Uke-Hunt is a

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

-based

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...

fronted by

Spike Slawson Sean "Spike" Slawson (born April 9, 1970) is an American punk rock musician, a member of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Swingin' Utters, Filthy Thievin' Bastards, Re-Volts, Uke-Hunt, and Los Nuevos Bajos. Early life Having grown up in Pittsb ...

from

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to MFGG or the Gimmes) are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, C. J. Ramone, Joey Cape, Pinch and John Reis. ...

. Although both this and the Gimmes are cover bands, they have very different approaches. While the Gimmes generally pick non-rock songs, rock them out and speed them up to turn them into

punk music Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, the songs picked for this band are generally upbeat songs that are then slowed down and mellowed out.

History

The band's origins start with Slawson learning to play ukulele when Me First and the Gimme Gimmes would perform their cover of

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known as R. Kelly, is an American former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames suc ...

's "

I Believe I Can Fly "I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film '' Space Jam''. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album '' R ...

" live. Slawson would then learn different songs on ukulele which led to this band. The band initially played on the San Francisco Wharf under the name Uke Hammer. The band was initially made up of Slawson on ukulele and vocals, Randy Burk on percussion and vocals and Jamin Barton on various instruments, including saxophone, melodica and harmonica. The band first appeared on the 2013 ''Fat Music for Fest People III'' compilation before releasing their debut single, "

The Prettiest Star "The Prettiest Star" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, originally released on 6 March 1970 through Mercury Records as the follow-up Single (music), single to "Space Oddity". A love song for his soon-to-be wife Angie Bowie, Ang ...

", in April 2014, followed by their debut, self-titled album in June 2014. The following year, the band went on their first national tour.

Members

– lead vocals * Jamin Barton - saw, saxophone *

Randy Burk Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. ''Randi'' is approximatel ...

- percussion *

Joe Raposo Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH (February 8, 1937 – February 5, 1989) was an American composer and songwriter. He is best known for his work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', for which he wrote the theme song, and several no ...

- bass

Discography

"The Prettiest Star" 7" (2014)

"The Prettiest Star" was the first release by the band. It was released on April 29, 2014 by

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...

Track listing

''Uke-Hunt'' (2014)

''Uke-Hunt'' is the debut album by the band. It was released on June 10, 2014 by

Track listing

Compilation appearances

The following releases feature songs by the band. * ''Fat Music for Fest People III'' (2013, Fat Wreck Chords) ** Features "Animal Farm", later released on ''Uke-Hunt'' * ''Fat Music for Fest People IV'' (2014, Fat Wreck Chords) ** Features "Needles and Pins" from ''Uke-Hunt'' * '' Mild in the Streets: Fat Music Unplugged'' (2016, Fat Wreck Chords) ** Features the exclusive " Xanadu"

References

External links

* {{Authority control Fat Wreck Chords artists Musical groups established in 2013 2013 establishments in California