Bay Area accordionists, mark your calendars: Camp AccordionLand 2007 is set for August 10-12, 2007. Organized by East Bay accordion teacher Henri Ducharme, Camp AccordionLand is a weekend full of workshops, ensemble playing, and jam sessions at beautiful Tilden Park in Berkeley, California.

The camp welcomes accordionists of all skill levels and the workshops cover both technique and repertoire. Some of the workshops tentatively scheduled for 2007 include Cumbias, Tex-Mex, Greek Music, French Musette, Gypsy Music, Intermediate Bellows and Phrasing, Advanced Bass Technique, and much more. Next year’s camp will also include a number of activities geared towards kids; we gotta start ’em young!

Keep an eye on Henri’s site over the coming months as more details (including pricing) are finalized. Anna and I attended Camp AccordionLand this past August and had a fantastic time. We’ll definitely be back next year and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a fun-filled weekend with fellow accordion enthusiasts.

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.

When it started in 1961, Wurstfest was a small, one-day affair. It capped a week where the restaurants and meat markets of New Braunfels, Texas showcased the sausage-making techniques their ancestors brought from Germany over 100 years earlier.

Today, Wurstfest is more than just a sausage festival. Drawing over 100,000 people from around the world, Wurstfest lasts ten days and pays homage to all things German: the food, the music, and the culture. Naturally, amidst the sausages, strudels, and beer, there’ll be plenty of accordion and polka music (and dancing). Featured performers include 15-time Grammy winner Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra, the Al Meixner Trio, the Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, Die Schlauberger, Alpenfest, and many more.

Wurstfest kicks off tomorrow and the official “biting of the sausages” will take place at 5pm. Good Morning America will be doing a live preview of the festival early tomorrow morning though, be warned, it’ll probably make you hungry for pigs in a blanket.

The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles is running a concert series called “Compressing the World”, which showcases the accordion across a variety of cultures and musical styles. Finland’s Maria Kalaniemi (of Accordion Tribe fame) performed last month and future shows include Cambodian refugee Daran Kravanh, Argentina’s Dino Saluzzi, and Poland’s Motion Trio.

The next performance is this Wednesday and features string quartet Cuartetango, accompanied by world-renowned bandoneon player Hector Del Curto. Born in Buenos Aires, Del Curto has toured extensively as both a solo and chamber musician, performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and, in his native Argentina, was named “Best Bandoneon Player Under 25” when he was only 17. Now he leads his own ensemble, Eternal Tango. Fans of Astor Piazzolla’s tangos should definitely check out Hector’s work.

Hector Del Curto: Los Magos (MP3 download)

He’s got mad accordion skills
uploaded by Don’t Wake Me, I Plan On Sleeping InWe’ve mentioned Daniel Handler’s accordion prowess here before, but now we have photographic evidence! I found a great Flickr photoset of a recent Lemony Snicket book signing in Seattle and there are plenty of accordion action shots. (You can catch a glimpse of fellow Gothic Archie, Stephin Merritt, too.) The book tour continues through mid-November, so check the official Lemony Snicket site for tour dates.

My talented wife and Let’s Polka co-author, Anna, will be rocking the accordion in San Francisco this Saturday night. She’s sitting in on a couple songs with the Corner Laughers during their gig at the funky cafe/laundromat Brainwash. The show starts at 8pm and also features the Variable Stars and Man Versus. As usual, I’ll be there with a pocketful of Let’s Polka stickers, so stop by, say ‘hi’, and support rock music with accordions.

Remember the Justice League — the superhero team of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and others, who joined forces to fight evil? Well, I like to think of Accordion Tribe as a sort of musical Justice League: five of the world’s most creative accordionists, teaming up to make inspiring music together. Just like the comic books, but without the costumes, and with a much better soundtrack.

Recognized individually as masters of classical, jazz, folk and avant-garde music, the Accordion Tribe consists of Guy Klucevsek (USA), Maria Kalaniemi (Finland), Bratko Bibic (Slovenia), Lars Hollmer (Sweden), and Otto Lechner (Austria). Formed in 1996 for a brief concert tour, the Tribe has since released three albums, toured Europe extensively, and were the subject of a documentary film called Accordion Tribe — Music Travels. Few musical “supergroups” truly mesh, but after one listen it’s clear that the Tribe members have incredible chemistry.

Their latest album, Lunghorn Twist, was released in April, and features more of the eclectic and distinctive work that has become the Tribe’s hallmark. They’ve just started a European tour (including dates in Switzerland, Germany, France, and Spain) that runs through November. Listen below to “Heimo”, one of my favorite songs from Lunghorn Twist. Written by Maria Kalaniemi, it’s a dynamic tune that opens quietly and builds to some dramatic unison playing and lively soloing. Just an amazing, all-accordion track.

Accordion Tribe: Heimo (MP3 download)