By JON WOODHOUSE
For The Maui News
The father and son duo of Jay and Andrew Molina will soon fly from Maui to Europe, where they will first perform at the three-day Ukulele Festival of Great Britain. From there they head over to Ireland and then back to England to tour with another father and son team, who call themselves Dead Man’s Uke.
Besides the Molinas, Maui’s Jeff Peterson will also perform at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, teaching a class on the “Kamehameha Waltz.”
“It’s incredible the enthusiasm,” says Andrew Molina, who first toured Britain in 2018. “Everyone is so excited to play. I’ve never seen that enthusiasm anywhere else.”
In Dublin they will take part in the city’s famous “Ukulele Tuesday” event. “It’s been happening for years and years,” Jay Molina explains. “The first time we went we were blown away because it’s in this little pub in Dublin. Sometimes they get 200 people and they’re packed in like sardines.”
The duo of Dead Man’s Uke are Tim and Jake Smithies. “They have been performing together for many years now,” says Andrew. “We met them on our first visit to the U.K, back in 2018. When they heard we were coming to the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain they asked if we would like to do a tour with them.”
So why are they called Dead Man’s Uke?
“It actually comes from a very interesting fact they have a ukulele that belonged to Tiny Tim,” says Andrew.
One of Hawaii’s leading young ukulele players, Andrew blends Hawaiian, pop, rock, Latin and jazz influences on his albums, with Ukulele Magazine praising his “sheer virtuosity,” and declaring him a “Maui uke phenom.” His recent composition “You’re Not Alone,” is nominated for a Hoku Award for Instrumental Composition of the Year.
He has just released “Generations,” which features interpretations of songs he enjoyed growing up from Led Zeppelins “Stairway to Heaven” and the Beatles’ Come Together” to Sting “Fields of Gold” and Survivor’s “Eye of The Tiger.” Guests on the album include Grammy Award winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez.
“There are songs that I grew up listening that were very nostalgic that played a big part, such ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ I was a big fan of the ‘Rocky’ movies, and a Sting fan as well. I have some new originals and I wanted to also feature my dad with a bigger part. That’s why he has some vocals on there.”
A veteran of the Maui music scene vocalist/bass guitarist Jay Molina performed with local bands such as Asian Blend, the jazz-fusion group Music Magic, and The Ali’i’s. On Sundays, he plays with the Island Soul Band at Mulligan’s on the Blue.
Loving performing with his son he says, “it’s very special. I never went touring when I was younger, and I’m able to travel around the world with Andrew and have that special bond. We have so much fun on the road. I have fathers come up and tell me, ‘it must be so cool to play with your son.’ We just try to be ourselves and share the aloha spirit.”
Andrew and Jay Molina present “The World of Ukulele” at Mulligan’s on the Blue on July 17 at 7 p.m. Violinist Willy Wainwright will play with them. Tickets range from $15 to $25. Andrew will also teach an ukulele workshop at 4:30 p.m. for $15. “Generations” is available on Apple Music and Prime Music, and at https://andrewmolinaukulele.com.