Our Music

The button accordion has many regional styles, from Ireland, France, Quebec, Louisiana, Texas and other places. We’ve focused on traditional American old time and bluegrass tunes, which are mostly played on string instruments, the fiddle in particular. Accordions are rare in these circles.

Old time music is mostly played informally, at festivals and homes. Gathering with folk who share a common old time tune repertoire is one of the nicer ways to spend time. There are no music scores, tunes are learnt by ear, often on the fly.

When our turn comes around we play these melodies together, with a “twin accordion” sound. Our instruments are powerful compared to those of our string playing companions, our task is to temper the sound to match the other players. A work in progress, we’re learning as we go.

Our Tunelist

A moving target, it currently looks like this:

Angeline the Baker
Big Sciota
Blackberry Blossom
Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine
Cold Frosty Morning
Flop Eared Mule
Flowers of Edinburgh
Forked Deer
Girl I Left Behind
Home Sweet Home
Julianne Johnson
June Apple
Katy Hill
Liberty
Momisett
New Five Cent
Old Joe Clark

Over the Waterfall
Red Haired Boy
Sail Away Ladies
Shady Grove
Shove that Pigs Foot a Little Further into the Fire
Soldiers Joy
Speed the Plough
Spotted pony
Squirrel Hunter
St Annes Reel
Temperance Reel
The Wren
Uncle Joe
Waiting for the Federales
Waynesboro
West Fork Girls
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Whiskey in the Jar
Wolves are Howling