Greetings From The Squeeze-in

[Richard Morse]

For those of you who weren't there, lots of jamming happened during the day as well as late night. The Button Box staff was so helpful and supportive. The atmosphere was warm and friendly. I do hope that the weekend is extended cause it's so much fun.

Welcome to the forum, Howie! For those who weren't able to be with us, Howie won our Most Interesting and Unusual "reward" for sharing his wonderful creation with us. Note the pull-ring on the "floor" behind the puppet's chair. Gently pull on this and the guy squeezes the concertina while his right foot/leg keeps time. Great Stuff! And this was just the tip of the berg compared with what Howie shared with us at the concert!

[Robert Booth]

Are there similar events like the S-I on the west coast? I (and I'm sure, others) would jump at the chance to attend an event with this much fun and learning without having to fly, train, bus, drive, hitch or walk cross country...

[Helen]

I am definitely planning on coming in the future. Yes yes yes, I would be very interested in an extended session. (There is a dulcimer festival I went to for over 10 years that was a weekend session that evolved into a Wed. night to Sun. morining for those who wanted the extended session. Others continued to come on Friday night. The extended session gave all day Thurs & Fri. for workshops or jamming or both.)

This would be a lot of extra time for the Button Box staff coming on Thurs., but I'm sure everyone would be most appreciative of their extra effort.

It sure sounds like fun.

 

Ta,

Helen

[David Barnert]

For those of us who weren't able to make it, how many entries were there altogether, and is there a possibility that you'll post some of the other entries, too?

 

Oh yeah, and what about haikus?

I read about 20 limericks at the talent show, and there may have been others. Rich said he'll post many of them at the BB site.

 

The word "haiku" never came up. Sorry.

[Ken_Coles]

In response to the question:

 

Are there similar events like the S-I on the west coast?

 

There have been attempts -- I remember someone trying to do one in Wash. state that was cancelled. I would love to do one for the Great Lakes region. But it is clear (Rich can correct me if necessary) that lot of logistical work, the right location (quiet, with a range of accomodation from cheap to fancy, and a bar), and a sponsoring business are really needed. So far this combination has not come up elsewhere in the U.S.

 

Ken

[David Barnert]

What do folks here think of an extended Squeeze-In? Would it be more enticing for you more far-flung ones? Would near folk take the time out to be here for the extended period?

Let me, for a moment here, play devil's advocate on this one.

 

I'm happy with the length of the Northeast Squeeze-In. In the 10+ years I have been going, I have learned to pace myself and I don't need it to be any longer. It's just what I expect. Sure, I could stay a bit longer on Sunday, but I'd rather not see any days added to either end.

 

I would probably attend the full length of a longer event (how could I let it go on without me?) but with a sense of resignation. Where does it stop? A week? No matter how long it lasts, folks will want more.

 

I should add that I'm only an hour's drive from Bucksteep, so my feelings about it may be influenced by that.

 

My preference would be to keep it the same number of days but add a few hours to every night. When I typed that I was kidding, but then it occurred to me that if we had it at the end of October we could take advantage of the extra hour Saturday night as Daylight Savings Time ends. Back when Jay Ungar's group did Halloween Weekend at Ashokan (until 1996) that was my favorite place to spend the extra hour.

[Dave Weinstein]

I'll admit, a "Southeast Squeezein" in the mountains of North Carolina is something I'd love to see happen.

 

Would a bare bones "here is a lodge with these rates, and they are letting us use the common area, please make your own arrangements" be good enough for a start, or would it really require the full logistical setup to get people to attend?

 

--Dave

[tomlaw90]

In response to the question:

 

Are there similar events like the S-I on the west coast?

 

There have been attempts -- I remember someone trying to do one in Wash. state that was cancelled. I would love to do one for the Great Lakes region. But it is clear (Rich can correct me if necessary) that lot of logistical work, the right location (quiet, with a range of accomodation from cheap to fancy, and a bar), and a sponsoring business are really needed. So far this combination has not come up elsewhere in the U.S.

 

Ken

For anyone who would like to create an event like this, I think you also have to take a lesson from the slow evolution that created the Squeeze-In. It started as an informal music party and grew from there slowly over many years. I don't think you can just create an event. (Or you can, but it is highly likely to fail.) You can start small, and over time, if it "takes" it will grow.

