Experience the Ukulele Orchestra of the Western Hemisphere

The Ukulele Orchestra of the Western Hemisphere, based in Los Angeles, will be at The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena on Friday, December 20, to perform an eclectic mix of rock and pop classics, original compositions and mash-ups.

This unique group, composed of 15 to 20 members, performs at venues, clubs and festivals in and around the Los Angeles area, including the Coffee Gallery Backstage, their favorite Altadena spot.

From celebrity weddings to charity benefits and community events, audiences have responded with enthusiasm to the music which band members acknowledge was not meant to be played on ukulele: classic rock, new wave hits, rap and dance-pop tunes, recent Top40, torch song classics, and all sorts of other bits and bobs of musical history.

The band also occasionally performs a medley of your favorite classic TV theme songs, sung while strummed on ukuleles.

The group’s name is an affectionate and humorous homage to The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. The UOWH likes to have fun while entertaining their audiences and their most recent exploit was a ukulele flash mob on the pedal boats in Echo Park Lake. A diverse group from many different backgrounds, all members collaborate on arrangements, and double up on solos.

The group was formed in 2011 in Silver Lake, and was long headquartered at the now-defunct landmark Reform School. Currently, the band operates “out of a secret cave” in Historic Filipinotown, the band’s website says.

TheUOWH has a long history playing at local venues such as El Cid and The Coffee Gallery, and has a particular enthusiasm for appearances at community festivals, school fairs, retirement homes, and sketchy traveling circuses.

The Ukulele Orchestra is featured in a new documentary, “Strummers,” currently in production.

To learn more about the band, visit www.theuowh.com/.

Tickets for the concert at The Coffee Gallery Backstage on Friday are $20. The music begins at 8 p.m.

For more information, call (626) 798-6236 or visit www.coffeegallery.com.

The Coffee Gallery Backstage is located at 2029 Lake Avenue in Altadena.