Gift Packs are Here!

Just in time for Cyber Monday, we've created a couple limited-time specials. Don't fight the crowds. Don't waste time in traffic. Shop quickly & comfortably in our store for all the naughty & nice ones on your list.

Gift Set 1
Buy 1 Short Sleeve T-Shirt, Get 1 CD for $10

Gift Set 2
Buy any TDA CD, Get 1 CD Free

In the case that your TDA collection is well stocked, we're offering the "Uncorked" album from Paul's side-project the Christmas Jug Band.

Don't forget, everybody prefers TDA over another pair of socks!

New ThoseDarnAccordions.com

This weekend we launched a new version of ThoseDarnAccordions.com. The focus was to simplify content and navigation. Some highlights are...
- Each product has its own page.
- Each band member has their own biography.
- More active content in the Multimedia section.

And now here's how you can make it even better! Post photos of TDA on your Flickr.com account and tag them ThoseDarnAccordions. Our Multimedia page shows the latest uploads with that tag, giving everyone a chance to share their wonderful pix with other fans! Right now, you can see photos from some Yahoo employees enjoying TDA on their Sunnyvale campus.

Mill Valley Friday, Winters Saturday

TDA hits the stage again this weekend with two big shows.

The first stop in Mill Valley, Calif. tonight at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre. Opening for TDA is local Marin talent, Electric Tiger Lily.
Saturday night the gang returns to The Palms Playhouse in Winters, Calif.

See you there!

Revving Up for Reno Italian Festival

The Eldorado Great Italian Festival is a truly fantastico party each year in Reno, Nev., with lots of music and vendors serving loads of great food. We've played the fun festival for years, and we'll be doing it again next weekend.

The big outdoor celebration of all things Italian (including accordions) takes over a main street in downtown Reno, with a couple of stages and roaming musicians everywhere. Those Darn Accordions plays both days on The Rome Stage. Our sets start at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12.

The Sacramento Bee has a nice story with an unruly headline -- "A Proud Family Tradition Lives on at the 27th Eldorado Italian Festival" -- if you'd like to get an idea of what goes on at the festival.

Hope to see you there.

P.S. I'm thrilled to see that original TDA member Tom Torriglia's band Bella Ciao will be returning as well.

TDA Plays 'Baba O'Riley,' Live in Seaside, Ore.

Watch our version of "Baba O'Riley," recorded live at the Elks Lodge in Seaside, Ore., and posted to YouTube by Jim D'Ville. Love the party graphics!

We played this decidedly non-German song at Seaside's first Oktoberfest last weekend, but there were plenty of polkas on the set list as well. Hope we get a chance to take the stage again next year.

Seaside Oktoberfest Is On, Baby

Thee stage is set at the Seaside Elks Lodge, the crafters are selling their goods, the food vendors are rocking outside and we're getting ready to go on at the Seaside Oktoberfest.

We always have a great time in this groovy little Oregon town, and so far this outing is no exception. This is the inaugural edition of the Seaside Oktoberfest, and already you can tell it's a little different:When was the last time you had barbecued oysters or crab cakes at an Oktoberfest? There's plenty of beer (including Widmer Brothers hefeweizen and Okto!) and bratwurst, too.

If you're anywhere near the Oregon coast, get a move on -- we start at 6 p.m. and play till 9 p.m. Admission is just $2. What a deal!

Oktoberfest '08 Photos

If you weren't able to make it out or simply want to relive a bit of the fun from this past weekend, here's a few snapshots of Those Darn Accordions at Widmer Brothers Brewery.


After a full day of booze, bratwurst, & bands the audience awaits TDA to take the stage.


Lewis takes a look at the set list at his feet & starts prepping himself to play the latest cover tune, Dancing Queen.


Paul surveys the crowd, asks the time, the ladies of TDA declare it "Polka Time!" and the show is appropriately opened with Glass Of Beer Polka.


A bit later Suzanne gets sultry under the cool glow of the hot lights. Later in the set, she wins a battle against the devil when The Devil Went Down To Georgia.


Carri looks offstage to see other Oktoberfest bands watching the show from the wings.


A staple of a TDA show, Susie tears it up as she belts out Back In Black.


