Help us celebrate the history and evolution of the accordion! Held in conjunction with the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library's BrewNost, September 23rd and the Czech Village Fall Festival, September 24th and 25th, this symposium will bring accordion players together from across the United States.
The accordion is experiencing a creative renaissance with players mixing traditional music with new approaches. The symposium's goal is to honor the past and pave the way for future innovation. This weekend symposium is a celebration of the accordion!
We are very excited to offer this unique opportunity for musicians to share their special skills and talents in promoting the culture of the accordion and keeping this music alive for future generations.
Roxanne Oliva - CHEAP TRICKS FOR SIMPLE CELTIC TUNES
We'll learn a session tune by ear (jig, reel, hornpipe, polka, waltz, or air) experiment with drones, rhythmic patterns on single bass notes, transforming melodies with alternate chords, and ornamentation. Beginners will learn session etiquette and how to fake it if they're new at ensemble playing, while more advanced players can work on embellishment techniques.
Roxanne Oliva, M.A. is a San Francisco Bay Area recording artist, performer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, Celtic music teacher, and Accordion Babes Pinup Calendar cover girl for 2011. Roxanne appears on over 30 albums whose styles range from jazz to jigs. She has composed music for film soundtracks ("Quiet Little Marriage"), and recorded with various luminaries including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Tom Waits ("Liberty Heights" film soundtrack). Roxanne plays for contra dances, leads Irish sessions, and performs with KAZAMOZE, SWEET PENNY ROYALS, and EMILY BONN and the VIVANTS. Roxanne is caretaker of 21 piano accordions, many of which were given to her before the dawn of eBay.
Billy Wilson - STRETCHING THE HORIZONS OF THE BUTTON BOX
We will take a rock song, a R and B song, a country song and jazz tune (all not thought of as button accordion music) and learn how to play them. Each song will be in a different key and all on a "C" row button accordion. We will also learn some techniques for paying rhythm parts on button accordion. It's all about the fun!!
Veteran Bay area musician Billy Wilson has performed in many styles on many instruments. As a piano and button accordion player he has played with Motordude Zydeco, Zydeco Flames, Zydeco Slim, Gator beat and others. As a steel guitarist Billy has been a member of The Cajun Cotton Pickers, The Pete Olsen Honky Tonk Band, Johnny Dilks and the Visitation Valley Boys. Lonestar, Old Puppy and many others. Billy has also performed with such luminaries as Tom Waits, Country Joe McDonald, Charlie Louvin, Dewey Balfa, Savoy Doucet Cajun Band DL Menard Danny Poullard and others.
Paul Rogers - TECHNIQUES OF ROCK ACCORDION
Paul will share a few tips on how to achieve maximum volume for playing with a rock band and how to shape the sound of the accordion to give it distortion and "fatness" for solos and rhythm parts using overdrive and a Wah Wah pedal. Attendees owning accordions with internal mics are encouraged to bring their instruments and plug in to Paul's set up to experiment with their own sound.
As front man for Those Darn Accordions, singer/songwriter Paul Rogers has pioneered the "rock accordion" sound. Addressing the challenges of amplifying an accordion and playing at high volume, he has developed a few tricks to keep feedback to a minimum and give his accordion the "guitar sound".
Renée de la Prade - INTRODUCTION TO CAJUN ACCORDION
Renée's workshop on Cajun accordion repertoire will focus on teaching a few tunes at a beginning-to-intermediate level on one row of a button accordion. Students are encouraged to bring a button accordion with a C row or a D row; or else a one-row melodeon in the key of C or D. This class could also be learned on one of the small children's toy melodeons in a pinch. Please also bring a recording device so you can bring the tunes home with you. Sheet music will NOT be provided, this is a learn-by-ear class. Students will learn about some the modes that are commonly played on one row of a diatonic accordion; and in the course of learning tunes will hopefully pick up a few licks that will help them "Cajunify" their own music.
Students who play piano accordion are also encouraged to attend; please be aware that the pace may seem slow and simplistic for you on your instrument. Still you may get some value out of learning how to mimic the bounce and rhythm of a melodeon in your playing.
Renée de la Prade is a San Francisco-based diatonic button accordion player with an amazingly diverse repertoire on a traditionally limited instrument. Cajun music, Irish tunes, punk, honky-tonk, blues, Afro-Cuban, and rock n roll are some of the styles she incorporates into her sound.
Ron Borelli - PROCEDURES TO IMPROVISATION
Learn the 3 skills needed to improvise on any style of music and learn how to play the blues using blues scales.
Ron Borelli, a San Francisco native and son of well-known bandleader, Al Borelli, began playing the accordion at age seven. His first professional engagements began at age 13 playing for many Italian parties. He became interested in jazz accordion upon listening to Art Van Damme. This led him to study with re-known accordionist, Don Haas. Later he also became interested in classical piano and studied with pianist/composer, Julian White.
As an accordionist, Ron performs in a wide variety of musical settings. He has performed in Ancona, Italy for the International Accordion Festival, appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, performed on stage with the San Francisco Opera's (Wozzeck), and was the accordionist for the Three Tenors in their 1999 Bay Area concert. Other symphonic performances include the Berkeley Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, and Diablo Ballet.
In addition to the high-profile orchestras mentioned, Ron Borelli performs for private, corporate and public events. He is well versed in jazz, opera, and American standards, Italian and French styles of music.
Jon Cunningham (aka Corn Mo) (.357 Lover) Jon's current band
- WRITING ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR THE ACCORDION
Jon's workshop will focus on writing for the accordion, sharing
different approaches to writing and creating your own style. Workshop includes harvesting from inspirations, the benefits of zero stimulus, the benefits of peer pressure, starting with melodies, starting with chords, the best use of meter and more. The goal of this workshop is to birth confidence in your sound or just add more fodder for your songwriting tool box.
Jon Cunningham, aka Corn Mo, has toured America and Europe with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, The Pontani Sisters, Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants and the Polyphonic Spree. He has written 6 albums including 2 with his band .357 Lover. He wrote the rock opera Alice Wakeman that was performed at the Ars Nova Theater in NYC. He sang on Ben Folds' cover of "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" for the Supersunnyspeedygraphic EP and played accordion on TMBG's "Particle Man". His band, .357 Lover, is releasing a new album titled The Purchase of the North Pole this autumn. He is currently writing for a musical about Grizzly Adams and scoring a documentary titled Us Naked.
