Scene and Heard

According to the Associated Press, Legendary rock guitarist and former Thin Lizzy star Gary Moore has died in Spain.

The 58-year-old, originally from Belfast, was found dead in a hotel room on the Costa del Sol.

Thin Lizzy founding member Brian Downey paid tribute to his friend.

“I am in total shock,” he said. “He will always be in my thoughts and prayers and I just can’t believe he is gone.”

Moore had a successful solo career but it was for his time in Thin Lizzy that he will be best remembered.

He joined the band in 1973 after the sudden departure of guitarist Eric Bell but only played with them for four months.

Four years later he returned and went on to play on the band’s Black Rose album.

Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham said it been a pleasure to share a stage with him.

“Playing with Gary during the Black Rose era was a great experience, he was a great player and a great guy,” he said.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2011, All Rights Reserved.

American Legacies is Out April 12th

American music fans have an unprecedented opportunity to hear two masterful groups explore the common ground where bluegrass and jazz meet when the Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band release their collaborative American Legacies project on April 12^th via McCoury Music and Preservation Hall Recordings.  Inspired by the success of the Del McCoury’s participation on 2010’s PRESERVATION, a PHJB project made with multiple artists to benefit New Orleans’ unique Preservation Hall venue and its Music Outreach Program, the set offers a dozen songs filled with deep respect and joyful virtuosity.  Complementing the release, the two groups have announced a joint tour that will feature them performing on their own and together in a groundbreaking concert experience.

With common roots in the rich musical gumbo of the American south in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, bluegrass and jazz have sat alongside one another with a myriad of common influences and musical vocabularies that have nevertheless remained largely unexplored until now. American Legaciesis a no-holds-barred tour of songs and sounds that sum up the simultaneous (and often intersecting) histories of two distinctively American musical forms—the jazz that has drawn music lovers from around the world to New Orleans for more than a century, and the “hillbilly jazz” of bluegrass, created more than 60 years ago by Del McCoury’s one-time employer, Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys.

Known as one of the premiere ambassadors of bluegrass, the Del McCoury Band is fronted by veteran Del McCoury,  A hero to east coast bluegrass audiences through the 1970s and 1980s, he stepped onto the national stage with a move to Nashville in the early 1990s that started the Del McCoury Band on an unprecedented streak of International Bluegrass Music Association awards and international acclaim.  Today, McCoury, along with a band that includes his sons Ron and Rob, are admired by hard-core bluegrass traditionalists and eclectic music fans and stars alike as they make appearances everywhere from the Bonnaroo Music Festival to late night network TV shows to their own popular Delfest.  For millions of fans across the US and around the world, the Del McCoury Band is simply the face of bluegrass.

Founded just a few years before McCoury joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been carrying the distinctive sound of New Orleans jazz around the world on behalf of Preservation Hall, a unique venue that embodies the city’s musical legacy.  With a cast of musicians schooled through first-hand experience and apprenticeship into the music’s historic traditions, the PHJB has served as an irreplaceable, vital link to the earliest days of one of America’s most beloved forms of popular music, evoking the spirits of times past in an ever-evolving modern context that has found them traveling around the world.

A FREE MUSIC SITE FOR INDEPENDENT

AND NON PROFIT FILMMAKERS

 In recognition of the Oscar nomination for British director Lucy Walker‘s multi award winning documentary Waste Land, which prominently features many tracks from Moby’s album ‘Wait For Me’ on the soundtrack, Moby has announced that he will add this album to his free film music site, mobygratis.com, making the full track listing available for all independent film makers to use for free.

Mobygratis.com is a free film music resource for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short.

As well as the addition of ‘Wait for Me’, Mobygratis.com features music from Moby’s previous albums, plus special ambient versions of tracks, leftfield remixes of singles and albums and lots of previously unreleased music by Moby which is available exclusively to use via the site.

Moby’s music is available for free to filmmakers as long as it is being used in a non-commercial or non-profit film, video, or short. If any of the films go on to be commercially successful, then 100% of the music licensing proceeds from these Mobygratis.com facilitated projects are donated to the Humane Society.

Many of the films are available to watch at the Mobygratis Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/groups/mobygratis 

Some Moby soundtracked films which have been made possible through Mobygratis.com include:

‘HitKids’ by Karen Mayer, which won an award for best score in the 2010 Seattle 48 Hour Film Project: http://vimeo.com/groups/mobygratis/videos/12193189

‘Displacement’ by Justin Litton, which won Best Student Film, 2010 West Virginia Filmmakers Festival and 3rd Place in the 2010 West Virginia International Film Festival:

http://vimeo.com/groups/mobygratis/videos/11627308

‘One City, Many Faces’, by Tariq Chow, which was a runner up in the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith Shorts 2010 film competition:

http://vimeo.com/groups/mobygratis/videos/12151682

Moby’s music has been used in numerous films, including Heat (Michael Mann), Any Given Sunday (Oliver Stone), Tomorrow Never Dies (Roger Spottiswoode) and The Beach (Danny Boyle).

Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land (dir. Lucy Walker, 2010), follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight, Countdown To Zero) has great access to the entire process and, in the end, offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit. For further information see: http://www.wastelandmovie.com/

Click HERE for the First Single, Safari Disco Club


Shortly after their new single, “Safari Disco Club,” has sparked excitement across the international blogosphere, French trio Yelle have announced a North American tour.  The dance-pop group’s upcoming dates kick off with a performance at Coachella, where their arsenal of infectious new anthems will be on full display.  Click HERE for pre-sale tickets for the tour, and the general on-sale begins this Friday, Feb 4^th.  Yelle will also be making an appearance in New York during the upcoming fashion week.  They’ll be doing a DJ set for The W Hotel’s “Global Glam” at the Box on February 10^th.

Yelle is fronted and named by Yelle, nee Julie Budet, a sparky gamine with a deceptively demure schoolgirl voice. Joined by producers GrandMarnier (Jean-Francois Perrier) and Tepr(Tanguy Destable), Yelle first arrived amid a flurry of 80’s inspired pop, with the likes of CSS and New Young Pony Club all revered for their take on brightly colored electro. Pop-Up stood out from the crowd with its wry, frothy and unashamedly fun outlook. This infectious appeal not only led to work with Robyn and Katy Perry, but gained them fans in fellow musicians such as M.I.A. and Mika, as well as mainstream personalities like Perez Hilton and Jessica Alba.

Since the release of their acclaimed debut album, Pop-Up, the band have been keeping busy.  They covered Robyn‘s “Who’s That Girl” as part of the iTunes international exchange, and she covered their track “A Cause Des Garçons” in return. They were also were asked by Katy Perry to remix her hit single “Hot n Cold” which has led to them supporting her UK tour in April.

Yelle North American Tour Dates:

04/16:  Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
04/17:  Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
04/18:  Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress
04/19:  Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
04/21:  Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
04/22:  Austin, TX @ Mohawk
04/23:  Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
04/25:  Atlanta, GA @ Masquerde
04/26:  Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/27:  Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/29:  Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
04/30:  New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/02:  Quebec City, QC @ Le Circle
05/03:  Montreal, QC @ Le National
05/04:  Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
05/06:  Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
05/07:  Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave.
05/08:  Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
05/10:  Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
05/11:  Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
05/13:  Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom
05/14:  Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
05/15:  Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
05/17:  Reno, NV @ Tonic Lounge
05/18:  Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theater
05/19:  San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
05/20:  San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
05/21:  Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theathre

White Stripes at Bonnaroo 2007

NEW YORK — The White Stripes are done.

The groundbreaking rock duo, which helped revive and reshape a stale rock scene with their scorching, guitar-fueled, blues-tinged songs, announced Wednesday they are splitting up after more than a decade and six albums together.

Jack and Meg White (who presented themselves as brother and sister but were actually ex-husband and wife) said no “Behind the Music”-type troubles doomed the band.

“The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health,” a statement announced. “It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.”

The Grammy-winning, platinum-selling band started off in Detroit in 1997. Seen mainly as the brainchild of frontman Jack White (Meg was the drummer), the band’s breakthrough came at the start of the new millennium with the albums “White Blood Cells” and 2003’s “Elephant,” with the now-classic song “Seven Nation Army.”

But over the years, Jack White has focused attention on other projects, including the bands the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs, as well as his Nashville, Tenn.-based Third Man Records. He’s also acted as producer, helping revive the career of Loretta Lynn with the album “Van Lear Rose” and most recently, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson’s “The Party Ain’t Over.”

The last recording by the White Stripes was the live album “Under the Great White Northern Lights,” released last year, along with an accompanying DVD documentary.

In an interview with The Associated Press last year, White said being a part of the Stripes was “extremely hard,” but he liked the challenge.

“If it ever got easy to go out and do a White Stripes show, I think we would just end it. It’s always been hard. That’s what I get from it though. It forces me to create something that I wouldn’t have done before. That’s tricky,” he said. “It’s tricky to go out on stage with two people in front of 10,000 people and make them all interested and keep them all interested for an hour or two, and standing their proudly and say it’s finished, that’s the show. That’s hard to pull off.”

