The annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival just wrapped up in Austin and there were plenty of performances by talented, independent bands featuring accordions. Here are a few bands to check out (with MP3 samples):
- Madagascar
This Baltimore band incorporates the accordion, ukulele, and musical saw into hauntingly beautiful, mostly instrumental tunes. Their first album, “Forced March”, was released this last June.
All That Spring You Could See Halley’s Comet - Very Be Careful
VBC brings rollicking, make-you-dance Colombian vallenato rhythms to the masses, via Los Angeles. If you like cumbia, you’ll like these guys.
El Camionero - The Theater Fire
They tell stories about “drifters, hangmen, brothers, and lovers grappling with their own honor, trust, guilt and loss,” over music that combines country with mariachi, folk, and blues influences.
Swimming - Noahlewis’ Mahlon Taits
A unique, jazzy instrumental group from Tokyo, featuring some great musical saw playing. (The musical saw must be making a comeback… or maybe it never left.) Very mellow and ethereal.
Street of Dreams
2 Comments:
You said: “The musical saw must be making a comeback?”
Indeed! Great musical saw tunes on http://www.MySpace.com/SawLady
by Misha on March 23rd, 2006
Wow! That’s some great musical saw! We went to a musical saw festival (in Felton, CA) a couple years ago and had a blast. There’s nothing more haunting than hearing thirty saws play “Over the Rainbow” together.
by Chris on March 23rd, 2006