TDA's Wall of Wheeze

Widmer's Oktoberfest this Saturday

2008-09-04T16:52:00.001-07:00

TDA returns to the Widmer Brothers Brewery in Portland, Ore. this Saturday.

The free, 21+ Oktoberfest event starts at 3pm and is expected to draw over 3,000 people. Food will be traditional German grub and live music throughout the day will include TDA, Debra Arlyn, Tea for Julie, Keegan Smith and The Fam, and Colin Lake and Wellbottom.

Come out, enjoy the predicted 80° day, and throw back a pint or two with TDA.

Comic Guitar-Slinger Jerry Reed Dies

2008-09-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Jerry Reed, the guitar-toting singer and actor who worked with Burt Reynolds in the Smokey and the Bandit movies, died Monday of emphysema. He was 71.

Reed was a great guitar player and singer who specialized in funny story songs (like "Amos Moses") and truck-driving tunes ("East Bound and Down," "Caffeine, Nicotine, Benzedrine"). TDA covered his "When You're Hot You're Hot" back in the good old days.

You can see Reed in action at a country awards show in the embedded clip. The great ones just keep moving on.

Freaky, Geeky Tattoos

2008-08-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

My college buddy (and now Wired.com photo editor) Jim Merithew went to Comic-Con International earlier this year. At the show, we were able to finish a little assignment we'd been kicking around for months: a photo gallery of comics-related tattoos.

See for yourself in our gallery: Geek Ink: Comics Fans Show Off Tattoos.

No accordions, but still pretty wild, IMHO.

9 Things (You Think) Your Beer Says About You

2008-08-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, a wacky list of "9 Things (You Think) Your Beer Says About You" bubbles up on Cracked.com.

Pretty funny, but be warned -- there's some salty language!

P.S. Please note that Widmer Brothers' tasty beer -- which we will undoubtedly be sampling in Portland, Ore., when we play the brewery's fourth-annual Oktoberfest on Sept. 6 -- is not on the list. What does drinking a Widmer say about you? It just says you're cool (and possibly that you're listening to accordion music).

Everything's Deep Fried In Texas

2008-08-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

The State Fair of Texas (Sept 26-Oct 19) announced this year's deep fried delicacies. The oddball treats have gained popularity in recent years, most notably in 2006 with the invention of Deep Fried Coke (pictured).

The high calorie treats are all entries in the fair's Big Tex Choice Awards. Last year's competition winner was Deep Fried Cookie Dough. In the running for this year's award are Jelly Belly Beans battered and fried in Funnel Cake, Chicken Fried Bacon, and Deep Fried S'mores. Check out the full menu here.

Photo: Stephen Witherden/Flickr

Accordions On The Rise

2008-08-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Cynthia Dizikes has a nice story on accordions in the LA Times. She cites the resurgence in popularity of the instrument and some of the folks that have helped make it "cool" again. If only we had known, we could have lent a hand as well!

Paul Moonlights with 1 Piano, 2 Piano men

2008-08-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Circle August 28 on your calendar for 1 Piano, 2 Piano men: Paul Rogers & Austin de Lone. Paul has performed with Austin for years in The Christmas Jug Band & next Thursday night they will share a single grand piano as they share their tunes. The Marin Independent Journal is already calling the gig a "Best Bet." Pick up your tickets and find more details at the Sweetwater Station in Larkspur, Calif.

Snake!-TDA's Rogers to the Rescue

2008-08-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

It was a hot summer afternoon in the Great Northwest and we had all the windows and doors open. Suddenly LuAnn burst into my studio screaming that a deadly Northwest Timber Viper was under the dining room table. By the time I geared up, it had taken refuge under the sideboard.
I don't like to toot my own horn, but I gotta tell ya, this was one of my more amazing acts of courage.

Top 5 Rock Accordion Songs

2008-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

The American Accordionists Association has come up with a list of the Top 5 Rock Accordion Tunes. Not surprised to see The Who's "Squeeze Box" as the #1 pick, but we know where the REAL rock accordion tunes can be found, don't we? One that comes to mind is TDA's own "The Janitor Knows".