White Stripes Drummer Meg White

Jack White White Stripes

Directed by Academy Award winner James Moll

Produced By Spitfire Pictures
Co-Financed by Exclusive Media Group and RCA Records

To Have World Premiere at 2011 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX

Los Angeles, CA (February 1, 2011) – Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear a/k/a the Foo Fighters and Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairman of Exclusive Media Group, announced today that Exclusive’s documentary film division Spitfire Pictures are producing a feature documentary film about the Foo Fighters to be directed by Oscar and Emmy winner James Moll.  The film, which will be co-financed by Exclusive Media Group and RCA Records and produced by Spitfire Pictures in association with Allentown Productions will be released theatrically this Spring, coinciding with the Foo Fighters’ seventh full length studio album. Vh1 and Sony International Entertainment Group acquired domestic and international television rights respectively.
Moll’s documentary film will chronicle the 16 year history of the Foo Fighters: From the band’s very first songs created as cassette demos Grohl recorded during his tenure as Nirvana’s drummer through its ascent to their Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, arena and stadium headlining status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet.   This chronicling of the Foo Fighters’ triumphs and tragedies will culminate in an in-depth behind the scenes perspective on the making of the new album: A process in which the band pushed itself forward by going fully back to basics and recording in Grohl’s garage completely on analog tape.  No computers, no software – just a band recording an album to tape in a garage.   The new record also marks the Foos’ first full-length effort with legendary producer Butch Vig, with whom Grohl worked on Nirvana’s classic album Nevermind. Former Nirvana member Krist Novoselic will also return along with other surprise guest artists.

Nigel Sinclair and Alex Brunner will serve as Producers for Exclusive Media Group.  Glen Zipper and Michele Farinola of Spitfire Pictures, and Jeanne Elfant Festa of Piper Cub Productions join the project as Executive Producers.

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl says, “In October of 1994, I walked into Robert Lang’s Seattle studio with a guitar, a drum set, a bass, and 14 songs I thought nobody would ever hear. 5 days later I walked out with the first Foo Fighters record. 16 years and 7 studio albums later, with the help of Academy Award winning director James Moll, we’re finally able to tell the story of how that one demo cassette turned into the band that we are today. This is our side of the story. From the first rehearsal, to the completion of our new album, it’s all there. Through hours of interviews with all members of the band past and present, we tell you the truth and nothing but the truth. So help us Lemmy. Giving James mountains of never seen before footage, and unlimited access to the recording of the new record, the film presents an insight to the band never seen before (even to some band members!) and shows the process of making our new album, in my garage, totally analog, to 24 track tape machines. No computers. No auto-tune. No drum machines. Just real rock and roll. For me, it’s like watching my life flash in front of my eyes. Except with a mouth full of popcorn and Hot Tamales.  Hope you dig it. It’s been a wild 16 years…here’s to 16 more.”

Exclusive’s Nigel Sinclair adds, “In Christmas 2009, I watched James Moll’s stunning film Inheritance and was so moved by the journey that he took us on in that movie that I sought him out for a meeting.  James’ exploration of real life characters – in the case of Inheritance under extreme duress – was powerful beyond imagination. Shortly afterwards, we were approached at Spitfire Pictures by Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters and their manager, John Silva, to explore the possibility of making a film set around the Foo Fighters recording a new album – in this case, under artistically challenging circumstances – specifically, in Dave’s garage in analog format.  Somehow it seemed to me that James Moll and Dave Grohl should meet and talk about this.  From that piece of wonderful serendipity, this film was born and we cannot wait to show it to the world.”

ABOUT THE FOO FIGHTERS
Dave Grohl has gone on record  that he never had youthful aspirations to be lead singer of a rock n roll band. So as a cassette demo became Foo Fighters’ platinum 1995 debut, Grohl was tasked with the career of a bonafide rock n roll frontman—one whose sophomore release The Colour & The Shape in 1997 went double platinum and yielded the hits Everlong, My Hero and Monkey Wrench. Borne by the hit learn To Fly, 1999’s platinum There Is Nothing Left To Lose netted the Foos their first Best Rock Album Grammy and 2002’s One By One (took out the core lineup line) resulted in another Best Rock Grammy and a fourth platinum plaque. For 2005’s In Your Honor, the band faced the self-imposed challenge of creating a double album opus, each disc showcasing a polar opposite of the Foo Fighters’ trademark sound—and triumphing with the biggest first week sales of the Foos’ career to date. The monster arena tour and subsequent intimate acoustic theater tour (documented on 2006’s Skin+Bones) inspired the enlisting of the expanded eight-piece Foo Fighters lineup on 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, whose Grammy-winning run was capped by an intimidating two-night  booking at Wembley Stadium for which all 170,000+ tickets sold out.

