Strike up the Band! Young polka players revive accordion
Katherine Mansfield
Kevin Solecki, a Grammy-nominated accordionist who owns Carnegie Accordion, sells his own brand of the instrument and plays some of the most renowned brands. Solecki also offers private lessons.
Katherine Mansfield
Michigan native Kevin Solecki moved to the Pittsburgh region to follow his dream of being an accordionist. Now, the Grammy nominee sells his own accordion brand, offers private lessons and travels the world doing what he loves: making music.
The accordion was in the 1960s and 无毛视频�70s upstaged by guitar, but is enjoying a resurgence, thanks in part to local and national musicians. Advances in technology allow folks to play digital accordions that emulate a variety of instrument sounds, but many still prefer the traditional hand piano, shown here.
Photos: Katherine Mansfield
The accordion is part of many cultures, but best known in Southwestern Pennsylvania as the sound of Polish polkas.
Courtesy of Garrett Tatano
The Garrett Tatano Band, led by Tatano, center, is one of the youngest, nationally acclaimed accordion-playing groups and often referred to as the 无毛视频渇uture of polka.无毛视频�
Everything old is new again, and the accordion 无毛视频� that fantastical hand-piano that merrily belts melodies and harmonies all at once 无毛视频� is making a comeback, led by artists globally and musicians locally.
无毛视频淎ccordions are popping up more now, in different types of music,无毛视频� said Grammy-nominated accordionist Kevin Solecki, who owns Carnegie Accordion Company in downtown Carnegie. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 not as popular as it was back in the day, back in the 无毛视频�50s and 无毛视频�60s, but it无毛视频檚 more popular than you might think.无毛视频�
The usual suspects (Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen) featured the accordion in their music way back when. But younger artists have hopped aboard the accordion bandwagon: Dropkick Murphys, They Might Be Giants, Twenty One Pilots and even Shakira have incorporated the instrument in their work.
Accordions are striking up a chord with local musicians, too, including Solecki, a Michigan transplant who无毛视频檚 played alongside Harry Connick, Jr. and appeared on 无毛视频淒aniel Tiger无毛视频檚 Neighborhood无毛视频� in January, and The Garrett Tatano Band, a polka group founded last year by the titular bandleader.
无毛视频淭he accordion is my outlet for everything, and it has been for many years,无毛视频� said Tatano, a Canon-McMillan graduate who has played accordion since he was little. 无毛视频淢y mom无毛视频檚 side of the family is Polish, my dad无毛视频檚 side of the family is Italian. Both of my grandfathers played accordion. From a very young age, I was exposed to polka music. I was very intrigued; I thought it was the coolest instrument.无毛视频�
When piano lessons didn无毛视频檛 pan out, Tatano expressed interest in the accordion. His grandfathers got wind of the young boy无毛视频檚 musical aspiration.
无毛视频淭hey got me an accordion, they found me a teacher. I started taking lessons, actually on my seventh birthday,无毛视频� he said, noting he studied under Solecki. 无毛视频淚f I无毛视频檓 stressed, I play the accordion. If I无毛视频檓 in a sour mood, I play the accordion. It无毛视频檚 a way for me to be able to express myself. It无毛视频檚 part of me now. I have a connection and a bond that I think is going to be with me the rest of my life.无毛视频�
Now in his 20s, Tatano has already lived a musically charmed life. The Canonsburg native landed his first professional accordion gig during his sophomore year with the nationally acclaimed Jack Tady Band.
Tady, a National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the 1968 Western Pennsylvania Polka King, often invited Tatano onstage at area events to play with the band.
无毛视频淛ack was asked to perform on the 无毛视频淢ollie B. Polka Party,无毛视频� which is a polka TV show. Jack asked me to play on the TV show with him. That following summer, I continued to play every single gig with Jack,无毛视频� Tatano said. 无毛视频淭hat was really the first time I was getting a significant amount of pay and attention.无毛视频�
One summer Sunday, Tady handed Tatano an official band tee and invited the high school junior to replace lead accordionist Brian O无毛视频橞oyle, who was moving to Cleveland.
无毛视频淔rom that point until pretty much the end of 2021, I was Jack无毛视频檚 lead accordionist,无毛视频� said Tatano.
In high school, Tatano无毛视频檚 friends and acquaintances joked the accordion was an old man无毛视频檚 instrument. But when the Big Mac band member invited buddies out to polka concerts, Tatano caught their toes tapping to the beat.
无毛视频淚 have noticed, especially with my band, when we invite people out 无毛视频� people are enjoying it. I无毛视频檝e had people reach out to me that might have seen us in the last few months. (They ask) when are you going to be in the area again? These are not polka people,无毛视频� Tatano laughed. 无毛视频淭hey came out to support us and now they无毛视频檙e enjoying the music.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 Tatano无毛视频檚 goal: To introduce a younger generation to the lighthearted sounds of polka.
