“I am looking forward to it. For the first time, I am bringing a trio with me. The last time that I played The Paramount, I performed solo,” he said. “I have Nolan Verner from Nashville, Tennessee, who is a great bass player, and Dave Preston from Denver, Colorado, who is a great electric guitar player. We will be rocking the trio set, which will be a lot of fun.”
He continued, “I want everybody to have a good time tonight. I want them to walk out after the show smiling. The best thing about being a ukulele player is that audiences from all over the world have such low expectations about the ukulele, and when they walk away, they feel good about it. We have a brand new album The Greatest Day coming out on August 31, so we will be doing a lot of new songs from that album.”
Shimabukuro shared that he is a big fan of The Beatles, and he enjoys performing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which was penned by George Harrison. “I am a huge Beatles fan, but I have felt the biggest connection with George Harrison. He had such a passion for music,” he said.
On his songwriting inspirations, Shimabukuro said, “Just everyday life. I have been very fortunate.”
Digital transformation of the music business
On the impact of technology on the music industry, Shimabukuro said, “I think technology is great. It makes the music so accessible to people. I think that it’s a great way for new artists to get discovered. I discover new music these days on iTunes and some of these other platforms. It is fascinating, and I am very grateful. Technology is a very powerful tool. It is just fantastic.”
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine, Shimabukuro said, “I use my phone to record Voice Memos. Back in the day, I would call my answering machine at my house, and I would sing the melody into the answering machine, so when I would go home, I would get it recorded. Now, I make videos of myself playing, as a reference. That has been so handy. If you have an idea for a song, you can actually record it in your laptop, and the sound is quite decent. These days, technology gives us so many opportunities.”
Shimabukuro complimented teen ukulele player and songstress Grace VanderWaal. “I think Grace is fantastic. It is so great to see so many artists utilizing the ukulele in their music. Grace is amazing and she writes wonderful songs. She has such a unique voice. Seeing her just by herself playing the ukulele and singing is so powerful, and it makes such an impact,” he said. “I think it is so great to hear the ukulele being used in all these different styles of music. Just to hear it in pop music now is awesome. It is a great time for the ukulele.”
The Greatest Day by Jake Shimabukuro will be officially released on August 31. It is available for pre-order on iTunes.
To learn more about Jake Shimabukuro and his touring schedule, check out his official homepage.