Michael laid down the beats and hid from the camera behind his drum kit, as the audience grooved to TDA's return to Portland.


The next morning Suzanne & Lewis ventured to downtown Portland's Voodoo Doughnuts. Picking from the oddball menu, Suzanne enjoys the No Name Doughnut topped with chocolate, Rice Krispies, & creamy peanut butter while Lewis tries out the Bubble Gum Doughnut.
The verdict? Surprisingly Delicious!

Widmer's Oktoberfest this Saturday

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.

Another Reason to Hit Polish Fest on Saturday

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

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.

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).

Next Stop: Karfluki Fest Today

We're on our way to Auburn, California, for Karfluki Fest. It's a two-day festival, running May 3 and 4, but we only play Saturday (our set starts at 5:30 p.m.).

Karfluki Fest has a pretty big lineup:

• Tempest (the Celtic rock band that throws Karfluki Fest)
• Tom Rigney & Flambeau
  
• Fishtank Ensemble
  
• Incendio (Warning: the band's web site will resize your browser)
  
• Plasterkatz
  
• The Anderson Family Bluegrass Band
  
• Sierra Spiral Dancers
• Controlled Burn
  
• Siamsa
  
• Trey Cromwell
  
• Piper Jason McKinney
  
• Anne Robinson
  

If you are anywhere near the California Gold country, come on out and join the fun.

Those Darn Accordions Top Tunes iMix

And the winner is ... "Them Hippies Was Right"!

The results are in and taking into consideration a few ties, here are the Top 22 TDA tunes. Thanks to everyone for sending in your favorite TDA songs. You can pick up all these TDA gems in one fell swoop in an iMix on iTunes. The songs are sequenced by order of popularity.

This was a lot of fun finding out what our fans like best about the band. We'll try it again in another 10 years!

Note: "Back in Black" made the list at No. 14, but AC/DC's publishing company has not authorized the song for download. For that reason, it is not included in the iMix.

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

Squeeze Machine Secrets: 'The Janitor Knows'

Some of you know that in my other life I am an electrician. I don't do much of it these days, but occasionally my wife will let it slip to one of her friends and the next thing I know I'm up on a ladder hanging a ceiling fan.

That's exactly what I was doing when I got the inspiration for "The Janitor Knows." I saw a photograph on a wall in the room where I was working and it intrigued me enough to stop and take a closer look. It was a photo taken in a gymnasium of a guy in the foreground in what I thought was a janitor's uniform and two younger guys shooting hoops in the background.

It immediately hit me that this janitor must be waiting for these guys to finish their game so he can clean up the place and go home. It was like two different worlds in the same room. I couldn't get it out of my head and by the next day "The Janitor Knows" was done. It's actually my favorite tune on Squeeze Machine, but I really had to fight to get it on. Some of the gals in the band thought it was about a peeping tom and too creepy, but that never occurred to me. I assure you it is not.

A couple of months later, I mentioned to the people that I was working for that I had written a song about the photo on their wall. It turns out it's actually their son, who is a prison guard, and he is watching two prisoners during their exercise break. They were mildly amused at my interpretation. Geez, if I'd known what was really going on, I think I would have been sent in a whole different direction. I'm glad I didn't!

BTW, this is not the first time I got a song inspiration on the job. I was cutting some conduit and I cut my finger in the process. I immediately had an image of my high school shop teacher laughing at me. Out popped "Mr. Slagle's Revenge," which we recorded for Amped. Oh, the things I do for the sake of art!

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!

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)

'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!

'Larry' hits No. 23 on Amazon.com

""Larry's Wonderful Life" off the new TDA CD, Squeeze Machine, is sitting at No. 23 in the "Classical-Ballets/Dances" category on Amazon.com MP3 downloads. It's No. 11,730 overall! Not bad, considering there are more than a million tunes available for download. We're not known for our ballads, but after the reception "Larry" and "Old Slow Guy" received at our shows this weekend, I look forward to adding a few more.

TDA Post-Show Wrap-Up

What a blast! Two nights, two Northern California shows, lots of new faces and plenty of old friends.

