The Milwaukee Accordion Club Entertainment Review by Pam Raskin Margarita Night The Island Hoppers Monday July 23 we welcomed our members and guests to our version of "Margaritaville". It was "Five O'Clock somewhere", but it was Six O'Clock that our party began, and party we did! We had more non members than members and we welcomed them with a buffet of taco chips, jalapeño cheese and salsa. For dessert we had Mounds and Almond Joy bars. Speaking of bars, the KOC was serving margaritas, both alcoholic and non alcoholic in cactus glasses. They sold out! Jerry Smeiska’s Island Hoppers band, those Old Sons of Beaches, started us out with a number of songs with a tropical theme. Tiny Bubbles, Harbor Lights, and of course their version of Margaritaville. They also did some classics like Five foot two, Cold Cold Heart and a requested song Begin the Beguine. They were dressed in what I would call Beach Chic and the audience loved them! Yard Dog Charlie Yard Dog Charlie then took the stage and the fun continued. He did a number of original songs like his Tropical Song, where he tells how he went to the west coast of Florida from a town on Lake Michigan shore, August 2018 where the wind blows so cold, it cuts to the bone. Songs about beaches and tropical sun, drinking margaritas, fourteen kinds of rum. Cheesehead Heaven, where you'll eat sweet corn, brats and cream puffs and polka music fills the air. Every Sunday we'll have hot ham and rolls, drive a big pickup truck, the Bears still suck and the Packers always win the Super Bowl. Every Time I Get Married I Cry, I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore, Ode to Irma, the list is endless. All of these originals were filled with anecdotes of how he got the ideas for the songs. He was so entertaining, he walked among the floor filled with dancers, chatted with the audience, everyone having a wonderful time. He also did some classics, the House of the Rising Sun, Motorcycle Mama, and more. He invited Jerry Smeiska to play the washboard and at one point a group of dancers surrounded Jerry while he played. All in all a very successful night at the Milwaukee Accordion Club. Sorry if you missed it, but you can see Charlie at the Tropix stage at the State Fair and at Barnacle Buds, and my guess is if you go see Charlie, you just might catch Jerry Smeiska playing the washboard (:-). Pam Raskin
