Inspiration. December’s “1st Listen” offers two covers that take us back to early influences. For me, the songs of one band made me want to play guitar in the first place; the songs of the other band made me want to continue. Now, of course, we feature any old musical instrument—guitars, keyboards, percussion, voices, and, this time around, a baritone ukulele, a recent generous gift. Which brings me full circle to the inspiration of the first instrument I ever played (40 years ago!): my grandfather’s jazz-age banjo ukulele. PB

Photo by Elizabeth Grant

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CREDITS:

Strawberry Fields Forever [Beatles]
Words & music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Recorded & produced by Peter Buck & Craig Konyu
Released December 1, 2014

The vocals: Craig Konyu
The backing: Peter Buck
The acoustic: Peter Buck
The slide: Peter Buck
The shaker: Craig Konyu

That’s The Way [Led Zeppelin]
Words & music by Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
Recorded & produced by Peter Buck & Craig Konyu
Released December 1, 2014

The vocals: Craig Konyu
The backing: Craig Konyu & Peter Buck
The acoustic: Peter Buck & Craig Konyu
The ukulele: Peter Buck
The shaker: Craig Konyu

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