We had a great time playing so many songs off the new record, Squeeze Machine: "Heads and Horns," "Blame It on Those Darn Accordions," "Wrinkle Suit," "The Janitor Knows," "Glass of Beer Polka," "Mr. Saggy Butt," "Tandem Bike," "Stupid Things I Done," "This Song," "It's Now or Never."

We even ventured into the strange and scary Land of Musical Subtlety -- a region visited only rarely by this humble accordion-rock ensemble -- when we played a couple of "serious" songs: "Larry's Wonderful Life," also from Squeeze Machine, and "Old Slow Guy" from Lawnball. I hope those two numbers didn't throw anybody for too much of a loop!

Thanks to everybody who came out (and special props if you drove more than 100 miles -- you know who you are, and I won't name you here, lest Al "My Greenhouse Gas Is Better Than Yours" Gore is reading the Wall of Wheeze).

Thanks also to everybody at 142 Throckmorton Theatre and The Palms. Y'all were super-gracious, as per usual, and the sound was absolutely wonderful onstage (can't speak to the house sound, but I didn't see a lot of grimacing or bloody ears, so I'm guessing it was pretty good).

See you all next time.

Revvin' Up for First TDA Shows of 2008

That's right, folks, we've been practicing till our fingertips are sore, getting ready to play two California gigs this weekend. We play 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley on Friday, then head to The Palms in Winters for a Saturday show.

Both venues are wonderful places to see a musically subtle band like Those Darn Accordions: large stages, good lighting, excellent sound, superlative staffs, cold beer and good wine. You might even call them "upscale."

They are what we like to call "listening rooms" -- the kind of venues with solid commitments to live music, where the emphasis is on letting the bands play and the audience enjoy a good, comfortable night of entertainment. The kind of venues we like to play.

Hope to see you there.

Squeeze Machine Makes Let's Polka's 'Best of 2007'

The party-lovin' folks at Let's Polka list Squeeze machine as one of 2007's best accordion records.

"We’re not as prolific as Rolling Stone (yet)," master polka blogger Chris writes, "but we did review a bunch of new accordion albums. Some of our favorites included new releases by Those Darn Accordions, Acadian accordionist Elly Kelly, Tom Hagerman (of DeVotchKa), and Zevy Zions."

You can read the full review here.

Thanks for the shout out, Chris. And keep on crankin' out the polka news in 2008. Cheers!

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:

• Black-and-white gallery


• Color gallery

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!

Best Albums of 2007?

Everybody in the blogosphere is picking the best albums of 2007, including Wired's culture blog. Underwire is also letting readers nominate their own faves and vote -- and some joker added a record by a certain squeezebox rock band. Check the list and vote! (Don't miss the "next" link at the bottom, as that's where Squeeze Machine will probably be listed.)

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!

Just Added: TDA Holiday Gift Pack 2007

Overdose on Those Darn Accordions with this amazing deal: All six TDA CDs for just $60, with no shipping or handling.

It's the amazing TDA Holiday Gift Pack 2007. Such a deal! (Sorry, but international shipping will cost a little extra.)

We've also got a new Squeeze Machine Fun Pack, featuring the new CD, the new Squeeze Machine T-shirt and a couple of extras thrown in just for fun.

Photo by kafka4prez.

Request 'Heads and Horns'

Want to help get the word out about Those Darn Accordions? Take a second to request "Heads and Horns" on Sirius' Outlaw Country. The Request a Song link is on the upper right-hand part of the page.

Outlaw Country is an awesome Sirius Satellite Radio channel (it's also available on channel 6063 on Dish Network satellite TV). The celebrity DJs play tons of great classic country, hard-core honky tonk and even rootsy rock 'n' roll -- a big focus is on strong songwriting. It's my favorite radio station, and I'm pretty sure "Heads and Horns" would fit right into the play list. (They already play TDA founder Big Lou's "Yoo Hoo Polka" on a regular basis.)

Nice Review for Squeeze Machine

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

Flashback: 'Weird Al' Unveils His New Look With TDA

Pretty funny blog post by a "Weird Al" Yankovic fan who describes watching Those Darn Accordions on the American Music Awards back in 1998, scanning for Al and being stunned by the first appearance of the parody king's new look.

