On a quiet night at the legendary Sun Studio, three friends and local music veterans decided to form a ukulele band. Fast-forward a couple years and two additional members later, and they’ve opened for the uke’s biggest kahuna, Jake Shimabukuro, released their first album and transformed what once was a fun side project into sustaining ukulele magic. In both live performances and on their Blue Barrel Records debut album, Memphis Ukulele Band’s covers and originals exude pure fun while exploring the genre-bending range of the ukulele, from Hill Country blues to pop, reggae, and what the band calls “ukulele soul.”