MOUNT VERNON – A few years ago, Tim Bowers fell in love.
He was working on a children’s book – one of the 50-plus he’s illustrated in his career as an artist – called ‘Memoirs of a Parrot.’ One of the book’s main characters, Todd, plays a ukulele.
Bowers was an avid guitar player but had never tried strumming the four-string instrument. So he figured he’d better get one, so he could refer to it during his illustrations.
“And I used that as an excuse to buy my first ukulele,” he said Tuesday, laughing.
He’s been in love with the ukulele ever since. And now, after a year in Mount Vernon, Bowers is ready to share that passion with others. He’s beginning the Knox County Ukulele Club, which will meet on the first and third Thursday of every month at the Woodward Opera House.
Meetings will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the smaller room on the Woodward’s second floor. The first meeting will be held this Thursday night.
No experience is required, Bowers said, although participants must bring their own ukulele. There are no age requirements either. The first few meetings will be centered around learning chords and becoming comfortable with the instrument, Bowers said.
As time goes on, Bowers envisions the club as an opportunity to play in a group setting. He will lead the initial meetings, but plans on eventually becoming more of a participant in the club.
“It’s not going to be structured like an instructional course or class,” Bowers explained. He noted that there are instructional classes available locally at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
“There’s a huge book of ukulele songs that we’re probably going to start with, choosing songs from there, and then as we go, participants can suggest songs and we can add that to our song list and keep it kind of rolling,” Bowers said.
“But the entire thing is for fun. I’d love to see people show up and just have fun; no pressure, no expectations, just have some fun.”
To Bowers’ knowledge, this will be Knox County’s first official ukulele club.
‘It’s a happy instrument’
Bowers and his wife, Keryn, own The Jolly Dog Art & Gift Shop on North Main Street, located between The Makery and Down Home Leather. They sell a diverse collection of Bowers’ creations, including decorated ukuleles, paintings, and clocks. The shop has been open since August.
READ: Meet Tim Bowers: Bestselling illustrator, educator, and Mount Vernon’s newest shop owner
Tim, the illustrator of two New York Times bestselling children’s books, thought of starting the club shortly after he and Keryn opened the shop. Customers were drawn to to his colorful assemblage of ukuleles, and he began thinking of ways to expand on his lifelong interest in music.
“I go in every day that we’re open and I tune all the instruments,” explained Bowers, whose shop keeps close to 20 ukuleles in stock. “And in tuning all these, I usually strum a few chords and it’s just contagious, you know. You start playing a little bit and you want to play more.
“It’s a fun instrument, it’s a happy instrument.”
Bowers practices ukulele whenever he can, and he’s taken the opportunity to learn more about the instrument in recent months. He has bought instructional books – on both starting a club and the ukulele itself – and he’s done online research to learn more about the instrument.
Recently, Bowers has attended ukulele club meetings in neighboring counties to better understand how his might operate. He drove to Newark on Tuesday night to attend the Licking County club’s meeting and has also been to smaller meetings in Homer.
A long-time guitarist, Bowers said the ukulele is much easier to learn. There are fewer strings – the ukulele has four, while the guitar has six – and the instrument is smaller and easier to handle. Ukuleles have soft, nylon strings, as opposed to the steel strings of a guitar.
“A lot of songs are played with two or three simple chords,” Bowers said. “They have song books that you can buy of songs you can play with three chords, so we’re going to start off like that with the club.”
An instrument for all
Bowers believes the ukulele is rising in popularity across the world. Experts agree. A May 2018 article in the Oakland Press said 1.4 million ukuleles were sold in the U.S. in 2016. Most ukuleles start at $25, making them an inexpensive beginner’s instrument.
This popularity transcends age; Bowers said he has had conversations with young and old community members who are interested in the instrument. He has talked with Mount Vernon students who said there would likely be a club at the high school next year, and he’s also received interest from older community members about learning how to play.
Bowers knows an MVNU professor who traveled to Ireland last summer and found a ukulele club that played in a pub. There are also prominent organizations in Michigan and Washington, he said.
Bowers believes some of the youth appeal may be due to the fact that the lead singer for Twenty One Pilots, a nationally known pop/rock duo out of Columbus, plays the ukulele in certain songs. Ukulele players have also been featured on popular television shows like America’s Got Talent.
In Newark, there are two ukulele groups – one for teenagers, which serves as a beginner’s group, and one for more advanced strummers.
“It’s the kind of thing where you can show up and play three or four chords and really enjoy just playing with a group that way, or you can keep going with it, keep adding more difficult and complex type songs. So there are all kinds of players out there,” Bowers said.
“Some people just use it as therapy, you know. They sit down and it is such a happy-sounding instrument, it’s a good stress-reliever. You know, sit down and play your ukulele for a few minutes and the world is right.”
Future plans
Eventually, Bowers hopes the club will perform community outreach as well. He said many nearby clubs play at nursing homes, during Christmas time or at shopping malls, and he hopes Knox County’s club will grow to that point.
Bowers has no expectations for attendance at Thursday night’s first meeting. He has advertised the club on Facebook and by hanging posters at downtown businesses.
“I hope it grows to a good size,” Bowers said, “but I have no idea who’s going to show up.”
Bowers has long had a passion for playing the small, simple, easy-going instrument. He’s excited to share that passion with others – to learn, relax and rock out with his fellow community members.
“I never intended to be the leader of the group, I wanted to be a participant. But to get it started, I thought somebody has to take the first step,” Bowers said. “I hope that there is a group of enthusiastic ukulele players that show up and over time, it becomes more of a community-owned group and can keep going in that way.
“I’m more than willing to get it started. I think the instrument’s great and it’ll be a lot of fun.”
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