When one goes to a free show, expectations are usually never very high but you expect to have a good time. I liked the idea of sexy babes with accordions that seemed to lean to the Burlesque and my expectations were highly exceeded by these two talented women. We have Amber Lee Baker who is the more down to earth, sultry and fun with her accordion with the heart as well as glockenspiel and loop pedal. Renee de la Prade is the punk rocker (enjoys the music of Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry and the Ramones) with the bubblegum hair and stomp box. The girls switch duties doing solos with occasional accompaniment. Renee leads the way with a mix of Irish, Zydeco, Cajun and punk rock edginess while Amber goes through a more folksy and novelty style tunes.
They do a number of traditional songs and originals tunes with the highlights being their finale of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", which was a wonderful way to rock out with a song that is surprising well adapted to accordion, and I also enjoyed Renee's original tune "Nerd Love" which I included below. They work together well switching duties and providing a nice contrast of styles in a way that makes the accordion seem cool. Also expect some audience participation and possible some trivia games.
At their shows they also have a Accordion Babe Calendar which Renee has been putting out the past few years (and can be found at her website http://squeezeboxgoddess.com/). The girls are represented as Miss February and May. If you don't have any plans tonight, I would suggest heading out to Johnny's Speakeasy in Ann Arbor and if what I wrote doesn't entice, check out the pictures below. The Accordion Babes promises to be a high energy show and a highlight on the summer concert circuit.
