Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele
players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass
the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire
consists mainly of covers of modern popular music
and some ukulele and New Zealand
standard
s. The increased public profile of one of their members Bret McKenzie
— one half of the Flight of the Conchords
— combined with the use of their songs for a nationwide advertising campaign for New Zealand bookstore chain Whitcoulls
in late 2008 resulted in an increase in their national profile. On 15 December 2008 their Little Bit Wonderful EP reached no. 32 in the Official NZ Music Chart. The same recording topped the NZ Indie Music Chart for January 2009.
Until November 2008, the band played a weekly early morning gig in downtown Wellington. The band makes occasional short tours around New Zealand and has performed in festivals including Womad New Zealand, Cuba Street Carnival
, New Zealand International Comedy Festival
, Big Day Out
Auckland and arts festivals in Christchurch, Nelson, Tauranga and Taupo.
In November 2008, the band debuted the Tim Capper-directed video for their cover of the song "It's a Heartache
".
The band has recorded the theme music for the TV comedy Diplomatic Immunity
, a documentary series about renowned New Zealand entertainer Sir Howard Morrison
and a documentary about NZ war songs.
In 2009, the band recorded their third EP, The Dreaming, at Neil Finn's
Roundhead Studios
.
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire
Repertoire
Repertoire may mean repertory, a system of theatrical production and performance scheduling, but may also refer to:* Musical repertoire* Repertoire Records, a German record label specialising in 1960s and 1970s pop and rock reissues...
consists mainly of covers of modern popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and some ukulele and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
standard
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
s. The increased public profile of one of their members Bret McKenzie
Bret McKenzie
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a comedian, actor, musician and producer, best known for being one half of the Grammy Award winning musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement....
— one half of the Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
— combined with the use of their songs for a nationwide advertising campaign for New Zealand bookstore chain Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls is a major national bookstore chain in New Zealand, formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs. It has 62 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies merged in 1971 to form Whitcoulls...
in late 2008 resulted in an increase in their national profile. On 15 December 2008 their Little Bit Wonderful EP reached no. 32 in the Official NZ Music Chart. The same recording topped the NZ Indie Music Chart for January 2009.
Until November 2008, the band played a weekly early morning gig in downtown Wellington. The band makes occasional short tours around New Zealand and has performed in festivals including Womad New Zealand, Cuba Street Carnival
Cuba Street Carnival
The Cuba Street Carnival is a major street parade and creative celebration in Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded by Chris Morley-Hall in 1998, the festival involves hundreds of artists, performers, and a weekend audience of over 125,000...
, New Zealand International Comedy Festival
New Zealand International Comedy Festival
The New Zealand International Comedy Festival is held annually in Auckland and Wellington with a travelling convoy visiting other parts of New Zealand. It is run by the NZ Comedy Trust. -Main Events:...
, Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
Auckland and arts festivals in Christchurch, Nelson, Tauranga and Taupo.
In November 2008, the band debuted the Tim Capper-directed video for their cover of the song "It's a Heartache
It's a Heartache
"It's a Heartache" is a country rock song that was recorded separately by Bonnie Tyler and Juice Newton in 1977. Tyler's version charted in the UK in November 1977 and both versions charted in the United States in 1978. The song was also recorded by Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes in 1978, but it...
".
The band has recorded the theme music for the TV comedy Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic Immunity (New Zealand TV series)
Diplomatic Immunity is a New Zealand comedy that follows the misadventures at the consulate of The Most Royal Kingdom of Feausi and a fallen New Zealand Foreign Affairs high-flier who has been sent in to straighten out the consulate staff...
, a documentary series about renowned New Zealand entertainer Sir Howard Morrison
Howard Morrison
Sir Howard Leslie Morrison, OBE, was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009 he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.-Early life:...
and a documentary about NZ war songs.
In 2009, the band recorded their third EP, The Dreaming, at Neil Finn's
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
Roundhead Studios
Roundhead Studios
Roundhead Studios is an Auckland-based sound recording studio owned by singer-songwriter Neil Finn. It was officially opened in June 2007, however by the time of its opening, several international artists had already used it whilst the studio was either in construction or receiving finishing...
.
Discography
Studio albums- The Heartache EP - 2007, own label (CD)
- The Little Bit Wonderful EP - 2008, own label (CD)
- The Dreaming EP - released 28 September 2009, own label (CD)
External links
- The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra official site
- Official MySpace page
- Television performance and interview with Nigel Collins and Andy Morley-Hall (YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
) - "It's a Heartache" music video (YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
) - Concert performance of a cover version of the OutkastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
song "Hey Ya!Hey Ya!"Hey Ya!" is a song written and produced by André 3000 for his 2003 album The Love Below, part of the hip hop duo OutKast's double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The song takes influence from funk and rock music...
" - Whitcoulls Advertisement "Don't Take Your Love to Town" featuring a cover of "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to TownRuby, Don't Take Your Love To Town"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year....
" (YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
)