Gino Silvestre Los Angeles, CA, USA Gino learned to play the ukulele in the 3rd grade in Honolulu, Hawaii, from an instructor named Jody Kamisato. He later was taught by Bruce Shimabukuro for 3 years. In the summer of 2009, he moved to LA, and is now teaching himself through his own original pieces and YouTube. Why do you want to play for Jake Shimabukuro? I’ve been a huge fan of Jake Shimabukuro ever since I was a kid. I first watched him perform on 2004 at Waikiki. He came up to me and I asked him from an autograph. I remember that the only thing I had with me for him to sign was a piece of napkin paper from Zippy’s, but it was a heart-warming experience. I’ve always wanted to perform for Jake for a really long time and I feel that I can finally reach that goal. Tell us something unique about yourself! Ever since I moved to LA from Honolulu, I never had lessons or any professional guidance. However, I was able to find some friends that also had the same admiration for Jake Shimabukuro. My drummer, Haruka Komiyama, and my bassist, Cory Ng, formed an ukulele instrumental band called “Love&Peace” after the March earthquake that happened in Japan on 2011. From that we joined a “Help Japan” charity concert in southern California. Soon we started to gain recognition locally and started performing at various venues, whether it’s a volunteer charity event, or a professional gig. I have also started a club at my school for musically talented student who wants to perform at …