accordion

Squeezebox Stories: Vince Cirelli, accordion repairman

Julie Caine — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:46:58 +0000

The accordion has been recognized as the San Francisco’s official instrument. Back in the early part of the 20th century, San Francisco’s North Beach was a Mecca of accordion building (and playing) in the United States.

Vince Cirelli was an Italian American accordion repairman in his 90s, and Skyler Fell, a woman in her early 30s, was his apprentice. Tattooed, pierced, and part of the “steam punk,” DIY, Burning Man scenes, Fell now owns her own accordion repair shop in San Francisco, where she says an “Accordion Revolution” is happening among people of all ages.

A taste of Texas in Sacramento

Julie Caine and Lisa Morehouse — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:38:04 +0000

This weekend, hundreds of people from across the state, and from as far away as Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State will be coming to Northern California to get a little taste of Texas. That’s because this weekend is the 6th annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in Sacramento, a celebration of Latino music from Texas that made its way across the West. Julie Caine and Lisa Morehouse visited a band playing the festival and bring us this preview.

Squeezebox Stories: the tale of one of the first global instruments

Julie Caine — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Squeezebox Stories, hosted by Marco Werman of PRI’s The World, is a sound-rich, narrative-driven documentary exploring the social history, multicultural adaptation and musical variations of the accordion.

The accordion is about much more than the Polka; it’s one of the first global instruments. Played all over the world – everywhere from Italy to China to Zanzibar – the squeezebox is a great vehicle for telling immigration stories.