A union of ukuleles

Once a month, Seeds Coffee on Oxmoor Road hosts a sort of ukulele jam session. About 20 people gather in the coffee shop’s side room to play together and learn from each other.

The meeting is organized by the Birmingham Ukulele Society and coordinator Eric Fournier, a Homewood resident and Samford University professor. Fournier said he got the idea for regular ukulele jam sessions after visiting the United Kingdom with Samford’s study abroad program about five years ago.

“I had already started playing ukulele, and I knew there was this scene in the U.K., and London especially, where they have ukulele nights at the pub,” he said. 

Fournier said he attended one ukulele night at Royal George Pub in Soho and was hooked.

“There must have been 40-something people down in the basement of this pub, all singing along and playing ukulele songs,” he said. “I thought it was great fun.”

When he got back to Alabama, he started reaching out to music stores and individuals to get a group together, but attendance was inconsistent. Fellow ukulele player Dave Bell started a Facebook page for the group and one for meetups, and they were able to connect with more people. They started meeting at Hart and Soul and have since moved to Seeds.

Looking for a meetup location meant finding a place that could accommodate a large group as well as allow for participants from any age group.

“What I liked about Seeds is it’s a coffee shop, and they also serve beer and wine, so people don’t necessarily want to go to bars, but some people want to go to a coffee shop to have a beer,” he said. “So it made a nice venue for both sides of that spectrum.”

The group attracts a variety of personalities and a range in experience, Fournier said, and members support each other as they learn.

“It’s just a group of ukulele enthusiasts,” said Kim Riegel, a member of the Birmingham Ukulele Society. “I don’t think there’s any professional musicians in it. We just have a good time.” 

Riegel grew up playing the piano, and her general interest in music always kept the ukulele in the back of her mind. A few years ago, she heard a cover of “Tonight’s the Night,” and the ukulele used in that song inspired her to learn.

“I probably spent six months or so trying to learn and not really finding much information online,” she said. “I had a book; I had a chord chart, and I just kept trying to find someone to teach me.”

Not all members have a background in music. Fournier said he had no musical experience before picking up the ukulele, but the instrument’s simple structure was encouraging.

“The math works out pretty nicely, where it’s only four strings,” he said. “So simple chords, four strings and probably 15 or 20 minutes, somebody can learn a few chords and start playing a few songs.”

Although it might be simpler than a guitar because it has fewer strings and chords, Riegel said it does take some skill, and sometimes people don’t recognize that.

“I think people underestimate it as an instrument, because it has this connotation of maybe being a toy,” she said. “It can be just as challenging as any other instrument. It has its own chords and patterns and what’s called finger rolls. Just like any other instrument, it has its own things going on with it.”

Because the ukulele is an accessible instrument in regard to affordability and portability, Riegel said they have grown in popularity in the last few years. Attendance at Birmingham Ukulele Society meetups has also grown.

Each meeting is a little different, and members will take turns suggesting songs or leading the group. The ukulele generally attracts people who are quirky in a good way, Fournier said, and its versatility means they are not limited by genre.

“In some ways, it’s a little like ukulele karaoke where if you don’t have a ukulele, you can certainly sing along to some of the songs,” he said. “We typically choose songs that people typically know.”

As someone who came from no musical background, Fournier said he would encourage people to pick up the ukulele if they are interested in music. And if they’re looking to improve and meet a few people, he said they should come out to their monthly jam sessions.

While the monthly Seeds Coffee meetups will continue, Fournier said he hopes the future will offer a greater variety of events.

“We’re talking about expanding to other things,” he said. “We’re talking about doing an open air event at Railroad ParK every other week, so kind of alternate the evening jams for people who aren’t able to come at night or don’t want to. … Ukuleles sound better outdoors anyway.”

For more information, find the Birmingham Ukulele Society on Facebook.