Brit Rodriguez

A chance Facebook "like" began the "nutty" story that is Californian girl Brit Rodriguez fundraising to come to New Zealand to play at the Geraldine ukulele festival, sparking an international friendship at the same time.

After Brit's mother "liked" the Geraldine Ukuphonium Orchestra's Facebook page a conversation between her and festival organisers Hugh and Fi McCafferty commenced.

Through their chats they learnt that Brit played the ukulele and on the off-chance asked if she would be interested in playing at the festival.

"She said yes and we said are you sure?" said Hugh McCafferty. "We're a little surprised they were so keen to come here."

Through organising the event Mr McCafferty said that they have became friends with the Rodriguez family - even watching the Superbowl together via internet correspondence.

At 19 years old, singer-songwriter Brit is fast gaining credibility in the indie music scene.

With her confirmed as the headline act, it would make this year's festival international, said Mr McCafferty.

Brit said she was "over the moon excited" to be coming to New Zealand as she had only ever thought of it as a dream destination.

"I grew up going to see Lord of the Rings with my dad, and I'm pretty sure everyone can agree that Peter Jackson managed to make everyone fall in love with New Zealand."

Her fundraising is well under way with people donating money and buying her songs on the site Bandcamp.

"Also, after months of fans asking for shirts and physical CDs, I'm finally making it happen. I've decided to come out with ‘mix tapes' this year, just to give everyone a taste of what is to come with an EP."

Brit will open the Geraldine Ukefest on July 11 with a concert at the Geraldine cinema.

The Ukefest also includes Hamilton's Big Muffin Serious Band and The Geraldine Ukuphonium Orchestra. - The Timaru Herald

A YOUNG American aims to dispel misconceptions about the ukulele during the inaugural Queenstown UkeFest.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Brit Rodriguez, from Hollywood, California, is teaching and performing at the festival, which runs from tonight till Saturday night.

Rodriguez, 21, says people often pigeonhole the ukulele as a beginner instrument and think it’s limited to Hawaiian or island-type music.

“It is very easy to get started with but once you get started you realise how much you can do with it – I play mainly blues and folk.”

Rodriguez, who’s released her songs online and put out a CD or mixtape, prefers playing originals.

“It took a while for me to actually learn a cover just because it’s hard for me to learn other people’s words.”

Despite an upsurge in ukulele sales, Rodriguez says “people still kind of look at you like you’re not a real musician”.

“But if you look into it, the ukulele is the first choice of a lot of full-time musicians.”

Rodriguez says festival host Hugh McCafferty, a former Queenstown Anglican vicar who lives in Geraldine, feels people in hard times often gravitate to the ukulele because it’s cheerful.

Rodriguez discovered the ukulele about six years ago when she was at high school.

“I went down the rabbit-hole of YouTube and I found an arrangement of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Jake Shimabukuro and it was the most amazing performance/arrangement I’d ever heard in my life, on the ukulele, so I then continued watching ukulele over and over again.

“My friend had a tiny ukulele in her closet that she had gotten in Hawaii three years before, she let me borrow it and I ended up learning how to play with it.

“I played a few open-mics and from the open-mics people booked me for huge gigs with the tiny little toy so my dad had to get me a real one.

“It just kind of snowballed and now I’m getting free ukuleles from amazing sponsors.” - The Mountain Scene