TDA's Wall of Wheeze

Accordions On The Rise

2010-04-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

What's the range of a guitar? Twenty yards if you've got a good arm!

You may hear jokes along those lines soon , if an article by Seattle University Spectator is right. Accordion playing Seattleites discuss the rise of the accordion & the decline of guitars that overtook music in the 60's through 80's.

Have you noticed a rise in accordions in today's popular music? Team TDA has noticed the familiar sound in lots of T0p 40 bands - The Decemberists recently, Britney Spears years ago, & The Beatles decades ago. Who have you heard bellowing?

Image of Gogol Bordello courtesty of Flickr/Gregor_y

Spoof Trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

2010-03-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" from Aaron Paul

What made "Weird Al" weird? Modern Accordionist and Accordion Player magazines, according to the spoof trailer for biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

It's all a joke, but I wish some savvy studio would take the idea and run.

How To Wear Your Underwear

2010-03-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

In these days and times, we've got to make every penny count and stretch our dollars as far as we can. Right? Here's a tune from the upcoming Kid's CD, "The Cul de Sac Kids", that provides instruction on how to get maximum undie "wear".
Listen carefully, there will be a quiz tomorrow!

Bratwurst: Cook 'Em Right!

2010-02-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

An excellent article by Bob Currer on how to properly cook a brat. It also gives mention to TDA's "First Bratwurst Of Summer". I'm looking out at the grill and thinking it might be time to attempt a mid-winter fire-up.

Pecking out a Tune with Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

2010-02-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

As part of a show later this month at The Curve Gallery in London, artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has combined zebra finches with a Les Paul guitar; video embedded above. See more photos of this work & other dadaist pieces here.

Happy Birthday, Ray Stevens!

2010-01-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Ray Stevens, writer of great songs like 1974 nudist novelty smash "The Streak" (video above), turns 71 Sunday.

Stevens' other wacky hits over the years have included "Ahab the Arab," "Shriner's Convention" and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills."

Prince Reveals His "Fight Song" For The Vikings

2010-01-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Prince's fight song for the Vikings might work if they played badminton, but it's WAY too wimpy for football. Then again, if they play this in New Orleans, the Saints might be laughing too hard to play. Brilliant!

Those Darn Accordions At The New Freight & Salvage

2009-12-28T13:37:00.001-08:00

It's not too soon to mark your new Accordion Babes calendars for the first Big TDA show of the year. It's right around the corner in Berkeley, CA at the New Freight and Salvage on Jan 15. Show time is 8 pm. tickets are $18.50 Advance and 19.50 at the door.
What, you don't have you Accordion Babes calendar yet? Holy bellows, Batman. Better get one now! Be sure to wear your new Flying Accordion Bot shirt and get a free CD!. What, you don't have your new Bot shirt yet? Holy Robots, Batman, better get one Right Now!

Those Darn Accordions At The Freight And Salvage

2009-12-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

You can have a listen to all the cool bands lined up to play the beautiful new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA. Of course, we are on the list. We will be there Jan 15 at 8pm! It's #20 of our 20 City tour.

Sketchy Santas

2009-12-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Robo-Hamsters Are Hot Toys This Year

2009-11-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

Robotic hamsters called Zhu Zhu Pets are selling like mad this holiday season. The toys come in several versions, including Mr. Squiggles (pictured), Num Nums, Pipsqueek and Chunk. They are currently going for $50 and up on Amazon.com.

From Amazon's product description: "Each Zhu Zhu Hamter has its own unique personality & whimsical sounds. Loving Mode: Pet them, love them, hear them chatter Explore Mode: Let them scoot, scamper, across the floor. Provide them with their Hamster Habitat."

The Associated Press calls the toys, which originally sold for $10, "an unlikely hit." (That's what everybody said about "Hamsterman.")

(Thanks for the tip, Bill from Milwaukee, who says: "Perfect gift for Hamsterman this x-mas!")

Jabara Rokushimai, aka The Six Bellows Sisters

2009-11-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Jabara Rokushimai, aka The Six Bellows Sisters, is a six-piece all-female accordion band from Japan.

(Thanks for the tip, Bill!)

Hamsterman Video by Those Darn Accordions

2009-11-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

I was messing around at Animoto.com. You can upload a bunch of photos or videos and then your song. It does the rest! Check out the video it created for TDA's "Hamsterman".

Free MP3s From Those Darn Accordions

2009-11-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

Sign up for the Those Darn Accordions newsletter and receive a link for a free MP3 download every Friday. You'll also get the story behind each song. The first free download is The Perry Mason TV Theme. Enjoy!

The Christmas Jug Band is On The Holiday Highway

2009-11-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Those Darn Accordions takes December off each year while I join the Christmas Jug Band for a month of shows. This year we have a new CD out, "On The Holiday Highway". We are returning to the great Northwest as well as Northern CA for a bunch of jugaliciuos shows. If you need a little jump start to get your holiday spirit in gear, this is the place to be!

Oh No! Santa Lost a Ho...Again!

