The Big Hits… On Small Instruments!

Ukuleles are small. Yet, ukulele duet Greg Doyle and Wendy Matthews play the big hits, favoring swing and vintage tunes – as well as a few things you might not expect to hear on uke. The Fleas have been playing together as a ukulele duo since late 2006, united by a common love of the music from the 20s through 50s. As the Fleas soon discovered, ukes are perfect for these cheerful, melodic tunes. The Fleas feature both Greg and Wendy on vocals, often in harmony.

Greg Doyle, on baritone uke, is a guitarist whose musical interests span Swing to Surf and beyond. He has been playing guitar since his teens and was a long-time member of Vic Schwarz’s Acoustic Workshop, a Hudson Valley-based, six-piece string band. Greg teaches uke and guitar privately.

Wendy Matthews, on soprano uke, was charmed by the instrument’s portability and quirkiness, and took it up a few years back to accompany her singing. She has been singing and playing a variety of instruments since her teens. In a previous life, she was a member of Bad Attitudes, a four-woman music and comedy troupe.

The Fleas have delighted audiences in venues as varied as the Clearwater Festival, Hoot on the Hudson, Ukulele Cabaret and New York Ukulele Festival, as well as street fairs, restaurants, libraries, art openings and private parties across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine. On her travels, Wendy has also performed in exotic locales such as Honduras and Borneo!

The Fleas have recorded six of their favorite swing tunes on a demo CD. If you would like a copy for your very own, email us at edukatedfleas@edukatedfleas.com. Just $6.

They are currently working on a full length CD. Thanks for listening!

Invite the Fleas to play at your next event: edukatedfleas@edukatedfleas.com

Wednesday, August 11

Fleas Newsflash!

We hope that the summer has been treating you well. We've been having a busy time -- mostly recently we just returned from another fantastic Swing Week at Augusta. Those of you who play an instrument and enjoy the kind of music we play should definitely think about going next year. http://www.augustaheritage.com/swing.html.

Now that we're back, we thought we'd bring you up to date on what's in store for the Fleas.
September
Sunday, Sept. 5, 12 to 2:30pm: Beacon Farmers' Market, waterfront park, Beacon NY.
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2 to 4pm, Brownstone Arts opening, Portland Public Library, Portland CT.
Sunday, Sept 12, 10am to 12pm, Swing Jam, Beacon NY
Sunday, Sept 12, 2 to 6pm, Hoot on the Hudson, Cold Spring NY
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7 to 8:30pm, Bethel Public Library, Bethel CT
Saturday, Sept. 25, 5 to 6pm, Heebasquabee Festival, Glendale Farms, Hector NY
Check the calendar to the right for details, directions and more info. We hope to see you at one of these great events!
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 4:13 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 1

Clearwater Festval

Sunday, June 20
3:15pm

Clearwater Festival
The Great Hudson River Revival
Croton Point Park, Croton NY

The Fleas are delighted to be appearing at Clearwater again this year! Find us at the Circle of Song stage at 3:15 pm for Ukulele Madness. For more info, visit http://www.clearwater.org/festival/index.html
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 4:30 PM 0 comments

Make Music New York


Monday, June 21
4pm to 8pm
Union Square Park, NYC

The Fleas are looking forward to being part of this citywide music festival. There's a great lineup of ukulele performers, including Victoria Vox, Les Chauds Lapins, Bliss Blood, Peter Stampfel, and many other greats!

The Edukated Fleas are in the 7pm set.
http://www.makemusicny.org/
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 3:30 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 12

NY Uke Fest 2010
at Baruch College, 55 Lexington Avenue, New York City
May 14, 15, 16
http://www.nyukefest.com/pages/wkshp_sch.html

Don't miss these three days packed with ukulele fun! Workshops, vendors, and concerts featuring world-class ukulele performers! It culminates in the Sunday Luau: an afternoon of food, music and MORE fun -- including the Fleas!
We're on at 3:30pm Sunday, May 16th.

Tickets available online at http://www.nyukefest.com/pages/NYUF_Ticket.html until 6pm Thursday, May 13. After that, you can get your tickets at the box office.
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 2:42 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 16

Mocha Coffee House

3 Glen Road, Sandy Hook (Newtown) CT

Saturday, May 1, 8:00pm – 10:00pm

Spend an evening with the Fleas at this friendly cafe. Come join us for dessert and coffee -- and some ukulele swing.

If you play the uke, bring it along! We'll do a short sing-along, play-along set mid-evening!

FREE, but tips are greatly appreciated.
http://www.mochacoffeehouse.com/events.html
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 11:25 PM 0 comments

Friday, March 19

Fleas at the Ukulele Cabaret

Friday, March 26th
8:00 pm to midnight

P&G Bar
Columbus Avenue at 78th Street
NYC

The Ukulele Cabaret inaugurates its new home on the Upper West Side at the famous P&G bar, which features a separate performance space. Come join the fun! Thanks to Sonic Uke for hosting.

The Fleas will be in the 9 pm set!
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 7:03 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 13

Fleas return to the Music Room

The Music Room at Whistling Willie's
184 Main Street
Cold Spring, NY
(845) 265-2012

Thursday, March 18th, 8:00pm

The Fleas are pleased to be back at the Music Room, sharing the bill with Lipbone Redding once again. This is sure to be another fun evening! We'll be playing a 40-minute set at 8pm -- come join us for a drink or dinner. The place was packed last time, reservations recommended!

Yes, this is the poster from last time, but you get the idea.
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 10:54 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 21

Flea news update

Ukulele player sighting in Borneo!

Things have been quiet since January as Wendy was off traveling in Borneo and Malaysia for about a month. While she was away, she played a couple of ukulele gigs aboard the elegant RV Orient Pandaw as it sailed the Rajang River in Borneo! Thanks to Lucinda Patrick for the photo.

But there are lots of fun things coming up. The Fleas will be part of the Augusta Swing Week Reunion in Maryland at the end of February. Then on March 18, we'll be back at the Music Room at Whistling Willie's in Cold Spring, NY -- a great venue. And, on March 26th we'll be playing at the Ukulele Cabaret in NYC at its new, still secret, location! Stay tuned.

Finally, we are looking for a good location to hold a Ukulele Invitational in the Hudson Valley, NY area. Any ideas? Email us.
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 12:57 PM 0 comments

Friday, December 18

Holiday Ukulele Invitational

Saturday January 2nd, 7:30 pm
Molten Java Cafe
102 Greenwood Ave., Bethel CT

Featuring Roswell and the Ukulaliens

Attention ukulele players and enthusiasts! We're doing it again! Join us at the second Connecticut Ukulele Invitational!

Can the holidays be complete without ukuleles? NEVER! Join the fun: Featured performances by Roswell and the Ukulaliens, plus Uncle Zac, No Soap Radio, Michel Driscoll, Ted Jeffries, Chris Young, Cecilie Rindom, Chris and the Kookie Ukies -- maybe even the Fleas!

Be sure to bring your ukulele for the play-alongs! There will even be an open mic, time permitting.
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 5:27 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 7

Fleas infest The Music Room!


The Music Room at Whistling Willie's
184 Main Street
Cold Spring, New York

Thursday, December 10th, 8:00 pm

The Fleas are delighted to be part of the new Music Room at Whistling Willie's. We'll be playing a 40-minute set at 8 pm, so drop in for a drink, an appetizer or dinner and enjoy a few tunes!
Posted by The big hits… on small instruments at 5:37 PM 0 comments
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