June 28, 2009 at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $30-40

losangelesaccordionfestival.com

The accordion's freshly squeezed sounds takes center stage. Conjunto Los Pochos, Vagabond Opera, and Feufollet fuse  genres with innovative accordion playing. Featured groups ranging from traditional to modern in sound, draw inspiration from the melting pot of American rhythms.

SqueezeFestLA, presented by the Los Angeles Accordion Festival, takes place Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at LA County’s historic John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. Nestled in the beautiful Hollywood Hills, the 1200-seat Ford Amphitheatre is a Los Angeles treasure and will provide an intimate space for accordion aficionados to experience a fun and uplifting evening of all things accordion. Concert-goers can arrive at 5:30 p.m. to picnic and enjoy an afternoon pre-concert party in the Ford’s Edison Plaza featuring Gee Rabe, LA’s Accordion Diva.

Tickets, priced at $40 and $30 for adults and $12 for full-time students with ID and children 12 and under, available at www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673 (GO 1-FORD). Through the Ford’s early buyer incentive, adults who buy tickets on or before June 21 pay only $35 and $25.

Vagabond Opera was created in 2002 by European-trained opera singer and composer Eric Stern. Then disillusioned with the classical opera world, Stern created a new context for opera: Performance on a more intimate scale incorporating not only opera but elements of Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms, and the original music that springs from the ensemble’s fertile creative work. The Washington Post described the group as “A band of ceaseless charisma, boundless energy, impeccable musicianship and more than a little touch of both the naughty and exotic.” The group delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret for young and old. Paris hot jazz, gut bucket swing, tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera–lusty voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone! The band’s lineup features trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor saxophone, cello, stand-up bass, and drums. Vagabond Opera has performed all over the USA and in Europe . They have been featured on NPR and Jazziz Magazine, and have shared stages and players with Pink Martini, The Decembrists, Al Franken and the Oregon Symphony. Vagabond opera has two full-length albums and will be releasing their third album on May 9, 2009.

Conjunto Los Pochos is Los Angeles Tex Mex at its best. Conjunto Los Pochos' core members, Otoño Luján (button-accordion) and Elliott Baribeault (bajo sexto) met in 1996 at the California Institute of the Arts. The two Southern California natives played traditional conjunto music as a duet at backyard barbeques and for anyone who wanted to enjoy Conjunto music. In the summer of 1997, the four-piece ensemble "Conjunto Los Pochos" was born. The band's name initially came about to address the perceived peculiarity of a bunch of [primarily] acculturated Mexicans (Pochos), barely speaking Spanish and playing "Norteño" music (border music from Northern Mexico). Ironically though, this music - having stemmed from the merging of European and Texas-Mexican cultures in the late 1800's - continues to reflect the process of Pochismo (or acculturation) through its lyrics and music. Conjunto Los Pochos has lived this music at dance halls, weddings, concerts and a variety of venues from the Eastside to the Westside, throughout Southern California and across the country. They have developed their unique sound that combines elements of both Texas and Mexico Conjunto styles with original music as well as classic favorites. They have been joined by Ernesto Molina (1999) and veteran musician, Lorenzo Martinez (2001), who tour with the band and play on their newly released CD “Margie’s.” Los Pochos has performed regularly at the Annual Grassroots Music Festivals in New York and North Carolina and at the Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio , Texas . The band has appeared on KMEX/Channel 34’s “Los Angeles Al Día” and has performed alongside legendary musicians such as Poncho Sánchez, Los Dos Gilbertos, Flaco Jimenez and Little Joe y La Familia. Los Pochos has arrived at the year 2009 successfully presenting a genuine L.A. expression of traditional Conjunto music to a steadily growing audience that cuts across race, nationality and social status.

Louisiana ’s Feufollet was formed in 1995 when accordionist/singer Chris Stafford was 8 and fiddler Chris Segura was 11. Feufollet quickly became known as one of the most exciting Cajun bands in Acadiana, not because of their youth but because of their obvious musical ability and the vivacity with which they approached the traditional music of the area. In the eight years since Feufollet has been performing, they have built upon a regional popularity, becoming an attraction at folk festivals and performance venues not only in the South, but throughout the United States and French Canada. Though members of the band have come and gone, the musical core formed by Stafford's accordion and Segura 's fiddle and their combined interest in giving breath to old songs has remained the same. The present line-up, which has been intact since 2003, finds Stafford and Segura in good musical company. Singer Anna Laura Edmiston, a native French speaker who grew up in Montreal and Louisiana, brings passion and talent to the songs she sings and guitarist Josh Caffery, formerly of Cajun/swing outfit The Red Stick Ramblers, adds the ingredient of strong acoustic and electric lead guitar to Feufollet's sound. The rhythm section, anchored by the furiously solid drumming of Stafford 's younger brother Michael and Taylor Guarisco's exuberantly funky bass lines, has never been tighter

Don’t miss the opportunity for a free SqueezeFest preview at two of the Ford’s J.A.M. (Jazzed and Motivated) Sessions. Free activities include a Zydeco J.A.M., an evening of Zydeco dancing at the Ford on Monday night - June 1 at 7:00 p.m., with dance instruction by Karen Redding of LouisianaDanceLA.com. On Monday night - June 8 at 7:00 p.m., Conjunto Los Pochos’ Otoño Lujan hosts an Accordion 101 J.A.M. covering the basics of accordion. Both events are free to the public. Reservations can be made at www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673.

The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East , Hollywood , CA 90068 off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. The grounds open two hours before show time for picnicking. The Ford offers a number of dining options: a variety of food and beverages is available on site and box dinners for evening events may be ordered in advance. Patrons are welcome to bring their own food and drink. The Ford is disabled accessible. Portable wireless listening devices are available upon request.

On-site parking: $5 per vehicle for evening shows, or FREE shuttle to the Ford (evenings only): Universal City Metro Station lot at Lankershim Blvd. and Campo de Cahuenga. The Ford shuttle stops in the “kiss and ride” area and cycles every 15 to 20 minutes.

This event is part of the Ford Amphitheatre 2009 Summer Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations. For a complete season schedule, directions to the theater and parking information, log on to www.FordTheatres.org.