Accordi-o-Rama: A Squeezebox Spectacular

I arrived in Paris several years ago to break off my first serious relationship. Sitting in the subway, tears occasionally tracing a trail down my cheek, I was overwhelmed by feelings of heartache and the fear I may be on the wrong train since the only French I knew was “soup du jour.” Nothing could lift my spirits—or so I thought, until the oddly romantic, quirky strains of the world’s most notoriously obnoxious instrument filled the car as a squeezebox busker came strolling through. The accordion gets a bad rap, mostly due to its association with polka, which also gets a bad rap for that matter. But it’s time to open your mind: Town Hall is set to challenge all your biases about the people’s organ with Accordi-o-Rama: A Squeezebox Spectacular. Performers from the traditional to those self-proclaimed purveyors of the gospel of accordion chaos, Hell’s Bellows, are on the program. Support for the squeezeboxers will come from a coterie of fiddlers and vocalists, local harmonica virtuoso Mark Graham, and a 21-pipe Chinese instrument said to be the modern accordion’s forerunner. Turns out the accordion is more than just the instrument your grandpa plays at the county fair. And it might turn out to be your only friend in Paris, so get acquainted now. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. $22 advance/$25 door. 2 p.m. LAURA ONSTOT
Sun., Jan. 20, 2 p.m., 2008