Think you’ve got what it takes to be the next accordion king or queen? If you’re a young (under 28), talented Texan accordion player — or know someone who is — visit the Texas Folklife website to learn more about their upcoming Big Squeeze competition.

The top prize is $1,000 ($500 and $250 to 2nd and 3rd place winners) and famed Texas director Hector Galán will film the competition for a documentary. The top three finalists will also squeeze their stuff in front of thousands at the 18th annual Accordion Kings & Queens concert on June 2nd at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre. If you’re interested, hurry — entries are due by April 16th.

This week, the music industry is focused on Austin, TX, home of the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. With over a thousand acts performing at more than fifty venues over the course of five days, it’s a music lover’s dream.

Just like last year, we’ve sifted through this year’s schedule and found a few accordion-toting artists worth checking out:

• Beirut
  I can’t believe I haven’t written about Beirut here before! 20-year-old Zach Condon’s Balkan-inspired album Gulag Orkestar made him one of the indie rock darlings of 2006. After listening to him croon over enchanting accordion lines, it’s easy to see why.
  Beirut: Elephant Gun
• KTU (Pohjonen, Gunn, Mastelotto)
  Avant garde Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen’s mission is to “expand the capabilities, sound, performance, scope and experience of the accordion to levels never before seen or heard.” Joined by guitarist Trey Gunn and percussionist Pat Mastelotto, he’s well on his way.
  KTU (Pohjonen, Gunn, Mastelotto): Absinth
• Pistolera
  Based in New York City, Pistolera fuses traditional Mexican music with electric rock rhythms. The band features vocalist and guitarist Sandra Lilia Velásquez along with the driving accordion melodies of Maria Elena.
  Pistolera: Cazador
• Asakusa Jinta
  This “hardcore marching brass band” from Asakusa (Tokyo’s old downtown), Japan, plays modern, rollicking rockabilly, armed with accordion, saxophones, trombones, tuba, and stand-up bass. They sound like they’d be one hell of a live band; luckily, they’ll be in San Francisco next week!
  Asakusa Jinta: Tokyo East End Rockers
• The Cassettes
  Cajun accordion, theremin, dobro, and tabla all find their way into the music of this Washington DC “rock n’ roll vaudeville western band.” Like so many bands at SXSW, their sound isn’t easily summed up in a sentence; just listen to the MP3:
  The Cassettes: Lady Faire

Seminal Irish punk band The Pogues are currently on a mini-tour of the East Coast, having just finished a series of shows in Boston. Unfortunately, an injury suffered by lead singer Shane MacGowan during Sunday’s show forced them to cancel tonight’s Roseland Ballroom show at the last minute. Given the fact that Shane has played gigs from a wheelchair, though, gives one hope that they’ll still make the tour’s final show: St. Patrick’s Day (Saturday) in New York City. (Update: Despite Shane being under “constant medical supervision and analgesic control,” he and the band will continue on with the tour.)

To get you ready for your own St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, here’s some excellent live Pogues footage from 1985 — nearly 20 minutes worth. (From the “Golden Age of YouTube”, before the 10-minute limit on videos.)

What’s on the accordion calendar this week?

• KEDA Conjunto Fest (Saturday-Sunday in San Antonio, TX)
  Family-run KEDA Radio Jalapeño (1540 AM) in San Antonio celebrates 41 years on the air with a two-day conjunto blowout in Mission County Park.
• Vancouver Squeezebox Circle (Tuesday in Vancouver, BC)
  The Accordion Noir gang launches a monthly gathering for accordion (and concertina, bandoneon, etc.) players in the Vancouver area.
• Tribute to Adam Hebert (Saturday in Lafayette, LA)
  Famed Cajun songwriter and fiddler Adam Hebert will be honored with an afternoon of Cajun musician featuring the Pine Leaf Boys, Lafayette Rhythm Devils, and more.

A note to our friends north of the border: our calendar (finally) supports Canadian events! So whether it’s a polka dance in Medicine Hat or a musette revival in Montreal, let us know what’s going on in your area.

And don’t forget, Monday is the last day to enter our birthday contest. Post a comment to receive free Let’s Polka stickers and maybe even an accordion book or polka DVD. Everyone’s a winner!

What’s happening this week in accordion land?

