Monsters of Accordion

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More About

• Jason Webley
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Guy Lombardo
• Mark Growden
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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To those who associate the keyed device with Guy Lombardo and “Weird” Al Yankovic, I reply that accordion loathing is caused by bad performers, not the innocent instrument itself. In the hands of the right musician, more than corny polkas and “Lady of Spain” can issue from an accordion. Astonishing things, even. Thus, the Monsters of Accordion tour, which is also a homecoming for two of its musicians. Amy Denio has tackled just about every genre out there, collaborating with ensembles from the Pat Graney Dance Company to Kultur Shock. Though she’s picked up more instruments than you could probably name, somehow she’s never lost her love for the squeezebox. Then there’s Jason Webley, who’s been absent from the local scene for the last couple of years. His recent travels have included a ballet in Mexico City and a huge concert in the only city above the Arctic Circle, Norilsk, a former gulag in Siberia. (“It is part of my plan to become incredibly famous in the most obscure corners of the Earth,” he boasts.) Also onstage at the all-ages show will be Mark Growden, whom Webley calls the “dark singer/songwriter/accordion God of the Bay Area,” and Duckmandu, who favors punk over polka. Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave. N., 800-838-3006, www.fremontabbey.com. $10. 7:30 p.m. JOHN LONGENBAUGH
Sat., Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m., 2008