true story

my freshman year of high school (I think), I went with my dad to work on an album he was helping produce. I thought it sounded like a pretty cool thing to do (and who's more concerned with doing cool things than a high school freshman?). It turned out, it mostly involved several hours at Kinko's, with nothing for me to do. Except once I had to go across the street to Eckerd's to get something for dad (Hubig's pie and a CD of some kind). (Whenever I spend time with Dad, there seems to be some point at which I am tasked with getting Hubig's pies). (I don't like Hubig's pies much. An example of a Hubig's pie is this: sugary applesauce, surrounded by some kind of dough, and deep fried.). Also at some point during the Kinko's night, I was tasked with NOT BLEEDING ON THE COPIES. There was an exacto knife involved. I had an intuitive knowledge that had I been old enough to drink, the whole experience would have been more fun, and less flourescent-lights-at-3-AM, Oh-god-I-just-ran-into-my-algebra-teacher-super-embarassing, I-wish-dad-would-talk-to-me-for-once-if-only-because-he's-the-only-sane-looking-person-here-right-now-and-that's-pretty-sad.

BUT MY POINT is that it was all for a CD by Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes. And somewhat at random, three of the discs I chose to review this week include Mr. "Sunpie" Barnes!

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Artist: Various
Album: Original Soundtrack: Schultze gets the blues
Genre: Zydeco
rotation: Medium
filmkombinat 2004

I love accordian! If that sentence made you shiver, this might not be your album. Each track filled me with nostalgia, either of German classes past, or my years in Louisiana. For more about the movie, see [link], but basically, it seems to be a movie designed to end up with this soundtrack: the soundtrack itself is an oddysey through German/Texas and Cajun cultures via their music. One thing I like about the accordian is how many countries use it in their traditional music. Rather than a polka album, or a concertina album, or a zydeco album might, this compilation will remind you that if there's anything the accordian as any instrument isn't, it's one-note. There's the joi de vivre of the zydeco tracks eagerly shaking hands with the stout-hearted German polkas. The maudlin capacity of the instrument is not deeply explored, despite the title of the movie (though the 3 "Schultze Ballades" do capture some whistfulness). Some of the tracks are historical recordings, and some (Wittenbecher's) are for the movie. Look, there is even yodeling (track 13)--what more does one need?