Surfing YouTube has become one of my favorite pasttimes and yesterday it paid off when I found a handful of video clips from manic accordionist Jason Webley‘s recent appearance (May 11) in Davis, CA. In this clip, he’s playing “May Day”, though he takes a break in the middle to teach the audience how to dance the “Gnomie” (and play a snippet of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”):
In other Jason Webley news, his new vinyl EP/bonus CD, “Eleven Saints”, comes out on June 2nd and it’s a collaborative songwriting effort with Seattle poet Jay Thompson. Jason’s also holding his 2nd annual Camp Tomato — a one-day smorgasbord of tomato-themed fun and activities — at Seattle’s Woodland Park on June 3rd.
Accordionist Dan Chouinard is hosting “Mambo Italiano”, an exploration of the Italian roots of American popular music, tomorrow (Saturday) night at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN. Inspired by the summer Chouinard spent biking across Europe with his accordion, the show features Italian music ranging from peasant songs and opera to postwar hits from the likes of Louis Prima, Antonio Bennett and Concetta Francis. Even if you can’t make it to the show, there’s an excellent preview and interview with some of the performers on the Minnesota Public Radio website. You can also read a review of “Cafe Europa”, a similar (but more autobiographical) show that Chouinard put on last year.
When I think back on the golden age of disco, I automatically think of Saturday Night Fever, The Hustle, polyester shirts, Myron Floren, Studio 54… wait a second, back up… Myron Floren?
That’s right — in 1977, Lawrence Welk’s squeezin’ sideman released “Disco Polka”, an album that brought oompah polka rhythms and over-the-top disco strings together for perhaps the first (and last?) time. Tracks included “How High the Moon”, “Love is Blue”, and, of course, “Beer Barrel Polka.” But did these two great tastes really taste great together? Listen to a clip from the record and decide for yourself:
Mother’s Day Morgani uploaded by musicmuse_caNobody dresses the part quite like The Great Morgani, the Santa Cruz accordionist known for his outrageous (and sometimes slightly disturbing) costumes. This photo catches him in one of his tamer outfits, all decked out in roses for Mother’s Day last weekend.
If you’re looking for some cajun flavor in the Bay Area this weekend, check out the Boogie on the Bayou, an annual celebration held in downtown Campbell, CA. There’ll be live music (performers include Motordude Zydeco), cajun food, and the usual abundance of arts and crafts booths that you can’t avoid at events like this. The party goes from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, and parking and admission are free. We may be there on Saturday, so say ‘hi’ if you see us!
Obviously, Anna and I are fans of any couple whose love is built on a mutual love of the accordion. Which is why I was especially happy to see this entry in the Accordion Guy’s blog about the upcoming concert/wedding of “Canada’s premier classical accordion and clarinet duo,” Acclarion. Becky Sajo (clarinet) and David Carovillano (accordion) met three years ago and have been playing an eclectic mix of classical, jazz, tango, samba, and more, ever since. On May 27th in Toronto, they’ll perform a sixty-minute concert followed immediately by their wedding ceremony on the very same stage.
Even if you can’t make it to Toronto for the wedding, check out these sound clips — unlike most couples, Becky and David really do make beautiful music together.
After talking up the Main Squeeze Accordion Orchestra a few weeks ago, I noticed in Corn Mo’s blog that he sat in at one of their rehearsals this week. Both artists will be anchoring an accordion-heavy lineup tomorrow (Saturday) night at Pianos in New York City. Other acts on the bill include Hang the Lights (solo project of Joshua Camp, from One Ring Zero), Infinite Orchestra, and Jonathan Vincent.
Apparently Corn Mo will be performing Bohemian Rhapsody with Main Squeeze, which sounds like a dream squeezebox collaboration if there ever was one. Drop us a line if you go to the show and we’ll post your review here next week.
Neal Pomea’s cajun music collection is a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in cajun music and its history. Neal’s gathered MP3s of recordings that go all the way back to the 1920s, often recorded off the original 78s. (I just realized that some people have probably never seen a 78…) Artists include Nathan Abshire, Joe Falcon & Cleoma Breaux, Octa Clark, Roy Fusilier, and many more. Take some time and explore the site — there’s a lot of great stuff in there. Here are a few hot tracks to get you started on your Bayou journey:
With an album cover featuring an accordion-playing gorilla, you know it has to be good. Or at least, well, really bizarre. And that’s definitely the case with “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done” by The Mighty Accordion Band. The album features a 20-accordion-strong band playing unique arrangements of classics like “April in Paris”, “La Vie En Rose”, and “Caravan” (check here for audio clips), while the back cover boasts:
“If you’re looking for a nice old-time accordion album with Lady of Spain and the like, it should be pretty clear already that this isn’t it. For the listener, music by the Mighty Accordion Band can be summed up simply: more fun than a barrel of monkeys.”
The album was the brainchild of Dominic Frontiere, a jazz accordionist known for his willingness to push the envelope, who later turned his attention to arranging scores for film and television. Perhaps not surprisingly, this seems to be the only album he made with the Mighty Accordion Band. [Found via Echoes from AP3 in Pezland]
That’s right — Let’s Polka is back in action! As some of our loyal readers may know, Anna and I were recently married in Vegas (where we met up with Gordy) and we’ve just returned from a wonderful, but sadly accordion-less, tropical honeymoon. So we apologize for leaving you high and dry for the past couple weeks, but now we’re tanned, rested, and ready to serve your squeezebox needs!
When I think back on the golden age of disco, I automatically think of Saturday Night Fever, The Hustle, polyester shirts, Myron Floren, Studio 54… wait a second, back up… Myron Floren?
After talking up the Main Squeeze Accordion Orchestra 
With an album cover featuring an accordion-playing gorilla, you know it has to be good. Or at least, well, really bizarre. And that’s definitely the case with “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done” by