It’s June 1st and that can only mean one thing… it’s the start of Accordion Awareness Month! Established in 1989 by our pal Tom Torriglia — formerly of Those Darn Accordions, now with retro-Italiano band Bella Ciao — Accordion Awareness Month was created to spread the word about the accordion’s resurgence in popularity and to educate people about the accordion’s true musical potential. Basically, the same mission we’ve adopted at Let’s Polka, except we do it year-round!
This year, we want you — our humble, accordion-loving readers — to help promote the virtues of our favorite instrument. Sit on your porch and play some tunes for your neighbors, attend a show on our accordion event calendar, fill up your coworker’s iPod with Flaco Jimenez songs when he isn’t looking, tell all your friends about Let’s Polka… the possibilities are limitless. Me, I’m going to sit on my balcony every night, directly above a pizzeria, and serenade patrons.
To encourage you, we’re giving away over $100 worth of accordion-related goodies to readers who pledge to promote the accordion this month. To make your pledge, write a comment on this post and tell us how you plan to celebrate Accordion Awareness Month — doesn’t matter if it’s something small (making a YouTube video) or big (writing an accordion concerto). One lucky, randomly-chosen pledger will receive a prize package stuffed with accordion CDs, books, and more. Contents include:
- Geoff Berner’s indispensible how-to book, How to Be An Accordion Player
- Bob Bove’s biography, Accordion Man: The Legendary Dick Contino
- New CDs from Los Texmaniacs, Copper Box, Cirkestra, The Polka Floyd Show, and more
- A selection of vintage (1950s) accordion sheet music
- A few classic accordion and polka LPs (vinyl, baby!) from our collection
- And a bunch of Let’s Polka stickers for your accordion case
You have until the end of Accordion Awareness Month to make your pledge, so get out there and become an accordion awareness ambassador!
20 Comments:
I’m in! I’m going to jam with my non-accordion playing friends and show them just how awesome accordions are. Woo-hoo!
by Annie on June 1st, 2009
I pledge to tell all my friends about Accordion Awareness Month and practice my accordion every day!
by anna on June 1st, 2009
I pledge to continue bringing the accordion to all sorts of places you’d never expect to see it, such as the roller derby!
by Joey deVilla on June 1st, 2009
I pledge to raise awareness on Twitter with the hashtag #accordionawareness, and to take my accordion to an open mic to expose all the guitar players to a superior instrument.
by Stephan Spiegel on June 1st, 2009
I pledge to practice hard so I can play a few songs for my friends to dance to. And then Twitter about it.
by Dave on June 1st, 2009
My pledge will go above & beyond just this month. I’m in the process of getting a tattoo of a pit bull playing the accordion.
by Jane on June 1st, 2009
I added my short accordion film to facebook.
by Catherine O'Brien on June 1st, 2009
I will add a new activity in relation to the Accordion Awareness Month……
I work at the Schrafft’s Center Office Park in Charlestown, Ma. It is on the Charles River and has a Pier with Gazebo for walkers and people who just want to “veg-out” during lunchtime. Many come and go throughout the 11:30-1:30 lunch periods. I promise to bring my accordion out and sit on the pier, next to the Gazebo and play for at least one hour for all passerbys to enjoy. I attempted this the very first time two Fridays ago and proved to be a big success.
I will also continue my playing at assisted living facilities for the whole month.
by Bob Guenther on June 1st, 2009
I’m going to solidify my plans for the Las Vegas Accordion Convention, practice for the Granquist Memorial Music Competition that is held during the Geneva Swedish Days Festival, and continue seeking out and sharing excellent accordion music.
by Chris on June 1st, 2009
Hey Chris :)
I will continue to do what I have done since I picked up my 1st accordion 2+ years back – practise practise practise, and work on learning songs people don’t think of accordion on.
Currently working on the Gourds’ version of ‘Gin and Juice’
SD
by John Lewis on June 2nd, 2009
Great pledges so far! (Jane, we’re definitely going to need to see a photo of that tattoo…) Keep spreading the word to your pro-accordion friends.
by Chris on June 2nd, 2009
To celebrate Accordion Awareness Month I made a post on my blog and even made a podcast of my favorite accordion tunes!
Thank you for turning me on to such good stuff.
by Mary on June 2nd, 2009
What is so rare as a day in June,
Than if ever come perfect days..
June is the perfect 30 days for accordion awareness month!
Practice, practice, practice . . . I’m on for that. Playing on the front porch for my neighbors is good, too. And I’ll be making the trip down to the city (NYC) for the mass appeal accordion gathering during Make Music New York on June 21!
by Elena on June 9th, 2009
The accordion tattoo is halfway done! I have the outline and just need the color, which won’t be done until July. I may have to continue my own Accordion Awareness Month into next month. Yay!
by Jane on June 12th, 2009
Last night at the used car lot as we were deciding on a selection, one of the items tipping a particular vehicle in favor was that the color “Tango Red” matches my accordion. So, that was that. Sold. Appropriately enough, for June.
by Lauralee Smith on June 12th, 2009
The tattoo is lookin’ good, Jane. Here’s an in-progress photo for folks who are curious; be sure to show us when it’s done.
And, Lauralee, my car matches my accordion, too. :-)
by Chris on June 14th, 2009
I’ll keep explaining to people on the MBTA that I’m not going on a long trip and it’s not a Harry Potter suitcase or Terry Pratchett Luggage. So far, people on the 66, 57, and 77 buses have been astonished to learn that there’s frequent live folk music of all kinds, going on all the time, and accessible by public transportation.
And maybe I’ll make it over to Charlestown during lunch to hear Bob Guenther!
by A. W. on June 19th, 2009
I will most DEFINITELY be including more accordion-based songs in the East End Cabaret weekly show. In fact just tonight we reworked that Right Said Fred classic, ‘I’m Too Sexy’, into a gloriously self-indulgent russian folk ballad. And if anyone cares to come along (we’re in London, UK) with an accordion, I pledge to attempt an accordion choir! email me! ACCORDIONS UNITE!
by Vicky on June 18th, 2010
I have performed the past several years at our town’s annual homecoming event, and was asked again to perform this month. I’m also being interviewed about my accordion and performing a couple of songs on our local TV station, WSIL TV3 Friday morning in recognition of Accordion Appreciation Month. I do not consider myself a skilled or professional player by any means, but I enjoy playing and it is very difficult to find anyone to play in this area. I’ve also performed on a couple of occasions for the kindergarten class at our local school, and often play in my back yard…it almost always brings the neighbors out for a visit. I’m always encouraging my 2 sons and grandsons to play, telling them, “The accordion is going to make a great comeback some day!!” : )
by Judi Shukites on June 8th, 2011
I’ve just picked up the Accordion for some unkown reason just this winter. I am a flutist by training (classical) and know the piano and for some reason this winter I got the idea to learn the accordion. I was lucky and found a really nice one for $300 from a local indivdual and am having the time of my life learning this happy instrument. No more Mozart, or Ibert, or Bach for a while. Just pokas (I’m learning Life in the Finnish woods right now) and other happy tunes. Maybe my Finnish heritage had something to do with it. My deseased dad loved the accordion and maybe his spirit willed me into it. I don’t have a clue, but it sure is fun.
by Suzanne Parker on June 4th, 2012