The Big Hits… On Small Instruments!

Ukuleles are small. Yet, ukulele duet Greg Doyle and Wendy Matthews play the big hits, favoring swing and vintage tunes – as well as a few things you might not expect to hear on uke. The Fleas have been playing together as a ukulele duo since late 2006, united by a common love of the music from the 20s through 50s. As the Fleas soon discovered, ukes are perfect for these cheerful, melodic tunes. The Fleas feature both Greg and Wendy on vocals, often in harmony.

Greg Doyle, on baritone uke, is a guitarist whose musical interests span Swing to Surf and beyond. He has been playing guitar since his teens and was a long-time member of Vic Schwarz’s Acoustic Workshop, a Hudson Valley-based, six-piece string band. Greg teaches uke and guitar privately.

Wendy Matthews, on soprano uke, was charmed by the instrument’s portability and quirkiness, and took it up a few years back to accompany her singing. She has been singing and playing a variety of instruments since her teens. In a previous life, she was a member of Bad Attitudes, a four-woman music and comedy troupe.

The Fleas have delighted audiences in venues as varied as the Clearwater Festival, Hoot on the Hudson, Ukulele Cabaret and New York Ukulele Festival, as well as street fairs, restaurants, libraries, art openings and private parties across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine. On her travels, Wendy has also performed in exotic locales such as Honduras and Borneo!

Looking for a great gift? The Fleas' full-length CD, "It Had To Be Uke" is now available! Get it directly from us: $15 + 3.50 if you'd like it mailed to you. Just use this link to our PayPal page.
Also available for download on CD Baby and Amazon.

Wedding? Special birthday? Cocktails on the patio? Let the Fleas add some fun to your next event: edukatedfleas@edukatedfleas.com

Tuesday, September 22

Fleas in October -- a rare concert appearance and workshops!

The Fleas have been notably absent from the scene since the advent of the pandemic, so we are excited to announce that we'll be playing in a Gaithersburg Uke Fest Performers Showcase on October 17th.

And the Uke Fest is doing an amazing job of keeping the ukulele world going by hosting many varied ukulele workshops this fall --18 in October alone, and Wendy will be teaching three of them! To register or for details on all the workshops, email gaithersburgukefest@gmail.

🎶 Gussy Up Your Three-Chord Tunes, Thursday, Oct. 1st, 8pm.  Learn how to enrich simple tunes to make them more interesting to play and sophisticated to listen to. Advanced beginner.

🎸 Closed Position Chords: Many chords, one shape; Thursday, Oct. 15th, 8pm. Movable chord shapes will help you use more of your fretboard, play easily in any key and become a better musician. Intermediate/advanced intermediate.

🎤 Gaithersburg Uke Fest Performers Showcase: Jazz and Swing, Saturday, Oct. 17th, 2pm til 4pm. A great performer lineup and prizes too! Please RSVP to gaithersburgukefest@gmail.com to get the Zoom link.

🐞 Meet the Beatles, Saturday, Oct. 24th, 11am. Learn to play a complete arrangement of a Beatles tune (From Me to You) in the original Beatle key and matching the original arrangement, so you can play and sing along with the Fab Four! Advanced beginner/intermediate.

Kudos to the Gaithersburg Uke Fest for the fantastic support they've provided for ukulele players and performers during the pandemic!
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