Thursday, August 14, 2008

Monsters of Accordions Attack the Bay



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.

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Monday, August 11, 2008

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

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.

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

So Long to "Chef" Isaac Hayes

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!

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New Review of TDA CDs

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.

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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Cotati Accordion Fest Lineup Is Live

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.

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Accordions Anonymous Gets 'Behind the Bellows'



Nobody will ever call Those Darn Accordions the world's most-covered band, so when we see or hear somebody doing a version of one of our tunes, we're thrilled.

Witness Accordions Anonymous' cover of "Behind the Bellows." From the the YouTube description: "Accordions Anonymous, here joined by one of our founding mothers, Lorelei A. (aka Queen Accordionna), performs the Those Darns Accordions song 'Behind the Bellows' at the S.L.U.G. Queens' Ball, June 6, 2008, at Cozmic Pizza in Eugene." (I'm guessing that must Oregon.)

And here's a secret little coincidence: We recently added "Behind the Bellows" to the TDA set list. Come see us in Wisconsin this weekend (we play Monroe and Milwaukee) and you might hear it.

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Sunday, June 15, 2008

Cool Accordion Cake


Cake-Decorating-Corner.com has a sweet, squeezebox-y baked delight on display: a Chocolate Accordion Cake.

Debbie Budd, the cake's helpful maker, gives instructions on how she made it.

Nice job, Debbie!

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

How to Promote Your Band on MySpace (With Accordions)


Wired.com's How-To Wiki has a cool post on How to Promote Your Band on MySpace, and I must say they've chosen an excellent band photo to illustrate "Step 1: Gather Your Promotional Materials."

Here's a hint from the instructional article: "Look and learn: Women with accordions in front, dorky dudes in the back."

A little background: The photo is a collage put together by our pal Sean "It's Not Art" Pete, who's recently started blogging on The Wall of Wheeze. The individual pix, which were shot by Wired.com photo editor (and my old college buddy) Jim Merithew, were taken for our latest record, Squeeze Machine.

Sean also created the steampunk accordion that graces the cover of Squeeze Machine (steampunk accordion T-shirts are still available).

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Monday, June 02, 2008

June Is National Accordion Awareness Month

Time to party, squeezebox style. Get a quick hit of accordion facts from TDA founder Tom Torriglia on his National Accordion Awareness Month 2008 page.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Los Angeles Accordion Festival Comes to Life

The first Los Angeles Accordion Festival is happening this Friday through Sunday at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall, Aerie 2188 in Eagle Rock, according to Pasadena Weekly.

"If you think it's going to be all polkas, think again," the paper says. "The event showcases the diverse styles performed on the instrument, including Cajun, Irish, rockabilly, Tex-Mex, zydeco, alternative and experimental."

Sweet.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

'Weird Al' Goes Digital With Roland FR-7 V-Accordion

The man who made the accordion cool (or at least funny) has gone digital. Our parody-song guru and all-around pal "Weird Al" Yankovic is
enjoying his Roland FR-7 V-Accordion
, which offers a variety of MIDI sounds, according to Wired.com's Listening Post.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Kimmo Pohjonen Pairs Accordion With Tractors

Avant-garde accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen is recording the sounds of revving tractors for his upcoming Earth Machine Music tour, according to Times Online. Pohjonen calls the music he's making "industrial agricultural music" -- don't expect any polkas.

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Sunday, April 06, 2008

Squeezebox Is a 'Secret Handshake'

"The accordion is a secret handshake," says Don Turner, 43, a board member for the Milwaukee Accordion Club. "If you play accordion, and someone else plays, well, you'll help one another."

That's just one of the squeezebox secrets laid out in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profile of the club, which is keeping the accordion spirit alive in the city Those Darn Accordions is proud to call its second home.

The article tells the by-now-ragged tale of the squeezebox's fall from grace after its polka-powered heyday in the '50s.

"The misconception is that it's only good for the polka," says club president Shirl Barry. "You can play wonderful French waltzes, Argentine tangos and classical pieces."

Oh yeah, and rock and funk and swing and goofball country and heavy metal, too. Keep on squeezin' ...

