Pedal-Pumpin' Squeezebox Action

OK, so the headline ("Variety of Sounds Heard at International Accordion Festival") is lame. But the Houston Chronicle's article is intriguing as it paints a picture of the International Accordion Festival in San Antonio, Texas.

The story says Polish squeezebox player Marian Pelka uses "pedal power to enhance his lilting sounds" and talks about him playing an "ornate instrument." Wonder what that could mean? Surely Pelka's not wailing away on a wah-wah pedal like, oh, some other accordion players I know.

Well, the article never gets around to the details. But it piqued my curiosity enough to track down a story in the San Antonio Express-News that gives a little more info:

"Accordion freaks and others interested in out-of-the-ordinary instruments are going to love Pelka's axe. From Wieniawa, in central Poland, Pelka plays his waltzes, obereks, polkas and mazureks on a pipe-mounted accordion operated by foot pedals that pulls the air into and out of the bellows."

Now if I can just find a picture ...