Things it is not-
1. A tiny guitar made for hobbits (although I plan on developing one)
2. A tiny guitar made for child Hendrix-prodigies
3. A tiny guitar made for Angela from The Office
Things it is-
1. An electric ukulele (they exist!)
2. Full of rockin' possibilities
3. Zooey Deschanel's instrument of choice
While the concept seems only a tiny bit ridiculous (pun intended), my materialistic instincts tell me I need one.....asap. Plugged into a little amp, I could just go to town playing my own concerts for the hallway of my dorm to enjoy and/or knock on the wall about. But seriously, all this springs from last night, when I discovered how great electric ukuleles sound, and rediscovered my girlcrush on Zooey Deschanel.
It was about 40-something degrees, and in Texas terms that equals freezing, especially when it's been gloriously sunny and 70-something the whole rest of the week. The letters "SXSW" have been permeating everyone's lives here in San Marcos. South By Southwest, or SXSW, is a music event not designed for fans, or really for anyone under 21, as the bars featuring bands don't often let you in, but this doesn't seem to stop the determined few who want to hear live music. Also, we're about a half hour away from Austin, and we're all college students itching to do something on any night of the week, specifically one that heralds itself as a "free concert". A few text messages and coordinated plans later, me and my troupe of musical comrades headed up I-35 to experience the last night of South by Southwest for ourselves, after scoping out where the stage that would let us young ones in was. A few opening bands later, She & Him, the little indie-darling duo that we all were ready to dance along with, took the stage. She is Zooey Deschanel, the actress who defines adorable and the girl that stands as a somewhat role model for me and embarassingly so, probably was the reason I cut my bangs and dyed my hair darker. Hey, we all strive to fit in sometimes. Him is M. Ward, another soft-spoken man with a guitar who can cut a solo wonderfully and make a writing a creative album seem easy. They both took the stage, along with backup singers and a little collection of instruments and although shivering and balancing the sound levels as they played, performed a wonderful little array of lyrically witty and lightly picked songs, headlined by Zooey's deliciously imperfect and unique pipes. What can I say? I love the girl, and the love only increased when she brought out said electric ukulele. I knew she played my favorite instrument, but the soprano in her hands made me almost giddy. Needless to say, it was a short set and my short legs meant I only spied the top of her head most of the show, but the woman I find darling strumming the little four strings I occasionally also strum made the night one of wonder and warmth, even if it the actual temperature dropped significantly.