2009-11-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Look what they done to my song, Ma! Or should I say,Big Mama! It's just about that time again. Can't get enough of this video of "Santa Lost A Ho" as performed by the Fruitcake Follies. Of course, the original by the Christmas Jug Band is pretty good too! (If I don't say so myself).

40 Years of Sesame Street

2009-11-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

As TDA celebrates 20 years, a staple of childhood is celebrating double that. Sesame Street first aired in 1969 as a pilot with a less muppety format. As Muppet Wiki explains,
Before Sesame Street began regular production, five test pilots were produced and shown to children. In these pilots, Ernie and Bert were the only Muppets present, and they didn't interact on the Street with the humans. Segments from these pilots include a sketch in which Ernie talks about what parts of the body he has two of, Batman appearing on Ernie and Bert's TV set, telling them to take turns watching TV, and the original version of the song "Rubber Duckie".

Since Sesame Street has been such a staple in so many people's developing years, it's no surprise that there's been so many homages. There's the creepy spin on Snuffy and the touching theme song cover that wraps up a hit television show episode. Sesame Street itself has released some items that rival any homage; Team TDA's favorites being the 1979 disco track "Me Lost Me Cookie," and the eventually banned track "I Want A Monster."

As we toast a glass of milk to Jim Henson, we ask what's your favorite Sesame Street moment?

Photo: Flickr/MarkJSebastian

Those Darn Accordions Wind It Up In SF

2009-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

If you've been looking for a reason to fly to San Francisco, we've got one for you! Those Darn Accordions wind up the 2009 tour at the Cafe du Nord in SF on Nov 5.
TDA has spawned several other bands and a few of them will be joining us in a TDA Reunion Accordion Blowout. First up is original TDA'er Tom Torigglia's "Bella Ciao" followed by TDA founder Big Lou and her "Casserole". Then present day TDA takes the stage for a set, before we all join together for a re-creation of some old TDA favorites. We are also planning a special tribute to our dearly missed Clyde Forsman.
So c'mon, hit the skies or the road and head for SF. It's going to be a blast!

TDA at 142 Throckmorton

2009-10-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a few photos for you to enjoy, fresh from the balcony at tonight's TDA concert at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre.

We're wrapping up our 20 City Tour & would love to see photos you've taken so far - add a link in the comments below to your favorite TDA pix.
If you haven't made it to a show this tour, there's still time!

Jim Rothermel guesting on Sax & Clarinet!

Discovery in Loch Ness - Golf Balls

2009-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

When a U.S. research team was looking for proof of the loch ness monster, they made a discovery. Unfortunately the discovery was of thousands of golf balls. Originally, researcher Mike O'Brien thought "...they were mushrooms, there were so many. But when we lowered the camera, we were surprised to see that they were in fact golf balls."

CNN has more details & a murky video here.

Have you discovered TDA's song about the Loch Ness Monster fraud? Check out "Deathbed Confession" here.

Photo (of just an old anchor) courtesy: Flickr/Pudekamp

Young Accordionist Shreds Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"

2009-10-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ukranian kid Aleksandr Hrustevich is making the inbox rounds with his playing of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." A typically violin based piece, Hrustevich tears it up on a bayan accordion.

You can see more of his mastery at on his YouTube page here.

Oktoberfest Etiquette Tips

2009-09-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Tips for surviving the beerfest nearest you: Get beer wise with the Oktoberfest etiquette primer from Wired.com.

This will come in handy, I'm sure, for everybody headed to the two remaining Oktoberfests we'll be playing this year: Oktoberfest at The Village at Mammoth in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 3; and Oktoberfest Northwest in Puyallup, Wash., on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10.

Photo by Flickr user a4gpa

Related how-to's:

Cook Beer Brats

Make Sauerkraut

Tap a Keg

Barbecued Oysters, Brats And Beer!

2009-09-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

MMMMMM! It must be time for the Seaside Oktoberfest. This has become one of our favorite Oktoberfests and we were quick to add it to our 20th Anniversary Tour. Not only is the food great and the beer better, but the folks at the Seaside Elks are wonderful. It also doesn't hurt that it's located in beautiful Seaside, OR. I got a call today telling me that the phone has been ringing like crazy and they expect to have a big crowd this year. Looks like it's time to party in Seaside! We are playing 3 sets, so this is a chance to get a full dose of TDA. The fun begins this Saturday, Sept 19 at 12 noon. See you there!

TDA's 20 City Tour Rolls Into Oregon

2009-09-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Coming up on the halfway mark of our epic 20 year/ 20 city tour. Oregon, you are next! We hope to see lots of folks at our 4 upcoming shows this week. Here's the schedule:

Thursday, Sept 17 Cozmic Pizza
Friday, Sept 18 Mississippi Pizza
Saturday, Sept 19 Seaside Oktoberfest, Seaside
Sunday Sept 20 Bend

See all you Oregonians soon!

The Hamster Ball Derby is On!

2009-09-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Maybe we should sponsor one of these Hamster Ball Derbys before every show.