[A.D. Homan]

As always it seems that the S-I ends too soon for me. [...]

What do folks here think of an extended Squeeze-In? Would it be more enticing for you more far-flung ones? Would near folk take the time out to be here for the extended period?

 

 

Rich,

It was our first Squeeze-In, which probably influences my opinion on this issue... but I couldn't get enough of it, and the only reason Caro and I left on Sunday was because we desperately had to take care of some errands in NY that evening... if you added a Friday or extended Sunday we would definitely attend.

On the other hand, I can identify with David's position, maybe it's best to keep it "not enough." There's something to be said for the wisdom that the best recipes are the ones that leave everyone feeling that they are not quite full! (I learned that from an obscure Austrian-Jewish anecdote, hilarious but too long-winded to repeat here...)

I wanted to add something to the comments about how amazing this event is. My wife is a fiddler, and in the days leading up to the Squeeze-In, she expressed some reluctance to attend -- she felt it was "my" thing and that she would have little to do. How delighted I was during the first evening to find her playing along in the jam sessions, chatting with people, and eventually finding other fiddlers to swap tunes with. She had a ball and wouldn't consider staying home next year! On the drive home we couldn't stop talking about how warm the fellowship was among the attendees and how much great music-making had occurred. All these wonderful people, fun tunes, idyllic setting, and tasty food make the Squeeze-In a gem of an event... there are a lot more positive comments to make about it but I'm still too tired to write them down!

Andy

[JimLucas]

Dave Weinstein:

... would it really require the full logistical setup to get people to attend?

 

Absolutely not!

 

The current size, and the sponsorship and organization provided by The Buttonbox are wonderful, but not required. Gatherings, whether of concertina players or for other purposes, can be of infinite variety. The first Squeeze In was held, as I recall, at a camp where one of the organizers worked. Very different from today's... except in spirit.

 

There was an attempt to organize a Northwest squeeze in, and it didn't quite come off. Yet. But with the Tedrow touring 'tina and myself arriving in Seattle at the same time there was an evening gathering of more than a dozen a Kevin Gow's house. It was too little time, though, and I suspect that a longer gathering will be an eventual, inevitable result.

 

If you have (or have access to) a farm with a big house and/or a barn, and a field where folks can camp, you could organize a gathering. Some squeezers who aren't into camping might not attend, or they might book into a local motel. Or you could hold one at a Hilton Hotel, and many squeezers wouldn't be able to afford it, but you still might get a few. You'll never be able get everybody, anyway.

 

Be prepared to start small. After it's successful enough to inspire a repeat, you can do more serious planning for the next one. And then you'll almost certainly have volunteers from among the first-timers to help you.

 

Our first Scandinavian Squeeze-In was attended by a total of eight people. It was officially a 1-day event, held in a rural community house. For those who wanted to remain overnight we recommended a cabin village in a nearby town, and in the end six of us shared a cabin, breakfast, and a leisurely morning before parting. We prepared our own food. Everyone shared the costs, 180 SEK (Swedish kronor) per person for the day.and 170 SEK for the overnight.

 

Since then we've had three more, full weekend events with only slightly more organization and cost... and more attendees. We book a local Scout house, which has beds for 28, and we hire a cook for the main meals, though we still prepare our own breakfasts and do our own cleanup. The price last year was 670 SEK, including meals and bed, Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.

 

However, I would suggest that one important consideration should be that whatever the venue for your gathering, it should be exclusively for the squeezers' gathering, not shared with any other group(s). Even people who like the concertina can be annoyed by many of them constantly and loudly present. And concertinas are even more portable than they are valuable, not the sort of thing one should leave lying around in the presence of strangers. The gathered squeezers shouldn't have to worry about that.

[yerpalal]

I unfortunately missed the party this year, the event is just right. The length is near Ideal. I guess an earlier start on Friday would be nice, in a way, but on the other hand the brief nature of the event makes it somehow more doable.

I think that it would be great fun if players could get together more often,rather than just once a year.

I suppose that would require some sort of organizing, a club or association of some sort, that could manage the necessary details. Hard to find the time for that.

The ICA has managed this for years and has a number of "active" groups, but they seem to have "many" more concertinists about than we do here in the states.A larger pool of interested folks, it may be that this network is the "begining" of the ground swell. Al W.