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Post by cordurory on Jan 24, 2009 15:40:57 GMT -5
Hi guys what kind of accordion does Franz play?
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Post by jwd on Jan 24, 2009 18:52:06 GMT -5
That's actually a good question. I think he has a story behind it....
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Post by Rich Tarbell on Jan 24, 2009 18:59:07 GMT -5
not a dumb question ... i believe he owns 3 ... the one you see often is more "road-worthy sturdy" but may not be the most treasured
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Post by campfirewood1980 on Jan 24, 2009 21:11:19 GMT -5
He's got a great story behind it, from what I've heard...
However, the answer is obvious: THE AWESOME KIND.
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fn
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Post by fn on Jan 25, 2009 12:10:16 GMT -5
didn't your teacher ever tell you there are no dumb questions? brands matter far less in the accordion world than they do in guitar world. (though it's arguable whether they matter THAT much in guitar world either.) that said, i do have three. 1) the first one i had was my dad's, a red 72-bass Hohner Concerto II (accordion size is denoted by the number of bass buttons). Same company that makes harmonicas - the technology is identical. It's a great instrument, brash, loud, perfect for use with rock bands when you need a big, trebly sound to cut through all the other midrange goop. My dad's grandfather brought it over from germany in the late 50s so his son could play him polkas and waltzes. Like a good American boy, he hated it - wanted to play the saxophone - and went so far as to slice the bellows with a steak knife before one lesson. Unfortunately for him, bellows can be patched. Fortunately for me, he kept it around the house. But it's been through the punk-rock wars, and after seven years of european squats and sweaty vfw halls, it's been broken and fixed so many times it's no longer really road-worthy. Played this on "Citrus", "American Music", and "Dance Music"; and rock/punk sessions. Good zydeco sound.  2) The really good one is a full-size 120-bass Galanti, an Italian beast I bought off a Bulgarian fellow named Sergio in Forest Hills about five years ago. I found him on Yahoo Classifieds; it's kind of a sad story: he'd emigrated with his brother fifty years earlier, and they'd always lived together, worked together, never married, and after work they'd play accordion duets in the basement. When his brother died, he couldn't bring himself to play alone. So he gave me an incredible deal, because, he said, "I can tell you're a musician and I want to to go to someone who'll play it." It's really versatile and subtle: 16 tone switches on the piano keys (4 sets of reeds for each key: unison, up 1 octave, down 1 octave, and every combination of that) and three on the bass keys. Too subtle, really, for rock; also massively heavy. I use it for Guignol and Anti-Social Music. I played this on the first few years of THS shows, and on "Modesto" and "Discouraged". Good for ballady sessions or creepy soundtrack-type stuff. Also the Leftover Crack & Mischief Brew albums.  3) The newest one, which doesn't have a particularly fancy story - I bought it a year or two ago to have a decent, road-worthy mid-sized instrument. The brand is something called "Candido By Lorio". Got it used from Alex Accordion on 48th St. Two differences: It's a full 120-bass, but scaled down about 3/4, what they often refer to as "ladies' size". Biggest problem with that is the piano keys are thinner, which took me a while to get used to; I felt like I had giant clunky fingers. But I got used to it. Also it has a stereo pickup in it; the other two have mono; so the plugged-in sound is better. I didn't really think I'd use this much for recording, since the sound isn't as distinctive as the other two, but I did have good luck with it on the Jennifer O'Connor record.  It's still not the perfect instrument. Next time I have some extra cash I'll sell it and get a full-size new Hohner. I still miss having that big dance sound. OK, more info than you probably required. But I don't get asked this very often! |
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fn
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Post by fn on Jan 25, 2009 12:12:48 GMT -5
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essbee
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Post by essbee on Jan 25, 2009 12:17:05 GMT -5
The really good one is a full-size 120-bass Galanti, an Italian beast I bought off a Bulgarian fellow named Sergio in Forest Hills about five years ago. I found him on Yahoo Classifieds; it's kind of a sad story: he'd emigrated with his brother fifty years earlier, and they'd always lived together, worked together, never married, and after work they'd play accordion duets in the basement. When his brother died, he couldn't bring himself to play alone. So he gave me an incredible deal, because, he said, "I can tell you're a musician and I want to to go to someone who'll play it." That is a perfect story. |
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cre618
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Post by cre618 on Jan 25, 2009 12:17:51 GMT -5
I love this board.
Happy Sunday.
