Happy Birthday, Michael August!

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Hi. We know this guy… Known him for 20ish years. Met him standing in a circle, in the dark, in the country, playing tunes w/ a bunch of other people… Nice guy. Great musician. A lot of fun… So, we became friends. Playing at different jams and such. Then, around ten years ago, we went to a ukulele fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there he was. We had dinner, hung out, and became closer friends. Since then, we have been all over the country, on musical and non musical adventures. We’ve played together at gigs, and at parties. He’s a stand up guy, that, we count ourselves blessed to have as a friend. He’s rescued us at the airport at midnight, when travel was FUBARed. We’ve discussed, and ‘solved’ the worlds problems, talking for hours. But, today is his birthday… So, we wanted to say a VERY happy birthday to the amazing Michael August… Check out his tunes, on that Youtube thing…

We played City Market!

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Hey kids… So, blowing our own, local horn… Last Friday, or as some say, Friday last, we- The Magtones– played the acoustic stage ( it’s a spot, not a stage, actually) at the local city market… That is quite a feather in our small caps… We played from 5 to 8pm, and had a lot of fun… Our amazing, and very nice friend Michael August, was nice enough to join us for the fun… And, it’s always more fun when he plays/jams with us, or anyone, for that matter….

Mike, Maggie, Tim

The band

Hamin’ it up…

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Hey there. So, we had a great time, Saturday, at Katie’s Cup, playing for Cars & Coffee… Lots of people. Some friends. The Rockford Ice Hogs Hockey team mascot Hammie, stoped by, to… Our friend Mike August joined us, for the gig… Always fun when we’re together. Our next gig, is Thursday, June 2nd, at the Midtown Farmers Market, from 10-12 or so… Stop by, if you’re in the area, and say hi!

Haming it up…

Secret Agent Man…

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Hey kids… So, have loved this tune since it was released in 1966. Very hip/edgy and all that… The original tv show was called ‘Danger Man’, when first produced in 1964 in the UK. When it came to the US in 1966, title was changed to ‘Secret Agent Man’… Johnny Rivers had a hit w/ the tune… A lot of Cold War spy tv shows and movies then. This one, ‘the man from UNCLE’, ‘The girl from UNCLE’. James Bond… Etc… But always liked this tune…. Anyway, here is The Magtones version, w/ a lot of help from our friend Mike… He always makes a song better…. Hope you like it…

We Can Almost Hear the Dr DeMento Show…

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Hey kids. Been awhile. Outside of the holidays, and some jamming, not a lot going on. Not a bad thing. One thing going on recently, was this collaboration… Our amazing friend, Elizabeth Safely Brinker wrote, sang, and played uke on this. The smooth Martin Hoffman was killer on the Ubass. And, the one, the only Michael August added great harp. I did the rhythm guitar, to finish it up… Hope you like it… Cuz, it’s soooo good…

Fire and Rain

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Hey there. Happy Autumn… Or Spring…. Depending on where you are…

So, haven’t posted anything for a couple weeks- been busy w/ irl stuff… But our friend Michael August has been on us with a stick, to post our take on this James Taylor classic. The Magtones put a spin on it… Hope you like it…

SCIUC Festival

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Fantastic Four hittin’ the road

Hey kids… We had a great time in Minnesota, at the SILVER CREEK INTERNATIONAL UKULELE FESTIVAL… Good music, great people, good times … Met friends from all over the country. What more could one want, for fun?

The Goober Gang, assembles at lunch
Campground zero
Two Harbors Tourists
Long way down (Split Rock Lighthouse site)
Wisconsin in the distance
Holding down the fort
A snack
Superior in the morning
Melanie performing for us
Practicing by the lake
moonrise
shadows of things to come
Further in the hole. our tune onstage

Blue Heron

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Hi there. Been a week or two… With all the celebrations of summer, and Independence Day, we’ve been busy.

We started this tune a couple weeks ago. It’s a Sarah Jarosz tune, Blue Heron, from her latest release. Loved it, from the first time we heard it. Our friend Mike August, (check out his YouTube page) added some killer mandolin, and vocals, to make it a really good tune. Hope you like it…