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Anyone Going To The North-east Squeeze-in?


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Thanks for the inspiration Dave!!!

Here's my pin.

Already printed out and in a plastic "convention" thing!

 

Wow!!!!!!

For some reason this time it worked only it got squished.

If you click on the image it will flatten.

post-4-1094144241.jpg

Edited by Perry Werner
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Cool, Dave! OK if we plagiarize?

I was thinking of it as free publicity for the site.

What happened........

No photo.

How do you attach a photo file again??????

Make sure it's in a widely compatible format (ie, jpeg) and no larger than 120K. Then click the "Browse..." button in the "File Attachments" section below the "Enter your Post" window and navigate to the file (the picture).
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Well, after much shilly-shallying, Michael Reid and I have decided to attend. I'm looking forward to some serious Morris stuff, and hopefully a session or two on contra dance music. I'll be the one wearing the world's most ragged Concertina.Net T-shirt -- one of the first sold, and according to my wife now a certifiable rag.

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Regarding my previous notes about giving ride(s) to/from the Squeeze-in, from my area (which is about 1 hour west of Boston):

 

Now things have changed a bit for me....so, don't know for sure that I can help.

 

I'll still be going to the Squeeze-in, of course. BUT...my daughter, a sophomore in college, quit the marching band this year, at the 'last minute,' so that changes my plans slightly re working out visits with her and so on.

 

So...I may be leaving way early for the Squeeze-in so that I can stop at the college, instead of planning things around when the band plays at football games.

 

Closer to the time, I'll know what I'm doing and when, though most likely everyone will have their plans all set by then.

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Yes !!! I've been looking forward to it for weeks.

 

And ... I have a request ... "workshop wanted" ... could one of the more advanced players lead a "slow session" for less experienced players? (Please and thanks)

 

Bill Taffe

Rumney, NH

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I'll be going but I'm not sure which concertinas I'll be bringing though I will have one CG Anglo and on English treble for sure. I'm also looking for a ride up on Friday if anyone is going from NYC. I've e-mailed a couple of people who are in the area but I haven't heard back yet. Thanks, Howie Leifer

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It seems to me Concertina.Net is having a profound impact on the squeeze-in.

 

I attended once, in 1999 or 2000 (it was the big anniversary year with the maroon T-shirts, if that helps pin it down), and there were precious few concertinas. My square Herrington may have been the only Anglo; there were several English and Duets. This year, it sounds like concertinas will predominate. I would guess that all the talk about the event on Concertina. Net has changed its musical demography.

 

What do you say, Rich?

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It seems to me Concertina.Net is having a profound impact on the squeeze-in.

I attended once, in 1999 or 2000 (it was the big anniversary year with the maroon T-shirts, if that helps pin it down), and there were precious few concertinas.  I would guess that all the talk about the event on Concertina. Net has changed its musical demography.

To me, your experience seems anomalous. I attended a few times, and concertinas were always well in the majority, though accordions of various sorts (who has the bass accordion now?) were well represented. I would consider the group picture on the cover of Concertina & Squeezebox No. 30 to be fairly typical.

 

But if Concertina.net has helped get it back "on the right track", my applause. :)

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I attended once, in 1999 or 2000 and there were precious few concertinas.

To me, your experience seems anomalous. I attended a few times, and concertinas were always well in the majority, though accordions of various sorts were well represented.

The overall squeezebox mix hasn't changed much over the years. In the early 90's it was about 60% accordions (and about 80% of them were button accordions). Middle 90's saw concertinas swell to a bit over 50%, gaining ground to button accordions dropping out (Morris and Cajun players used to be a big part of NESI in the early 90's). BA's continue to loose ground around the turn of the century - to a very heavy PA surge (mainly blues and swing), so much so that it pushed the concertina contingent back to about 35-40%. The last couple of years has seen the concertinas rebound to about 45-50%.

 

While this may sound like small potatoes, keep in mind that there are about 130 players that show up, of which a healthy fraction is still probably the largest gathering of concertina players (not counting those chemnitzer parties in the MW) in the US!

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It seems to me Concertina.Net is having a profound impact on the squeeze-in.

And before concertina.net there was rec.music.makers.squeezebox, which brought not only concertina players but PA and BA players as well.

