Registration for Lark Camp has begun! This is the 28th year of the world music and dance camp that takes place in the Mendocino Woodlands in Northern California, August 1-9 2008. You can register for full camp (all 8 days) or half camp (4 days) either online or by mail.

Along with an extensive list of dance and vocal instructors, there is an instructor in practically every acoustic instrument and world music style that you can imagine. Accordion instructors include Javier Blanco (Galician Accordion), Claudette Boudreaux (Cajun & Creole Button Accordion, Cajun French Songs), Alan Keith (Button Accordion), Louis Leger (French Canadian Songs, Quebecois Button Accordion), Keith Livingstone (Piano Accordion), and Vickie Yancy (French Music & Button Accordion). There are also a variety of jam circles (Cajun/Zydeco, English country dance music, Old time music) to join in!

Check their website for more information about prices, registration and to hear some great sound bytes of the instructors’ music.

What’s on the accordion calendar this week?

• Golem (Various dates on West Coast)
  With lyrics in Yiddish, Ladino, or Slavic, Golem is just your typical Eastern European folk-punk band from New York. This week, they’ll make a quick West Coast swing through San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver.
• Isle of Klezbos (Tuesday in New York, NY)
  In addition to having a fantastic name, this six-piece all-female ensemble plays unique renditions of Eastern-European Jewish folk music, Yiddish swing and tango, as well as their own eclectic originals.
• Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra (Sunday in Elizabeth, NY)
  Calling itself the “Polka Dance Capital of the East”, the Bayway Polish Club has provided Polish and American music and entertainment for more than 60 years. This week’s dance features Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra for a pre-Thanksgiving “Turkey Hop.”

And that’s just the beginning… the aforementioned Polka Freak Out visits Brooklyn, accordion/clarinet duo Acclarion wraps up a tour in Montana, Tony Lovello plays in Peoria, and 3 Leg Torso passes through Oregon. There’s plenty more where that came from on the calendar.

If you have an accordion event to add to our calendar, just let us know!

It’s a busy week on the accordion calendar; some highlights:

• NE Accordion Festival (Fri-Sun in Minneapolis, MN)
  Minnesota’s finest celebration of the accordion family includes concerts, a jazz symposium, workshops, jams, dances, and even a Midwestern potluck.
• Florida Accordion Association Smash (Fri-Sun in Orlando, FL)
  The Florida Accordion Association’s 7th annual Smash includes performances by Lidia Kaminska, Tony Lovello, and Mary Tokarski. There will also be a “Beer Barrel Polkathon” on Saturday.
• Stas Venglevski (Saturday in Sheboygan, WI)
  Bayan virtuoso Stas Venglevski performs with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra in a program that includes works by Grieg, Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Brahms.

Have an accordion event to share? Let us know!

After spending the weekend adding a bunch of new events, it’s time to check what’s happening on our accordion calendar this week:

• Blackpot Festival and Cookoff (Fri-Sat in Lafayette, LA)
  A blackpot cookoff, an accordion contest, and nonstop Cajun/Zydeco music highlight this Acadiana festival. Lots of hot young bands on tap, including Pine Leaf Boys, Red Stick Ramblers, Lafayette Rhythm Devils, and more.
• Wurstfest (Fri-next Sun in New Braunfels, TX)
  What could be better than a ten-day salute to sausage? This tribute to German culture (Texas style) features numerous German bands, as well as performances by Jimmy Sturr and Brave Combo.
• Fall Polka Festival (Fri-Sun in Champion, PA)
  The Seven Springs Resort hosts eleven top polka bands in a weekend festival. Performers include Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones, Polka Family, Phocus, and more.

Have an accordion event to share? Let us know and we’ll add it to the calendar.

Among the events on this week’s accordion calendar, there’s one that stands out: the 2007 International Accordion Festival in San Antonio, TX. Held just a few blocks from the Alamo, this fantastic festival boasts two full days of concerts, workshops (led by many of the performers), open mike sessions, and once-in-a-lifetime accordion jams. It kicks off on Friday night with a concert featuring Santiago Jiménez Jr., Chango Spasiuk, and Brandan (an ensemble from the Canary Islands).

