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polkabeast

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Everything posted by polkabeast

  1. I start out every practice either developing a new song or working on a new cover. Then I trudge through my set of what I know and can play best. Then I finish up trying to polish what I can't play as well. Keeps the categories fresh and shifting.
  2. Here are some clips to my band, The Jakeys, playing recently on the rooftop of CoolBeans, a great pub out here in Denton, Texas. These first two include my 20-button Anglo, Eileen. These next three are Celtic influenced songs: And here's one of our covers, an Iron Maiden song.
  3. I have to agree with Al about the depressed air button. However, as a financially unstable and chronically unemployed person, I've had great luck with cheap concertinas. I just got an $80 Morelli off of e-bay, and it's doing the trick. It is in great tune (unless my bandmates are all out of tune), and sure, the bellows will wear out in a few years, which will be testimony to vigorous playing. Sure, I could save half a grand for a very good concertina or several thousand for an excellent concertina, but what am I gonna do in the meantime, itch frantically with withdrawl shivers? All I know is that I have a $250 Hohner (and I know of the disrepute of Hohner concertinas on this board, and I fully agree) that I have to continually send back to Virginia Beach so that they can replace the reeds, which break left and right. I've NEVER had a reed break on my cheapo concertinas, and I'm a full contact player, to say the least. If you're gonna learn the instrument, you'll probably be buying these things for the rest of your life, so, in my opinion, there's nothing much wrong with saving money at this point.
  4. There's only one way to settle this: 5 on 5 Nerf football game (American, of course) between Concertina players and the "other." Yer either for us or against us.
  5. Here in Texas, and I'm sure other civilized places, we drink 30 PACKS. And we don't go to bed UNTIL 11am.
  6. Huge turnout. Successful show. A pretty Irish girl gave my drunk self a ride home and saw to it that I slept peacefully and well-pillowed until mid afternoon. Today is the day after St. Patty's. I'm going to walk up to my local and treat my hangover with a Guinness and a Bushmills. A friend of mine filmed the show, so I should have links up by next week. Erin, go bra-less.
  7. I've been celebrating St. Patrick's Day for five months now.
  8. My new Irish band, THE LADS, will debut Monday, St. Patty's Day, at Dan's Silverleaf (103 Industrial) in Denton, TX. If you're in the DFW area, come celebrate with us. We'll play at 9pm sharp. FREE SHOW. $2 Guinness. Some of our early practices. $2 Guinness. I play my 20-Button Anglo on several songs, autoharp on two songs, and sing lead on most songs. We also have acoustic bass and guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, whistles, and percussion (kit and bulrom (sp?)). And $2 Guinness. I'm especially proud of our version of Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills." I especially love $2 Guinness. Run for your life.
  9. I actually worship Ireland, but live in Satan ... I mean, the United States of America. Ha. Ha. Just kidding. I live in TEXAS, which is totally different. ??
  10. Hey, y'all. I just found out when I vainly googled my name that three of my newest poems have been published online at Shortpoem.org. Just thought I'd post here since y'all are my friends, and so much cooler than most poetry message boreds I sleep through! BTW, just figured out The Cure's "Lovesong" on my autoharp. About to go play at an open mic down the road. Wish I could teleport everyone here to Denton, TX, for the evening. Sins seer Lee. Michael.
  11. Bump. I hope to meet some of you at this wonderful event. I'm going to register this weekend! I'm bringing musician friends, too. None of them play concertina, but we're all excited about the roadtrip and the weekend of music.
  12. For St. Patty's Day this year in Denton, TX, my new Irish band, THE LADS, will debut at one of the world's coolest pubs, Dan's Silverleaf. On Monday nights, this particular establishment serves domestic drafts for $1, and imports for $2. So I will drink copius amounts of $2 Guinness so that I'll be good and lubed up to sing our first song, A Pint Is All I'm Wantin' Anymore. In this band, I play concertina AND autoharp, though obviously not at the same time. Neither instruments feel the brunt of my neglect. Ironically, a place called Fuzzy's Taco is in the same strip as Dan's Silverleaf, so I'll probably eat Mexican food on St. Patty's day. But, gosh darn, the shrip tempura tacos with feta cheese and Louisiana hot sauce are soooooooooo good. Try not to be "green" with envy. Ha.
  13. I am a sinner. I am a cheater. I know these things. Please pray for my wretched soul while I try, Lord, while I try not to be so polygamous. But it's so much fun! 79 degrees farenheit today in North Texas. I am cutting out of work early to service both of my loves. Or the heck with it. Maybe a pub patio to write poems and contemplate my infidelity. And drink a beer or ten.
  14. concertina and 'harp are similar in that they both have buttons, and one likes to be squeezed, the other hugged. I prefer to lay my autoharp across my lap and spank her like a naughty lover.
  15. Welcome, John. I'm a very recent member here, and I do enjoy the community so very much. I play a 20-button Anglo, double-string-bass, acoustic-string-bass, melodica, piano, and most recently, autoharp. It's great to know there's other squeezers out there. I feel like a freak here in North Texas, where everyone plays acoustic guitar, but the crowds always hush when I break out my box, Helen, and let her breath into the mics. Cheers, John. Michael
  16. Good Lord. I can't tell which of those beauties drives me more mad.
  17. Nein, A Spartan from the thumb who grew up on polkas, country and conjunto. The location does say "Stranded in Buckeyeland" after all. Learned about Irish, oldtime and folk while in East Lansing and fado when my life started investigating her roots. We listened to the evening polka show while milking, which probably explains my love of freereeds. Southeast MI was great place for polkas in the seventies between the evening show out of Saginaw, and then on Sunday you could hear them all day by switching around the dial to catch shows out of Ann Arbor, Detroit and some of the smaller communities, though we generally started out in the morning with Spanish Language show on the same radio station as the evening polka show. Of course, if you grew up there, you probably know what I am talking about. We only ended up here after Robin had an opportunity to go to graduate school at the Ohio State University. Alan I was born in Detroit in 73, so I have childhood memories of polka music. I'm sure that's what kicked in the first time I ever saw a 20-button anglo, changing my life forever. And, actually, I've always been WAY more of a Spartan than a Wolverine. Been to track-n-field camp at MSU a few times. Cheers, Alan, my fellow Michigander.
  18. The autoharp is a good alternative. You only need a finger and thumb on one hand and at least two fingers on the other. That's an oversimplification. But still.
  19. But I hear there is a chorded zither infestation Sounds like it could be fun, maybe we will stop by sometime when we pass through. Of course, first we have to get to Texas. Alan I don't detect an Ohio State fan, do I? I was born and raised in Wolverine country.
  20. I take it that "Ale" is something other than beer???
  21. Thanks for the posts and info, Ceemonster.
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