Is This The Real Life / Is This Just Fantasy?

Fourteen women / fourteen accordions: The Main Squeeze Orchestra.

Quote member Kelly Alba: "You put it on your chest and you wear it right next to your heart. You squeeze it, and it's like a big musical hug."



They also competed on America's Got Talent. America hated it.



[Now, if only the press (I'm looking at you, Village Voice) would stop calling this an "all-girl" orchestra, and if only America's Got Talent would take back comments like "[the (male) director is] kind of like the Hugh Heffner of the accordion world" and "for some reason I thought this was going to be sexy."
Respect and equality, wouldn't that be novel?]

I Always Wanted A Schtick / This Is My Accordion

Oh, there are approximately a thousand things you could say about this video/concept. A small sampling of topics: the perceived high/low divide in art, "updating" classical music, virtuosity, the presentation of women as soloists, accordions are awesome, oops those leather pants, etc.

I'm A-Built For Comfort / I Ain't A-Built For Speed

Turns out, Flight of the Bumblebee is the preferred piece for breaking speed-records. Go figure.

David Garrett on violin (starts 5:30ish)




And then there's this one...complete with a disclaimer: "NOTE: This video is not meant for a good listening experience. It is played purely for speed."
Duly noted.



(Addendum: THIS. Thanks, Kevin!)

I Should Get A Hobby Like Learn / How To Play The Accordion

I don't know anyone with an ipad - but THIS...this is wonderful! Get it here.





(via notcot)

Accordion Crimes

I read a whole book about accordions once.*


Aleksandr Hrustevich, "Summer" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"


(*cough cough, fiction. Great book, though.)