If you have not come across Zla Vila at the last few accordion festivals, you have missed one of the many treasures that are displayed around our park. Fiddlin’ Michael Hayes(of the Sour Mash Hug Band), Nicolette Beck on accordion, and Leo on the stand up bass, have evolved into a mesmerizing trio bringing a subtle mystery, with cerebral and rhythmic hypnotizing music to our Ray’s Deli Stage.
Nicolette is a self-taught accordionist who typifies the musicians that captivate the crowd at our southern stage, where a younger generation has picked up the accordion and revealed its creative potential. With Zla Vila you end up with a style described as an authentic gothic Balkan cartoon jazz style combined with a dark Klezmer storytime adventure all brought about from learning their music in Serbia and Romania. I hope you get a chance to hear their Eastern European influenced folk tunes, and their “fast tunes with odd meters and ornaments”.
Another Ray’s Deli stage act that has cultivated a huge following at our accordion festival is the high energy, multi-talented, captivating Junk Parlor Band. They too are influenced by Eastern European songs while they incorporate manducue rhythms, bohemian janglings and exotic belly dancing melodies. Jason Vanderford will give you his version of crooner punk, along with RT Goodrich on drums, Tim Bush on Bass, Laela Peterson-stolen on violin and viola. However, the addition of JD Limelight to their band brings them to new heights on our stage with his dance inducing sounds and his intense accordion leads.
Junk Parlor is one of those bands that causes the uninitiated to be overcome by an attraction to their sound, drop what they are doing, and hurry to the stage. Don’t be surprised to find both of these bands on the main stage also?
