The Darn Blows Through The Target

Huge thanks to everyone that has helped fuel The Darn's northwest tour through RocketHub.  We reached our goal of $500 and currently sit at $690.  There's still 10 days to go and lots of cool TDA rewards available.  You can check out Paul's video pitch here.

Paul Rogers Talks About The Darn and Crowdfunding in Funny Video.

Hey, have you heard of the cool new thing bands are doing to finance their tours? It's called Crowdfunding! Yeah! This is your chance to get the best deal ever on TDA CDs, T-shirts and bumperstickers. Plus you can even have breakfast with me! Or even get me to write a song about you or whoever you like! Check me out!

"The Darn" Are Coming To The Pacific Northwest

The four piece version of Those Darn Accordions, (2 accordions, bass and drums), head for the great state of Oregon for a 3 day mini-tour.  First up is the Seaside Elks Lodge on Sept 8, then the Old World Deli in Corvalis on Sept 9.  Finally it's McMenamins Oktoberfest at The Old St. Francis School in Bend on Sept 10. 
 We've played a few shows with "just" two accordions, bass and drums in
the past due to scheduling conflicts and such, but now we're giving
this stripped-down version of the band a name to differentiate these
shows from full-on Those Darn Accordions shows. We think "The Darn"
works nicely, and if you're in the area next month, we hope you'll
come check out the show. We'll be playing tons of TDA songs (and
sneaking in a few surprises).
Check out the TDA tour page for more info.

Those Darn Accordions Set to Rock At Cotati Accordion Fest

Those Darn Accordions close out America's Premiere Accordion Festival in Cotati this Sunday, Aug 21 at 6:15.  TDA promises to deliver a high energy set of snappy originals and "bellowized" classic rock standards.  There's no better time to be had anywhere this weekend in Northern California.

Those Darn Accordions In San Francisco

We are set for a "Holiday Party" show in San Francisco on Dec 16 at The Red Devil Lounge.  Show time is 7 pm, so folks can mosey over after work and cut loose with accordions, cocktails and a few carols to boot. Of course we'll have the usual mash up of rock classics and unbelievably hip and catchy originals. We'll also have some cool prizes to give away during the show. Everyone's going to be there, so make sure you are too!

Red Devil Lounge  1695 Polk St. @ Clay  7 PM   $10 cover  415-921-1695

Oktoberfest in Puyallup With Those Darn Accordions

TDA ends it's 2010 Oktoberfest run with the biggest one yet! We head to Puyallup, WA for Oktoberfest Northwest on Friday Oct 8 and Sat. Oct 9.  We go on at 9:30 pm each night, but the fun begins at noon each day with lots of music, great food and beer!  See you there!

Those Darn Accordions Head for The Giant Pumpkin Drop

Seems like we are doing more Oktoberfests than ever this year, but no two are alike. I mean, I can't think of another Oktoberfest we play at that features a Giant Pumpkin Drop that smashes a car into an iron pancake. That's what is going to happen when we play in Seaside, OR on Sept 25. Look, the food, beer and music are gonna be great, but let's be honest, can you really resist seeing this thing smash into a million pieces? Not me.

Bratwurst: Cook 'Em Right!

An excellent article by Bob Currer on how to properly cook a brat. It also gives mention to TDA's "First Bratwurst Of Summer". I'm looking out at the grill and thinking it might be time to attempt a mid-winter fire-up.

Those Darn Accordions At The New Freight & Salvage

It's not too soon to mark your new Accordion Babes calendars for the first Big TDA show of the year. It's right around the corner in Berkeley, CA at the New Freight and Salvage on Jan 15. Show time is 8 pm. tickets are $18.50 Advance and 19.50 at the door.
What, you don't have you Accordion Babes calendar yet? Holy bellows, Batman. Better get one now! Be sure to wear your new Flying Accordion Bot shirt and get a free CD!. What, you don't have your new Bot shirt yet? Holy Robots, Batman, better get one Right Now!

Those Darn Accordions At The Freight And Salvage

You can have a listen to all the cool bands lined up to play the beautiful new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA. Of course, we are on the list. We will be there Jan 15 at 8pm! It's #20 of our 20 City tour.

