Hand-Making a Russian Diatonic Accordion

Just saw these vids of someone making accordion reeds and reed-plates from start to finish in what looks like a home workshop. Interesting to see the long Russian style reed-plates that need no waxing. I guess if you break one of the reeds, or the big plates, this is how you’d make your own replacement.

Accordion reed making by hand (bass reed plate)

 

Every step is so labour intensive and yet matter-of-fact. That’s how you do it. For every tiny piece. Unbelievable. When they put the snips in the vice to cut the reeds out that just did me in. The vice and Dremel work, and the skill-saw to cut the reed-plate vents are tiny bits of awesome.

Accordion reed-making and installation on reed plate

Oh my gosh, he’s got videos of making all the other parts of an accordion too! From bellows to buttons. I must watch them all.

I got the tip about these vids from the always interesting UK Accordionists Forum.

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2018-09-19: Festival Recovery

Phew!  At long last, with our festival safely behind us, here’s an episode of our weekly broadcast that has nothing to do with … what?!  How’d the amazing Wendy McNeill sneak in there?!  Does our mania to air her delightfully pointed tunes spike in ten year cycles or is she secretly hiding in every episode?  Well.  There’s a lot of other splendid music in here also, as usual spanning an incredible scope of genres shared by the humble squeezebox, and if you missed it we recommend you go check out the episode as digital audio from the Internet Archive.  (And if you didn’t miss it, we recommend you go get a refresher!)  To help point the way, here’s the list of the songs from last night’s program:

AccNoir-2018-09-19, Festival Recovery

Had some technical difficulties tonight. Sound was only going through one channel for a while until I hopefully fixed it. Sigh. Hope the rest was ok.

* Greg Pagel – Introduction – Plastic Machine Music (2005) – Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA – http://www.GregPagel.com
* Isabel Douglass and Tango No. 9 – Sultango – Accordion Babes 2009 Pin-up Calendar CD (2008) – San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA – http://www.myspace.com/IsabelDouglass isabel@tonechamber.org
* Iain Thomson And Marc Duff – Glendale Martyrs – No Borders (2018) – UK / Sweden – http://www.IainThomsonBand.co.uk (was in Capercaillie) John Somerville, acc.
* David Lange – Las Tres Hermanas – Almost Home (2007) – Edgewood (near Seattle), Washington, USA – http://www.davidlangestudios.com
* Wendy McNeill – The Robin’s Request – Hunger Made You Brave (2018) – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
* Montcorbier – Shottishe Et Polka Du Lac Brome – Le Piano De Sarah (2001) – Quebec, Canada – http://www.danielthonon.com/
* Madeleine Roger – Take My Time – Cottonwood (2018) – Winnepeg, MB, Canada – http://www.MadeleineRoger.com
* Whiskey Moon Face – Horse Shoe Bridge – Panspermia (2018) – Uk – Whiskey Moon Face
* Lozenge – Godspeed – Doozy (2000) – Chicago, Illinois, USA – http://kylebruckmann.com/category/lozenge/
* Iron Sea Wolf – Trooper (Iron Maiden for Talk Like a Pirate Day) – https://ironseawolf.bandcamp.com
* Sharon Shannon – Frenchie’s Reel – Le Grand Soufflet, 2018 – http://www.legrandsoufflet.fr
* Duo Hamon-Martin & Orchestre Symphonique de bretagne – Portrait (Scottish) – Le Grand Soufflet, 2018 – http://www.legrandsoufflet.fr
* Ray Zapletal & His Music Masters Orchestra – Barbara Polka – Jimmy Brosch Remembers Twenty Legendary Texas Czech Polka Bands (1968) – Texas, USA – http://www.20polkabands.com/20_Polka_Bands/Home.html

 

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2008-09-12: Circus with Sara

