Jake Shimabukuro in Orange County Sunday, May 25th

Here's the official press release...

Jake Shimabukuro Strums His way to
Surfing Heritage Foundation Memorial Weekend

Dubbed the Eric Clapton of Ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro makes his Orange County appearance this Memorial Weekend at the Surfing Heritage Foundation located here in San Clemente. His virtuosity on the ukulele defies label or category. Playing jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock, Jake’s mission is to show everyone that the instrument is capable of so much more than Hawaiian music or songs like “Tiny Bubbles” have offered audiences traditionally.

Jake Shimabukuro (pronounced: she-ma-BOO-koo-row) is fast becoming recognized as one of the world’s top ukulele musicians. Here in Orange County, where the sub-culture of four-string fans meets regularly in classes at Shirley Orlando’s Island Bazaar in Huntington Beach or the 80 people jam in Monday afternoon sessions at the Oasis Center in Corona Del Mar, to have Jake performing locally is a highly motivating treat. Renowned for his lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake captivates crowds wherever he appears with his intricate strumming and plucking, and his ballads that evoke heartfelt emotion.

In 2006, a video clip of Jake playing the cover of George Harrison’s song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” in Central Park started circulating the Internet resulting in emails of amazement from across the globe. To date, the video has been viewed more than 2.4 million times on YouTube alone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mEKMz2Pvo&feature=related

Jake has played and recorded with a treasure trove of other musicians including Diana Krall, Fiona Apple, Bobby McFerrin, Ziggy Marley, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Les Paul, Stanley Clarke, Blues Traveler, and Stephen Bishop just to name a few. He has also appeared on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien. Last year Jake scored the soundtrack to a highly successful Japanese film Hula Girl. Two songs from the film’s score, “Wish on My Star” and “Hula Girl” are bonus tracks on Shimabukuro’s CD “Gently Weeps” which was released in September 2007

The Surfing Heritage Foundation is pleased to bring Jake Shimabukuro to Orange County on Sunday, May 25th at 110 Calle Iglesia, San Clemente, CA 92672. Also on the bill for the evening is Jaz Kanter an official Surf Comedian, whose tales of the wave that got away will be sure to warm up the crowd with laughter (www.jazkanter.com). Show time is 7:30 pm and doors open to the general public at 6:30 pm. General admission is $25. VIP tickets, which include dinner, drinks and premiere seating, are available for $75. Hurry up and order quickly as the VIP tickets are especially selling out fast.

The evening’s festivities also includes a Silent Auction featuring artwork and photography donated by Art Brewer, Ken Auster, Tyler Warren, Celine Chat and Jay Adler as well as a massive Tiki Farm gift basket. Also two special Kala Ukulele’s are being hand painted by artists, Wade Koniakowsky and Drew Brophy, especially for this event at the Surfing Heritage Foundation. The Silent Auction will take place prior to the show.

Surfing Heritage Foundation is thankful to the sponsors of the evening, which include Title Sponsors Heritage Global Solutions and Hoffman California Fabrics. Also supporting the event is: Crevier BMW & Mini, Rainbow Sandals, and Pacific Coast National Bank. In-kind support from; Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Surfline.com, SC Times, Surfer Magazine, Karl Strauss Brewery, Barefoot Wines, Kala Ukuleles, and Lost Energy Drinks.

Founded in 2001, the Surfing Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserve, present and promote surfing’s heritage for the appreciation and education of current and future generations. Surfing Heritage accomplishes this through Preservation… archiving significant surfboards, photography, oral history, publishing, art, life-style, film, and objects of cultural value. Presentation… creating a world-class museum/resource facility, research library, traveling exhibits, and website content. Promotion… providing one of a kind experiences with the legends of surf culture, through films, exhibits, music, and special events. For more information visit http://www.surfingheritage.org .

For tickets or for more information, contact [email protected] or call (949) 388-0313.

I'm going and hope to run into some TC'ers. Maybe a little get together at Mugoomba afterwards? The Surfing Heritage Foundation is literally about a 3-minute drive from Tiki Farm.

[ Edited by: makedamug 2008-05-05 15:14 ]

i'm in fer sher...bigtoe party of 4

I had the pleasure of seeing him a few years ago . He is very good.