GDub and I are headed up to Santa Rosa to join Roxanne Oliva and fellow musicians for some Accordion Babe’s Holiday Cheer tonight. Seasonal tunes plus!
Dan Kahane on fiddle, Mad Ms bassist, Tim Sarter and drummer Ian Luke round out the solstice ensemble.
No Cover!
We’ll have Accordion Babes Calenders/CDs for sale.
December 20 – Tuesday 8pm Toad in the Hole, Santa Rosa
December 10 – Saturday 10pm Toad in the Hole, Santa Rosa. Come for grub, suds and tunes at this popular local pub.
Join Mags, Roxanne Oliva and fellow musicians for some Accordion Babe’s Holiday Cheer. Seasonal tunes plus!
Dan Kahane on fiddle, several Mad Maggies and, well come and see for yourself. We’ll be keeping it lively!
December 20 – Tuesday 7pm Toad in the Hole, Santa Rosa
December 23 – Friday 7pm Aqus Cafe, Petaluma
Actually we want to make your holiday shopping less craZy so here’s a couple of eZ ideas:
Shop our online music store for music downloads (single tracks or full albums in as high quality formats as you prefer) or actual CDs mailed to just about anywhere and get a nice, fat 25% off of everything. Simply use the coupon code crazyholidaze at checkout.
Yep, we do love you that much.
The 2012 Accordion Babes Album and Pin Up Calendar is an ideal gift for accordion lovers, music lovers, pin-up fans and more. 13 images of accordions and their lovely owners PLUS a CD with a track from each of the babes.
Mags is Ms. November and “Shake Those Bones” is the track.
$15 plus $5 shipping gets one delivered to your doorstep or mailbox or, well wherever. You can pay with credit or debit card at PayPal.
Enjoy 13 images of accordions and their lovely owners PLUS a CD with a track from each of the babes.
Mags strikes a roguish pose as Ms. November and “Shake Those Bones” is the track.
$15 plus $5 shipping gets one delivered to your doorstep or mailbox or, well wherever. You can pay with credit or debit card at PayPal.
Good gift idea for music lover, pin-up lover, accordionistas!
Getting ready to head out to KRCB radio in Rohnert Park to chat and play music live in the studio. Our time slot is 2:00pm. Steve Earlap is our host on “Our Roots Are Showing”.
Listen in at 91 FM
or
LIVE stream: krcb.org/
Roxanne Oliva and several of us Mad Maggies will be talking about our new albums and our release party/show tonight. We’ll stir up some dust 
We will have the new 2012 Accordion Babes Calendar and Album at the show tonight.
Just $15 gets you 13 images of accordions and their lovely owners AND a CD with a track from each of the “babes”. A great gift.
Roxanne Oliva is Ms. July. Yours madly is Ms. November.
For those of you far away or who cannot make it to our CD release party, you can buy online via PayPal — $15 plus $5 shipping.
To a one the Mad Ms had a blast this past weekend in Cedar Rapids. Those Iowans are some friendly people!
The fun began Thursday night (9/22) when we took a red eye flight from SFO to arrive at CID around 8:30 Friday morning (9/23). Fellow accordionista and workshop presenter Roxanne Oliva and her husband Paul Oliva traveled with us.
Our host, Jim Jacobmeyer picked us up with friend and volunteer Robin. They hauled all nine of us and luggage and instruments back to his beautiful 1905 American Four Square 2 and 1/2 stories, 5 + bedrooms home near the “Czech Village”. You Californians don’t even want to know what a home like that sells for there. Seriously you don’t.
We thought we’d have some down time but found out that sound check was at 1pm so we figured out who would sleep where, ate a quick brunch and then off to the Vet’s Memorial Stadium.
Our stage was on a mezzanine area above the ball field. All very nicely set up. Sound Concepts was in charge of sound, Bandi was our engineer with Vanessa and Horace assisting. They did a great job. There were sound speakers throughout the area, not just on the stage, which had to be a trick to get right.
A couple hours there warming up and then back to our home base to freshen up for our 6pm downbeat. At this point we are in a slight daze but nothing a good Czech beer won’t straighten out.
Here’s a photo of us in front of Jim’s Four Square as we head off to play BrewNost 2011:
Roxanne was to play a few sets at a nearby bar/restaurant — Parlour City so she and Paul stayed behind.
When we arrived at the gate there was a very nice crowd gathering. Tables were full of beer-filled glasses. Lori Young of Hey Lori Productions had made it up from Illinois with her husband Paul.
During our first set folks were still getting beers and sampling the array of food. A section of keys on Adrian’s sax fell apart so he had to jerry-rig them. ‘Twas a bit nerve wracking to see him sitting on the back of the stage with tools in hand working on his horn mid-set. Then something happened to Rhian’s clarinet. Oh my! But the show must go on. Sure enough Adrian & Rhian got their horns back in action.
By our second set more folks were seated in front checking us out and then by the third set there was dancing and general cavorting. Rhian spoke Czech to the audience, I sang a song in Slovak. We played our hits. They loved us. A great gig!
—
After the show we packed up and went to support Roxanne at Parlour City. Jim and another friendly volunteer, Laura drove us. (Turns out Laura speaks French so I had fun practicing chatting with her.)
Rox had been dishing up a solo show for a couple hours. We had our instruments with us so we joined her for a few tunes. Even Paul sang a tune. We played Klez, Irish whatever we could figure out that we could play together. Next thing I know Johnny Blood is up singing “Ma Vie en Rose” with Roxanne accompanying on accordion. A memorable performance!
Don’t know if it was related but right about then one of the wait staff came over to mention how late it was, closing time was coming up …
We rambunctious rogues moved our gathering back to Jim’s home. Once again we were chauffeured.
I recall a stop for beer and whiskey. More music in the living room. I, in a stroke of unimpaired good judgement, retired to my chambers before the “blues song-writing circle” began.
A good first day.
PHOTOS:
A medley of photos on our website (no FB needed)
Eastern Iowa Life article saying the Mad Ms are coming
Suds and Dancin’ — Super pleased to be playing this year’s BrewNost! in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This international beer-tasting event kicks off the Fall Czech Fest and the 1st National Accordion Symposium.
I will be trying my best to blog our adventure.
Are you ready for the Mad Ms, Cedar Rapids?!
These fine shots were taken by the aforementioned Paul (with parasol) at the Penngrove Parade yesterday, 7/3/11. Thanks, Paul!
That’s Roxanne Oliva with the beautiful blue Castiglione.
That’s Richard Cullinen, the Cotati Festival Master of Ceremonies and former mayor of Cotati in the front seat. Shelly, wife of Festival director, Scott Goree is driving.
Got the word that I will be an Accordion Babe in the 2012 “Accordion Babes Album and Pin-up Calendar”. Hurray!
Because of our new CD, “Shake Those Bones”, I chose a roguish, card-playing, dice throwing theme.
Once again photographer John Clayton took a fab shot. Thank you, John!
Our cut for the Accordion Babes compilation CD will be our cumbia-esque tune “The Cards On the Table” from “Shake Those Bones”.
And now I know quite a bit more about working with dry ice and fog machines
