Collaborations Pt 2 Accordion Bob
There is a legend living off in the woods of northwestern Montana, who practices the simple philosophy, "Why be normal?". Robert Mislivec aka Accordion Bob is a longtime friend and music compatriot who I've had the honor to join across many miles of road, countless beer halls, and multiple bands.
Bob and I began our collaborations with a discussion over beers in a caboose outside of Essex MT regarding the finer points of Astor Piazzolla's tango compositions. Up until this moment we passed by our respective posts working a lodge inside Glacier National Park, Bob an upstanding maintenance technician and myself a bellhop. One evening as I was doing my rounds, to my surprise, I heard a the strains of tango in the lobby coming from an accordion. There I found Bob playing in a trio with violin and classical guitar, it became apparent that we needed to find a way to start playing music together.
Our first ensemble was formed in the evening light of summer on the front porch of the Northern Lights Saloon in Polebridge MT. This was a trio comprised of Jenny Lynn Fawcett on violin and vocals, Bob and myself on guitar. We spent an entire summer and the following winter crafting a nostalgic sound of tango, gypsy jazz, and ballads. Bob would winter care take the town of Polebridge, giving us free reign to jam around the woodstove until all hours. His notoriously strong hot brandies were fuel for song by night and made for "two door knob" mornings, that left you wondering where that bear went. With Jenny's inspiration we became the backing band for the Cigarette Girls Burlesque out of Missoula. We collaborated with them and a host of other performers including fire dancers, belly dancers and aerialists to form the Symbiotic Circus. The rehearsals for this variety show had us traversing the 3 hour trek to Missoula every weekend through the winters. Crammed into the front seat of Bob's truck, a real "iron horse" according to the owner, this became ritual for us.
One of many show posters from the Burlesco days
A note on Bob's trucks. Among his many talents, Accordion Bob is a fine if not inventive mechanic. The iteration of the 1984 F-150 we rode around in during the Burlesco days was a beauty but had a few quirks. One being that if you used the brights it would short out the headlights. Bob installed a footswitch to bypass this problem, which I had direct experience with taking the wheel late one night. Hurtling 70 mph down Highway 93, I forgot and shorted the lights, it was a furious amount of foot stomping on that switch before the road was visible again, very exciting times. Today he drives a 50s era Willy's pickup with a custom camper designed and built by the man himself. He even put a beer tap on the gear shift for high class aesthetics.
After a good run with Burlesco, we found ourselves in the next music chapter. Grandma's Little Darlings, a slightly different ensemble. This quartet was modeled after old time string and jug bands. Our front man, Devon Wayne Kent, played a furious guitar and sang tunes of humor, heartbreak, and hard living. If you mixed John Prine, Woody Guthrie, and a dash of Dimebag Darrell, you would have a fairly close approximation of Devon. We also had Nick on bass thumping a fine rhythm, Bob squeezing a more Cajun oriented accordion and myself on banjo. This band would be based out of Polebridge and spent a wild couple of years roaming back and forth between Phillipsburg MT and home, with stops at nearly every little town in between. You may even still find our album on the jukebox in the Hall VFW or the White Front Bar. Or take a look at the Coke cooler outside the Northern Lights Saloon, one night the boot stomping was hard enough to have that behemoth bouncing across the floor. While we may have been a little rough around the edges we joined many a small community around the bonfire, revealing that amazing fact that there is a diverse hospitality and welcome almost anywhere in the you land, it's just a matter being there and listening.
A truck as unique as the owner who built it
One home away from home we frequented was the Wild Coyote outside of Thompson Falls. This bar/campground/compound was run by Wayne an incredible character in his own right, a true motorcycle renegade who could have been Gandalf's biker brother. There was also Ellie, who tended bar for our shows, who had the talent of being able to hula hoop from the rafters. And so many others. We landed a regular gig at this backwoods roadhouse in true Blues Brothers fashion. Our first gig on a Friday night was a blast, for three hours we banged out tunes and had quite the little party going. The next morning, when we emerged from the beds of our trucks, we went settle up with Wayne who informed us the unfortunate news that we had drank well beyond our pay for the evening. Taking pity on us, he offered to have us play again that night to make up the difference and get gas money in our pockets. After an even wilder Saturday night we sheepishly found ourselves in the same position again the next morning. Doing his best to appear stern, even though this was obviously just the sort of mischief he whole heartedly supported, Wayne suggested one final chance to break even if we played the brunch they putting on later that morning. Fortunately, we had a much diminished appetite for spirits at this point and kept it professional. After that weekend we were back at least once a month for more rowdy and bizarre evenings.
Grandma's Little Darlings became a collection of characters beyond the band, who sometimes joined us on the road. Walt tearing along on his motorcycle, Gambling Jake and his dog Desmond (who with my sister made the three greatest roadies anyone could ask to know), Bob & Cathy, and many more. There are too many stories to tell here. Eventually, as with all great parties, this one came to pass as well and we moved onto other projects.
We managed to make the Wallace ID Accordion festival a few years back where we played every venue and marched in the accordion parade over the course of a single day. Passing out exhausted under the I-90 overpass Bob even thought far enough ahead to save snacks from the final bar for a late night dinner. For a brief time we made up the rhythm section for Drew Landry's band, the North Country Ramblers, a fine Louisiana country outfit with an amazing songwriter at their helm.
Returning to our roots Bob and I continue to play and explore his vast repertoire of European street music and the occasional Polka when called for. It is a constant inspiration to play "outside the bounds of normalcy" with the steady swell of harmonies, even the "Kokanee chords", of fine accordion playing. Chances are you'll be able to catch us playing out on the porches of Polebridge throughout the coming summer months.
Grandma’s Little Darlings
