We often receive questions regarding the events listed (or suspiciously missing) from the Music Events feature. This event listing is only as good as the information that we receive. If you notice that there are errors or missing details; or worse yet important events that are missing entirely, please tell the promoters to send us a note about the event. We will gladly publish the details for all to see at no cost to them.

12/2008 - Back to Top

We have finished a rather large, and long overdue update to the content of the Concertina People feature. Several new people and photos have been added, as well as changes to existing entries. The content of this feature is really dependent upon all of you. We are not aware of all the changes that occur throughout the year (e.g. bands and honors), so if you know of any updates that need to be made, please contact us. You can also provide us with new people and photos to add to the feature; they will be added as soon as practical.

12/2008 - Back to Top

Question

I was curious if in all your knowledge and experience with Bandoneons you've ever come across someone who had custom mic pickups built in to amplify the sound. I'm thinking of buying an actual Bandoneon on ebay but only if I can figure out a way to amplify it. Do you have any suggestions on who to call about inserting custom pickups?

Answer

Amplifying free-reed instruments has always been a bit of a struggle. It can be a challenge to capture the true sound of the reeds. Issues include button mechanism noise, balance between the two sides of the instrument and frequency range. Because of this, many purists believe it's not possible to effectively use internal pick-ups and insist that the instrument be only amplified through the use of external microphones. However, I have heard just as many of these instruments poorly amplified from the outside as those from the inside. It's all about the microphone!

Many vintage instruments feature crystal microphone cartridges (e.g. Astatic D-104 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astatic_Corporation) suspended internally from the bellows frame. They worked okay, but the technology was used well beyond its years.

The best internal pick-up installations that I have heard recently include these three:

1) A wireless Sennheiser system installed by Michael Arralde of Kent, Washington (http://www.expertaccordionrepair.com/). This is a professional, high-end installation that can cost several hundred dollars, but the Sennheiser technology is top of the line and performs very well. The wireless aspect is quite unique.

2) A Shure SM11 lavalier (or lapel) microphone (http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Shure-SM11-Lavalier-Microphone?sku=270118). This microphone does a great job and is not priced out of reach.

3) A custom, high-impedance, dynamic microphone installation by Ted Slowinski (tedns@tds.net). It is the type of microphone installed in my own instruments. The cost is reasonable and the technology greatly outperforms the traditional crystal microphone set-ups.

Regardless of which you may choose, I highly recommend professional installation. There are so many things that you can do wrong when installing a microphone, and I have seen many instruments chopped-up and butchered with too many unnecessary holes and cuts, knobs and controls. If the instrument has any value, please trust the work to someone who is capable.

12/2008 - Back to Top

Concertina hall was having holiday party; one patron is hurt.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 12/21/2008

Andy Kochanski thought the silhouettes he spotted through the foggy windows were two customers coming into his tavern about 1 a.m. Friday.

Kochanski was hosting a Christmas party, and all the Milwaukee concertina greats had been jamming in the landmark polka hall - formerly Art's Concertina Bar - on the city's south side.

Then Kochanski saw the black ski masks and the sawed-off shotgun.

He didn't hesitate. He reached under the bar for his loaded Glock .45.

As he ducked, he heard a blast and lead whizzing over his head, shattering whiskey bottles and the mirror behind the bar.

He stood up and squeezed the trigger.

"All that went through my mind was, 'Oh my God, I'm going to have to kill these guys,' " Kochanski said Saturday.

Bullets flew for about 10 seconds as the masked men backed out the door, he said.

Longtime local harmonica player Donald "Doc" Pfaff dropped to the floor.

"I said, 'I'm hit.' I must have said it three or four times before it registered with anybody,' Pfaff, 67, said from his hospital bed Saturday night. "It was like the OK Corral."

Pfaff was hit in the buttocks and the bullet exited through the front of his hip, shattering some bone. He expects to leave the hospital today.

Police won't say who fired the shot that hit Pfaff. And Pfaff said he doesn't care.

Kochanski said he doesn't know. He thinks he hit the man firing the shotgun - from the way the man fell back - but he can't say for sure.

Police said they had no suspects in custody Saturday night.

Barbara Meyer-Spidell had just gone to the restroom when the shooting began. She credits Kochanski with saving all the customers' lives.

"He's really a hero," she said. "He displayed courage and valor... It was great that he was so astute."

She said she hopes the shooting doesn't scare patrons away from the historic beer hall at 1920 S. 37th St., now known as Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall. She said customers should instead feel safe.

"I'd rather go to Kochanski's and be protected by Andy than somewhere else and have some drunk bartender who's not paying attention," Meyer-Spidell said.

Kochanski, too, is worried about the impact the shootout might have on his struggling business. But he said customers should not be afraid.

"This is a safe place. It's polka. People come here with their kids... It's magical. It's special. It's not a typical bar.

"With all the retired cops and firefighters that come in here, they (the robbers) are lucky I was the only one shooting at them," he said.

12/2008 - Back to Top