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Saturday, March 29, 2008

Accordion: Perfect Instrument for Earth Hour

Want a little music when you shut out the lights for Earth Hour tonight? A Canadian writer has the perfect instrument for the environmental event: the accordion.

Corey Larocque, writing in The Niagara Falls Review, lays out the plan: "Personally, busting out and dusting off the accordion are in store."

Come to think of it, the accordion is a pretty "green" instrument (although maybe not the way it's wielded by Those Darn Accordions, what with the Marshall stacks and wah-wah pedals and all).

Played acoustically, the squeezebox is loud enough to be heard above a dancehall crowd, even without amplification. Of course, who knows where that mother of pearl comes from ...

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Friday, March 07, 2008

Help Build the TDA Top 20 iMix!

Dear Friend of TDA:

We need your help! We want to put together the top 20 Those Darn Accordions songs of all time and make them available as a custom "best of" iMix for download on iTunes.

Of course, we're all a little too close to the subject matter, if you know what I mean. And we'd really like to know what songs you like the best: What tunes get you laughing, dancing, singing, sneezing, whatever. It's a pretty big and varied catalog we've put together over the years, and we would love to know what songs the most important people in the world -- our fans -- really enjoy. (Can you believe this band has been pumping and grinding for almost two decades?)

So, whip out your iPod or your TDA CDs and cassettes, and give 'em a listen. Then e-mail us a list of your fave 20 TDA songs of all time, along with your snail-mail address, and we'll send you a free bumper sticker for your help. Bonus points if you put together a thematic list -- best TDA polkas, best TDA kids tunes, etc.

We'll tally the "best of" votes and put together the ultimate iMix of TDA songs. When we have the iMix complete, we'll let you know where you can go on iTunes to check it out.

We look forward to seeing your lists!

Paul Rogers and the rest of Team TDA
tda@thosedarnaccordions.com

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Squeeze Machine Secrets: 'Mr. Saggy Butt'

OK, let me just say from the outset that I am fully aware this is a ridiculous song. Of course, that only means it satisfies nicely the stringent criteria for inclusion in the TDA repertoire.

Having got that out of the way, let me quickly relate the inspiration for this ditty. It was on a family trip to the local mall, which in my case is about 40 miles away. There I had my first sighting of "The Mall Walkers."

I had read about these folks appearing in large midwest malls in the winter time and walking briskly around the the entire place for exercise. They usually show up just after the mall opens and begin walking a set course that takes them by literally every shop in the complex. I guess in a way you could call it power window shopping. They tend to walk in pairs and dress so they blend in with the rest of the shoppers, but not always. The more seasoned MW's wear sweats and headbands and take it pretty darn seriously. They've got elbows and they know how to use them, so you want to give these type a wide berth.

Regardless of dress, it's the relentless pace that gives them away. I was immediately mesmerized when I realized I had spotted some right in our own mall blazing by a Radio Shack and cutting a clean swath right through the heart of the line at the Cinnabon. I wanted to follow them but my wife yanked me into an Eddie Bauer and the moment was lost. It was a great image and I filed it away in hopes I could use it somewhere.

Now, every mall has at least one guy that does exactly the opposite of what the mall walkers do. His goal is walk as slowly as possible and linger as long as possible before he is rousted by the security guards and forced to move on. Although you could argue that they too are trying not to be noticed, you have to wonder when you see how they tend to accessorize their attire. In this case, I saw a fellow with all sorts of things hanging off his belt. A teddy bear, toy monkey head, etc. I never got a close enough to get a good look, so I was forced to make a few things up. But one thing that was very clear was his saggy pants. I think the idea is to drop one's drawers to such a low point, that the only mode of locomotion left possible is a slow shuffle.

It's really a bit like a self-imposed governor on one's ability to move. It seems to work great. So I went home with all this churning in my mind and mixed it all up and out came "Mr Saggy Butt." It's silly to be sure, but not nearly so much as the dance I made up to go with it.

I sent a little video of it to the rest of the band so they could learn it and they all replied that they were very concerned about my mental health. Not a new development, but perhaps further proof that may be used against me later. I do hope this doesn't show up on YouTube.

