This week, Anna and I went to see Little Miss Sunshine and as soon as the movie started I recognized the sound of one of my new favorite bands, DeVotchKa. It turns out DeVotchKa teamed with composer Mychael Danna to do most of the film’s soundtrack and their lush, dreamy sound adds the perfect backdrop to an already charming movie.
Devotchka is a Denver-based quartet with a smart, unique sound that crosses borders. Sometimes billed as Eastern European indie rock, the band blends gypsy, folk, mariachi, and rock influences effortlessly. No instrument is off limits, either: violin, sousaphone, trumpet, double bass, theramin, bouzouki, and, of course, the accordion (played by Tom Hagerman) all take turns on center stage. Meanwhile, frontman Nick Urata’s haunting voice soars above it all.
Their latest EP, Curse Your Little Heart is an eclectic mix of covers ranging from Frank Sinatra (“Something Stupid”) to Siouxsie and the Banshees (“The Last Beat of My Heart”). The Denver-based band is currently on a West Coast tour and are playing in Seattle tonight and San Francisco and Los Angeles next week. Their live show sounds like a blast, so catch them if you can.
When he was a young accordion prodigy, Joel Guzman earned the nickname “El Pequeno Gigante” (“The Little Giant”). Years later, Joel is famous for combining traditional Mexican music with blues, rock, country, salsa, and other genres to create a unique style all his own. In 2004, he teamed with fellow Tejano accordion legends David Lee Garza and Sunny Sauceda to record Polkas, Gritos, y Acordeones, which won the Grammy for Best Tejano Album. Currently, he plays with his band Aztex and his wife, Cuban-born singer Sarah Fox.
polka uploaded by la vida comoMost people probably don’t think of Bethlehem, PA, as a musical mecca, but for 10 days every August, the town is home to one of the biggest music festivals in the world: Musikfest. More than one million people come to Musikfest to listen to over 300 performers on 13 different stages playing in nearly every musical style imaginable.
Thanks to the area’s German heritage, the polka has always been at the heart of Musikfest; though there was some controversy last year when organizers allowed non-polka theme nights at the Festplatz (the main Musikfest polka venue). Nevertheless, the accordion is well represented at this year’s Musikfest, with performances from Jimmy Sturr, Steve Meisner, C.J. Chenier, Oriek, Big Lou’s Polka Casserole, the Al Meixner Trio, and many more.
If you want to follow Musikfest from afar, try some of these links:
The official Musikfest site has everything you need to know — performer bios, event schedule, photos, and an inline music player with tunes from most of the acts playing this year’s ‘Fest.
You’ve got to love a festival that’s so big that there are two blogs devoted to covering it. Mergedigital’s Musikfest blog and the Morning Call’s Festblog have both been reporting multiple times daily on festival highlights (such as where to find the best beer service).
And, for those who love impromptu cameraphone shots like the one above, keep an eye on the latest photos tagged with ‘musikfest’ on Flickr.
John Jennings wrote in to tell us about an accordion gathering this Saturday, August 12th, in San Jose, CA, at the Biblioteca Latinoamericana. All players, from beginner to pro, are invited to come play and learn tejano/conjunto/norte?o tunes, and even non-accordionists are welcome to join in the fun (break out the bajo sexto!). The event runs from 10am to 2pm and will take place outside on the patio at the back of the main library room. If you can’t make it this Saturday, don’t worry — the group meets monthly on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
Nice Accordion uploaded by laterent2000From organist/accordionist Jon Hammond comes this wonderfully strange photo of an accordion so gigantic that it takes two people just to squeeze it. The photo was taken in Castelfidardo, the name of the Italian town known as the center of the Italian accordion industry since the late 1800s. These days, Castelfidardo is also home to an accordion museum and an annual accordion festival and competition (where Those Darn Accordions famously took fourth place — out of two bands — in 1990).
