I got an anonymous tip tonight that “a gang of about 20 ukulele players” had “taken over” the Corner Brewery. I was told that it was incredibly blog-worthy, and that I should get my ass out there ASAP. The tipster, not a fan of the ukulele apparently, informed me that good, beer-drinking people were being forced out into the street. He himself was on his way out as he called me on the tip line. He said, “something has to be done” in an exasperated tone, and talked of the “terrible precedent” being set.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I myself have been known to associate with the occasional uke player. Hell, I even recorded with one once. But, I played along on the phone, agreeing that these uke players should be evicted before, god forbid, tuba players and the like get it into their heads to come out and plant their asses down in front of our bar.

So, I got my shoes on and headed out into the rain with my camera in hand. By the time I got there, I think the majority of the attack had already taken place. There were people outside with uke cases, slowly making their ways to their cars. Inside, there were still about a dozen at it though. Just as I’d been told, they were right in front of the bar, their sheet music set before them, nary a beer in sight. (Gasp!)

To be honest, I didn’t find it all that offensive. But, like I said, I have a special place in my heart for uke players, and maybe they’d already done all of their more offensive material. (Were they doing bawdy sea shanties with lots of high note plucking? All I heard were Christmas songs.) I can see how others might be miffed though. This is probably especially true of the bartenders who 1) had to listen to it for a hell of a lot longer, 2) may have been losing paying customers, and 3) probably weren’t getting much in the way of tips from the few ukulele players drinking. And, while I like ukes, I do recall an incident earlier this summer when I was at the Brewery when a few hippies came in with bongos and acoustic guitars. I’m sure that some people didn’t mind their performance, but it drove me off the fucking deep end. So, I can kind of sympathize with those that were upset in this instance. Maybe there needs to be a “no unscheduled music” rule. But maybe that’s a slippery slope. Next, maybe it’s kids that people won’t like having around. (We are presently living under a “no kids after 9:00 compromise,” but I it’s possible that a faction could begin lobbying to keep them out altogether.) I love having a big, open, public space where people can meet and drink beer, but maybe there are some lines that still need to be drawn.

[update: When I first posted this, I was under the impression that the event had not been sanctioned by the brewery - that the folks had just shown up with their ukes, as though they were on an Improv Everywhere mission. I’m told now, however, that it may have been approved in advance by Brewery management. I’m still awaiting confirmation.]