Update your websites!
As posted earlier, we rather sadly discovered this month that most accordion websites or blogs that come up in standard online searches haven’t been updated in a few years -- as in a decade -- much less updated to tout National Accordion Awareness Month 2016.
Did a whole slew of accordion website publishers recently die or something? Did they forget to give somebody a password? We hope not.
In the meantime, the only site that covers the history of National Accordion Awareness Month (NAAM) is Tom Torriglia’s All Things Accordion.
So, to close out NAAM 2016 research and posts, we emailed Torriglia some questions and he was gracious enough to answer. The email exchange went sort of like this:
Anything Accordion: I was wondering if you could explain a little how National Accordion Awareness Month (NAAM) got started.
Tom Torriglia: [In 1989] the idea for National Accordion Awareness Month grew out from the need to help publicize the band I was playing in (Those Darn Accordions) and people's perception of the instrument.
(TT: cont.) If I could get people to think the accordion was cool, they would think the band was cool. Most people had no idea how difficult it is to play the accordion, had pre-conceived notions of the types of music you could play on the accordion and besides watching Lawrence Welk, had no exposure to the accordion.
AA: How did you envision doing these things?
TT: My goal was to try to shift people's perception of the instrument by presenting fun facts "outside the squeezebox," as it were. For example, to present the accordion as the most cross-cultural instrument in the world - and then to go on and explain why.
AA: The idea seems to have caught on for a while.
TT: At first, interest was tremendous in National Accordion Awareness Month and I would do interviews with radio stations and newspapers from all over the world. Then, interest waned.
AA: Why was that?
TT: Why? Well, because I think I did a good job! I got enough awareness out there that people didn't think of the accordion as this clunky, old wheeze-bag of an instrument any more and that it had gained acceptance within the mainstream consciousness as a unique instrument capable of being played in multiple genres. And, having people like Lucy Liu playing the accordion and "Joan" on Mad Men strapping one on, didn't hurt.
AA: So, did people in general have positive reactions to the accordion from that?
TT: Eventually, the perception of the accordion and the people who play it and the music they play went from ewwwwwwww, to ahhhhhhhhh.
AA: Since it's now been about six years or so since widespread -- and popularly seen -- reminders of accordions have been around, do you think it's time to rejuvenate the Awareness Month? We're not suggesting you personally, but the artists and followers in general?
TT: I think anyone can, if motivated, breathe some life into Accordion month for whatever purpose. The month can be used to further careers, like it did mine. People can use the month to draw attention themselves and what they are doing with the accordion. In fact, I encourage them to do so. For example, people can release albums upon which they play the accordion and say that in honor of the month, here's a new release featuring the accordion.
AA: So, we're going to say that NAAM has been resting, but apparently you and your band haven't. When did you move from the U.S. to Italy, are you still playing, and if so, do you have a current album you'd like to mention?
TT: I moved to Italy three and one-half years ago. Yes, I am still playing, I still get to the accordion capital of Italy, Castelfidardo, every chance I get to see old friends and new accordions, and I do have a current, self-titled album (at this point) coming out August 15 that will contain 10 new, really fun Italian-American songs. The readers are always welcome to check on its progress and get ordering information at my website.
Grazie, Tom! We'll be on the lookout. And here's a too short little youtube of Tom Torriglia talking about National Accordion Awareness Month and playing his accordion.
So, since Accordion Awareness Month is still being recognized and celebrated, here's hoping accordion related website owners will do a little site maintenance during the coming year and be ready for June 2017. National Accordion Awareness Month is not dead, and should continue as an effective way to keep educating the ever changing public and inform their musical interests. Here's to continued success!