From ten years ago, here’s Accordion Noir radio episode number 93, again including music by Wendy McNeill — who seemingly just put our festival to rest, a mere couple of nights ago with a magical unplugged session that will prove difficult to beat!  I gather that on this occasion Bruce invited his carny friend Sara to join him on the air and together they recounted anecdotes of the sideshow and programmed a playlist informed by the magical feelings associated with the Greatest Show On Earth.  At its original online home it was enjoyed some 2780 times, and going forward we expect it, as with all our back episodes, to become a part of the musical canon through its hosting at the Internet Archive, where you can enjoy it.  Enjoy what, precisely?  Here, its playlist below will help give you a clue what to expect:

Wendy McNeill – Stop – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
Mark Berube – Looking For Another – What the Boat Gave the River (2008) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – http://www.markberube.com/
Amber Lee And The Anomalies – Whaler’s Wife – Estuaries (2008) – Santa Rosa, California, USA – http://www.amberleeandtheanomalies.com/
Neko Case – Dreaming Man – Canadian Amp (2001) – Tacoma – http://www.nekocase.com/
Nad – L’intox – Nad (2007) – France – http://pagesperso-orange.fr/wa-hou/
Danças Ocultas – Alento – Pulsar (2004) – Portugal – http://dancasocultas.weblog.com.pt/
Accordion Tribe (Bratko Bibič, Lars Hollmer, Maria Kalaniemi, Guy Klucevsek, Otto Lechner) – Sofias Flykt – Accordion Tribe (1998) – Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, USA, Austria – http://hoedown.com/main.site?action=siteupdate/view&id=5
Cirkestra – Gepetto – Adventure Di Pinocchio (2005) – Massachusetts, USA – http://www.cirkestra.com
Fiamma Fumana with Mondine di Novi Choir – Mariulèina – Onda (2006) – Italy – http://www.fiamma.org/onda.cfm
Korpiklaani – Viima – Tervaskanto (2007) – Finland – http://www.korpiklaani.com/news/index.htm

This episode’s cover is… Cirkestra’s “Adventure di Pinocchio” record!

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2018-09-14: Noir Resistance

This morning “Accordion Noir” founder and perennial host, your friend and mine Bruce Triggs sorted himself out, recovering from our very accordionic “Echoes and Ripples” art opening last night, wrapping well after midnight, and walked up the street to our parent radio station… where he descended upon the weekly Sound Resistance program, running from 10:30 am through to noon every Friday, to give its morning listeners a taste of what awaits them at this year’s 11th annual Accordion Noir Festival!  The programming touches on a few songs that have appeared in recent playlists, but with a far heavier emphasis on acts on our Saturday and Sunday programs this weekend — because you are basically not getting into the sold-out Friday night show this late in the game!  It contains many great songs by many great performers, so here’s your chance to enjoy a final hour-and-a-half preview of this weekend’s festivities before we’re well and truly in the thick of them!   You can enjoy the broadcast as a digital audio stream courtesy of the Internet Archive.  Here’s its playlist:

Accordion Sound Resistance 2018-09-14

* Jason Webley – Last Song – Against The Night (1999) – Everett, Washington, USA – http://www.jasonwebley.com
* Amy Denio – Darling Please Dont Wake Me – Tutto Bene (2010) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.amydenio.com/
* Geoff Berner – Condos – We Are Going to Bremen to be Musicians (2015) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.geoffberner.com/
* Emchy – 12 songs
* Polka Time! – Turbo Island Polka (Live @ Practice) – (2018) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Visit http://polkatime.bandcamp.com
* Dogtooth & Nail – Wild Warriors – DRIVING IN THE DARK (2015) – Visit http://dogtoothandnail.bandcamp.com
* tsunami pinata – Las Payasa en Chihuahua – Anacortes, Washington, USA
* Wendy McNeill – White Horses – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
* Wendy McNeill – Eddy (Why Don’t You Put Your Gun Down?) – For The Wolf, A Good Meal (2011) – Canada and now Sweden – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
* Teapot in the Tuba – Take 5/Golden Brown – Vancouver, BC, Canada
* Basilissa – La Porque Tens Cinco Pedras – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Wendy McNeill – Stop – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
* Wendy McNeill – Such A Common Bird – Such A Common Bird (2004) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
* Wendy McNeill – Faith and the Long Haired Man – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/

social media

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2018-09-12: Double Fest Guests, Double Fest Episode!

