You don’t find a whole lot of people coming out of the prestigious Berklee College of Music to play the ukulele in gin joints.
One of them would be Victoria Vox, a Baltimorean by way of Green Bay, Wis., who has made Crabtown her home because it’s an “underdog” city.
And what better place — other than the 50th state — to entertain with an instrument last brought to the masses in the early years of the Cold War by Arthur Godfrey, a 2001 inductee into the Ukulele Hall of Fame.
» What: Baltimore Folk Music Society presents Victoria Vox on ukulele
» When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
» Where: Woodbrook Baptist Church, 25 Stevenson Lane, Towson
» Tickets: $10; $8 for folk society members
» Info: www.victoriavox.com
“A lot of people say that they were a bit skeptical when a friend brought them out to see one of my shows,” said Vox, who performs tomorrow night in Towson.
“They say how they didn’t think ukulele music would sound like that, that they have a whole new appreciation for the instrument.”
What, you were expecting “Tiny Bubbles?”
Vox rocks !
(Sweetly.)
“It can be jazzy, rockin’, sweet, percussive and funky — all in a switch of a strum,” said Vox, who has released several CDs — her new one is “Chameleon” — and does a slick mimic of a trumpet by blowing air out the side of her mouth.
In addition to the phantom horn player, Vox will be accompanied tomorrow at Woodbrook Baptist church by a backing band.
“Most of my writing is done on my ukulele these days,” said Vox, who sells sheer panties at her shows — a la Alice Cooper back before Vince was spending all of his time on the golf course — with “Uke Can’t Touch This” written across the bottom.
“I’ll draw inspiration from other instruments when I get in a rut,” she said. “I’ve been known to write songs with water glasses, old keyboards, my guitar and the squeak of windshield wipers.”
Rafael Alvarez can be reached at [email protected].
