If you’ve jumped on the podcast bandwagon and are looking for a good accordion show, check out Accordion Crimes Radio (not related to Annie Proulx’s book, Accordion Crimes). Hosted by Portland accordionist Mike Danner of Trashcan Joe, each episode features Mike sitting down with a different musician, chatting and recording a bunch of songs (with Mike on accordion). The music’s great and the attitude is laid-back — like a front porch jam session. You can listen and subscribe through Mike’s site or via iTunes.

It’s been a busy week for the folks who keep up with the accordion festival circuit. Yesterday, the American Accordionists Association’s 2006 Competition and Festival got underway in Buffalo, NY. There will be competitions (solos, duets, polka, and more), gala concerts each night, and, of course, a group trip to Niagara Falls. Not to mention the highly anticipated group performance of “Beer Barrel Polka.” (Really! Get the sheet music here.)

There was something on the festival’s schedule, though, that caught my eye. Which of these workshops doesn’t quite fit?

• Beginning Harmony for Overworked Part-time Accordionists
• Keeping Your Accordion Club Alive
• The Art of the Bellows Shake
• Estate Planning & Charitable Giving

They probably just want to make sure your accordion is taken care of — not stuffed in an attic or sold on eBay — after you’re gone.

Update: Here’s an article on the festival from Friday’s Buffalo News.

Right now, one of the largest accordion festivals in the world is in full swing up in beautiful British Columbia — the 32nd annual Kimberley International Old Time Accordion Championships (or KIOTAC, as it’s known). All this week, accordionists are squaring off in such categories as old time, diatonic, light classical, popular music, and jazz. In case you’re wondering what qualifies as “old time” accordion, here’s the rule book definition:

“For the purpose of these competitions, ‘old-time’ shall refer to the manner and style in which the selection was written or is being played, not to the selection’s age or ethnic origin. Old-time music is fittingly described as the style and tempo that has been predominantly and successfully used for dancing the polka, waltz and schottische throughout a broad cross-section of Western Canadian communities during the past century.”

But it’s not all cutthroat competition — there are also featured performances from Bernadette Conlon, Murl Allen Sanders, the Ulster Accordion Band, and more. And just to give you an idea of how big this festival is: last year, they broke the Guinness Record for the largest accordion ensemble, with 644 accordionists playing together. 644! (Kinda puts the old Accordion Invasion to shame.)

Judging from the handful of photos I’ve found, it looks like the 1st annual Main Squeeze Accordion Festival last Saturday was a success. And this post on the “missed connections” board at Craigslist NYC suggests that the enchanting squeezebox melodies may have helped sweep at least one attendee off his feet:

“You were the cute, short-haired brunette photographer taking pictures of the colorful characters dancing to the merengue group at the accordion festival on Saturday… I’m the redhead with whom you exchanged smiles. Maybe we were just reacting to the hilarious dancers, but I enjoyed your smile nonetheless and would love a chance to meet you when you’re not busy capturing Kodak moments.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely rooting for this crazy kid.

I’ve heard that Saturday morning is the most active time of the week on eBay, so it’s the perfect time for another roundup of unique, accordion-related items. This time around, we’re focusing on printed materials we’ve uncovered:

• R. Crumb Accordion Trading Cards
  Artist/illustrator R. Crumb has always been a music lover, collecting thousands of records and even playing banjo in his own band. Over the years, he’s drawn portraits of numerous musicians, including his “Heroes of the Blues” and “Pioneers of Country Music” trading card sets. This set, though, is a collection of 36 cards depicting French accordion players (including Gus Viseur, Charley Bazin, and more) titled “Les As Du Musette.” Replace your son’s baseball cards with these and watch his appreciation for musette music grow… “I’ll trade you a Joss Baselli for your Jo Privat!”
• 1936 Hohner Piano Accordion Catalog
  Take a trip down memory lane with Hohner’s 1936 collection, including a top-of-the-line, custom-built accordion (“The Monarch of All Piano Accordions”) with 196 bass buttons and curved buttons for the low, low price of $1000 (or approximately $14,000 in today’s money).
• The Mastery of the Bellows Shake
  Written in 1952 by Bill Palmer (of Palmer-Hughes fame), this book promises to help you master “brilliant and exciting bellows shake.” It even comes “approved and recommended by the creator of the bellows shake, Pietro Frosini.” Shake that, Contino!

That’s all for now — happy bidding!

Those Darn Accordions is hitting the road this summer, bringing their unique brand of squeezebox-fueled rock to the masses (or, at least, the Midwest and West Coast). The tour kicks off tonight in Chicago and includes dates in such accordion hotspots as Cleveland, Milwaukee, Madison, and the Seaside (Oregon) Elks Club. And if seeing TDA alone isn’t enough to knock your socks off, tonight they’re sharing the bill with Chicago’s Polkaholics and tomorrow night in Oshkosh, they’re opening for David Lee Roth AND Starship. Here’s hoping that they’ve got covers of “Hot for Teacher” and “We Built this City” ready…

Ever wonder how Santa’s reindeer pass the time between Christmases? Apparently, they’re playing their accordions, or at least, that’s what this shirt from Ferdinand Home Store would have you believe. This design is also available as a “onesie” for babies, which is perfect if your child is too small to carry an accordion but still wants to wear one proudly on his/her chest.

Jo Basile (also known as Joss Baselli) was one of France’s most popular accordionists in the 1950s and 60s. Rising to fame as the principal accompanist to French chanteuse Patachou, Basile later put out his own records as well. Some were formulaic (Rome with Love, Rio with Love… I think you’re getting the picture), but others (like his album with Brazilian jazz legends Bossa Tres) show what a virtuoso he really was.

Accordeon 2000 was a departure for Basile — an album full of futuristic originals with bizarre titles like “Pas de Camembert sur la Lune” and “Galaxie Valse.” Recorded with an electronic Cavagnolo Majorvox accordion, the resulting sound is far more like an organ than accordion, and helps creates a groovy, spaced-out vibe. Picture yourself in a flying car while listening to this track from Accordeon 2000:

Missile a Domicile (MP3 download)

[Found via Whoops]