Accordion Death Squad coming

By Liz Barry

Published: June 4, 2008

The Accordion Death Squad, an emerging band from Charlottesville, will bring the sounds of gypsy music to Lynchburg on Saturday for a show at the White Hart.

The band, which is scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m., fuses Balkan folk music with influences from klezmer, ragtime, classical, doom metal and old-time circus music. The squad plays traditional folk songs and original pieces, which range in mood from slow and fragile to frantic and intense.

Accordion Death Squad is heavy on the strings (fiddle, mandolin, banjo, cello), but also throws accordion, piano and drums into the mix. The five-person group has played throughout Virginia and in New York, including a gig at a Coney Island sideshow.

Band members play on the street when they travel, which influences their performance style, said Lisa “R.A.T.” Dembling, who plays accordion, piano and drums. When on the road, they also teach their songs to other musicians and vice versa.

“The idea is to spread music and create a new kind of folk music,” Dembling said. “Rather than the main goal being recording and putting stuff on the computer, my favorite thing is to actually meet somebody in person and teach them a song.”

The Accordion Death Squad is in the process of recording an album, which is due out this month.

The White Hart Café is located on 1208 Main St. For more information on Accordion Death Squad, visit http://www.myspace.com/accordiondeathsquad.