Our April Concert
Our April concert started with a Special apperance from David Rigby (who had only called in for a minute but who was given an accordion and encouraged to play), David played Loveliest Hight Of The Year, Snow Waltz, Whispering Hope, Spinning Wheel, The Good Old Summertime, Daisy, When Irish Eyes, My Bonny and Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down. Mike Turner then made his debut at the club with Carnival of Venice, Good Old Summer Time, Ja Da, Loveliest Night Of The Year and Scotland The Brave. Our next player was Colin Ensor who gave us Cruising Down The River, If I Had My Way, Sunshine Of Your Smile, Someday, Side By Side, That Lovely Weekend and We’ll Meet Again. Rebecca Parker was next on to the stage, Playing Moon River, Dancing Doll and Home On The Range. For my spot I played Cruising Down The River, Forever Blowing Bubbles, Old Bull And Bush, My Girls A Yorkshire Girl, A Gordon For Me, I Belong To Glasgow, Keep Right On, Sailors Hornpipe and Black Mask Waltz. It was now time for the break and a lot of chat, so much chat that I was reluctant to break it up by starting the second half. Sara Daly was our first player after the break with You Make Me Love You, Fathers Waltz, El Choclo and Wooden Heart. Ann Parker then played Tarantella, Santa Lucia and Bel Viso. Next to play was Bernard Belshaw played Blue Tango, Jealousy, Moonlight serenade, Face the music and dance, Blaze Away, Overhead The Moon Is Shining, Allo Allo, Thunderbirds, and Malaguena. Rebecca played Largo(the them from the Hovis advert) and Ode To Joy. to finish the night we had Colin Ensor playing Maggie, Mcnamarras Band, Isle Of Tralee, Fields Of Athenry and Sweetheart Of My Dreams.
David Batty
This Wednesday
This Wednesday we see the welcome return of George Syrett to the club and as you know; any George Syrett appearance is guaranteed to be a great fun night out. Please Remember to bring any friends or family to this entertaining night. The Doors open at 7.30 for an 8pm start. Make sure you get there early for two reasons, one is that you get a good seat, the other reason is that you get to chat to other people prior to the start of the club. If you see someone you haven’t met before then please say hello to them, they will probably be quite pleased that someone came over to speak to them. The social side of the club is something I know people enjoy. See you there. supporting players don’t forget your accordion. Lets show this Yorkshireman a good Lancashire welcome, see you there…
Four Men and A Dog Concert
The Irish traditional quintet Four Men & A Dog perform at The Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, Manchester M33 7ZF, on Sunday May 22nd, 7.45pm. The line up of Four Men & A Dog includes Donal Murphy – button accordion, Cathal Hayden – fiddle, Gino Lupari – bodhran/bones/vocals, Kevin Doherty – guitar/vocals, and Gerry O’Connor – banjo/fiddle. They play traditional tunes along with gentle ballads, American folksongs and acoustic rock n’ roll. For further info email: watersideartscentre@trafford.gov.uk
Accordions and The Royal Wedding
We hope you enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding on the 29th April and had a good party. We have seen many reports of accordions being played at street parties and for weddings. The town of Ampney Crucis near cirencester had a street party with live music from an accordionist, Tritlington had an Organist who turned her skills to playing the accordion. Another street party in Preston also had Ann Parker playing the Accordion at a street party. Emma and Kieron Lavers got married on the same day as William and kate they had an accordionist play while their guests arrived, Shona and George Caple got married in Hitchin they had Rosemary Wright and Harry Hussey playing at their wedding . I’m sure there have been many many more accordionist playing at street parties up and down the country. Lets hope it resurrected a bit of nostalgia and helps club visitor numbers.
Accordion Workshop Lincolnshire
A ‘Residential Accordion Workshop Weekend’ takes place from Friday June 3rd, 1pm, to Sunday June 5th, 7.30pm, at The Archway, Grantham, Lincolnshire. The tutor is David Oliver, one of Northern England’s foremost dance musicians and accordion tutors.The workshop takes up to 10 people, and the cost covers all food, tuition, refreshments and overnight accommodation. The course costs £250 for the weekend, everything is provided by way of meals and refreshments, so there’s no need to spend another penny on anything! Vegan and vegetarian diets are catered for. For further information email: jsart09@gmail.com
What Makes Accordion Sound
How Stuff’s Made Discovery Science Plus 1 (549) Thursday 19th May 2011 Time: 13:30 to 14:00 (30 minutes long)
How can a metal clip save a life? Why do you need a racecar driver to make a racecar seat? What goes in an accordion to make its sound?
Old Accordions Wanted
At the last club we heard Colin Ensor say he is looking for an old Accordion to restore, he has run out of scrap accordions. So if you have a scrap accordion and want to donate it to a good home, see Colin.