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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Are You In The TDA Tribe?

An interesting talk from marketing guru Seth Godin on the state of the music business. I like the fact that he refers to polkas several times in his speech.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Long Live 'Unusual Music'

It's always nice to get a shout-out for your tunes, and it's particularly pleasing when it appears in your hometown paper. The Detroit Free Press (Paul grew up in Motor City) tags our version of "Fire" as "especially distinctive," honoring Those Darn Accordions in a story about "unusual music." Other musical oddities mentioned include ukelele great Jake Shimabukuro, the masters of Bavarian reggae and 11-year-old yodeler Taylor Ware:
Imagine Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" played by a bunch of accordions. Can't get your mind around that? Then listen to the first album by Those Darn Accordions, a group that, in fact, plays very well.

It all began in San Francisco one night in 1989, supposedly for a one-time-only gig, according to www.allmusic.com. A player known as Big Lou, previously of Polkacide, pulled together all the accordionists she could find who wanted to play a set.

Membership has changed, but the group persists. Its latest album, "Squeeze Machine," came out just last year.
Thanks for listening, Freep staff writer Alex Cruden!

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Sunday, January 27, 2008

Pohjonen: Finnish for 'Pretentious'?



OK, so I'm slow. It took me nearly a year (and a profile piece in The Sydney Morning Herald) to work up the nerve to watch this clip of Kimmo Pohjonen after I first heard of the Finnish accordionist. Do yourself a favor and skip straight to about six minutes in, where a gibbering Pohjonen does a crazy impersonation of a homeless guy. You'll still get plenty of the pretentious, droning, "I crushed my accordion in a trash compactor" noise.



"Finland's Jimi Hendrix of the accordion" fares a little better in this KTU clip, in which the King Crimson rhythm section adds a little, well, rhythm.

I know not every Finn suffers from a complete lack of humor: Check out StSanders' parody "shreds" videos for some of the funniest music clips around. But geez. This Pohjonen guy kind of but not quite gives me the creeps. I just didn't know the accordion could be so ... joyless.

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Behind the Bellows: An Accordion Documentary



Behold, the trailer for filmmaker Steve Mobia's squeezebox documentary, Behind the Bellows. Perhaps the title sounds familiar. Perhaps the rock accordion band featured in the trailer looks familiar. Perhaps this is a film any fan of Those Darn Accordions -- or, indeed, of the humble squeezebox itself -- needs to see.

(Via Let's Polka)

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

TDA's Next Cover Tune?

If you've got an accordion jones and a funny bone, check out the video for "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore," as sung by squeezeboxer Stan Boreson. Truly an anthem for the ages.

(Thanks, Sharon!)

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'Larry' Gets a Nice Review

Many thanks to UkeDoggy for the gushing review of "Larry's Wonderful Life" on Amazon.com. I especially like the part where he says he envisions a day when a lot of old TDA tunes will be "rediscovered" and given their due. We can only hope!

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Monday, January 07, 2008

Squeezeboxing Is Better Than Sex?

When it comes to burning calories, playing accordion edges out sexual activity, according to the the University of South Carolina report, "The Compendium of Physical Activities."

British blog Music Thing casts a wary eye on the study, and so do I -- for instance, the researchers say playing accordion takes less energy than "playing flute (sitting)." Have these researchers ever even lifted an accordion? Do they know people sometimes play them while standing up, or even jumping around?

I'll bet dollars to donuts these fancy-pants scientists never saw a Those Darn Accordions show.

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Putting the Squeeze on Street Accordionists

Norwegian cops are cracking down on accordion-playing street musicians, according to Aftenposten. The paper's quote from the police chief is awesome:

"The reports we've had indicate that people are being driven mad by the tunes coming from the accordions all day long," said police chief Truls Fyhn. "I have myself stopped to listen, and let me make it very clear: The quality of the music is very, very low."

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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Those Darn Accordions Pix From San Antonio

Don't know how I missed Kay Douglas' great pictures from the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio, but here they are:

There are some fun shots of TDA as well as many, many pictures of other performers and happy audience members. Truly fine photography. Thanks, Kay!

