Brisbane Ukulele Music Society Inc. (BUMS Inc.) has appointed David Hethorn as Festival Director for this year’s ukulele festival, SPRUKE 2015. David, a songwriter and musician, will bring a new vibe to the festival team as they tune up for the Brisbane’s biannual ukulele festival, a three-day event to be held in spring.
David is no stranger to music festivals, having volunteered at many over the past few years. “There are countless highlights and I have been lucky to witness performances from local and global artists at the top of their game. I helped clean up after Red Deer, played the part of roadie at BIGSOUND, sold tickets at Island Vibes, and helped set up the monster drum kit for Grant Collins at the World Forum on Music,” he said.
“I loved the level of involvement that I was afforded at SPRUKE in 2013. I was fortunate enough to conduct a couple of workshops where I enjoyed sharing my knowledge of sound recording. As a SPRUKE Crew volunteer, I learnt from the legendary Blair Marks and his audio team. Then as Ukulele Heroes, Blair and I entertained festival-goers with some classic crowd-pleasing rock songs and a few very cheeky pirate numbers.” The festival committee is only in the initial stages of planning, but SPRUKE 2015 promises to be a festival with a difference. “Believe me, at SPRUKE, you’ll need your uke every moment of each day,” David said.
David is a familiar face at the Coorparoo jam where he often performs original compositions, and leads the very popular contemporary songs sets. “I enjoy the sense of community at BUMS and the power of the ukulele to unite us in song. SPRUKE offers me an opportunity to expand my expertise and share new musical experiences with others.”
Ukulele artists and enthusiasts from all over Australia attended the very first SPRUKE in 2013. This year’s festival is shaping up to be even bigger with, jams ,open mic, concerts and an extensive range of workshops catering for beginners to master class.