Photos of Mrs. Hobbs & Amber Lee Baker in the print version of the LA Weekly. Article by Shana Nys Dambrot also available on LAWeekly.com.

March 21, 2013

FASTER PUSSYCAT! SQUEEZE! SQUEEZE! It’s been a while now since a new generation of alt-folk and nouveau-cabaret musicians rescued the accordion from the polka dustbin. But perhaps the most amazing thing about the accordion these days is how hot its female players it have gotten. Thanks to the considerable talents of crews like the L.A. Accordion Babes, this once-ridiculed and notoriously difficult instrument has somehow been reinvented as, like, what Betty Page played at sexy band camp. In their mistresses’ hands, these squawky boxes sing out melodies from the celestial to the gypsy-souled, the raucous to the heart-rending, the reinvented standard to the avant-garde original. The Accordion Babes Revue takes full advantage of its members’ fearless, real-woman, golden-throated beauty to put on a pretty wild show with no shortage of corsets and tattoos. And did we mention the women have their own pin-up calendar? To make absolutely sure they kick off their West Coast tour at maximum octane, they’ve invited to the stage not only the all-girl Circus Finelli, but also the equally badass performers of the Petting Pantry Burlesque, who pride themselves on the fierceness of their fishnet fantasy in a sort of Victoria’s Secret/roller-derby kind of way. Mama’s got a squeezebox; Daddy’s on his own tonight. Fais Do Do. 5257 W. Adams Blvd., West L.A. Fri., March 22, 9 p.m. $15/$10 advance. 2013-la-accordionbabesrevue.eventbrite.com. — By Shana Nys Dambrot http://www.voiceplaces.com/the-accordion-babes-the-petting-pantry-los-angeles-2025176-e/

OMG! There I am right in the middle of the homepage of the LA Weekly! For what, you say? For The Accordion Babes Revue in Los Angeles + The Petting Pantry! this Friday. See it yourself: http://www.laweekly.com/. Also, if you go to Calendar>Top Picks, you’ll find it listed there too, cuz that’s the kind of show this is gonna be. Woohoo!

Squeezing & Teasing!

The 2013 Los Angeles
Accordion Babes Revue
+ Petting Pantry Burlesque

The Accordion Babes Revue
Fri, Mar 22, 2013 @ 9:00pm
Fais Do Do, 5253 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Mrs. Hobbs and The Petting Pantry Present The Accordion Babes Revue & Petting Pantry Burlesque on March 22 at 9pm at Fais Do Do! It’s going to be sexy! It’s going to be musical! It’s going to be fun! 

Los Angeles’ own Accordion Babe, Mrs. Hobbs, and the vaudeville/Burlesque show, The Petting Pantry, welcome the Accordion Babes from the Accordion Babes Album & Pin-Up Calendar who are touring the West Coast from Southern California to Vancouver. Part kitsch, part glamour, part damn fine musicianship, this show has a lot going on besides just the sexy outfits and great legs. These women rock their squeezeboxes, fiddles, guitars, trombones, glockenspiels with a host of lovely voices and a drummer to form an ever-changing musical cabaret.

The evening will be MC’ed by Circus Finelli’s Accordion Babe, Lux Glaxiola, and will feature burlesque performances by The Petting Pantry’s Prix de Beaute, Mercury Troy and Duchess of Courage. Accordion music by Mrs. Hobbs, Renee de la Prade (the creator of the calendar), Joan Wilson Rueter, Amber Lee Baker, and Skyler Fell. It’s a female entertainer all-star show with accordion and sexiness at the forefront. The women’s musical styles couldn’t be more diverse… mariner songs, cajun music, Turkish and Balkan rhythms, rag-time, Mexican folk, cabaret songs, roots music, folk, rock-n-roll and even hip hop will have some time on the stage.

When this much musical talent, charisma, and sexiness are in the room, the fans had better watch out. They just might leave the show with huge grins on their faces, feet tired from dancing and freshly signed Accordion Babes calendars tucked beneath their arms.

Here’s the LA Weekly’s LA Go write-up:

It’s been a while now since a new generation of alt-folk and nouveau-cabaret musicians rescued the accordion from the polka dustbin. But perhaps the most amazing thing about the accordion these days is how hot its female players it have gotten. Thanks to the considerable talents of crews like the L.A. Accordion Babes, this once-ridiculed and notoriously difficult instrument has somehow been reinvented as, like, what Betty Page played at sexy band camp. In their mistresses’ hands, these squawky boxes sing out melodies from the celestial to the gypsy-souled, the raucous to the heart-rending, the reinvented standard to the avant-garde original. The Accordion Babes Revue takes full advantage of its members’ fearless, real-woman, golden-throated beauty to put on a pretty wild show with no shortage of corsets and tattoos. And did we mention the women have their own pin-up calendar? To make absolutely sure they kick off their West Coast tour at maximum octane, they’ve invited to the stage not only the all-girl Circus Finelli, but also the equally badass performers of the Petting Pantry Burlesque, who pride themselves on the fierceness of their fishnet fantasy in a sort of Victoria’s Secret/roller-derby kind of way. Mama’s got a squeezebox; Daddy’s on his own tonight. Fais Do Do. 5257 W. Adams Blvd., West L.A. Fri., March 22, 9 p.m. $15/$10 advance. 2013-la-accordionbabesrevue.eventbrite.com. — By Shana Nys Dambrot
LA Weekly listing

And we’re in the Editor’s Picks of Flavorpill:

Adding some much needed sex appeal to the unwieldy-looking accordion, the babes of the Accordion Babes Revue mix cabaret moves with musical sensation. Featuring fun female accordionists (all featured in the special Accordion Babes pin-up calendar) as well as a range of other performers, including LA’s own Mrs. Hobbs, calendar creator Renee de la Prade, Skyler Fell, Luz Gaxiola, Amber Lee Baker, and Joan Wilson Reuter. Plus, there’s burlesque dancing from the Petting Pantry, featuring Prix de Beaute, Mercury Troy, and Duchess of Courage. Finally, the accordion is hot.

- Laura Gatewood, Flavorpill
Flavorpill listing

The show is also listed on LA Record, and the Accordion Babes in Northern California were also on NPR’s West Coast Live radio show, performing and promoting their 2013 Accordion Babes West Coast Tour.

Get tickets in advance for $10 and SAVE! $15 at the door.
Advance Tickets