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 wondered how Britney Spears’ “Toxic” or Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” would sound if they were played on solo accordion? Well, thanks to accordionist Martin White, you no longer have to wonder. Martin’s made a name for himself playing whimsical covers of popular songs on accordion, and has appeared in a number of segments for The Culture Show on BBC 2. Here’s an unaired clip of Martin doing Alice Cooper’s “Poison”:

Lest you think Martin’s just a novelty act, check out his website and his albums of original music (usually instrumental, but there are a couple Edgar Allen Poe poems put to music as well). This tune from his Mystery Fax Machine Girl album shows there’s a definitely a serious musician in there… somewhere.

Cologne (MP3 download)

Tucson band Calexico has built up a loyal following over the years, based on a unique, expansive sound that runs the gamut from mariachi to bluegrass to jazz and a few stops in-between. Their latest album, Garden Ruin, though, is a big departure from that sound, and sounds heavily influenced by their recent work with Sam Beam (Iron & Wine). Tired of being pigeonholed, Calexico singer/guitarist/accordionist Joey Burns talked to the SF Chronicle about the evolution of the “Calexico sound,” and how the nuances and subtleties of that sound have been lost on some people over the years:

“Here in the States we’ve been written off in reviews as white guys playing mariachi music… people don’t hear the Portuguese fado influence, or the Gypsy influence, or how the use of the accordion relates to Eastern Europe.”

If you’re in the Bay Area, you can catch up with Calexico tonight and tomorrow at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Otherwise, check out a minute-long snippet of “Praskovia”, a track from Calexico’s 2004 EP Convict Pool that prominently features Burns’ accordion:

Praskovia (MP3 sample)

After Lordi’s Eurovision 2006 victory, I’ve jumped head-first into the Finnish metal scene. I’ve grown my hair long, invited friends over for animal sacrifices… you know, the usual stuff. During my conversion, I stumbled across Korpiklaani, another Finnish metal band, but with fewer theatrics and more folk flavor than Lordi. Korpiklaani mixes a healthy dose of accordion and fiddle in their head banging music, as evidenced in this video for “Hunting Song” (from their “Voice of Wilderness” album).

I’d love to find more hard rock/metal bands that incorporate the accordion — leave a comment if you have any good ones to share.

This brief Pitch.com interview with Matt Hensley, the accordion player for punk/Irish band Flogging Molly, is worth reading just for his story of nearly being shot for playing the accordion:

“I was in an English pub, and this band that was playing saw that I had an accordion with me and wanted to see what it sounded like. So we went out to the parking lot after the pub was closed, and I was a little intoxicated, but I started playing some music. Well, this guy comes out of I don’t know where, in his underpants, and he’s tapping my accordion… and he’s half-naked, telling me to shut it. So I tell him to stick it… [and] he turned around and he had a 9 mm in his hand. I thought he was poking me with his finger, but I couldn’t see because the accordion is like being pregnant. It sticks way out over me, and I couldn’t see it, but he was pointing a gun at me. Had I known, I would have shut up and told him, ‘Yes, sir.'”

Just something to keep in mind next time someone pokes you in your “bellows blind spot.”

Henri Ducharme is offering some of his accordion arrangements of punk/alternative rock songs for download. These are the same arrangements Henri used while teaching his workshops at Smythe’s Accordion Center in Oakland, CA. We went to one last year and learned a Dead Kennedys tune. (Few things sound more beautiful than a roomful of accordionists belting out “California Uber Alles”.)

Arrangements include songs by The Ramones, The Clash, and They Might Be Giants. Each piece costs $5 and includes both beginner and intermediate arrangements. Check out the site for sample clips of his arrangements for “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.”