The photographer who took this photo really knew his stuff. I wish I knew his name because I would definitely recommend him to anybody for just about anything. He took this photo during my world record-setting accordion marathon, an incredibly special moment in time not just for me, your accordionist, but for many other people, too. There were other photographs from other local papers but they were all, I guess you would call, “pre-game hype” –stand-up photos of me outside the “Touch of Italy” restaurant in West Covina, California, proclaiming my intentions beforehand.
But this photo was captured during the accordion marathon where-in my team and I actually made it possible for me to play for 72 hours and 15 minutes. I like to tell people an accordion marathon is a little like a runner’s marathon but much more difficult. Thousands, maybe millions, of people have run a marathon. Accordion marathoners? We soar through a sky of air that is infinitely more rarefied. See the joy on my face? Now look at the face of a marathon runner. You will probably see pain, or at least a bit of discomfort. Not so when you are making music. Music makes people happy but first off, the musician playing it! I refer you to the aforementioned photograph.
And so, I would like you to imagine yourself traveling back in time a little bit to a family restaurant named “Touch of Italy” where a strolling accordionist named Rocky Howard is entertaining the patrons. The food is superb and the atmosphere is romantic, after all it IS Italian! And a little bit of the right kind of music can make the evening perfect. If you still doubt me, like I said, just check the picture. 🙂
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