Ukulele Orchestra strums in SLO

Count New Zealand musician Andy Morley-Hall among the humble ukulele’s many fans.

“It’s a very disarming little fellow,” he said of the four-stringed instrument popular among Hawaiian music buffs. “I really enjoy the sound of it. It’s just so unthreatening.”

Morley-Hall isn’t the only Kiwi with an affinity for ukes. He’s a member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, an eight-piece New Zealand-based band that combines high-energy ukulele covers of classic pop and rock songs by the likes of Blondie, Cyndi Lauper and Salt-N-Pepa with tongue-in-cheek comedy and flamboyant stage costumes.

The group performs Friday at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.

According to Morley-Hall, the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra started 10 years ago when a couple of musicians — Age Pryor and Bret McKenzie, one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords — jammed over java at Deluxe Espresso Bar in Wellington, New Zealand. (McKenzie, who no longer performs regularly with the group, won an Oscar in 2012 for his song “Man or Muppet” from the movie “The Muppets.”)

“I always say that the café was the catalyst for the making of the band,” he said, noting that the coffeehouse is located around the corner from Wellington’s famed Embassy Theatre, where two “Lord of the Rings” movies had their world premieres.

Morley-Hall, an English-born house painter and photographer who’s lived in New Zealand since 2003, stumbled upon the group one morning and was invited to join. With the same enthusiam that prompted him to pick up the guitar at age 21, he went out and bought a uke.

Soon, ukulele players started showing up to strum every Thursday morning. After a few months, the increasingly popular concerts outgrew the café and the band began performing at small venues around town. (With the exception of a double bass, the orchestra is comprised entirely of ukuleles.)

After reaching 12 members, “We thought, ‘Let’s stop recruiting and let’s start learning these songs we’re playing,’” Morley-Hall said with a laugh.

“Being a covers band,” he added, “the whole world of music was open to us to play and take over.”

Morley-Hall said the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra looks for songs that offer plenty of possibilities for fun — such as great backing vocals and a strong lead line. The group has covered everything from A-Ha’s “Take On Me” to Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight.”

“When you decided to commit to a song, you listen to the original and hear a lot of details that are so fascinating,” he said. “We really pick (the song) apart and put it back together with our flavors.”

For instance, Morley-Hall said, “It’s a Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler has been one of the band’s hits since the beginning.

“It has a really delicate, gentle and sophisticated ukulele solo that Age does,” he said, plus heartfelt lead vocals by himself.

Morley-Hall said the group always encourages audience members to shout out suggestions for songs.

“One of the things we love about performing is getting the audience involved,” the performer said, adding that the band often invites people on stage.

Joining the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra on stage Friday will be students from Mission Prep and Templeton Elementary School.

“We feel like we’re in an extended living room and we’ve invited everyone in for a couple hours,” said Morley-Hall, pointing out the band’s “across-the-board appeal, from grandchildren to grandparents — even the cool kids in the middle.”

The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, which released its first full-length album, “Be Mine Tonight,” in 2014, hopes to extend its reach even farther this winter. The band recently embarked on a 41-date tour of the United States, following a smaller “taster tour” last year.

Asked why the band waited so long to branch out beyond New Zealand, Australia and Asia, Morley-Hall exhibited the sort of easy-going attitude one would expect from a blissfully laid-back ukulele player.

“We didn’t feel the need to rush it,” he said. “The band kind of started by chance and everything that’s happened since, we’ve taken as it’s come along.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Ukulele Orchestra strums in SLO."