Category: Accordion, Instrument of the Gods

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods

“I’m Lookin’ Queen-Spadina…and Feelin’ Minnesota…”

I’ll be wearing my American flag tie deep in the heart of America on
the 4th of July, as I have been invited to play accordion at the Dystopia Party, which takes place at the CONvergence science fiction conference in Minneapolis this weekend.

According to the Dystopia Party site:

The Dystopia Party is a recurring theme party held at CONvergence, an
annual science fiction & fantasy convention in the Twin
Cities, Minnesota over Fourth-of-July weekend. We offer music,
fun, food, and stifling oppression in a dark, dystopian-future
themed environment. 2003 was our first year hosting a con
party and we took the place by storm. We intend to go to even
greater lengths this year.

…

For 2004 our party will run from 7pm ’till 3am both Friday,
July 2nd and Saturday, July 3rd. We’re in Room 230 of the
Sheraton (nee Radison) on Highway 100 south of 494. Just come
on by the hotel and you’ll see us immediately upon entering the
pool/cabana/party space.

I’ll be there, as will my lovely girlfriend, The Redhead.

Dystopia is organized by some friends. Bridget, Dystopia’s promotions and staffing person, was the first and only person to ever PayPal me a beer, and she and Joe came to Accordion City in late 2002. Ry4an
(no, that’s not a typo), the party’s money guy, is a coworker from
those heady dot-com days at OpenCola. These fine people saw fit to
cover my plane ticket and hotel expenses, so you’d better believe I
will be perfoming my brains out.

It’ll be good to see Bridget, Joe and Ry4an, and I’m also hoping to see swarming network guru and Roshambo champion Justin Chapweske and his wife Natz, big fun guy Dave Polaschek and Luke Francl, the Lizard Picture King. As a special treat, I shall make Dave Ahrens a very happy man by performing Brecht and Weil’s Alabama Song (the Doors’ version) with him.

If you’re attending CONvergence, drop by the party. It’ll be fun!

(By the bye, this entry’s title is a riff on the lyrics to Soundgarden’s anthem, Outshined.)

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me Music

Thanks, Carson!

As soon as Carson (the host) saw me walk into last night’s Kickass Karaoke, he attached something to the mic stand. It was an instrument boom. He’d bought it just to make it easier to set up a second mic for the accordion.

Holy crap.

Thanks, Carson! You’re the best!

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods Music Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

Kickass Karaoke Tonight


Some of the nice people you’ll meet at Kickass Karaoke. Dorian, Carson (the host) and me.

Don’t forget that Kickass Karaoke takes place tonight at the Bovine Sex
Club (542 Queen Street West, just east of Bathurst). To catch a bit of
the flavour, check
out this video of the last Kickass Karaoke at the Bovine [1 MB QuickTime] featuring Johnny O singing The Kinks’ Apeman and the Bovine “regulars” (regular attendees, not “regular” as in “average” or “normal”).

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods

“Picking Up Girls Made Easy,” Chapter 7: “The Walking the Dog Pick Up”

“Nothing succeeds in this world like imagination,” says Eric Weber, narrator of the audiobook Picking Up Girls Made Easy.
“Think about it! Einstein had imagination. Casanova had imagination.
And Romeo had a great imagination. Didn’t he score Juliet, one of the
greatest pick-ups of all time?”

(A couple of notes: 1. For my British friends: what we call “picking
up”, you’d call “pulling”.  2. I’d hardly view a pick-up that lead
directly to my death as “great”.)

That’s how the audiobook chapter The Walking the Dog Pick Up
[4 MB MP3] begins. The narrator’s dated slang and “Eddie Haskell’s all
grown up” voice, the cheesy voice acting and the advice that sounds as
if it’s coming from Larry Dallas (Jack Tripper’s swinging single friend from
Three’s Company) make this an unintentionally hilarious gem.

“There’s no doubt about it: you’ve got to use your imagination,” says
the narrator at the close. “If you’ve haven’t got a dog, try an antique
car.  If you can’t afford that, try an antique bicycle. And if
that’s too fancy, try antique roller skates. Remember, it’s not what
gimmick you use, but how you use it, and how you use your imagination.
Good luck!”

He probably would’ve approved of the accordion.

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me

Rules Were Made to be Broken!

Here’s a photo that just landed in my inbox. It’s from the “Give Me Liberty” party that look place last Thursday.


The accordion is the true rebel’s instrument.

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

Mysterion Meets the Accordion!

I am just one of the buskers on Queen Street West,
a lovely stretch of trendy boutiques, electronics shops, off-beat
stores, bars and restautants, the CityTV/MuchMusic/Bravo/Space
television headquarters and street vendors. Another busker is Mysterion the Mind Reader, who performs feats of magic and mentalism for passers-by on the weekends. I occasionally provide backup music for his act (Meryle’s written about it).

He likes trying on my accordion, and I got took some photos. You can check them out the photo album or the slideshow.


Doesn’t he look like Jon Stewart’s evil younger brother?

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods Music Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

Kickass Karaoke Triple Threat!

If you’re in Accordion City this coming week, be advised that there are
not one, not two, but three Kickass Karaokes taking place!

The dates and locations are:

  • Wednesday, June 16th: It’s the monthly mayhem at the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen Street West,
    just east of Bathurst). Thanks to the newly-enacted “no smoking in bars
    law”, this cozy venue just got a little bit nicer. I’ll be attending
    this one.

  • Friday, June 18th: A special edition of Kickass Karaoke at the new hipster hangout, the Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West, 3 blocks east of Dufferin). I can’t make this one, as I will be attending the Om Festival as part of my annual camping ritual.
  • Sunday, June 20th: The biweekly bacchanal at the Rivoli (334 Queen Street West, just east of Spadina). I will be there, as will my special guest all the way from Boston, Wendy the Redhead (she’ll be here for the week of the 20th).