First Nessie Photo Turns 75

The first photo of the so-called Loch Ness Monster was taken 75 years ago today, and BBC News tells the story of the historic image:

"It was this picture, snapped by Hugh Grey on 12 November 1933, that is credited as being the first photographic evidence of the Loch Ness monster. It appeared on the front cover of the Scottish Daily Record on 8 December that year, under the headline 'Monster photograph of the mysterious Loch Ness object.'"

The BBC also has several other historic photos of Nessie, including the "neck" photo, which was taken by the guy described in "Deathbed Confession."

Wild Women of the Accordion

Tonight, Nov 13, at the Cafe du Nord there's a Wild Women of the Accordion show scheduled to entertain you this Mini-Friday. The show features TDA alum Big Lou and her band Polka Casserole, as well as Kugelplex, and Renee de la Prade and Friends.

Visit SFGate.com for more info, including an interview with Lou.

The End Of TV For Old Folks

This made me laugh. I sent it to my folks, who I think will be able to relate. My favorite line; "Will this bring Jack Benny back?"

How To Yodel

My friend Peter H. sends this vintage performance by Diane Jewett, a queen of the near lost art of yodeling. TDA's own Carri Abrahms does a fine job of it in the Hotsy Totsy Polka. So warm up those vocal cords and let loose!

Accordion Bus

The Camden Irish Music Festival recently did some ambient advertising on the already accordion looking articulated buses throughout London. I wonder if they need some music piped in for the commuters?

(Via I Believe In Advertising)

New ThoseDarnAccordions.com

This weekend we launched a new version of ThoseDarnAccordions.com. The focus was to simplify content and navigation. Some highlights are...
- Each product has its own page.
- Each band member has their own biography.
- More active content in the Multimedia section.

And now here's how you can make it even better! Post photos of TDA on your Flickr.com account and tag them ThoseDarnAccordions. Our Multimedia page shows the latest uploads with that tag, giving everyone a chance to share their wonderful pix with other fans! Right now, you can see photos from some Yahoo employees enjoying TDA on their Sunnyvale campus.

Gigantic Salmon Swims No More

An 85-pound chinook salmon carcass was found recently on Battle Creek near Anderson, California.

"We see lots of big ones," biologist Doug Killam (pictured holding the salmon) told the Record Searchlight, "but this one was just bigger than most big ones -- it was just spectacular."

Be sure to check the full-size image on the paper's site. The huge fish really is spectacular.

The paper says this fall's salmon run has been smaller than usual, and I think I know why: That 51-inch giant must have eaten a lot of herring, sardines and other salmon grub. Maybe it was even a cannibal.

P.S. Anderson is the home of the Mosquito Serenade, a great concert series down by the river that we've had the pleasure of playing several times. Maybe that 85-pound monster salmon swam by a TDA show!