THE UKULELE DUDE
Sophomore Evan King sits at ease in his favorite performance location outside the Schwitzer Student Center. King’s music has been recognized as brightening the mood of students on campus through his short vocal performances and melodious island tunes during lunchtime.
By Brittany Sweet | Staff Writer
If you go to UIndy and are currently not living under a rock, then you probably know of that guy who plays the ukulele. Well, that guy is Evan King.
King is a sophomore theatre education major that reins from Southport High School.
“I have been playing for about four or five years. It all started when my dad’s boss was throwing out a ukulele that had a broken neck,” King said. “I was told that if I can fix it I can have it, so I fixed it and started learning how to play.”
King started off with one broken ukulele. Today, his collection consists of three ukuleles, including a soprano concert ukulele, an electric ukulele and a banjo ukulele.
Many students have encountered the vocal/ ukulele stylings of King playing “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz while walking out of Schwitzer Student Center.
“Earlier this week I was walking to lunch after class and heard him [King] playing,” freshman Jessi Johns said. “I really enjoy music, and overall it just makes you smile when you walk by.”
However amazing Jason Mraz might be, King knows more than 200 songs and finds some of his musical inspiration from Jack Johnson and Israel Kamakawiwo Ole’, artist of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World,” formally heard on the movie “50 First Dates.”
“I think it’s really cool that he plays outside,” freshman Ian Brastauskas said. “It’s especially interesting since not a whole lot of people know how to play the ukulele.”
Without realizing it, King makes students days a little brighter just by sharing his talent, but UIndy students make his day as well.
“I find my inspiration from my friends and the people that smile when they walk by while I’m playing,” King said.
King hopes that the inspiration found from students attending UIndy can help him further his journey of playing the ukulele.
“I’m trying to get a group together cause it sounds so much better with a guitarist and another ukulele player, and I would hope that could help me pursue something professionally,” King said.
King is constantly trying to find people to join him and is proactively teaching lessons to fellow students.
Playing an instrument for so long can cause musicians to develop love/hate relationships with their instruments.
“The ukulele has changed my life completely, for good…and for worse,” King said.
