Petty Booka is a Japanese musical group that consists of two women, Petty and Booka, who sing and play
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
. Most of the band's early output consisted of cover versions of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
an ukulele classics. The two also do many covers of well-known rock songs. Petty Booka was part of
Sister Benten Online, a record company run by Audrey "Benten" Kimura. The band is based in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and has toured of Europe and North America.
In 1997, the original Petty left the duo, and a new Petty filled her spot. In November 2002, the original Booka also left to take care of her baby and was replaced by Candy Eyeslugger's Maiko. The current "Petty" and "Booka" hail from Chiba and Saitama, Japan.
J-Pop World Interview
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The band has performed several times at the U.S. music festival SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
as part of the Japan Nite
Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered around South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include mu ...
event.
As of 2008, they are actively touring and recording. Petty Booka has previously toured with Bad Credit
Bad Credit was a comedy hip hop duo based out of San Diego, California which lasted from 2002 to 2008, fronted by musicians and comedians Matthew Gorney (Optimus Rime) and Dallas McLaughlin (Dr. Cliff Mixtable).
Self-described as "financial hip ...
and The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. ...
. Their next release will reportedly be a Bluegrass album.
Discography
*Tokyo Bluegrass Honeys ive(Benten Tokyo/BNTN-069, 2008)
*Toconut's Hawaii (Ben Ten, ?)
*Sweethearts of the Radio
*Blue Lagoon
*Hawaiian Pure Heart
*Fujiyama Mama
*Ukulele Lady
"Ukulele Lady" is a popular standard, an old evergreen song by Gus Kahn and Richard A. Whiting. Published in 1925, the song was first made famous by Vaughn De Leath.
It has been recorded by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra with vocals by the Southe ...
*Singin' in the Rain (Vivid, 2001)
*Dancing with Petty Booka (Benten Tokyo/Acg, 2006)
*Summer Breeze (Crown, 2000)
References
External links
Petty Booka WebsiteOfficial Pettybooka Fan-SiteInterview at J-Pop World
Japanese pop music groups
Ukulele players
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