The 11th annual Accordion Noir Festival is this week!  In fact, it kicks off tonight with a fest pre-show at the “Echoes and Ripples” art opening… in addition to visual art on musical themes, it will include accordionic performances by four different acts… two of whom joined us on the radio last night!  We kicked things off with a set of standards by the Squeezebox Circle Orchestra, the culmination of all our monthly get-togethers the first Thursday of every month at the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle (performing their second gig that day!), and then proceeded to follow them with a set by Teapot in the Tuba, the current main project of Accordion Noir Fest alumna Katheryn Petersen.  (We then proceeded to play canned tunes from acts expected to be performing at our fest this weekend, as we unexpectedly found we had an additional hour of airtime to cover and made the best of the situation!)

You can find the mega two-hour-long recording available online at the Internet Archive (you have enough time to listen to it about four and a half times before tonight’s festivities begin), and if it helps you to keep track of who’s playing what, here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2018-09-12, Noir Fest 2018 Live

Hour 1
* Jason Webley – My Love Left Me In April – Margaret (2014) – Everett, Washington, USA – http://www.jasonwebley.com
Vancouver Squeezebox Orchestra:
Freylach
Manha de carnival (I don’t know the spelling of any of these)
Log Driver’s Waltz
Never on Sunday
Mexicali Rose
* Geoff Berner – In the Year 2020 – We Shall Not Flag Or Fail, We Shall Go On To The End (2003) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.geoffberner.com
Teapot in the Tuba:
Black Day in December
Bjornekaeden
Adje jano
* Secret Emchy Society – Down to the River – The Stars Fall Shooting Into Twangsville (0) – Oakland, California, USA –

Hour Two
* Wendy McNeill – Our Time – For the Wolf, a Good Meal (Master 2) (2011) – Canada, Sweden – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
* Basilissa – malhao-de-cifaes-2 – (0) – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Amy Denio – Long Song – Tutto Bene (2010) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.amydenio.com/
* The Argyle Embargo – sea-shanty – (0) – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Polka Time! – Turbo Island Polka (Live @ Practice) – (2018) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Visit http://polkatime.bandcamp.com
* tsunami pinata – Two_Tarantellas_mix2 – (0) – Anacortes, Washington, USA –
* Dogtooth & Nail – Let It Fall – Learning How To Unlearn (2018) – – Visit http://dogtoothandnail.bandcamp.com
* Geoff Berner – High Ground – Klezmer Mongrels (2009) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.geoffberner.com/
* Jason Webley – Baloon Feather Boat Tomato – Only Just Beginning (2004) – Everett, Washington, USA – http://www.jasonwebley.com
* Wendy McNeill – Eddy (Why Don’t You Put Your Gun Down?) – For The Wolf, A Good Meal (2011) – Canada and now Sweden – http://www.wendymcneill.com/

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir Radio playlist 2008-09-05: with accordion poet Julie Peters!

Here it is, Accordion Noir Classic episode number 92, originally aired slightly over ten years ago, a mix of then-current sounds in contemporary alt-squeezebox music featuring such musical auteurs as Jason Webley and again, Wendy McNeill, both of whom will be performing at our festival this weekend!  (Have you got your tickets yet?)  I see Julie Peters called out by name in the episode’s title, but not appearing in the playlist.  Is she truly in here, reciting her renowned accordion-including poem?  Gee whiz, I hope for, that was a good one.

At its original online home this episode was listened to some 2707 times, but we look forward to continuing to serve these back episodes to at least as many future listeners going forward from its new home at the Internet Archive.

