Adam Schwabe took this photo of me playing a request at the Drake Hotel’s rooftop bar early Friday evening:
Category: Accordion, Instrument of the Gods
This is the most awesome accordion cover EVAR! (Hint: "Quiero Que Me Quieras" is Spanish for "I Want You to Want Me".)
And hey, happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!
Today’s Garfield Minus Garfield strip – a web comic strip featuring Garfield comics with the titular character Photoshopped out – explains why the cool kids play accordion:
Thanks to Guillaume for the heads-up!
For the past couple of nights, we’ve ended up at Kells Irish Pub, located right by the market in Seattle’s Post Alley. We’ve made friends with Liam, their house musician. He’s been giving me a solid education in Irish folk music and I’ve been telling him about Burning Man.
Chances are we’ll end up there tonight. If you’re in the area, drop me a line, or drop by!
John Bowman just sent me a message linked to a Seattle Times story about the police shooting of a University of Washington student.
Seattle police shot and killed a University of Washington senior who was dressed in a World War II-era German uniform and who officers say was brandishing a long rifle with a bayonet early Thursday in his University District apartment.
The student, identified by friends as Miles Allen Murphy, was well-known on campus as a smart, eccentric history buff who loved to participate in WWII re-enactments and would even show up to class, at times, dressed in a historic uniform.
…
Murphy was killed about 2 a.m. Thursday when police responded to neighbors’ complaints that several men were shooting vintage, military-style rifles and shotguns into a dark alley near the 5200 block of 17th Avenue Northeast, police spokesman Jeff Kappel said.
When police were called, Kappel said, neighbors pointed out an apartment in a large white house. When police knocked on the door, one of the suspects opened the door brandishing a long rifle with a large bayonet attached.
Uniformed police officers warned the man several times to drop his weapon. He didn’t, Kappel said, and he pointed it at one of the officers. Two officers shot him several times. He died at a hospital Thursday morning, Kappel said.
Yow. The moral of the story is that if you’re dressed in a Nazi uniform and carrying a rifle, people will assume that you’re up to no good.
The story includes quotes from friends who describe him as a history buff and not a neo-Nazi. Also of note is the third paragraph of the story – people who know me will experience a sense of deja vu:
Friends said Murphy, 22, would entertain at parties by playing everything from old German folk songs to Britney Spears tunes on his accordion.
Before November 3rd passes, I must make it known, that today, November 3rd, 2008, is the tenth anniversary of the release of Britney Spears’ single Baby One More Time. I wonder if Ms. Spears wishes she could take a time machine back to those more innocent days and re-do some of her life choices.
Here’s the video for the original:
Click the picture to see the video.
…and here I am, performing it at Hemingway’s at Jay Schneider’s birthday party:
It’s a Silvetta 60-bass piano accordion, which is much smaller and lighter than my other ones. It’s perfect for schlepping to conferences, like the one I’m attending right now, as it’s easier to carry and fits very well within just about every plane’s overhead compartment:
Oh, the “Phileas Fogg” outfit is from Cory Doctorow’s wedding, which took place yesterday. It was a little bit magic show, a little bit Alice in Wonderland, a little bit steampunk and a whole lot of fun. Mazel tov, Alice and Cory!
Here’s a photo of Danny O’Brien and me flanking the happy groom:
I’ll post more photos from the wedding later.