Jack
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Post by gushingblood on Jan 25, 2009 12:18:18 GMT -5
 And that is why the Hold Steady are so very very good. Would any other band give in-depth first hand advice to their fans? Made my day. |
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Post by hoodrat on Jan 25, 2009 12:21:18 GMT -5
I don't know why the other two photos aren't showing up. fixed it, okay? just needed to fiddle with the urls a bit. gorgeous |
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Post by theblondette on Jan 25, 2009 13:52:49 GMT -5
These are great stories, Franz! Thanks for sharing.
It's interesting what you say about accordions and harmonicas - a friend of mine who is Slovenian says when he says accordion he means harmonica... Perhaps this is where that originates!
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woody
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Post by woody on Jan 25, 2009 14:31:51 GMT -5
posting in epic thread
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Post by semihollow on Jan 25, 2009 14:52:32 GMT -5
man i want an accordion so bad, i just dropped 30 bucks on a new hohner marine band harmonica and i felt that was too expensive the cheapest accordion i can find is 400 bucks and it probably isnt any good. i will have one some day
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Post by Fine Malt Lyrics on Jan 25, 2009 15:53:52 GMT -5
Speaking as someone who has a grandfather that also brought a beautiful accordion over from Germany, which he learned to play and treasures to this day...this was just an awesome treat. Thanks, fn.
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fn
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Post by fn on Jan 25, 2009 16:27:18 GMT -5
It's interesting what you say about accordions and harmonicas - a friend of mine who is Slovenian says when he says accordion he means harmonica... Perhaps this is where that originates! yeah that's the case in most slavic languages - accordion in Russian is "garmon'" - or "harmon'" in ukrainian, with a soft g. it's the exact same reed setup, just with bellows instead of lungs. |
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Post by theblondette on Jan 25, 2009 17:11:40 GMT -5
That is very interesting... I suppose that makes harmonica players part of their instrument, which is sort of a lovely idea - they and their harmonica together make an accordion. That makes me smile.
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Post by cordurory on Jan 25, 2009 18:17:36 GMT -5
MAN I love this band!
Thanks Franz. I love to hear the accordion on the THS songs.
That's not at all what I expected thanks for the epic stories, and giving me even more reasons to love you guys so much.
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Post by jtd7 on Jan 25, 2009 20:15:37 GMT -5
didn't your teacher ever tell you there are no dumb questions? The first director of research at my company used to say "There are no dumb questions, just dumb people who don't know the answers." He's not with us anymore. Fantastic stories and information, Franz! Thank you so much. That is so special, to play an instrument that has been in your family for generations. I'm about to get my grandfather's piano (it's a Knabe upright). I practiced on that piano when in college, so I feel like I'm coming home. |
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Sunny D
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Post by Sunny D on Jan 25, 2009 21:42:23 GMT -5
Franz, that was an awesome read!
I'm gonna remeber the story of the second accordion whenever I listen to "Modesto Is Not That Sweet" and "Lord, I'm Discoraged."
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Evan
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Post by Evan on Jan 25, 2009 21:54:08 GMT -5
man i want an accordion so bad, i just dropped 30 bucks on a new hohner marine band harmonica and i felt that was too expensive the cheapest accordion i can find is 400 bucks and it probably isnt any good. i will have one some day Good instruments are expensive, but it's an investment--a Hohner Marine Band is a great harp, and it'll last for ages. Buy a good guitar and take care of it, and you'll never have to buy another (though you'll almost certainly want to). I'd say set your sights on a particular instrument, just start putting money aside now, a little bit every day or every week, until you have enough. As someone who's bought more instruments than is advisable for having little to no money, that's how I usually handle it. |
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meoskop
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Post by meoskop on Jan 25, 2009 22:03:50 GMT -5
I used to know a group of brothers who were made to take accordion lessons and complained all through school about it. I thought it was awesome. We need, like, Shep Fairey posters promoting accordions.
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emily
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Post by emily on Jan 26, 2009 0:05:01 GMT -5
Accordions are wonderful. I had a friend in high school who played. All of the videos she and I made for German class had at least one scene featuring accordion playing. Cause why not?
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Post by kim on Jan 26, 2009 0:13:01 GMT -5
I have just learned more about accordions in the last ten minutes than I ever had in my life. I knew I was on the boards for a reason: getting an education on musical instruments my mother doesn't care for.
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Post by frannyglass on Jan 26, 2009 0:32:46 GMT -5
Totally! I love this stuff. Thanks so much for asking the question Cordurory, we all got to learn something new, and great stories to boot!
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Post by dot info on Jan 26, 2009 5:15:43 GMT -5
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