The Big Squeeze

Comments (0) By Skylaire Alfvegren Thursday, Jul 5 2012

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Grand Performances

300-350 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Category: Music Venues

Region: Downtown

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If you've lived in Los Angeles for any length of time, you have probably been accosted by banda, also known as norte–o, a genre of music native to Mexico and best recognized for the ever-present oompah-thump of the accordion and tuba. We can thank Emperor Maximilian I for blustering into Mexico in 1864, attempting to found an empire, and leaving not much more than the Teutonic tempos of polka and waltz via the self-aggrandizing military marching bands he brought with him. The accordion was further Mexicanized when Polish (and, later, German and Czech) immigrants settled in the northern parts of the country. The accordion, you see, is an instrument of peace, bringing people of diverse cultures together. To that end, Grand Performances brings you San Pedro Squeeze: An Accordion Festival, celebrating accordion music from "the many ethnic communities that call San Pedro home." The showcase features Joel Guzman's traditional Mexi-blues, rock, country and salsa, as well as digital accordion champion Cory Pesaturo and squeezebox superheroine Gee Rabe. This writer hopes Weird Al Yankovic will heed the siren song as well. Grand Performances at California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Fri., July 6, 8 p.m.; free. grandperformances.org.
Fri., July 6, 8 p.m., 2012