what was happening there,” says the longtime musician, a bass player. “It was at a restaurant called Dominion on Queen. Seventy-five people just wailing on ukuleles, people drinking, laughing, letting loose. They were doing classic rock, stuff that everyone likes. I told Doug we had to do something like that here.”

He and Widdicombe gathered about five other like-minded individuals, and they started the Ukesters. For the first couple of years the number hovered between seven and 20, but word quickly spread and membership began to grow. 

Widdicombe is no longer actively involved, his real estate business keeping him too busy for weekend playing sessions. But Ash says the two still get together and jam when they can find the time. Meanwhile, the NOTL Ukesters continue to gather interest. 

“Today, we’re at 435 registered members,” a clearly happy Ash says. “It really grew during COVID because we were on Zoom. We even have a member from Australia.”

Ash says the instrument has had a bit of a renaissance since a video of Hawaii’s Israel Kamakawiwo’ole playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow went viral a few years ago.

“The uke is a pretty easy instrument to learn, in relation to guitar, a piano or other instruments,” Ash says. “There’s only four strings. You can learn four chords and with those you can play hundreds of songs.”

The Ukesters range in age from 25 to 86 years old, the oldest member crossing the border from New York state (when that border has been open) since 2018 to join in on the regular Sunday sessions held at the NOTL Community Centre. 

“I would say about 80 per cent of them joined not having ever played an instrument before,” Ash guesses. “They’re retired, many of them, just looking for something to do. Some will take group or private lessons along the way. For many it’s a form of therapy.”

Ash, the group’s de facto leader, refers to the Ukesters as a family. People get along, there’s no toxicity between the members. He says everyone is positive, upbeat, and just happy to be able to get together to play.

And they are also happy to support the community. Each Ukester contributes $15 a month as part of their membership. That fee goes toward minor expenses, including equipment and the rental fee for the Community Centre. The rest, constituting the bulk of the fees, is donated to non–profit organizations. They have contributed to the Niagara Nursery School, Red Roof Retreat and a Ukraine relief fund, among other causes over the years. 

For the special Saturday anniversary get-together, more than 50 Ukesters and their spouses or other family members gathered for finger foods and drinks before squeezing into the largest room at the club for a two-hour session.

Among those playing Saturday was Doug Geddie, a Ukester since December. 

“I bought a ukulele to play with my grandchildren at Christmas time,” Geddie says. “When they lost interest, I looked up the NOTL Ukesters who I had seen at a winery. I joined one of their Zoom meetings and was captivated by their enthusiasm and the fun they were having.”

Geddie credits Ash for making each session fun and easy for everyone to join in. Saturday was only his second chance to participate in person, and he admits he misses the novelty of the online sessions a bit. 

“It was kind of fun to see these people from all over Ontario, the U.S., even the east coast,” Geddie says. “They’re gone now, but on the other hand, the local community is gathering together and that’s great.”

Ginny Gibson from Hamilton was at her first in-person Ukesters gathering. She began joining the online meetings almost two years ago. Unlike Geddie, she had been playing ukulele for a number of years before that. 

“I love singing, and I wanted to accompany myself on an instrument,” Gibson explains. “I felt the ukulele was doable.”

Gibson was tickled pink to meet her fellow Ukesters after two years with them online. She even brought an original song to play during the open mic part of the day’s program. Called simply Thanks!, it’s a paean to the fellow members of the group, expressing her gratitude for being able to play with them during a challenging two years.

At mid-afternoon, Ash put aside his plate of snacks and stepped to the front of the room with his banjo-ukulele hybrid (a banjolele) to lead the members in the session. Promising to keep his banter to a minimum, he pressed ‘start’ on a backing rhythm track and counted the group in for a take on the classic City of New Orleans.

That was followed by the Lovin’ Spoonful’s You Didn’t Have to be So Nice and With Little Help from My Friends by the Beatles. 

There was a decidedly buoyant atmosphere within the room, hence Ash’s ‘therapy’ comment earlier. 

“Once, after dropping in, a guy came up and told me he felt like the room was levitating,” Ash says. “I thought that was a good description of the spirit in the room when we play.”

Following the Beatles songs, Don Peterson and Rob Tripe stepped to the front for the first open mic song. After a bit of back-and-forth banter, sounding a bit like the Smothers Brothers, they harmonized on Harry Connick Jr.’s A Wink and a Smile. When they were done, Colin Heydon took centre stage for a heartfelt version of John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy. 

Later that afternoon, Ash paid tribute to Ukesters who have passed away in the last 10 years. That included Peter Richmond, Don Goodwin, Vicky Beddage and Adam White, with the group playing one of each of the late member’s favourite songs, some of which appeared on a Ukesters CD that was put out in 2016.

Earlier this summer the Ukesters had their first chance to perform for an audience in over two years at the return of the NOTL Strawberry Festival at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. But Ash says with COVID still a possibility, they are for the most part avoiding playing outside engagements. 

And that’s perfectly fine. 

“It’s all about the music,” Ash says. “It’s about the music expression. It’s that, and the camaraderie, too. I love to see someone’s confidence build as they learn more and more about playing the instrument.”