"Surely Al's got to be in there somewhere...scan for frizzy hair, glasses, moustache, Hawaiian shirt...NOTHING! Just Drew, Dick, and the guys from Those Darn Accordions again, including that one member with the shiny shirt who looks kinda like Varna the Squirmese Cook, and it looks like he stole Al's accordion or something...

Wait a minute.

Is that.................................................AL?!

Yes, hard as it was to fathom at the time, Al had ditched the glasses, grown the biggest goatee I've ever seen on him, and apparently gained a bit of weight from the Weird Al Show post-production process. To compound the confusion, Drew's mike was out when he yelled "Al Yankovic!" so the reveal was blown. For the first, last and only time in his life, the new "Inconspicuous Al" Yankovic simply blended in with the rest of the band."

It is kind of shocking, really, seeing Al's makeover and remembering how he used to look. Check out the YouTube video and see for yourself, as we do "a medley of 25 years of hits" with "Inconspicuous Al," Drew Carey and Dick Contino. (Right after us? Wu-Tang Clan, baby.)

TDA at International Accordion Festival in San Antonio

And the devil wins one! It's nice that the camera operator zoomed in a bit for Carri's amazing dance.

Squeeze MachineSecrets: 'Heads and Horns'

It's been said that some songs just about write themselves, but in this case it was even simpler. My relocation to the Great Northwest has introduced me to many cultural wonders, such as single-wides, double-wides, guns going full auto in the night and good old-fashioned game hunting. I'm not much of a hunter, but an ad in the local paper caught my eye and inspired me to begin a month-long research project into the world of "Heads and Horns." That was the title of the ad and it was an invitation for all hunters to bring their trophies to a convention in Tacoma, Wash., for judging and award presentations. Here are the lines that stuck out:

"Heads and Horns"
"Do you have a trophy in hiding?"
"Boone and Crockett rules apply"
"Typical, Non-typical"
"Horns must be attached to the skull"

How could you not write a song after being given these lines?

"Typical, non-typical"? Whatever could that mean? I had no idea, but I immediately started walking around the house singing it. Turns out it means if the animal's horns are unblemished, they are "typical." If they are broken from fighting or some other mishap, they are "Non-typical."

Then I began my research to find out what the Boone and Crockett rules were. (Yes, it's Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, who set the judging criteria for heads and horns way back in the 1800s). Finally, it was time to compile a list of every type of game that hunters stalk and put them in an order that was the most singable. This proved to be a real challenge for me and I still have trouble singing this tune without getting a little tongue-tied. I went into my studio and did a demo with a guitar and I got carried away and recorded a couple more tunes while I was at it.

I put them up on MySpace for kicks under the name The Grunts. I never intended for TDA to do the tune, but the band heard it and decided we should give it a go. After we had a track for the tune, I sent an e=mail to my pal Norton Buffalo and asked him to put a few harmonica tracks on top. He was in Idaho recording with Steve Miller, so I sent him an MP3. The next morning I had 2 AIFF files waiting in my in-box. Ah, the wonders of modern recording.

Susie suggested we get her friend Evan Price to add some fiddle and he did an outstanding job. I have to say the whole thing ended up sounding pretty dang authentic. My only regret is that the knee-slaps and hand-claps in the chorus got lost somehow. If we ever get a chance to remix, that will be one of the first things I fix!

Nudie's the Name, Fashion's the Game

Everybody knows the female members of Those Darn Accordions dress fabulously and that, perhaps, from time to time on rare occasions, the manly members of the band fail to raise the fashion bar. I'm guessing some Nudie suits, as shown in the book Nudie: The Rodeo Tailor, would kick things up a notch. After all, who doesn't love a rhinestone cowboy?

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.

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.

Squeezin' in San Antonio, Part 2

Two sets down! Afternoon set -- hot as a fresh-fried puffy taco shell (I know because I had one). Evening set down by the River Walk -- much cooler. Bee-yoo-tee-full location, just right for an accordion band. Nice moat in front of the stage and all. You know things are looking up when you see a purple drink ticket.


Paul's black socks look cool and all, but here's what Suzanne and Carri looked like for tonight's show.

BTW, when you're in San Antonio and you're looking for a steak, give Little Rhein Steak House a try. Delicious filet-and-shrimp combo, and pecan pie that's outta this world.

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 accor