The Big Squeeze

I attended The Big Squeeze Statewide Accordion Contest Semi-Finals on Saturday at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The Big Squeeze was presented by Texas Folklife and co-sponsored in Austin, Texas by the Bullock Museum and the Austin Latin Music Association (ALMA). This was the first time I had attended this event but it definitely won't be the last. I had a lot of fun, the music was great, the talent was exceptional and based on the audience's reaction and participation, they agree with my assessment. The Bob Bullock museum is an exceptional facility and it was the perfect location for the event. Besides the contest, I also got to see the current exhibit "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music." The exhibit is interactive, very informative and is a must see for all music lovers. The exhibit will be available for view until May 9th. So get to the museum as soon as possible.

The Accordion Semi-finalist competitors were:

*Kenyun Dickson from Houston
*Ruben Paul Moreno from Houston
-Gloria Jean Cantu from San Benito
-Christina Valdez from San Benito
*Jesus E. Zamora from San Antonio
-Peter Anzaldua from Brownsville
*Ignacio Isai Morales from Dallas

*denotes finalist going to the 21st Accordion Kings and Queens Festival held on June 5 at Houston's Miller Outdoor Theater

Aside from the contestants exceptional performances of Tejano and Zydeco music, Mariachi Corbetas, Conjunto Aztlan, Joel Guzman performed with Los Texmaniacs closing the show.








Thanks to all the organizations involved for The Big Squeeze.