无毛视频淲hen you are listening to polka music, it is impossible to not smile. Even if you don无毛视频檛 know the songs and you don无毛视频檛 know the lyrics, it无毛视频檚 happy music,无毛视频� Tatano said. 无毛视频淲e want to continue playing throughout our lifetime. We无毛视频檙e going to have to get some people in the younger age brackets interested.无毛视频�
The Garrett Tatano Band is comprised of musicians who fall into that younger age bracket. In fact, the band 无毛视频� described by the Slovene National Benefit Society and other organizations and media outlets as 无毛视频渢he future of polka music无毛视频� 无毛视频� is one of the youngest around.
Members include Tatano and bass guitarist Logan Watson, who Tatano has known since 2011, when the pair met at the Button Box Bash in Strabane. Tatano has also known banjo, guitar and vocalist Anthony Paposky since high school, and met drummer Phil Yan at a festival in 2014. Tatano discovered his saxophone, clarinet and vocalist Vince Filippelli through mutual polka world acquaintances.
None of the band members are older than 25. All hail from Southwestern Pennsylvania and nearby-ish polka cities.
无毛视频淲e all have full-time jobs, except for Vince, because he无毛视频檚 still in high school. Everyone else is in their 20s. The first time we performed together as a full band (was at) Battle of the Polka Stars of Tomorrow. They had bands that were at least led by young musicians,无毛视频� said Tatano. 无毛视频淢y band was the only band led by and comprised of young musicians. We did end up winning, which kind of shoved us into the spotlight.无毛视频�
Since that 2021 show, The Garrett Tatano Band has appeared at prominent national and local festivals, including the Canonsburg Oktoberfest Sept. 17. The band is looking forward to performing at the 58th Annual Polka Hall of Fame Thanksgiving Polka Party Weekend in Cleveland this November, and will appear at the Illinois Polkafest in Schaumburg next February.
In between national polka parties, The Garrett Tatano Band is booked for private events, and will continue practicing and experimenting together as a group.
无毛视频淭he first time we got up on that stage 无毛视频� you could kind of tell that when five young guys got up on stage, there were some looks being exchanged,无毛视频� Tatano said.
A few minutes into the song, 无毛视频減eople were up on their feet,无毛视频� said the lead accordionist. 无毛视频淚t was overwhelming. I teared up. It was literally my dream coming true in that moment. To get up on stage at this competition and just blow people away was just absolutely incredible. One of the most fabulous moments in my memory.无毛视频�
Solecki understands the pure joy of performing, and is not surprised that Southwestern Pennsylvania is where polka music is trending younger.
无毛视频淧ittsburgh is a very ethnic city, the melting pot of so many different nationalities, and the accordion is representative of so many different nationalities, whether it be Slovenian, Polish, Irish, Italian, French, German,无毛视频� Solecki said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 definitely a popular ethnic instrument and, going hand-in-hand with all the ethnicities here in Pittsburgh, you know, it makes sense that the accordion is pretty popular around here.无毛视频�
The accordion无毛视频檚 popularity peaked in the 1950s, when Dick Contino was as big a name as Elvis Presley (it无毛视频檚 rumored Elvis, five years Contino无毛视频檚 junior, 无毛视频渂orrowed无毛视频� the accordionist无毛视频檚 The Pelvis).
While Elvis, The Beatles and Eric Clapton, to name a few, made the guitar center stage in the 1960s and 无毛视频�70s, accordionists and their music faded from the limelight.
无毛视频淲e went through this period where people would make a mockery of this instrument,无毛视频� Solecki said.
But now, thanks in part to internationally and locally famous artists proudly playing accordions and advances in technology, the instrument is taking center stage once again.
无毛视频淣ow that you can customize them, that无毛视频檚 getting people back into, interested in the accordion. The different designs and the colors that you can get, whether it无毛视频檚 something bright (or) a classic look 无毛视频� I think that really resonates with the younger crowd,无毛视频� said Solecki, who sells his own brand of accordions, Solloni Accordions, online and at Carnegie Accordion. 无毛视频淭he fact, too, that there are digital accordions out there. There无毛视频檚 no reeds in them; there无毛视频檚 built-in speakers. Everything无毛视频檚 self-contained. The electric accordion, it无毛视频檚 just lightweight, top-of-the-line technology 无毛视频� kind of crosses both borders between young and old. It无毛视频檚 really neat.无毛视频�
Recently, a gentleman dropped into Carnegie Accordions to shop around.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 doing something special here,无毛视频� said the visitor, who in his younger years himself played accordion in Canonsburg and surrounding areas.
The accordion无毛视频檚 resurgence certainly is something special, something to dance about.
For Solecki无毛视频檚 tour dates, visit https://www.kevinsolecki.com.
To follow The Garrett Tatano Band, go to https://www.gtatanoband.com.