The ukulele. It's more than a tiny musical instrument.
...It's a state of mind.
Rock That Uke is a funky, curiously philosophical cinematic love poem that examines the near mystical allure of the four-stringed underdog of the musical world and the recent surge of alternative and experimental musicians on the American mainland who have taken up the instrument and incorporated the ukulele not just into their raucous and irreverent original compositions, but into a counter cultural/post-punk ethos.
Interviewing a broad range of ukuleleists of varying levels of skill but consistently enthusiastic creative spirit, Rock That Uke asks, among other probing questions: ..Is there a ukulele personality?.. and ..What compels a person to electronically distort this little instrument and play loud, aggressive music?.. The answers reveal a fascinating Zeitgeist of irony, angst and impotent rage that transcends the subject. In Rock That Uke, the ukulele becomes a quirky metaphor for the human experience.
Rock That Uke runs 62 minutes and was shot in glorious MiniDV Scope. It is directed by William Preston Robertson & Sean Anderson, produced by Bald Guy With a Dent In His Head Productions, and features bookend voice narration by Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter (or as we like to call her, "The Human Rock-and-Roll Ukulele").
The DVD of Rock That Uke features extras with over 80 additional minutes of performances by artists profiled in the movie. The DVD is presented in Dolby mono, in NTSC format, Region 0 coding, with a 1:33 aspect ratio. It is unrated, but contains strong language.
Rock That Uke examines the big questions by asking the small ones. It's a peek at human nature through a very tiny sound hole.