Free MP3s From Those Darn Accordions

Sign up for the Those Darn Accordions newsletter and receive a link for a free MP3 download every Friday. You'll also get the story behind each song. The first free download is The Perry Mason TV Theme. Enjoy!

Those Darn Accordions Wind It Up In SF

If you've been looking for a reason to fly to San Francisco, we've got one for you! Those Darn Accordions wind up the 2009 tour at the Cafe du Nord in SF on Nov 5.
TDA has spawned several other bands and a few of them will be joining us in a TDA Reunion Accordion Blowout. First up is original TDA'er Tom Torigglia's "Bella Ciao" followed by TDA founder Big Lou and her "Casserole". Then present day TDA takes the stage for a set, before we all join together for a re-creation of some old TDA favorites. We are also planning a special tribute to our dearly missed Clyde Forsman.
So c'mon, hit the skies or the road and head for SF. It's going to be a blast!

Barbecued Oysters, Brats And Beer!

MMMMMM! It must be time for the Seaside Oktoberfest. This has become one of our favorite Oktoberfests and we were quick to add it to our 20th Anniversary Tour. Not only is the food great and the beer better, but the folks at the Seaside Elks are wonderful. It also doesn't hurt that it's located in beautiful Seaside, OR. I got a call today telling me that the phone has been ringing like crazy and they expect to have a big crowd this year. Looks like it's time to party in Seaside! We are playing 3 sets, so this is a chance to get a full dose of TDA. The fun begins this Saturday, Sept 19 at 12 noon. See you there!

TDA's 20 City Tour Rolls Into Oregon

Coming up on the halfway mark of our epic 20 year/ 20 city tour. Oregon, you are next! We hope to see lots of folks at our 4 upcoming shows this week. Here's the schedule:

Thursday, Sept 17 Cozmic Pizza
Friday, Sept 18 Mississippi Pizza
Saturday, Sept 19 Seaside Oktoberfest, Seaside
Sunday Sept 20 Bend

See all you Oregonians soon!

The Hamster Ball Derby is On!

Maybe we should sponsor one of these Hamster Ball Derbys before every show.

Those Darn Accordions and The Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA

Two exciting events are taking place in Port Townsend, WA this weekend. The annual Wooden Boat Festival starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday. Over 200 beautiful vintage boats and lots of activities for kids and adults. On Friday night @ 8 pm, Those Darn Accordions take the stage at the historic Joseph Wheeler Theater in Fort Worden, just around the corner from the Wooden Boat Festival. Why not make a weekend of it and come up Port Townsend to see some amazing boats and hear some amazing music!

Here Comes TDA

Show #1 of 20 was in Alameda, CA. A nice warm up for Cotati Accordion Festival on Saturday. Come early and hear some great accordion playing, drink beer and eat some great food! We go on at 6:25 PM and will have lots of special guests from the early years of TDA. See ya there!

AOL Radio Launches It's Polka Channel!

AOL Radio launches it's Polka Channel today and I'm honored that they asked TDA to be a part of it. The channel will feature all different styles of polka. Here's some easy to follow instructions I received from AOL on how to tune in.

"You do not have to be a subscriber to AOL to listen and there is no charge to you to listen. It is free to all plus we have a great tuner app for iPhones.
Here’s how you tune in from your computer.
Point your Internet browser to: www.aolradio.com and you’ll see a button on the page that says “Listen Now.” Click that and a player pops up. There will be a big column on the left hand side that says “Stations By Category.” Polka will be in the category “World/International” at the bottom of the alphabetical category listing. For a short time it will also be listed in “What’s New” at the top of the column.

Be sure to rate the songs you like, because that's how they decide which ones to keep playing. (Hint,hint)

Who knows, this could be the first step to bringing back the Polka Grammy!

Dreaming Up a New T-Shirt

This being our 20th anniversary and all, I thought we should try to come up with a new t-shirt. I had a meeting with a local artist/friend and we knocked around a few ideas. I'm pretty excited to see what he comes up with. His name is Frank Samuelson and he's done some very cool work. Check it out!
BTW, we will be phasing out the Flaming T's, so if you think you might want one, you should drop by the TDA store.

The Story Of Clyde

I made a demo of a tune in honor of the recently departed Clyde Forsman and put it up on our MySpace page.
For those of you who were lucky enough to see Clyde perform and meet him, I hope this brings a smile to your face.

Cheers,

Paul