Petty Booka is an engaging, if unusual, concept - two women singing and playing different genres of music on ukuleles. The duo first formed from the ashes of the all-girl punk band Flamingo A Go Go, which recorded for Benten Records in Japan and released one album in the United States. Petty was the singer in the band, and Booka was the guitarist. Flamingo A Go Go saw moderate popularity on the indies scene, but broke up in 1995. Their manager had already committed them to recording an acoustic...

Petty Booka is an engaging, if unusual, concept - two women singing and playing different genres of music on ukuleles. The duo first formed from the ashes of the all-girl punk band Flamingo A Go Go, which recorded for Benten Records in Japan and released one album in the United States. Petty was the singer in the band, and Booka was the guitarist. Flamingo A Go Go saw moderate popularity on the indies scene, but broke up in 1995. Their manager had already committed them to recording an acoustic cover version of Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon", and so Petty and Booka recorded the song as a duo with additional backing from the Japanese Hawaiian band called the Toconuts. This led to an entire album of Hawaiian music, Toconut's Hawaii, with the duo performing on ukulele in hula skirts and combat boots. The simple charm of their live performances helped spur surprisingly respectable sales on the CD. Their second album, Fujiyama Mama, continued with the basic duo concept, but this time in a country vein, including standards like "Kaw-Liga", modern songs like Junior Brown's "My Baby Don't Dance To Nothing But Ernest Tubb", and oddities, like "Born To Be Wild" given a bluegrass arrangement. The members also adopted a western wear look including cowboy hats, cowboy boots and jean shorts. The girls were ably backed by Japanese country players who helped to broaden their sound without overpowering them. The direction of Petty Booka was, and is, largely influenced by producer and western swing musician Hiroshi Asada, who has worked with the group throughout their career. Petty Booka returned to the Hawaiian sound for their next album, which was recorded with ace Hawaiian musicians including lounge legend Martin Denny. This was followed by a Christmas album, a dance album (including samba, bossa nova and other exotic beats) and an alternative country album with a cover parodying the Birds classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo. In 1997 Petty left the duo, and was replaced by a "new" Petty. In 2002 Booka also left to take care of her newborn son, and a friend from the a cappella group Candy Slugger was drafted to become the "new" Booka. Despite the lineup changes, the group continues to carry on without a hitch. They have toured in the United States a number of times, most recently in 2003 and 2004, and have plans to do so in 2005. Their English is not up to native speaker level, but their accents seem to only add to their appeal for overseas fans. They have met their heroes Wanda Jackson and Dan Hicks, played live on California's widely loved, and widely listened to on the internet, radio station KPIG, recorded with sumo superstar Konishiki, and are regulars in Hawaii and at Austin's SXSW, where in 2005 they are appearing for the fourth time. The duo generally go over very well in the States, and recently had a best-of CD of their Hawaiian material released on America's Weed Records.