The return of The Ukeladies: Finding their post-pandemic groove
“At that time the majority of our gigs were family parties and nursing homes. We ended up rehearsing over Zoom and eventually started playing outside while socially distancing, but we’re excited to finally be playing out again,” says founding Ukeladies member Kate Boisvert.
MANCHESTER, NH – Saturday was a return to something more than normalcy for the NH Ukeladies.
“We haven’t played at the Bookery since before Covid,” says Kate Boisvert, who is a founding member of the group of strummers. “We played at their grand opening, but this was our first time back. It felt great.”
Founded a dozen years ago, the Ukeladies had to put their public performance schedule on hold when COVID hit three years ago.
“At that time the majority of our gigs were family parties and nursing homes. We ended up rehearsing over Zoom and eventually started playing outside while socially distancing, but we’re excited to finally be playing out again,” Boisvert says.
The current configuration of the group is paired down from its early years when just about everyone and their mother was exploring the joy of ukulele strumming.
That’s because the mini-guitar – technically a member of the lute family and commonly referred to as “the uke” – is super easy to learn.
“It’s definitely accessible,” says Boisvert, also a vocalist for the Ukeladies.
“It all started when my friend Danielle York was taking uke lessons. She had started with the banjo but switched to ukulele. At that time I was trying to learn guitar but struggling. Danielle said ‘You have to pick up a uke.’ Of course, my husband who was used to me picking up lots of instruments and then abandoning them, said I would have to have a yard sale first, and whatever I made I could put into buying a uke.”
Boisvert did just that and learned to play her first song in one sitting.
“It’s so easy, with one-finger chords – if I can do it anybody can. I am a singer and I play the piano like I’m wearing mittens. This is the first instrument I’ve been able to confidently negotiate,” Boisvert says.
Right now they include three vocalists and four strummers plus a couple of “uke dudes” – Jon Andree, who’s married to a Ukelady, on bass, and Boisvert’s high school buddy Dave Hieronymus on guitar.
“We’re exactly the right size. When we started out in 2011 we were immense and it was a lot to manage. Rehearsals were run like a giant group lesson and people would pay to be part of the lesson. Now that we run it for ourselves we just jam together and play out,” Boisvert says.
Bands comprised of ukulele-playing ladies exist around the globe and are quite prevalent – so much so that sometimes Boisvert fields calls from those looking to book the band in far-off locations. “I usually ask them if they mean to be calling someone in New Hampshire,” she says.
That said, they are currently booking into 2024 and as far as two years out. Their repertoire is representative of a bunch of confident women in Hawaiian-print pants wielding tiny instruments and big attitudes.
“You’ll hear a lot of girl power anthems, like ‘I Will Survive,’ and lots of tight vocal harmonies on songs like ‘Walk the Line,’ and ‘When Will I Be Loved,” Boisvert says. Oh and “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses. Yeah, we’re that cool.”
- You can catch the NH Ukeladies Sept. 16 when they return to the Bookery. For booking inquiries call 603-512-2692 or email nhukeladies@gmail.com.
- On the web: nhukeladies.com
- On Facebook: NHUkeladies