Accordion Noir: Playlist: Sept 5th, 2008, with Julie Peters, guest accordion-poet!
———-
Artist — Song – Album (date) – Origin – Label/Contact info
Swamperella – Ton Papa Me Jette Dehors – Black Cat Boogie (2004) – Toronto, Canada – http://www.swamperella.com/
Blackberry Wood – Cyrus the Great – Travelling Horse Opry (2008) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.myspace.com/blackberrywood
Dr. Steel – Lullabye-bye – Dr. Steel II: Eclectic Boogaloo (2001) – Los Angeles, California, USA – http://worlddominationtoys.com/drsteel/enter.html
Wovenhand – White Knuckle Grip – Ten Stones (2008) – Elktooth, Colorado, USA – http://www.soundsfamilyre.com http://www.wovenhand.info/
Tummel – The fish with sad eyes – Transit (2004) – Sweden – http://www.tummel.nu/
Jason Webley: The Monsters of Accordion show – Responsible Accordion Listening – The Monsters of Accordion show, Spokane, WA, (2008) – Seattle, Washington, USA – Ryan Pitts: RyanP@SPOKESMAN.com (The P.A. System, Spokane7 Podcasts) http://www.spokane7.com/music/podcast/?id=244
Mark Berube – Caulfield Line – What the Boat Gave the River (2008) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – http://www.markberube.com/
Mark Berube – Minus 17 – What the Boat Gave the River (2008) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – http://www.markberube.com/
Wendy McNeill – White Horses – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/
Iva Nova – Сон колхозника (The Dream of a Farmer) – Chemodan (suitcase) (2006) – Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation –
Accordion Tribe – Soonsong – Lunghorn Twist (2006) – Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, USA, Austria – http://www.hoedown.com

This episode’s cover is… Iva Nova’s album Chemodan (hope that Cyrillic comes out.)

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2018-09-05: Noir Fest XI preview

Here it is, this week’s episode of Accordion Noir radio is basically our very last opportunity to promote the 11th annual Accordion Noir Festival before it’s basically at the doorstep.  Hopefully next week we can feature some of its performers live on the air!  Unfortunately, the radio station will be down for maintenance during our regular time slot this week.  Fortunately, we had the opportunity to pre-record an episode to air in its place.  This is it!  We sat on my sofa this afternoon passing Bruce’s phone back and forth recording voice memos announcing the songs: the future is here, your radio studio looks like my living room.  (Ideally, with fewer barking dogs.)

Here in this episode you can hear a tune from just about every act scheduled to perform during our festival (excepting Illiteratty, our apologies, we just ran out of room!, and the Legion of Flying Monkeys Horn Orchestra, who you really need to experience live to understand anyway.)  If you haven’t bought your tickets yet (please buy advance tickets!), perhaps these performances will prove sufficiently compelling to move you to open your wallets.  Follow this link to get an earful!  And to help keep track of what you’re hearing, please find attached the episode’s playlist:

AccNoir-2018-09-05, Noir Fest Pre-prerecord

* the Creaking Planks – Accordion Noir theme (hasty) – Accordion Noir (2011) – –
* Teapot in the Tuba – Take 5/Golden Brown – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Emchy – Lilacs From Canada – Oakland, California, USA –
* Amy Denio – Darling Please Dont Wake Me – Tutto Bene (2010) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.amydenio.com/
* Geoff Berner – Song Written in a Romanian Hospital – Whiskey Rabbi (2005) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.geoffberner.com Like Augustinho De Pina’s Cape Verdean song Hora Di Bal?
* Jason Webley – May Day – Only Just Beginning (2004) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.jasonwebley.com/index.html
* Tsunami Pinata – Weed Mercantile Waltz – Baseball Ceratops (2016) – Anacortes, Washington, USA –
* Dogtooth & Nail – Blood Thicker Than Oil – Learning How To Unlearn (2018) – – Visit http://dogtoothandnail.bandcamp.com
* Polka Time! – Pierogi Polka (Live and Tipsy at Practice Version) – (2018) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Visit http://polkatime.bandcamp.com
* The Argyle Embargo – Last Call – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Lindy Gray – Love’s in the Fire – Ripe For Revival (2014) – – Visit http://lindygray.bandcamp.com
* Basilissa – La Porque Tens Cinco Pedras – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
* Wendy McNeill – Stop – A Dreamer’s Guide to Hardcore Loving (2008) – Sweden, Canada – http://www.wendymcneill.com/

 

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle (which is on this Thursday night at Spartacus Books!) Cheers & squeeze on!