On this night with the theme of FACES, almost all of the songs had to do with eyes, not lips, noses or beards. Scott, Sam, Ken, Vin, Bill, Wendysue, Arlene, Jen, John D., Christine, Chris, Nathan and Tom played the following songs.

1. Doctor My Eyes, Jackson Browne, 1972 (Christine)

2. Tears of a Clown, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, 1970, and the English Beat, 1980 (Christine)

3. I've Just Seen A Face, Beatles, 1965 (Ken)

4. Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, Frankie Valli, 1967 (Ken)

Very fun song.

5. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Platters, 1958 (Ken)

Ken played some difficult but gorgeous chords. This song stood out for me as one of the best of the night.

6. Brown-Eyed Girl, Van Morrison, 1967 (Arlene)

7. 5' 2", Eyes of Blue, the California Ramblers, 1925 (Arlene)

8. Bring Me Sunshine, Jive Aces, 2012 (Arlene)

9. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, 1912 (Jen)

Arlene asked me to note the alternatives to the difficult B7 barre chord in this song. My favorite is to make the shape of a G chord and move everything up a string, thus: G string 2nd fret, C string 3rd fret, E string 2nd fret and A string open. Another is G string 4th fret, C string 3rd fret, E string 2nd fret and A string open.

10. Baby Face, Jan Garber, 1926 (Joe/absent)

Joe and Liz, come back! The weather is improving and we're doing the Beatles next time.

11. That's Amore, Dean Martin, 1954 (Nathan)

A spirited version.

12. Penny Lane, Beatles, 1967 (Nathan)

13. Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain, Willie Nelson, 1975 (Vin)

Nobody but Vin knew this, but we played it perfectly. Good old C F and G7.

14. Spanish Eyes, Al Martino, 1966 (Arlene)

15. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Wham, 1984 (Nathan)

16. These Eyes, Guess Who, 1969 (Dan)

17. On a Coconut Island, Louis Armstrong, 1936 (Arlene)

18. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me, Andrew Sisters, 1942 (Wendysue)

19. High Hopes, Frank Sinatra, 1959 (Wendysue)

20. Let Me Call You Sweetheart, 1910 (Wendysue)

21. Jeepers Creepers, Louis Armstrong, 1938 (Wendysue)

22. Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton, 1978 (Jen)

23. Yesterday, Beatles, 1965 (Ken)

24. Your Mother Should Know, Beatles, 1967 (Ken)

These two songs were a warm-up for our next theme jam session.

And now, with your kind permission, a personal essay I thought of because of the last song we played:

There I was, in May 2013, minding my own business, coming from an atheist lecture at the Plainview Library, when all of a sudden I heard the unmistakable sound of The Beatles' "Your Mother Should Know" on, of all things, the ukulele. I walked to the open door of the conference room, marveling at the sight, when Ken beckoned me forward and invited me to sing along. I was thrilled. (When I was a kid, we sang all the time, to radios, to records, and at parties there was almost always a singalong.) Before I knew their names, I saw Jen and June tapping their feet, playing along, then talking and laughing. I don't know why, but they reminded me of the girls I had grown up with from my Catholic grammar school. They were so at ease, familiar and enjoying themselves. There were a few old folks, and one guy with his teenage son. At the end of the jam, he was eager to show off to me that he was learning Hotel California. This was a mind-blower that you could play rock music on a ukulele. My mother played the ukulele, but her era was the 20s, 30s and 40s. I loved all that stuff, but to play the hits of the 60s and 70s on a ukulele was immensely appealing.

I asked about prices of ukuleles. The woman I now know as Wendysue said, "My friend is selling a used one. Fifty bucks. I got it out in my car." She took it out and played Ain't She Sweet. My money was gone in three minutes and it's among the best purchases I ever made. I learned C, F and G7 right away. The first song I figured out was "Because I Got High" (Afroman, 2001), an impossible-to-resist melody. My lifelong relationship with this instrument was guaranteed.

Was it by chance that I stumbled upon the Long Island Ukulele Strummers Club? I think it was, but my religious friends and family would say, "God led you there by sending you to the atheist club just down the hall, knowing you'd hear the ukuleles playing and be drawn in." If so, God does have some roundabout methods. Since that time it has been my desire to unify both clubs, teach ukulele chords to the stuffy atheists, and to get all the ukulele players to shed their churches, mosques and synagogues and convert to atheism. So far I haven't had any takers, but hope springs eternal.

This might be an appropriate time to thank Ken, who makes it all happen fortnightly, Suzala, who got it all going in the first place, and the twenty or so lovely people I've met in the past three years with whom I sing and play. It's been a great pleasure. Besides the camaraderie, I have an incentive to learn songs, learn chords and improve on an instrument instead of sitting on the couch all day drinking beer and watching Hogan's Heroes. My wife is relieved that I have this creative outlet. I hope we can do this for years to come.

-- Dan.