Back in 2004, Hawaiian ukulele whiz Jake Shimabukuro strolled into Central Park’s Strawberry Fields in NYC to tape an interview and song for a little known uke-themed website.

It turned out to be an hour well spent. The resulting video, a cover of the Beatles tune ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ became a YouTube hit with over 3 million views to date.

To experience the full power of Shimabukuro’s playing, though, you have to see him live. This Friday at the Lucas School House, you’ll have a chance to do just that. It will be Shimabukuro’s second solo performance in St. Louis after wowing a Sheldon crowd in 2005. Thursday night, he will be onstage backing Jimmy Buffett at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

In his five years of touring, Shimabukuro (shee-ma-BOO-koo-row) has changed traditional perceptions about the instrument. He packs classical, jazz, rock, blues, Latin and funk into his custom made four-string Kamaka and produces sounds you never thought could come out of a ukulele.

I caught up with Shimabukuro as he prepared for his tour in his Honolulu home.

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RC: How did you get started on ukulele?

JS: My mom was my first teacher. I started when I was four, playing traditional Hawaiian music at home. It kept me out of trouble.

RC: Where was your first regular gig?

JS: It was at a tiny coffee shop — if there were more than three people there at once, it was considered a really busy day. They had really good coffee, though, and it was a five minute walk from my house. I was just out of high school and would play there once a week. Then people started asking me to play their weddings and graduation parties, so it was a word of mouth situation. I certainly never thought I’d be traveling and touring and all this cool stuff.

RC: How did the Strawberry Fields video come about?

JS: It was during my first trip to New York to play the Knitting Factory. We walked over to Central Park to shoot a video for a ‘ukulele disco show.’ I had been working on the  arrangement (for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”) I played it not knowing it was going to end up on YouTube. It’s been amazing and a real blessing.

RC: Is it ever a challenge holding a crowd with just you and your ukulele on stage?

JS: It used to be a lot harder, but I started feeling a lot more comfortable playing solo. When I first started touring the mainland five years ago, it was my first time doing solo shows and I realized, ‘this is real hard!’ I was so used to having a rhythm section and didn’t have to worry about carrying the groove. Now I’m more patient and I don’t try to rush through the set.

RC: Has the ukulele gained in popularity lately?

JS: It’s getting more popular now. I’ll stop in a guitar shop and almost always I’ll see some well made ukuleles in there. It’s amazing because even five years ago you wouldn’t see that many, and if you did, they were the real cheap ones. It’s such a cool instrument. You can take it everywhere with you. Also, it gives instant gratification because if you take it up, from day one you can play a song. You can’t say that about other instruments. It’s so easy to play — just pick it up, learn few chords and you’re singing a dozen songs already.

Jake Shimabukuro

8 pm Friday, Lucas School House, 1220 Allen Avenue, Soulard

$17 Adv. $20 DOS

621-6565 / www.lucasevents.com

http://www.jakeshimabukuro.com

Video: ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’