What appears in your mind when you think of rock and roll; thrashing guitars, thumping bass riffs, twenty minute drum solos… the accordion? Yes, that is right. I said the accordion, an instrument that does not get enough credit in this day and age. There is something magical about the sound that comes from this crazy squeeze box.
On Aug. 24 some chums and I went off to the 12 galaxies to see the Monsters of Accordions, five of North America’s most rocking, accordion players.
The show was opened with Geoff Berner’s traditional Jewish Klezmer music with a rock twist. Berner’s music had a dark comedic feel to it, and a rhythm that makes you want to stomp your feet and clap your hands. Berner song Whiskey Rabbi was one of the best songs in his set and with a lyric like “So I’ve got to stay alive and drunk and unemployed.” What is not to love?
Bay Area’s own Duckmandu was next on the bill (pun intended), who are not only known for his excellent classical play but for his punk and 70’s rock covers. He appeared on the stage wearing his trade mark Donald Duck hat and proceeded to rock the crowds’ socks off, not just with his standard covers, but also with instrumental pieces off of his album Shut the Duck Up and Play the Accordion. But what really lit a fire under the crowd’s butts was when flames started to shoot out of his hat, as he went into his cover of Highway to Hell.
Next up was Corn Mo out of New York City who basically got the crowd to rip off their hobo hats and head-bang along with the music. (I know, head banging to an accordion, right?) With a look that screams Meatloaf, a sound that screamed 70’s glam band and a voice that harkens back to that of Freddie Mercury, Corn Mo took the crowd on a journey to the land of awesome where we left our faces behind because they had been rocked off.
Then Bay Area local Mark Growden brought his the sexy and the raunchy to the stage. A highly skilled musician Growden rapped the crowd in an almost dreaming feeling with his darkly romantic musical stylings. He pulled out some kinkiness with his ruckus romp into sexual decency (but not in a bad way!) with his song Fuckboy.
Last but certainly not least, Jason Webley took the stage and hit the crowd with full force leading them into sing alongs, scream alongs and even a sneeze along. Webley is not only a wonderful musician but an excellent showman as well. From his cover of the song Hey Ya by Outkast to one of my personal favorites 11 Saints, I swear this man was made of glitter and moonshine.
The show closed with all five performers taking the stage (some of them drunker then others) to perform the ruckus drinking song: The Drinking Song. The crowd is asked to spin and spin until they fall utterly wasted and the crowd whole heartedly complies with this request. After massive amounts of spinning the song turns into a giant accordgasm. Everyone in the audience throws their arms around each other while swaying and singing along with the course “If the glass is full, drink up, drink up this may be the last time we see this cup. If God wanted us sober he’d knock the glass over so while it is full we drink up, drink up.”
This my friends and readers, would have to be one of the best shows I have been to in my 24 years on this planet. If you get a chance to see any of these guys live do it, you won’t regret it. And remember just because it’s an accordion doesn’t mean its nerdy…well okay maybe it does, but just because it’s nerdy doesn’t mean it’s not chocked full of awesome.