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

A Visit With Clyde


Got this photo from former TDA member Patty Brady on a recent visit she made to Clyde Forsman, another TDA alum. For those of you lucky enough to have caught Clyde in action at Milwaukee Summerfest and other festivals, you know what a great showman he was. He's had a pretty rough year and I'm hoping to pay a visit this week while I'm in the Bay Area. His rendition of Hendrix's "Fire" is legendary. If anyone would like to send a note to Clyde, just post a comment here and I'll forward it to him. I know he'd love to hear from his fans!

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Saturday, December 01, 2007

TDA Video Clip: 'Them Hippies Was Right'

I put a video clip of "Them Hippies Was Right" up on YouTube. The sound is pretty gnarly, but it's kind of fun to watch. It's from a 2006 show at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California. Check it out!

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Friday, November 30, 2007

TDA X-Mas Shopping Tips

Before you run out to Wal-Mart and load up on oodles of toxic toys from China, I'd like to suggest you visit this guide to buying American. Lots of ways to Christmas shop right here in the good old USA! Of course, I'm proud to say that TDA Music is 100 percent American-made, so if you'd like to give the gift that lasts multiple lifetimes,and has actually been proven to extend a few, click on over to our special Holiday Gift Pack page. We've got special offers designed to meet the needs of the most discerning diatonic devotee!

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Accordions Take Blame for Everything

Now squeezeboxers are taking the heat for Al Gore's pet cause: "National Accordion Month Causes Global Warming," according to Above the Borderline.

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Sunday, November 25, 2007

A Tour With Teller

Having had the pleasure of performing with Teller on Penn and Teller's Sin City Spectacular, I found it quite interesting to take an inside peek at the abode of this quiet magical genius, courtesy of USA Today. While Teller's onstage persona is mute, I am honored to say that I have had lively conversation with him and he is indeed a gentleman and a scholar.

Take a virtual tour of Teller's home in this Flash photo gallery (don't miss the secret bookcase).

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Thursday, November 22, 2007

A Building That Looks Like an Accordion

Most wild architectural flights of fancy look better on paper than they do in real life. But there's no denying that architect Ken Shuttleworth's design for a London building with a pleated facade looks an awful lot like an accordion's bellows. Shuttleworth told the Evening Standard he wanted the squeezebox-shaped building to "reinstate a more coherent plan of the square as envisaged by (Christopher) Wren." Wren's monument to the great fire of London will be reflected in the accordion building's bellowslike reflective face.

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Lucy Liu Played the Accordion

Actress Lucy Liu tells Parade magazine that she tried the accordion as a kid -- but wasn't that great, so she gave it up.

"When I was young, I tried violin and accordion for two weeks each," she said. "I was really horrible at the violin. And I wasn’t good at the accordion, but I liked it."

Too bad ... I bet she'd be great at it now -- ever see her kung fu skills in Charlie's Angels?

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Monday, November 12, 2007

A Squeezebox Story for Veterans' Day

World War II veteran John Martino storming Omaha Beach with an accordion in tow. A squeezebox plucked from Hitler's bunker. What can I say? These vignettes make the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feature, "Region's Vets Retell Vivid Stories," the perfect Veterans' Day reading on the Wall of Wheeze.

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Saturday, November 10, 2007

Nice Review for Squeeze Machine

A big bellowing thanks to Let's Polka for the swell review of Squeeze Machine.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Squeezin' in San Antonio, Part 4

Express-News journo Jim Beal Jr.'s blog coverage of the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio includes some cool pictures of performers. He also doles out some superlatives -- guess who he named "best-dressed band"? That's right: That title goes to "Those Darn Accordions, at least the three female members, Carri Abrahms, Susie Davis and Suzanne Garramone."

Paul's button-free Rockordion also gets the nod for "most radically altered accordion," and there are plenty more accolades and witty observations to go around. In fact, I nominate Jim for best coverage of the International Accordion Festival.

For more on the festival, check out the San Antonio Current's feature story, "Argentina, via the Ukraine." It starts out profiling "Argentinian accordion superstar Chango Spasiuk" and discussing the festival's truly international roots, then swerves into an interview with Paul about TDA's "oddball path" to squeezebox rock.

