My First Rendev'uke

4/10/2024

Paris is a paradise for ukulele players! After my visit to RAUL on Monday, today I’m with the group “Rendev’uke,” which meets every Wednesday from 7:30 PM until closing time at the small café “Petit Balcon.” The group has been meeting for over 11 years and has only had to change locations once. As usual, I’m early and enter the café a bit shyly. I’m greeted by a very nice waitress again and I ask for the menu. Hungry from all the walking, I order the asparagus. At the counter, I spot a young man with a beer and a ukulele. The waitress tells me that he is the leader of the ukulele club. So, I get up and introduce myself. His name is Julien, and he invites me to sit with him on the terrace.

The Most Professional Ukulele Website I Have Ever Seen

Julien tells me more about the ukulele club. The club is open to everyone! Every month there is a new song list published on the website. I open the website on my phone and I’m impressed by the work that has gone into it. Each song has a link to YouTube and the corresponding chords.

If you want to check it out yourself, here’s the link!

Rammstein Again and Again

Of course, you can also bring your own songs and try them out with the group. If the group likes the song, it gets added to the list. More and more people come into the café with their ukuleles. Sitting across from me is Olivier - a great guy! We chat a lot, and he tells me that he has brought a “bonus song” today. “Ohne dich” by Rammstein - what a coincidence! It quickly becomes clear that I should take the vocal part later. Rammstein. This band keeps crossing my path on my travels. Although they are very controversial in Germany, they enjoy great popularity abroad.

More and more people are arriving, and I’m happy to see people from RAUL again, including Helene. Everyone orders something to eat. The café provides its basement room free of charge for the group. Therefore, it’s expected that you order something to eat and drink. I really enjoy having plenty of time to chat. Almost everyone asks me if I’ll be coming to the “Cabaret du uke” tomorrow and performing something on stage. The “Cabaret du uke” is an open-mic event that takes place every month on a boat. I feel a bit shy about playing in front of so many people. But I promise that I will perform something at my next visit!

Strumming Until You Drop

At 8:15 PM, we slowly make our way to the basement, where a theater group was rehearsing earlier. Almost everyone has their own music stand, and we form a circle. Again, there are no chairs - it’s quite different from the regular meetups I’m used to in Germany. As we start playing, I stand a bit off to the side, unsure of how to join in. But it doesn’t take a minute before Eva (a wonderful person with an amazing jazz voice) pulls me between herself and Helene. Both dance to every song, and I quickly find my groove. We play many international songs, but also French ones, which are particularly loudly sung and danced to. I will especially remember the songs “Le dernier jour du disco” and “Le lundi au soleil”. The atmosphere in the basement is incredible. Since we’re standing in a circle, we can all see and encourage each other. The chords are quite challenging again. But it’s a lot of fun!

When we play Rammstein, I have to take on a lot of the singing. However, I have to improvise a lot during the verses. As I said, I’m not the biggest Rammstein fan. After that, we sing “Happy Birthday” in all possible languages, as one member had a recent birthday. One song follows another, and slowly the first people start to leave. At 11 PM, I feel my back aching. It sounds crazy, but a little later I have to give up, exhausted. I simply can’t go on. As I bend down to pick up my ukulele case, I almost fall forward and feel a sharp pain. I don’t want to leave yet, but if I stay any longer, I won’t be able to make it home. I say goodbye to the group and head home.

Due to construction work on the metro line, I have to walk most of the way. Every step hurts, but I have a smile on my face. The next day I learn that the group played until 2 AM - on a Wednesday. Incredible! I look forward to the “Cabaret du uke” on the boat tomorrow - the third ukulele event in 4 days!

My conclusions from the evening:

• If you dance, playing the ukulele is twice as much fun!
• Standing in a circle creates a wonderful group feeling.
• You can play ukulele until you drop.
• The interactive song list on the website!