The forthcoming Foo Fighters record, due out spring 2011, poses the band with possibly the ultimate challenge: Taking the band from the stadiums of the world—such as the July 2 & 3 Milton Keynes Bowl shows for which all 130,000 tickets blew out within hours of on-sale–back into Dave’s garage. For a group of world class musicians who have recorded everywhere from Abbey Road to their own state of the art 606 complex in Southern California, the gauntlet begs the question: Can they still rock a garage? Can they still bash out a dozen or so barn burners (no ballads this time, thank you very much) that rock as hard as the formative years that yielded the rough hewn melodies of “Monkey Wrench,” “This Is A Call,” “Everlong” “Learn To Fly” and “My Hero?” With Butch Vig at the helm and guests ranging from Grohl’s former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic to Bob Mould, this is precisely what they aim to do. As to whether they’ll rise to that challenge? Given that this band’s career has been 15 years of decimating one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another, come spring 2011, the smart money is on the Foo Fighters.

ABOUT EXCLUSIVE MEDIA GROUP (“EXCLUSIVE”)

Exclusive Media Group is a vertically integrated independent film studio which was founded by strategic investment group, Cyrte Investments, in May 2008. Exclusive comprises:

1. Three development & production labels –

• Exclusive Films, whose maiden production is Peter Weir’s THE WAY BACK and who will also co-finance and co-produce George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH, and fully finance and produce the Miley Cyrus action comedy SO UNDERCOVER.

• Hammer Films, the iconic brand which has THE WOMAN IN BLACK starring Daniel Radcliffe in post-production, LET ME IN in release and THE RESIDENT being readied for release.

• Spitfire Pictures, which has become the specialist documentary film production house.

1. US theatrical distributor – Newmarket Films.

3.       International Sales & Marketing Operation for in-house and third party product – Exclusive Films International.

4.       Exclusive Films International also monetizes a significant film library of over 550 film titles.

Exclusive is run by Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.  Sinclair also serves as Group CEO and President of Newmarket Films, East as Chairman of Exclusive Films International.  Simon Oakes serves as Vice-Chairman of the Group Board as well as President and CEO of Hammer.  Marc Schipper and Andy Mayson serve on the Executive Board, as COO and Managing Director/CFO respectively, overseeing the operations, finance and strategic development of the worldwide group  Exclusive’s strategy is to build a vertically integrated global film entertainment group which develops and controls its own intellectual property and exploits it on a cross-media basis in the digitally converged era.  Exclusive has an active development slate and produces, finances and markets 3-5 high-quality commercial feature films and documentaries per year under its three production labels.  Exclusive actively acquires further feature films for international distribution through Exclusive Films International, and for US theatrical distribution through Newmarket Films.  The Group also develops and produces projects for television and digital platforms.

Exclusive continues to actively explore strategic expansion through M&A transactions and joint ventures – specific focus is on the acquisition of further high-quality film libraries and local territory distribution.
http://www.exclusivemedia.com

ABOUT SPITFIRE PICTURES (“SPITFIRE”)

Spitfire, Exclusive’s dedicated documentary feature film unit, has a mandate to develop and produce films chronicling iconic figures and events in popular culture from a fresh and innovative perspective.

Spitfire is currently in post-production on “THE UNTITLED FORMULA 1 DOCUMENTARY” — the definitive Formula 1 racing documentary film, produced in cooperation with Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management, directed by Paul Crowder (“AMAZING JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE WHO“) and written by Mark Monroe (writer of the Academy Award Winning documentary film “THE COVE”), as well as “THE UNTITLED GEORGE HARRISON PROJECT” directed by Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese and co-produced by the Harrison family. Spitfire is also currently wrapping “UNDEFEATED” – an emotionally charged documentary film in the vein of HOOP DREAMS produced in collaboration with Ed Cunningham and Seth Gordon (“KING OF KONG: A FISTFULL OF QUARTERS”)

Spitfire recently delivered “THE LAST PLAY AT SHEA” (“Shea”) for Billy Joel’s Maritime Pictures, which premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews.   This film, also directed by Paul Crowder, chronicles Billy Joel’s final concerts at Shea Stadium, the venue’s storied history and the magical connection between the stadium and its blue-collar inhabitants.  Shea will be released by Lionsgate Films on DVD February 8, 2011.

