Sam Reider walks a fine line. The child of a Klezmer musician and a musical theater composer, Sam is West Coast born, raised in San Francisco but has since settled in Brooklyn, NY. A pianist, he originally studied jazz, but explored other methods of expressing his musical vision. By using the piano accordion, Sam … Continue reading The Atmospheric style of Sam Reider and The Human Hands
Child prodigies can become 'stuck' between a world where they were always a delight, and the adult world, more critical and less forgiving, where success is hard-won and failure is far more probable. While Joey Miskulin could still be that cute kid at heart, in the real world, he never lost his vision as a … Continue reading Country Music Salutes Joey Miskulin
She who plays the piano accordion is never ignored. California-born Julieta Venegas y Percevault, known professionally as Julieta Venegas (pronounced BAY-nay-yahs), was born in Long Beach, California, and raised in Tijuana, Mexico where she became fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. At age ten, Julieta began to formally study music and to learn the … Continue reading Julieta Venegas, Big Talent with Small Accordion Yields International Star
Before there was Lady Gaga, there was Phoebe Legere. The New York City based musician, first signed by Epic/Sony at age 17, emerged in the early 1990's as a young singer of promise with extraordinary vocal range and quality. In the years since, she opened for David Bowie (1991), and has recorded, written, produced and … Continue reading Phoebe Leger, Artist of the Avant Garde
Pauline Oliveros always thought outside of 'the box.' During her sixty-year career as a composer, musician, performer, researcher, writer and educator in the field of sound, she utilized a "conventional instrument," the piano accordion, as an unconventional tool in her work. Not only did she focus on music as a sequence of sound, but she … Continue reading The Maverick, Pauline Oliveros–Don’t Call Her a ‘Lady Composer’
Music changes along with new discoveries, major social or political events or technological developments. Art and music reflect our reaction, because human beings are impacted by change, and have a deep need to express it through the arts. As part of the continuum of adjusting and adapting, some artists naturally look back to tradition, as … Continue reading The Electrifying Cathie Travers
Austin, Texas is a "music city", but wouldn't be one without its musicians. Cultural development in Texas, the Southwestern region and even the entire United States is influenced by the Austin music scene. Both the diatonic and piano accordions are components of the Western musical aesthetic and Debra Peters has been a part of … Continue reading Debra Peters, Where The Lone Star Meets The Big Easy
Bio courtesy of Jamie Maschler.com Carving her name in the music scene as Sanfoneira, or accordionist, Jamie Maschler is among Seattle’s few female lead instrumentalists. “Jamie Maschler, knows the versatility of the accordion better then most. She has played the instrument since she was four and spent years perfecting and competing with pieces by such … Continue reading Jamie Maschler, Seattle’s ‘Sanfoneira’
It all began with a gift to Meredith Pangrace from her husband. The small accordion, intended as a ‘gag’ gift, incredibly, became enormously important in Meredith's life and would take it down a different path. It was, in fact, the spark that led to Meredith's decision to choose to save a fellow musician's life by giving her the … Continue reading Meredith Pangrace of Maura Rogers & The Bellows
Savvy Shaina Taub is an award-winning songwriter, actor, musical theater performer, singer and musician based in New York City. Her songs have been noted to be “sincere, thought-provoking, and brimming with optimism, all the while being appropriately self-aware and very honest.”* Shaina often wraps the accordion around her lyrics and music. Instinctively, she understands that … Continue reading The Perspective of Shaina Taub
Accordion Americana 