Remember our post about last week’s attempt to set the Guinness World Record for fastest accordion player? Thanks to the Irish Post we’ve discovered that the accordionist was Irish button box virtuoso Liam O’Connor. Liam rose to fame as a featured musician with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, and has also recorded three albums with vocalist Lisa Aherne.
According to his site, Liam set the record for “Fastest Fingers in the World” by playing an amazing 11.64 notes per second under the watchful eyes of Guinness judges. The record-breaking tune was the venerable classic, “Tico Tico”.
Unfortunately, Liam’s site doesn’t have any sound clips, so we can only wonder what his fast fingers sound like. Leave a comment if you know where we can find clips of Liam’s music online.
Few musicians, polka or otherwise, can match the success that Jimmy Sturr has enjoyed over the course of his career. He has recorded over 100 albums, plays over 150 dates a year, and — to the consternation of some in the polka community — has dominated the polka category at the Grammy Awards, winning 15 times in 20 years.
We had a chance to talk with Jimmy in San Francisco last month before he headed to Polkapalooza Reno.
How did you first get into polka music? What drew you in?
Well, I’ve lived in a little town all my life called Florida, New York, and we probably grow at least 30% of the nation’s onions — we’re the Onion Capital of the World. A lot of people from Europe, especially Polish people, came over to work on what we call the “black dirt”, and brought their traditions with them — one of which was their music. The high school dances and weddings all had polka bands, the radio stations played polkas everyday… that’s how I grew up and fell in love with the music.
When did you start your first band?
I started out at 11 years old and had a five piece band. My very first job was playing for the PTA and the only reason I got to play was because my mother was the president! (laughs) There were a couple of other polka bands in the area and, if they were booked, people would come to us — only because we were the only ones left. Eventually, we moved up that ladder.
What bands inspired you when you were first starting out?
There were bands on the East Coast — guys you’ve never heard of, most of whom are passed away now. You know, everyone’s heard of Frankie Yankovic, but I don’t really play that style. Whereas that Cleveland style really featured the accordion, the East Coast bands featured trumpets and saxophones more (of course, everyone still had an accordion). And those are the bands I grew up on; bands like Frank Wojnarowski, Ray Henry, Gene Wisniewski, the Harmony Bells Orchestra, and the Connecticut Twins Orchestra.
I don’t normally condone gangs — though I do enjoy the choreography of the Sharks and Jets — but I’ve finally found a gang I can fully support: the Alaska Button Box Gang.
Based in Anchorage, this dedicated group of button box enthusiasts performs regularly for non-profits and schools, as well as at the Anchorage Saturday Market, the library and other organizations and occasions. The gang has recorded three albums and their repertoire includes traditional Slovenian, German and Polish accordion music as well as songs written by members of the group. They also have occasional rumbles with a rival piano accordion gang from Juneau.
Fellow Alaskans should check the gang’s website for upcoming performances, while those of us in the lower 48 can look forward to their appearance at next summer’s SNPJ Slovenefest in Enon Valley, PA.
Not everyone is lucky enough to live somewhere where polka bands play live every weekend. So for those of us outside of the Midwest/East Coast “polka belt”, sites like Polka Videos are a fantastic way to see what we’re missing. Set up by Michelle Genrich, president of the Polka America Corporation, Polka Videos includes high-quality footage of bands like the Polka Family Band, Stas Golonka and his Chicago Masters, The Music Connection, and others.
Meanwhile, over on YouTube, Thad Seaver has been posting an impressive collection of polka videos himself. Featured bands include Lenny Gomulka and Chicago Push, Dynabrass, Brave Combo, and more. Of course, these videos are no substitute for going out and supporting your local polka bands, but they sure help pass the time between shows!
When you were a kid, did you ever spend a Saturday trying to set the Guinness World Record for “Longest Time Balancing a Broom on Your Chin”? Okay, maybe that was just me. But this past Thursday, aspiring record holders around the world attempted everything from Largest Tea Party to Most Rattlesnakes Held in Mouth during Guinness World Records Day.
Buried deep in news stories about the event, though, was a line about someone in Dublin, Ireland, attempting to become the world’s fastest accordion player. I haven’t been able to track down much information about the attempt other than the photo above, and that the attempt took place at an Eason’s bookstore. Anyone know who this guy is? And how exactly do you measure such a feat? Most notes per minute? Do you have to play a particular song or can you just flail aimlessly? Is it easier to play fast on a button box or a piano accordion? So many questions!
Classic Texas Accordion uploaded by -DonsWhile I can’t to make it to this year’s Wurstfest, I can live vicariously through this excellent slideshow I found on Flickr. For a minute, I thought I was actually in New Braunfels, TX — listening to the accordions and tubas, watching the dancers in their authentic German garb, and eating all of that tasty, tasty sausage. Mmm…
This Friday and Saturday is the 9th annual NE Accordion Festival in Minneapolis, MN (the “NE” stands for “NorthEast” Minneapolis). This two-day festival has it all: concerts, workshops, jams, dances, and a massed band event (called the “Squeez-in Orchestra”) in which all attendees, regardless of skill level, are invited to participate. Performers include Twin Cities favorites Dan Newton, Machinery Hill, Hank Thunander, Orkestar Bez Ime, and many more. There’ll be a festival preview Friday morning on KFAI Radio in Minneapolis, so even if you can’t make it to the festival you can still listen online.
Posted November 8th, 2006 in Events · Comments off
The 2006 Latin Grammy Awards were held last Thursday in New York and a handful of accordion-toting artists walked away with awards. A few of the highlights:
Julieta Venegas One of our recent favorites, Julieta won Best Alternative Album for Limon y Sal. She was also nominated for Album and Record of the Year, but lost to hip-shaker extraordinaire Shakira. Julieta Venegas: Me Voy (video)
Los Tigres Del Norte The Mexican music legends (and fellow Bay Area residents) took home the award for Best Norteño Album for Historias Que Contar. This is the first track off that album: Los Tigres del Norte: Señor Locutor (MP3 download)
Los Hermanos Zuleta The sons of Emiliano Zuleta (the “King of Vallenato”) won Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album for Cien DÃas De Bohemia. This track isn’t from that album, but don’t hold that against me: Los Hermanos Zuleta: Mi Hermano y Yo (MP3 download)
I don’t know where to begin with this one — it’s a video for a Slovenian (I think) group named Skuter. The song is called “Na Pomoc” and can best be described as cheesy polka-pop, featuring accordion and synthesizer melodies over a thumping 2/4 beat. The video, though, takes a page straight out of the hip-hop video playbook — a pool party with bikini babes gyrating around fancy cars — but adds a twist in the form of… tractors. Yup, tractors.
A handful of Let’s Polka stickers to anyone who can provide a English translation of the lyrics, or just explain what the hell is going on here.
Remember our post about last week’s attempt to set the Guinness World Record for fastest accordion player? Thanks to the Irish Post we’ve discovered that the accordionist was Irish button box virtuoso Liam O’Connor. Liam rose to fame as a featured musician with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, and has also recorded three albums with vocalist Lisa Aherne.
When you were a kid, did you ever spend a Saturday trying to set the Guinness World Record for “Longest Time Balancing a Broom on Your Chin”? Okay, maybe that was just me. But this past Thursday, aspiring record holders around the world attempted everything from Largest Tea Party to Most Rattlesnakes Held in Mouth during 