Nice Accordion
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This Year’s LoveI came across this photo — probably from the late 1950s/early 1960s — and couldn’t help but wonder if this boy kept playing into adulthood, or if he was forced to take lessons, quit a short time later, and this is the only known photo of him smiling and holding the accordion at the same time. Either way, he’s got the right idea with the bow tie — regular ties always get caught in the bellows.

Gogol Bordello is a band known for chaotic live shows and music that blends Eastern European melody with punk bravado and cabaret flair. Founder and singer Eugene Hutz came to the US from the Ukraine with his family in the early 1990s and learned English in large part by listening to Johnny Cash records. Now living in New York City, Hutz has surrounded himself with an impressive band incorporating violin, saxophone, and, of course, accordion (from their excellent accordionist, Yuri Lemeshev).

Their latest album, Gypsy Punks: Underground World Strike, is polished, but still manages to capture some of the intensity of their live show. To appreciate Gogol Bordello, though, you really need to see them as well as hear them. Here’s a clip of the band performing two songs (“Not a Crime” and “60 Revolutions”) during their appearance on Later… with Jools Holland last month:

Eagle-eyed San Francisco Chronicle readers may have noticed a rather flattering writeup on us in today’s Tech Chronicles. (The piece is an extended version of a blog post that appeared on the Chronicle’s site on Friday.) Now you can learn more than you ever wanted about how Anna and I met, our accordion backgrounds, and the origins of Let’s Polka. Thanks to Chronicle writer Jessica Guynn for having the guts to promote accordions in the Technology section, and for calling Anna a “veritable Count Guido Deiro.”

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.

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.

Playing New Super Mario Bros. when you should be practicing your accordion? (Okay, maybe that’s only me.) What if you could somehow combine your love of video games with some squeezebox practice? That’s what this guy has done — check out his solo accordion rendition of the theme from Super Mario Bros.:

Not bad for someone who, according to his Youtube profile, only started playing a month ago. Check out his other videos, including his versions of the Zelda and Tetris themes.

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…