One of the great things about this festival is the wide variety of genres it encompasses. Styles represented this year range from Irish (Johnny B. Connolly) to Creole (Ed Poullard and Lawrence Ardoin) to Quebecois (Yves Lambert) to Bulgarian (Yuri Yunakov) to rock (Those Darn Accordions) and everything in-between. There are some interesting workshops on tap, as well, including “Cowboys and Accordions”, “Native American Accordions”, and “Accordions, Rocked Up.”

Best of all, admission is free! I know some of our readers will be attending this year’s festival; we’re looking forward to hearing your reports. Take lots of photos (and videos) too!

What’s on the accordion calendar this week?

• Eldorado Great Italian Festival (Sat-Sun in Reno, NV)
  A spaghetti sauce cook off? A bocce ball tournament? Sign me up! This year’s Eldorado Great Italian Festival includes performances by accordion legend Dick Contino, Those Darn Accordions, Bella Ciao, and many more.
• Vagabond Opera and Fishtank Ensemble (Friday in Santa Monica, CA)
  The touring schedules of two great, eclectic bands collide at McCabe’s Guitar Shop as Portland’s Vagabond Opera and Oakland’s Fishtank Ensemble share the bill.
• Geoff Berner (Various dates in Eastern Canada)
  The “Whiskey Rabbi” rides again — this time across Canada with singer Carolyn Mark. Definitely the first time we’ve had shows in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward’s Island on our calendar.

Is there a polka dance, zydeco festival, or other squeezebox gathering in your area? Don’t be shy — let us know!

Time to check this week’s accordion calendar:

• Copper Box (Monday in Milwaukee, WI)
  Who says accordion club meetings can’t rock? There’s a special treat at this month’s Milwaukee Accordion Club meeting: a performance by Oshkosh’s own, Copper Box.
• Creole Belles with Andrew Carriere (Tuesday in Berkeley, CA)
  A tip for Bay Area Zydeco fans: every Tuesday night, Ashkenaz in Berkeley hosts a Cajun/Zydeco dance with a live band and dance lessons. This week, it’s the Creole Belles with accordion great Andrew Carriere.
• Accordion Extravaganza Festival (Fri-Sun in Edmonton, AB)
  Alberta’s largest accordion festival features two days of concerts, competitions, workshops and — my favorite — a pancake breakfast. Performers include Sammy Thomas, Austin Kawa, and the Cimarrons.

Know of an upcoming accordion event in your area? Tell us about it!

What’s on the accordion calendar this week?

• Chango Spasiuk: The Art of the Chamamé (Sunday in Los Angeles, CA)
  Argentinian accordion virtuoso Chango Spasiuk performs at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles. Spasiuk is renowned for pushing chamamé, a rural dance music of northern Argentina, in new directions.
• Cajun Zydeco Festival (Saturday in Fremont, CA)
  Just across the bay from us, it’s the 11th annual Cajun/Zydeco festival at Ardenwood Historic Farm. This year’s lineup includes Tee Fee Swamp Boogie, Motordude Zydeco, Corey Ledet, Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, and Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie.
• Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble (Sunday in New York, NY)
  Son of accordionist Jude Taylor and long time drummer with Geno Delafose, Curley Taylor now plays accordion and leads his own band, Zydeco Trouble. This show is part of the excellent Let’s Zydeco concert series (no relation to Let’s Polka) held at Connolly’s on 45th.

Have an event to add to our calendar? Just let us know!

Highlights from this week’s accordion calendar:

• Northeast Squeeze-In (Fri-Sun in Washington, MA)
  A free-reed getaway in the heart of the Berkshires, sponsored by the good folks at The Button Box in Sunderland, MA. There’ll be workshops, “spontaneous squeezings,” and plenty of opportunities for hobnobbing with fellow squeezebox enthusiasts.
• Accordion Cocktail Concert (Sun in Miami, FL)
  Cuban-American accordionist Maricarmen Vazquez has organized this afternoon of accordion music from around the world. Performers include Antonio Barberena, Tony Lovello, Mario Pedone, and more.
• Polkamotion Polka Festival (Thu-Sun in Rehoboth Beach, DE)
  Formerly known as Polkamotion By The Ocean, the Rehoboth Beach Polkamotion Polka Festival features four days of nonstop polka music and dancing. Bands include Polka Family, Charm City Sound, Polka Country Musicians, and more.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s the Corn Palace Polka Festival in South Dakota, Brendan Begley at NYU, Walter Ostanek and Fritz’s Polka Band together in upstate New York, and a whole lot more.

If you have an accordion event to add to our calendar, just let us know!