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

Squeezin' in San Antonio, Part 3

The Express-News' Jim Beal Jr. provides a post-action report of Day 1 at San Antonio's International Accordion Festival, headlined "Fest Offers a Lot of Fun and Tradition."

An excerpt:
"The old music and the new music kept dancers moving and large crowds at three stages grooving to the classic Western swing of the Ridgetop Syncopators; the Native American "chicken scratch" (a relative of conjunto) of Southern Scratch; the Celtic of Johnny B. Connolly and the Tradmarks; the San Antonio conjunto/rock of Texmaniacs; Quebecois from Yves Lambert & Le Bebert Orchestra; the complex Argentine folk/world music of Chango Spasiuk and his band; and the rollicking, rocking, four-accordion attack of San Francisco-based Those Darn Accordions."

There's a lot of roots music at the festival, and many mighty nice musicians hanging around. (We're getting quite an introduction to the button box and creole music, courtesy of Ed Poullard, who plays a mean fiddle alongside Louisiana accordionist Lawrence Ardoin, and builds button boxes himself). The festival organizers and volunteer staffers couldn't be any nicer, and the post-fest poolside party was pleasant as all get out.

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Saturday, October 13, 2007

Squeezin' in San Antonio



We're lovin' the International Accordion Festival so far. San Antonio is beautiful, the people are nice, and it's always fun to watch your bandmates put on a workshop.






Suzanne, Carri and Susie were joined onstage by a local San Antonio squeezebox player and another from Austin for the "Calling All Accordion Grrrrls!" workshop, which was moderated by festival organizer Pat. All these lovely ladies talked about their instruments and what it's like to be a female squeezer. They also played a few tunes.





Paul joined the women of TDA to sing a polka (even though he was wearing black socks with shorts).

Well, it's time for our first set -- come on down to San Antonio if you can. We play Saturday and Sunday, and this place is lousy with accordion greats.

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

'Humor Rules' When It Comes to TDA

Nice TDA profile in today's San Antonio Express-News. "Humor rules during a TDA album and show," writes Jim Beal Jr., who has been pulling for us to get a slot at the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio for years.

Now it's all about to happen. Should be a riot (or at least a "heaping helping of accordions"). Thanks for your support, Jim! We're really looking forward to being part of an event with so many squeezebox greats.

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Tuesday, October 09, 2007

'Latino Roots' Spice Up San Antonio Squeeze Fest

The accordion's place in Latin music will be celebrated at the 2007 International Accordion Festival in San Antonio this weekend, according to Express News. Of course, we'll be there (we're listed as "alternative").

Check out the full list of performers and workshops (including one dubbed "Calling All Accordion Grrrrls!"). Wonder who'll be at that one?

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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

End of an Era: Art Altenburg Leaves Concertina Bar

Looks like Milwaukee treasure Art Altenburg finally found a buyer for his truly wonderful Concertina Bar.

That's bittersweet news -- I know Art has been trying to sell the place for a few years, so I'm happy for him. But I'll miss his 100-watt hospitality, his bar-top concertina riffs, his cheerful "beer time!" I'll even miss the broiled cheese curds. But I'm sure it's a good thing for Art, who says he will move to his family farm, take care of his mother and "probably go chasing women."

The possible silver lining is that "the new owner, Andy Kochanski, intends to keep the tradition of Art's alive, but minus Art," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. What's more, "Andy plans to allow accordions. Art is such an aficionado of concertinas that he would never allow their keyboarded cousins in the bar," the paper says (although Art always gave us the warmest of welcomes).

Good luck, Art, and good luck, Andy!

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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Smoke Gets in Your Squeeze

Yet another reason smoking sucks: Secondhand smoke fouls squeezeboxes. Independent.ie reports that "anecdotal evidence" indicates "the interiors of accordions played regularly in smoke-filled environments are dirtied as a result of the trapping of contaminant particles circulating in the air as it filters through the instrument." Freaky. (And possibly the least often cited reason for a smoking ban.)

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