Giulietti Accordion For Sale
A famous accordion with genuine hand made reeds by the incomparable Snr. Giulietti. A beautiful accordion in all respects. Recently fully reconditioned in Castelfidardo Italy. This special accordion is Straight Tuned.
It has exceptional tone, power & quality. Special seasoned woods used in construction of this superb instrument. Spruce, Mahogany, Beech & Walnut. The reeds are the finest quality hand-made Binci double riveted hand finished reeds and this accordion was made by one of the the finest craftsmen in the Giulietti Factory. 120 basses with 41 piano keys. , 2 sets of reeds in double cassotto, “Brilliant Fast Keyboard Action”, 11 fingertip registers plus black wrist master coupler,, 6 bass chrome registers plus master coupler. The accordion has a unique large Giulietti Logo on the front, it is believed to have been made for the American Market. Contact Rob Beecroft of Birmingham Accordion Centre for information 07931 246450
Events In The Area
English National Brass Band Championships on 25th June at the guild hall in preston tickets are £15.00 for adults and £10.00 for children .
Saturday 21 May Jools Holland and his rhythm and blues orchestra Featuring Gilson Lavis and special guest star Sandie Shaw with guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall With support by Mark Flanagan Tickets: £33.50
Both events are at Preston Guild Hall. visit www.prestonguildhall.com or call 0845 344 2012 for more information.
Accordion playing Boba Fett
Boba Fett plays his accordion on the corner of streets in New York, In case you don’t know who Boba Fett is, he is a fictional character from the Star Wars films. He has given an interview for the website gothamist.com, here is section of the interview that we thought you might find interetesting,
You are known on the streets, and on the internet, as the accordion-playing Boba Fett… but who are you “in real life”? Behind the Renegade Accordion is Nathan Stodola, engineer, musician, and past planetarium presenter. I’ve even created the binary sunset (Tatooine-style) in one of my planetarium shows, while queuing John Williams on the sound system. Last we spoke you had received two masters degrees in Engineering and were actively seeking a job in Transportation—any luck? What’s your dream job? Still in the same spot—a couple leads, but they fell through. I’m looking for a job to improve mass transit use and reduce dependence (though not necessarily use) of the automobile. Why did you choose Boba Fett as your costume? I had made my spiffy cardboard helmet for a Halloween costume and then decided to try wearing it while I played to see if it improved my earnings. It worked! How much do you make on an average day Boba-busking? The most I’ve ever made playing was outside of the New York City ComicCon last fall, when I literally filled my backpack with $1 bills. On average, it is much less than that, but well over minimum wage. What’s the strangest thing you’ve received for playing? I get foreign coins all the time—not just Euros and Canadian money, but coins from Singapore, Russia, and the Caribbean too. I also get drawings of me playing. When did you start playing accordion? I really got into it during college when I would bring it to all my Ultimate Frisbee games as a sort of one-man pep band. I took piano lessons for many years growing up, so the right hand was easy, and I just had to figure out the buttons. Where is your favorite place in the city to play? And is there anywhere you’d like to play here that you haven’t gotten to yet? The best spots (outside of ComicCon) are by the 12th and 20th St exits to the High Line (when it is nice out). Underground, it’s the 14th St corridor: the 6th Av L stop, Union Square L, Bedford Av L, and the downtown F/M 14th St. Also, someone surprisingly, Jay St / MetroTech is outstanding. Union Square is probably the best but it’s always crowded so I only play if I’m lucky enough to get a spot. Do you have a good “only in New York” moment you can share? All 3 stories are from the 20th St High Line exit. One time, I was playing, and this British guy looks at me all surprised and says, “Oh, it’s you! I saw your videos on YouTube and thought ‘maybe I’ll see him when I come to New York,’ and here you are!”. A police cruiser was driving by eastbound on 20th, and then at the light, they pulled a U-turn, which is odd, because it’s a one-way street. I stopped playing to get my print-out of the laws stating I could play there, when they pulled up, rolled down the window and asked, “Do you know the Castlevania Theme?”. Another time, an unmarked, suspicious looking white van was stopped at the stoplight, and when the light turned, pulled up to the curb and opened the door with a dollar bill in hand and said “I love music from Last of the Mohicans!”
To watch his YouTube videos visit http://www.youtube.com/user/renegadeaccordion
Expander and Amplifier for Sale
We were sent this advert via email:
WEM Watkins SONGBIRD amplifier £225,
WEM Watkins PARTNER accordion expander £225
Items are located in Lincoln.
Contact Joan Wells on Tel: 01522 824516
E-mail address: janddwells@virginmedia.com