Monsters of Accordion 2010

With squeezeboxes strapped to their chests, the "Monsters of Accordion" (Jason Webley, Corn Mo, Renée de la Prade, The Petrojvic Blasting Co. and variety of special guests) are launching an assault on West-Coast cities from Seattle to Los Angeles this December.

"When I'm on tour, I meet so many amazing accordion players, and the idea is just to bring them together," explains Webley, who organizes the annual tour.

The result is a tour-de-force featuring many of the most entertaining accordionists currently working in North America. But don't expect a night of polkas, because these aren't your grandmother's accordion monsters. Instead Webley and company will be delivering an evening of squeezebox-fueled drinking songs, Celtic-punk jigs, retro-rock anthems and Balkan gypsy music.

New York City's Corn Mo plays a mixture of glam-rock and circus music which Rolling Stone has described as "the future of rock".  With a powerful voice that rivals Freddie Mercury, Corn Mo has toured the country with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, The Polyphonic Spree, They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds (he gave Folds a CD in an airport which began a collaborative friendship.)  He has written six albums and the rock opera Alice Wakeman which debuted at New York's Ars Nova Theater.  In addition to his epic accordion performances, Corn Mo is an accomplished pianist, short story writer and lead singer in the band .357 Lover.

Pink-haired accordion pin-up goddess Renée de la Prade comes armed with a low-slung button box and a funky fusion of old Celtic melodies, zydeco and punk rock power. De la Prade adds her boot stomping and squeezebox fire to Bay Area groups Culann's Hounds and Whiskey and Women. In 2008, she began publishing the annual Accordion Babes Pin-Up Calendar which has sold tens of thousands of copies and features players from around the world. When not on stage or hanging on your wall, de la Prade works as an accordion teacher and repair specialist at Smythe's Accordion Center in Oakland.

Originally from Nashville, The Petrojvic Blasting Company are one of the most talked about rising stars in the LA scene. Founded by brothers Josh and Justin Petrojvic, The Blasting Company have travelled across North America and Europe in a variety of configurations with their accordions, trombones and foot-drums. Recently, the brothers returned from a pilgrimage to Eastern Europe, where they shared the stage with some of ex-Yugoslavia's best musicians and performed everywhere from the streets of Belgrade to an ancient Roman Coliseum.

Street performer turned cult musician, Jason Webley has been carrying his squeezebox to the far corners of the earth since 1998. Known for his huge gravelly voice and a battered porkpie hat that dances around his head as he stomps out the beat, Webley's relentless touring schedule and legendary live performances have built him a loyal fanbase across North America, Europe and beyond (he is especially loved in Siberia.) Webley's specialty is involving his audience in his performances - most concerts end with the entire crowd locked arm-in-arm, singing at the top of their lungs. Recently, Webley finished a world tour with Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls as one-half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn.

The accordion was invented in Germany in the early 1800s and quickly spread throughout the world. The instrument's portability, flexibility and loud volume made it tremendously popular, the driving sound in a variety of musical styles from French musette to zydeco, Argentine tango to Klezmer.

In the United States the accordion suffered a big decline in popularity with the rise of the electric guitar. Associated with polkas and Lawrence Welk, by the 80's the squeezebox had become the musical symbol of nerdiness. However, in recent years the accordion has enjoyed a renaissance in attention. Partly due to the efforts of troubadours such as Webley and his fellow monsters, many young musicians have been picking up the instrument again. The accordion has squeezed its way into cabaret and burlesque troupes, neo-jugbands, folk-punk enembles, and a few high profile rock groups such as The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists.

"These things move in cycles," says Webley, "perhaps in a few years kids will all be asking for accordions for Christmas, and people will be embarrassed to admit they ever took guitar lessons as kids."

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