Posted August 7th, 2006 in Flickr, Photos · Comments off
The Polka America Corporation is far from the only organization promoting polka — the International Polka Association has been dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music for nearly forty years. The IPA’s 38th annual festival begins tonight in Chicago and the highlight will undoubtedly be Saturday’s Hall of Fame Awards Banquet. Back in 1968, Frankie Yankovic and Li’l Wally Jagiello were the first to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and since then the list of honorees has grown to include such legends as Myron Floren, Joey Miskulin, “Whoopee John” Wilfahrt, and many others.
Performers at this year’s festival include Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones, Jeff Mleczko & Dynabrass, Eddie Biegaj & Crusade, and more. And the IPA hasn’t forgotten about the kids — the festival features a couple vents geared towards younger polka-philes. First, there’s the annual Polka Art Contest where kids are encouraged to draw a picture based on the theme, “Polka Music is Happiness.” There’s also the Mini-Polka Princess Pageant, which is a non-competitive pageant for girls aged 3-10 (too bad, I was looking forward to the talent portion).
Posted August 3rd, 2006 in Events, Polka · Comments off
Heralding a “new era for the polka industry,” the Polka America Corporation (PAC) has launched as a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to promoting polka music throughout North America. Their website is a little stodgy — which is strange considering the fun, bouncy nature of the people and music they’re promoting — but they’re clearly committed to their cause. Board members come from a variety of backgrounds and include folks like Don Hedeker (of the Polkaholics), Ray Zalokar (who runs 247PolkaHeaven.com), intrepid polka CD reviewer Barry Nostradamus Sher, Big Lou, and many more. Membership is open to the general public and only costs $5 (no word on whether that gets you a swanky membership card for your wallet). PAC has the potential to be very influential in the polka community and I’m looking forward to hearing more about their plans.
A couple weeks ago, we mentioned the annual Galla-Rini Accordion Camp and wrote about Anthony Galla-Rini’s incredible career as a performer, arranger, teacher, and all-around promoter of the accordion. So we were sad to hear that the maestro passed away on Sunday, July 30, at the age of 102. Galla-Rini was one of the undisputed masters during the accordion’s “golden age” and co-founded the American Accordionists Association with fellow accordion legends like Pietro Frosini, Charles Magnante, and Pietro Diero. A memorial service will be held for Galla-Rini on Saturday, August 12, in Corona, CA.
What is polka? According to the dozens of people interviewed for an upcoming polka music documentary, the answer is easy: It’s Happiness. That’s the title of the film that Craig DiBiase and Timm Gable have been working on for the past year, which has taken them all over the country to meet musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts who just can’t get enough of polka. According to DiBiase, the director:
“I wanted to make a film that informed mainstream America what polka is really about; the family atmosphere, one’s heritage and the amount of fun at these festivals, but at the same time still please the polka community with musical performances from their favorite bands. The main point of the film is to show the eccentric personalities of the polka world and prove there’s a younger generation out there polka dancing.”
The film grew out of a conversation with John Pinter, president of the Wisconsin Polka Boosters, after he’d seen the duo’s work on a Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial incorporating polka dancers. The filmmakers showed the trailer at Pulaski Polka Days last week (after filming there last year) and are busy entering film festivals and looking for a distributor. Until “It’s Happiness” arrives at your local multiplex, you can watch the trailer on the official site:
How often do you get to see bands with names like the Smilin’ Scandinavians and the Awesome Polka Babes? Not often enough, if you ask me. Luckily, you’ll be able to catch both at the 10th annual Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebration next weekend, August 4th-6th, in Philipsburg, Montana. And if those bands aren’t enough to excite you, the website bills the event as “a rousing weekend of dancing and listening to music, steak barbeques and outdoor pancake breakfasts, concerts in the 1892 Opera House and a parade of homemade pies.” Accordions, pancake breakfasts, AND a pie parade? I don’t know about you, but that pretty much sounds like heaven to me.
Seriously, though, if you’re in the area, it sounds like a fun weekend of accordion revelry. In addition to the aforementioned colorfully-named performers, you can also hear Lidia Kaminska and The King Bees of The Bayou, or take part in accordion technique workshops led by Mike and Margie Aman. Just remember to make time for pie.
The Polka America Corporation is far from the only organization promoting polka — the 
A couple weeks ago, we mentioned the annual 
How often do you get to see bands with names like the