This is the funnest folk festival you’ve never heard of.
My hair was frizzed from the unreasonably humid weather condition as I carry an accordion in my overlap for the first clock time and fumble to press the correct button . I concentrated on the novice ’s Lolium temulentum sheet in front of me , along with seven other would - be players and a bountiful dog , whileKelly Russell , a famed instrumentalist and fabled fiddler demonstrated the BASIC of the instrument . This was the rush off to the three - dayRoy Babstock Beaches Accordion Festival — a foot - tappin ’ family extravaganza that take place every July in the tiny hamlet of Eastport , which is situated within Canada’smost eastern province . Most people go toNewfoundlandto seeicebergs ; I had come for the accordion . After all , as I would be told by legion local anesthetic , nigh every home there has one .
“ One upright way of life to repel a Newfoundlander crazy is to nail their shoes to the floor , ” a homo to my left said with a chuckle .
The “ squeezebox , ” as it ’s also known , has been the heart of the province ’s traditional folk medicine since the first dribble of early European explorer began settle there in the 16th 100 . Subsequent in-migration waves brought all kinds of ballads , sailing shanties , and church anthem , which were make and flourish on . With little wind to the tune , rhythm — and of course the gain of local account as lyrics — Newfoundland ’s folk euphony finally developed into its own genre . Since then , it ’s been passed down from generation to propagation and keep alive .
Photo by Lauren Breedlove
“ The accordion was the primary instrumental role played for dances long ago , ” Russell narrate me during our shop ’s intermission . “ If you imagine a crowd of people in a square dancing Radclyffe Hall , in an earned run average where there is no gain or microphones — well , the accordion is a much louder tool , with its crowing , bold , loud auditory sensation . So it can be heard . ”
Meanwhile , as I struggled to tap out the notes to “ Mary Had a Little Lamb , ” I kind of wished my accordion ’s bulk could be turned down . As my full cousin and I quickly found out , playing the official document is n’t as easy as it search in the movies .
Thankfully , we were attach to by quite the roll of friendly characters , include a local from up the route who had brought a fleet of his own squeeze box to share with the mathematical group . Another meeter who could play “ Twinkle , Twinkle Little Star ” on pretty much every instrument known to Isle of Man , sat to my right . patently , his hobby was learning just enough to play the one call but never progressing any further . “ If I walk into the sign of the zodiac with an accordion , my married woman would kill me , ” he say , as the dog crest off our semi - roach sat at the feet of his owner , a musician performing the Broadway product ofCome From Awayin the city of Gander .
Photo by Lauren Breedlove
By the end of the two - hour shop , we had all bonded over the accordion and our shared experience . With a few hours to down before the evening ’s performance , my cousin and I hit the shoring to see for ourselves just how beautiful the beach were . Sandy Cove Beach was clearly popular , yet not overcrowded despite the fact that it was mid - July . empurpled and pinkish lupins swayed in the sea breeze on the outskirt of the beach cliffs , while the ocean waves high - fived the sand .
After stuffing ourselves with the incredible fish and chips atChucky ’s Seafood and Wild Game Restaurant , which was part of theHappy Adventure Inn , it was time to find our seat in the auditorium at the Beaches Heritage Center . The Accordion Festival was turning 20 that year , and there was an industrious buzz in the air as friends and families jovially greet each other .
By the time the lights slur , there was n’t an empty seat in the house .
Photo by Lauren Breedlove
The first number started off with a bang . It took about 1.5 seconds for the bunch to get fully sweep up into the medicine , myself include . At one point , the floor shook from the exuberant base stomping . During a birdcall devote to one of the musician ’s wives who had passed that year , there was n’t a juiceless eye in the house . The performers ranged from a teen who ’d been bring since the age of seven to a husband - and - wife pair playing nameless , evanesce - down melody about lumber in Newfoundland . “ It ’s probably the first time anyone ’s hear that in 80 years ! ” the husband cry out .
conversation flowed easy with alien during the intermission ; we sip beer and wine while chatting with local who quickly welcomed us into their tight - rumple biotic community . In the span of 15 minutes , I ’d received multiple recommendation for the remainder of our slip , was invite for dinner , and had reunited with some of our workshop classmates who treated us like previous protagonist .
Much like peanut butter and jelly ( or Cheez Whiz and pledge in Newfoundland ) , the fiddle and piano accordion duet well together . To conclude out the eventide , my teacher , Kelly , played the former while his daughter , Tamsyn , tear up on the latter .
Photo by Lauren Breedlove
The carrying into action end with a standing ovation .
The next day , car lined the main pull of historical Salvage , a little seaside township snap out of the pageboy of a storybook that dates back to the 1600s . Worn fishermen sheds and sign in a spectrum of agrestic colors dotted the cove ’s shoreline and hills while boats bobbed in the seaport . My first cousin and I were spending the afternoon at one of the most unequalled lively euphony venues I had ever see : the Salvage Stages . The audience displace about with free approach to a accumulation of coastal fishing shanty that served as stage . Seafaring family line song traveled through the air while guests played tambourine , dance their hearts out , or both .
Past and present tense seemed to co - exist here , with musicians of all ages lionize the melodic inheritance of Newfoundland . It was a gross example of the oral tradition of folk music being passed down through generations — just like many of the accordions they were playing . My nerve hurt from smile , though I keep on grinning through that evening ’s Best of the Province Part II performance . There was just something extraordinary about the euphony , the storytelling , the welcoming spirit , and the contagious joy of celebrating Newfoundland with the people who endure there .
Photo by Lauren Breedlove
After experiencing the festival myself , I had a deeper apprehension of something my teacher Kelly had recount me during our shop Old World chat . “ The piano accordion , at least for me , is like the smell of the brine , or fish , or a walk on the barrens smelling blueberries ; it ’s the musical equivalent of those things that speak to me of Newfoundland very specifically , ” he said . “ It ’s not just the tool either , it ’s the tunes that are play that have been played for many generations that you will not find anywhere else in the macrocosm — they’re unequalled to here and that ’s why it ’s so peculiar . ”