• Smythe’s 9th Anniversary Accordion Party (Saturday in Oakland, CA)
  Smythe’s Accordion Center, one of the Bay Area’s finest accordion shops, celebrates its 9th anniversary in style. Performers include The Lemon Lime Lights, Vermillion Lies, and Charity Chan.
• AAMS Festival (Friday-Sunday in Valley Forge, PA)
  The American Accordion Musicological Society (say that three times fast) is having its 20th annual Festival and Symposium with a full lineup of concerts and workshops, including performances by Tony Lovello, Vitaliy Pirog, and Lidia Kaminska.
• Sturrfest 2007 (Friday in West Palm Beach, FL)
  16-time Grammy winner Jimmy Sturr brings his polka party to West Palm Beach for a show that includes Boots Randolph, Michael Rose and The Calhoun Twins.

As usual, this is a just a small sample of the accordion events listed on our calendar this week. If you have an accordion event to promote, let us know!

Lots of accordion happenings on the calendar this week — especially if you’re a fan of Cajun/zydeco music:

• Mardi Gras (Tuesday in various locations)
  Tomorrow is Mardi Gras (aka “Fat Tuesday”) and the zydeco bands are out in full force across the country. Buckwheat Zydeco, Rosie Ledet, and CJ Chenier are just a few of the folks playing tomorrow. Check our Cajun/zydeco events page for more.
• Beale Street Zydeco Festival (Saturday/Sunday in Memphis, TN)
  Didn’t get enough zydeco on Tuesday? This weekend, Beale Street turns into Bourbon Street as zydeco heavyweights like Keith Frank, Terrance Simien, and Roy Carrier invade Memphis.
• Withrow Winter Wonderland Polka Dance (Sunday in Hugo, MN)
  It’s never too cold to polka! This once-in-a-lifetime event features Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones and the long-awaited reunion of the Dobosenski Brothers and the Cavaliers. The Dobosenski Brothers and the Cavaliers were one of the hot Minnesota polka bands of the 70s and 80s and haven’t played together in 25 years!

I’ve also added some often-requested features to the calendar itself. You can now search for events in your area — just type in your city and state and we’ll show you what we have listed. Also, when you’re looking at an event listing, we’ll show you other upcoming events in the same area. Check it out.

Of course, if you don’t find any events in your area or, worse, you know about an event but don’t see it on our calendar… tell us about it!

“We don’t need no education… we don’t need no thought control…” But what we do need are more bands like Polka Floyd, which plays — you guessed it — polka-style covers of Pink Floyd songs. There’s a rough clip of “Another Brick in the Wall” up on their MySpace page and it’s actually not half-bad. Polka fans might recognize two of the band’s members (accordionist Eric Hite and drummer Frank Dramczyk) from Eddie Biegaj’s Crusade.

If you’re in the Toledo area and have always wanted to hear Dark Side of the Moon with a 2/4 beat, you can catch Polka Floyd tonight at Mickey Finn’s Pub.

What’s happening in the accordion world this week?

• Main Squeeze Accordion Orchestra (Wednesday in New York, NY)
  What could be more romantic than spending Valentine’s Day with New York City’s only all-female, all-accordion orchestra? (Note: we cannot be held responsible if you’re swept off your feet by a winsome lass toting a Hohner.)
• Mardi Gras Ball (Saturday in Cranston, RI)
  Mardi Gras isn’t until next Tuesday, but why wait to start partying? This 15th Annual Cajun & Zydeco Mardi Gras Ball (located just outside Providence) features Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, and the Creole Cowboys.
• 21 Accordion Salute to Merv Conn (Sunday in Silver Springs, MD)
  Watch the Washington-area premiere of The Legend of Merv Conn, a documentary tribute to this local accordionist’s life and work. Then stay and participate in the 21-accordion salute honoring his 87th birthday. Save room for birthday cake! (Update: The Washington Post has an article on Merv’s big day.)

Check our calendar for more accordion happenings in your neighborhood. And, as always, let us know if we’re missing any events in your area.

Our accordion events calendar has only been live for a week and there are already more than 100 events listed. Here’s what’s happening this week:

• Mexico in Seattle (Saturday in Seattle, WA)
  Celebrate Mexican-American culture with performances by Son de Madera, Los Texmaniacs and Eva Ybarra.
• Merita Halili & The Raif Hyseni Orchestra (Friday in Lawrence, KS)
  Albanian folk queen Merita Halili is joined by her husband, Raif Hyseni, a noted composer and accordionists known for his “speed demon accordion.”
• Joe Vento Tribute Concert (Saturday in Sugar Land, TX)
  Dan and Kim Christian, Mario Pedone, and Sammy Thomas will perform at this tribute to accordionist Joe Vento, who played in The Three Suns and has numerous Hollywood credits to his name.

And there’s much more… including Julieta Venegas in Southern California, the Fishtank Ensemble in Arizona, and a conjunto/tejano accordion jam Saturday in San Jose. Check the calendar for more accordion happenings in your neighborhood.