Spitfire is also known for producing Martin Scorsese’s Grammy, Peabody and DuPont Award winning documentary film, “NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN” in 2005, the Grammy nominated “AMAZING JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE WHO” in 2007 and “THE WHO: AT KILBURN” in 2009, as well as “GUYS N’ DIVAS: BATTLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALS” in 2009 for Showtime and Lionsgate Films.

Spitfire is run by Exclusive Co-Chairman Nigel Sinclair and Spitfire President Chris Miller.  Glen Zipper and Michele Farinola serve as Co-Heads of Documentary Features for Spitfire.

http://www.spitfirepictures.com

 The Hangout Festival 2011 Line up

  Paul Simon + Foo Fighters + Widespread Panic + The Black Keys +My Morning Jacket + Flaming Lips + Cee Lo Green + Primus + Michael Franti & Spearhead + Pretty Lights + Bassnectar + Girl Talk + Ween + Matisyahu + Warren Haynes Band + Umphrey’s McGee + Slightly Stoopid + Drive-By Truckers + Amos Lee + Old Crow Medicine Show + G. Love & Special Sauce + Medeski, Martin & Wood + Keller Williams + Galactic + Xavier Rudd + Minus the Bear + Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue + Portugal. the Man + Beats Antique + Dead Confederate + Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights + Easy Star All-Stars + Mariachi El Bronx + Truth & Salvage Co + Kristy Lee + Civil Twilight + Rich Aucoin + A Thousand Horses + Jon Black + Cas Haley + Roman Street

Our one-of-a-kind music festival takes place May 20th – 22nd on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama – just minutes from the Florida border. Tickets go on-sale tomorrow Wednesday February 2nd at 9 am CST. More bands, amenities and activities will be announced in the coming weeks.

A limited quantity of festival tickets will be available for $159 and will go on-sale Wednesday, February 2^nd at 9 am CST at www.hangoutmusicfest.com through Front Gate Tickets and at The Hangout Restaurant in Gulf Shores, AL. Once tickets at the $159 price level are sold-out, tickets will then go on-sale for $174. VIP ticket packages and travel packages start at $525 and are also available online or by phone at 1-888-512-SHOW.

WHEN: FRIDAY MAY 20th – SUNDAY MAY 22^nd, 2011

WHERE: 101 EAST BEACH BLVD, GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

(JUST 15 MINUTES FROM FLORIDA /1 HOUR FROM THE PENSACOLA, FL AND MOBILE, AL AIRPORTS)

Jake Shimabukuro performs at Bomhard Theater

Jake Shimabukuro entertained a sold out Bomhard Theater in Louisville, Kentucky. With his innovative display of the ukulele. Shimabukuro dazzled the audience with his electrifying high energy grooves and melodic ballads. His solo performance with the four stringed instrument touched upon all genres of music.

It’s rare for a young musician to earn comparisons to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. It’s even harder to find an artist who has entirely redefined an instrument by his early thirties. But Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) has already accomplished these feats, and more, in a little over a decade of playing and recording music. As the San Francisco Gate recently posited about the Hawaiian musician: “The sounds the boyish 33-year old wrings from his ukulele…are unlike anything else in the history of the instrument.”

Shimabukuro began his music career in earnest performing at local Honolulu venues and coffee shops. “I loved just playing those little places, and I was happy with it at the time,” he remembers. “But when Sony Music Japan showed interest in signing me, I think it made me take my music seriously as a career.” Although a few several well-received solo releases helped the musician earn some fame on the island, his career really skyrocketed during a TV appearance in New York, where the producers of a local TV show called “Ukulele Disco” asked him to play a cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Central Park. It was an exhilarating performance – and one that quickly went viral, as the six-million-plus page views it’s received on YouTube can attest. “It was supposed to air once, but it somehow ended up on YouTube – which had just started out at the time – and suddenly people started asking about the asian guy who plays the ukulele,” says Jake.

The clip certainly opened the world’s eyes to the ukulele, and broadened Jake’s audience. In the years since that clip aired, Shimabukuro has performed with the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Bela Fleck, Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper and Ziggy Marley. He’s played on shows like “The Late Show with Conan O’Brien,” “The Today Show” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” as well as NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “World Café.” Live, he’s landed slots on the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals, performed at the Google campus and the influential TED conference, and played in front of the Queen of England at a benefit show (alongside Bette Midler). And next Valentine’s Day, fans can see Shimabukuro performing in a scene in the new Adam Sandler movie “Just Go with It.”

Despite the success, Jake remains humble and admittedly “awestruck” by how his love of the uke has propelled him to such great heights. For that, he gives full credit to the instrument he’s played with a passion since he was 4. “The ukulele is the instrument of peace,” he says. “And if everyone played one, the world would be a better place.”

Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Shimabukuro