You, me and an accordion makes three

I love a good accordion.

I have several theories as to why. For one, they're super-cool and have you ever heard anything more mournful than an accordion well-played? (OK, maybe bagpipes, but the pipes are also creepy, so the accordion wins.) Second, I've heard stories of my dad playing the accordion as a kid, and as a life-long daddy's girl, of course I love it. And my brother rightly pointed out that when we were small, our grandfather kept his radio tuned into an a.m. polka station at all times. And polkas frequently feature accordions. Since we lived with him...well, let's just say I have a secret love of polkas, too. Don't tell.

So when Charles and I arrived at the Music Farm in downtown Charleston last Friday night and there was a gorgeously shiny accordion right there in front of me, less than five feet away, well, I of course took a picture of it and texted it to my father immediately.

And then...well, to give this story its just due, I should back up a second. It was date night, and Zoe was at my parents' house to spend her first night there, so I was super-pumped. I'd also had three gin and tonics (over my normal two-drink limit). We were there to see Neko Case, a longtime favorite, and I'd gotten so close to the stage I could lean my thighs against it. I WAS RIGHT THERE FOR NEKO CASE AND I WAS HAPPY AND TIPSY AND READY TO HAVE A GREAT NIGHT!!!

Seriously. That pretty much sums up me in that moment.

So when the opening band came out, I was even happier. Music! And some of the guys had been at the restaurant where we'd grabbed dinner! So these strangers were old friends already!

And OH MY GOD THE ACCORDION!!! A guy had picked it up! AND WAS PLAYING IT!! RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME!!

There were so many ALL CAPS moments and exclamation points for me right then. It was fantastic.

And the band! They were called Y La Bamba, and they were super-fabulous! Groovy indie/folk tunes, some great singers (the lead singer, Luz Elena Mendoza has a tremendous voice), and that wonderful accordion.

I was smiling, dancing, making eye contact with the band (especially the accordion player because, well, he was playing the accordion!!!), and smiling some more. It was a great set and they kept me dancing through the whole thing.

Awesome.

So then they were done with their set, and I sadly waved goodbye to the band as they left the stage. Then I ran for the restroom because OH MY GOD I had to pee.

When I came back to find Charles and re-take my spot against the stage, I got the text from my mom that I'd been waiting for. Zoe. Was. Asleep. Fabulous!

I turned around and waved my phone in Charles's face, then commenced bouncing for a few seconds, stopping only when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned, expecting Charles to tell me to stop hopping.

BUT NO!!! IT WAS THE ACCORDION PLAYER!!!

In my stupor, I almost fell over (thank goodness I'd chosen flip-flops that night).

"Um, hi!" was about the best I could manage.

I don't remember exactly what he said, but Eric the Accordion Player told me that he'd had to come see me because he'd had fun playing to me, that my smile was "engaging" (I do remember that), and various other amazingly nice things.

Seriously, you guys. I about cried. When was the last time a complete stranger complimented ME? And a stranger who I'd just watched perform for a couple hundred people and make everyone happy? Um...never?

It was a moment in life where I was completely tickled. I gave him a hug, thanked him a ton, and he came back later to hang out with us while Neko Case sang her face off (really - she's great - if you don't know her, you should).

And I have to hand it to my husband, who took my silly happiness in stride and was completely un-fazed by it all.

Anyway, I'm babbling, I know. But if you take nothing else out of this goofy post about a fun fun fun night, take this...Y La Bamba puts on a GREAT show and I need to buy their album and so do you. And Neko Case sings her damn face off (even though she was wearing shorts, flip flops and a hoodie...), so you should buy her albums too.

Also, accordions and accordion players are awesome.