Monsters of Accordions Attack the Bay

2008-08-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jason Webley starts another Monsters of Accordions tour tonight in Santa Rosa, Calif. The tour zips along the west coast with the other stops in the Bay Area this weekend.

Other squeezebox monsters joining Webley's gypsy-punk-floor-stomping-storyteller stylings on the tour will be Mark Growden, Amy Denio, Duckmandu, as well as special guests at each location.

Accordionize Your Home - Part II

2008-08-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Are you still looking for more ways to make your dwelling reflect your admiration for the mighty accordion?

Upscale toddler boutique PoshTots offers an Accordion Desk in their store. The maple wood and veneer desk is a hefty piece of furniture and a hefty piece of change, ringing up at $5,600.

Also available, is the Brian Dresser. The 5-drawer vertical piece stands just over 3 feet tall and may make a great addition to your home office, as you accordionize your home.

Win a Roland V-Accordion & a trip to Rome!

2008-08-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 20, 2008 in Los Angeles at Roland's U.S. Headquarters accordionists will be competing to win a trip to Rome, Italy to perform in the International Accordion Festival held by Roland on November 7 & 8, 2008. The grand prize winner will walk away with Roland's FR-7 or FR-7b V-Accordion. The FR-7 was previously mentioned here, as the new instrument "Weird Al" recently fell in love with.

The competition is open in the United States to Senior Soloists performing non-vocal pieces under 5 minutes. For more details and photos from last year's competition, click over to the official event site.

To see what your new toy can do when you win, here's a Roland staffer demonstrating the instrument's potential at a recent NAMM convention.

So Long to "Chef" Isaac Hayes

2008-08-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to hear about the death of Isaac Hayes. I have a wonderful memory of TDA opening for the soul crooner at Harbor Fest in Norfolk, VA. He did a spirited version of 'Shaft" as well as "Chocolate,Salty Balls" He was truly inspiring!

New Review of TDA CDs

2008-08-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Baron Dave Romm offers up a review of 4 TDA CDs. Baron Dave is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater, Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.

TDA Dissed in SF

2008-08-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Geez, We're used to the occasional dumb comments from the press in other places, but it's a drag to get it from our hometown. Especially if it's not very clever. At least when our dear friend Herb Caen used to give us a plug and a rib, he did it with style and wit. He was a true SF treasure. We miss you Herb!

Prisoners Prefer Cassettes

2008-07-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Need to share Those Darn Accordions with your inmate friends? Pick up No Strings Attached on cassette for $5, while supplies last. The last remaining TDA album on cassettte in the TDA store will make a valuable gift in the slammer as CD's are prohibited for their easy conversion into weapons. As Reuters reports, prison inmates are one of the largest remaining purchasers of albums on cassettes. One mail order retailer is reporting 60% of his sales going to US inmates.

For the more tech saavy inmate in your life, you may want to give them MP3s on a Mixa USB Cassette. The European manufacturer lets you design your own label and plastic case on a realistic looking flashback to the 80's.

Air Guitar Championships 2008

2008-07-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

You have only a few days left to submit your entry to Finland's 13th Annual Air Guitar World Championship. The MTV sponsored event takes place August 20-22 in Oulu, Finland, about an 8 hour drive north of Helsinki. The rules for competition dictate that you can use either electric or acoustic air guitars, you may use props such as a pick, but no real instruments, and you may hire an air roadie, but no air back-up band.

Started in 1996, the event also offers a training camp if you're worried your playing is a little rusty.

Full details at AirGuitarWorldChapionships.com.

Photo: glynnish/Flickr

The new 3G iPhone is very Boom!

2008-07-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

The internet movers-n-shakers have started a new meme, the Supercut. Edits of video or audio down to the smallest instance of a word or phrase. The video above calls to attention how often Mac CEO Steve Jobs expresses Apple's speed with one select word, "Boom!"

Other Supercut superhits are Mr. Job's old buddy Bill Gates' use of "Uh…" in one interview, Chicago artist Chuck Jones' edit of NPR's "All Things Considered" down to only breathing (mp3 link), and for the more calloused ears, NWA's Straight Outta Compton album cut down to only the explicit content. Surprisingly catchy.

