Musician and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Webber recently had a life-changing epiphany.
An Emmy-winning composer and Grammy-nominated producer, Webber spent years as a professor and dean at Berklee College of Music; founding campuses in Spain and New York, and authoring popular online courses. But he never veered from his love of playing and composing.
For most performances, Webber brought multiple guitars, keyboards, other stringed instruments (banjo, bass, mandolin, ukulele), and even a pair of turntables (He wrote Turntable Technique: the Art of the DJ in the 90s, and composed the Stylus Symphony in 2007). While he’s always enjoyed playing music, Webber began to dread all of the set-up, tuning, sound-checking and inevitable complications that came with deploying such an arsenal of gear.
Thus, his epiphany. “I’m always urging my students to simplify. This new creative career change is my attempt at taking my own advice.”
“What if I show up with just a ukulele?”
It would be a major challenge. Such an about-face would mean a total re-thinking of his musical identity.
Stephen composed dozens of songs for the uke over the next year, and quickly realized his dream of vastly simplified gigs in New York.
“I now have soundchecks that last between 30 and 60 seconds,” marvels Webber. “Mission accomplished!”
Stephen’s recent songs written for the uke are being released one by one, in a collection titled “Ukelately.” Most are humorous.