 

Before the internet, however, you could actually get a room at the inn without registering in April.

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Many of you are going to this Squeeze -in and sadly I am not, so have a great time.One day I will try to make it. What am I missing ? What is the venue like? Do you do your workshops in rooms ,tents ? Do you have dances? Do you all have a big session in a pub or is every event organised? For those of us who cannot attend some info would be nice to see.

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Those Squeeze-In links are a good place to get an idea of what goes on there though there's not much on the place itself.

 

Our venue, Bucksteep Manor, is a "retreat" that was built over a century ago in the "American Tudor" (sort of English country) architectural style that catered to New Yorkers wanting to relax for a week or so to a private, comfy spot with "old-world" atmosphere. Despite the years, a couple of fires, modernization, additions, etc., Bucksteep retains much of intent and character.

 

The main building has many stone fireplaces, beamed ceilings, leaded glass windows, etc. The newer outbuildings don't have as much charm, but each bedroom within them has a private bathroom.... There are also cabins, a barn, gazebos, the campground area, a swimming pool and various maintenance buildings. I'm glad that they'd located the pool so far from the Manor house that you can't even see it from there.

 

The whole place feels secluded and private - which it is! Or to put it another way - it's pretty remote and lonely too, though for us that means that gawkers aren't a problem. The estate comprises about 250 acres right on the edge of the October Mountain State Forest - which is on October Mountain (duh...) which means it's pretty remote, and fairly high up though I realize that that's relative....

 

There's only us that take over the entire spread. The manor house has several large rooms for workshops and/or jamming as well as a goodly sized front porch (which can accommodate a session at either end!). The barn had long ago been converted into a hall with bar and stage, which is where we hold more workshops, the concert and the dance. An ell off that is where The Button Box sets up shop. Other workshops are held in the gazebos, the chapel, under lawn tents and just out in the open, picnic tables or not.

 

Very little about the event is "organized" but for the framework. What actually happens is up to those who come. Absolutely nothing is scheduled for Friday (except dinner). People get acquainted and comfy (for some it means setting up a tent and getting your bag primed and then hanging out jamming, for others it means dumping duds in your cozy room and grabbing a pint with a bud or two for some serious singing.... So the evening is mostly boisterous carousing which peters out sometime after I head for the sack (usually about 2am).

 

Saturday is organized into 5 workshop timeslots for 7 locations. The workshop scheduleboard is BLANK on Friday afternoon and pretty full by Saturday morning. The idea is that if you have some experience you'd like to share - lead a workshop! Put a name to your offering and pen it into the grid where you think appropriate. Other people who *want* something to happen can request such by way of a sticky-note adjacent to the workshop grid, and others who would like to "fill that need" pin that workshop suggestion to a time/place slot to lead it.

 

This makes for quite an eclectic - but very pertinent - workshops. Some workshops from last year's includes: Anglo Support Group (for beginners with focus on chords), the ABCs of "ABC", PA Playing Off Each Other, Hayden Duet techniques, ECD, Sea Shanties, Irish ornaments/embelishments on anglo, Jig Composition, French Bourrees, Contra Band, Chords & Accompaniment on English, Morris Tunes, Quebecois session, Bellows Making, Chanson Francais, Concertina repairs, Music Theory, Concertina Band....

 

The Saturday night concert is whomever wants to shine. Sign up on the list and you get on. Beginners, pros, singly or in groups... tunes, songs, dances, poems, whatever. We're playing to a captive, friendly, and oh-so-understanding and forgiving crowd.... Then the dance, midnight snack and more jamming till who knows (or can remember?) when. I hear that the swing tunes session and dance was particularly good around 1am last year.

 

Sunday is a late breakfast (obviously), or brunch as some would say. Yes - about the food - is quite good (as *I* plan the menus!!!) and served buffet style. Oh, I was going on about Sunday.... More workshops and such.

 

Even though there are a lot of workshops, there's time between each to catch up with friends (new and old!), catch a tune, jam, get your box checked out or check out some of the goods at the Button Box "store" as well as the "Participants" tables (anyone can set up their wares for sale or ogglement).

 

I guess you'd have to experience the event to really appreciate it, but at least this little narrative plus checking out the reviews will give you an idea of what goes on.

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