Accordionize Your Home

2008-07-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Is your home lacking an air of appreciation for the accordion? The first step may be to purchase this cardboard couch from Molo Design Studio. Squeezing to seat one, bellowing out to accommodate your entire family; we await somebody to mod it into a musical instrument.

Life For Sale

2008-06-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Another kooky eBay auction ended today - Australian Ian Usher auctioned off his life in Perth. For $399,300 AUD (~$326,135 USD) the winning bidder is receiving a house, a boat, a jet ski, motorbike, and a job as a rug store assistant. The seller is offering up his friends' friendship as well to help show the winner around as he situates himself in his new life.

ALife4Sale.com offers up in great detail everything that was on the auction block and answers frequently asked questions, including whether or not the ex-wife is part of the deal. How much is your life worth?

Cotati Accordion Fest Lineup Is Live

2008-06-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the full lineup for the 2008 Cotati Accordion Festival.

Those Darn Accordions is not on the list, but some great and quirky squeezeboxers will perform: Dick Contino, TDA alumna Big Lou, Polka Freakout, The Great Morgani and many more.

Don't stay away on our account.

The Bay Bellows This Weekend

2008-06-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

If you're near the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend, Petaluma, Calif. wraps up National Accordion Month this weekend with a free festival. The 6th Annual Accordion Festival celebrates the accordion and its many personalities with experts to amateurs, latin jazz to polkas. Although the event isn't on TDA's tour schedule, it should draw some talented squeezers to help you celebrate our favorite reed instrument.

Full details at ArgusCourier.com

Bigger-Than-Life Bowling

2008-06-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Pottery Barn Kids' jumbo inflatable bowling ball and pins game probably isn't better than the real thing. But it is bigger.

From the catalog description: "Indoors or out, our inflatable games are perfect for parties or afternoon play. The bowling game includes three 42-inch-tall pins and a ball (25-inch diameter). Made of extra-durable, water-resistant PVC."

Now, if they'd just add a 60-inch-tall pitcher of cold draft beer ... (not so good for kids, I guess).

Another Reason to Hit Polish Fest on Saturday

2008-06-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Aside from the food, vodka tasting and final TDA show in Wisconsin this year, Saturday night at Milwaukee's Polish Fest brings another noteworthy event: a set by Jimmy Sturr and his orchestra.

The 17-time polka Grammy winner starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on the Miller stage (right before us).

Two Shows Down and One to Go

2008-06-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

Our Wisconsin whirlwind mini-tour is two-thirds of the way done, and the first two gigs couldn't have been more different.

The first, at the wonderful Swiss Turner Hall of Monroe, was quite quiet -- the venue calls for a low-key sound. The accordion players didn't even use amps (a return to TDA's roots, in a way). Michael played drums, of course, and I had a bass amp, but we kept the volume tamped waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down.

It made for a sort of storyteller's show -- special thanks to the guy who told the true tale about nailing a 7-10 split in Turner Hall's bowling alley. His demo, with two pins and a bowling ball, was pretty amazing. And the post-show limburger and beer in the Ratskeller was remarkable as always. Special thanks to all our friends at Turner Hall who always make us feel so welcome.

Food note: If you ever find yourself near Monroe, you really owe it to yourself to enjoy a meal in Turner Hall's Ratskeller -- the food is genuinely amazing. (Check out the menus for a taste of what you can expect in the way of Swiss delicacies -- do not miss the rösti.)

Day two of the TDA Wisconsin mini-tour found us on the giant Miller stage at Polish Fest in Milwaukee. The event is on the Summerfest grounds (although it's not nearly as maddeningly crowded as at the Big Gig). The stage is still huge, though, and the sound is truly awesome. The high volume makes for a totally different kind of show: The accordion players ran through amps (Paul reveled in his Marshall half-stack), and Michael banged his drums to his heart's content. My bass rig was taller than me.

In short, it was much more of a rock show. We'll be doing the same thing again tonight -- loud and proud at our first Milwaukee shows since 2005. Can you believe it's been that long?

If you can make it out, we'd love to see you. We start at 9 p.m. tonight and go to midnight (with a break in the middle for fireworks). Come on down and enjoy some great Polish food and piwo -- you'll get to hear a couple new and revived TDA tunes, lots of stuff from our latest CD, Squeeze Machine, plus plenty of back-catalog classics.