Show of Farce

When you think of a ukulele, do you think of Joan Rivers and Cheech & Chong? You will once you get a load of Ukulele Ray & The KokoNutz, a tropical/classic rock/comedy act from Tempe. Leader Ray, an ex-Chippendales dancer, is a conjugation of hot and hilarious. The self-hailed pop...

By Leslie Barton

July 10, 2008

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When you think of a ukulele, do you think of Joan Rivers and Cheech & Chong? You will once you get a load of Ukulele Ray & The KokoNutz, a tropical/classic rock/comedy act from Tempe. Leader Ray, an ex-Chippendales dancer, is a conjugation of hot and hilarious. The self-hailed pop artist and mash-up of Andy Warhol, Tiny Tim, and P.T. Barnum — we’ll throw in Captain Feathersword of The Wiggles for good measure — has been performing since 13, including a 20-year stint in Vegas, where he was known as “The Voice of a Thousand Legends.” Upping the ante with his contemporary sea chanties and covers (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Oh Suzy Pew”), he tells New Times, “I take no prisoners. I like to focus my song parodies on social and political issues, making them fun and humorous, while sometimes having an underlying message, like 'Weird' Al.” Oh, yeah, the dude also invented the Lunchbox-A-Lele (figure it out) and penned Tempe’s official theme song (“Tempe Towne”).
Fri., July 11, 7-11 p.m., 2008

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