The Bands of Summer Continue: The Squeezebox Stompers entertained the Ironworks crowd

By Laura Eisener

The weather was perfect for the Squeezebox Stompers concert at the Saugus Iron Works last week (July 23). For the most part, the crowd had no need of either fans or sweaters as they enjoyed the music in the summer evening. The band plays a combination of traditional Cajun music and their own compositions.

One of their first songs was “Yellow Moon,” written by the Neville Brothers, about a man asking the moon peeking in his window if it knows where his girl is — out with someone else or wandering all alone. Gene Decareau requested the song “What’s So Bad About Feelin’ Good,” which is the title of the band’s most recent album. They already have another audio CD called “Roots and Branches.” The band members are Ralph Tufo, Larry Pitt, Bert Syms, Geoff Wadsworth, Jeff O’Neil and occasionally others

. At the Iron Works concert, the band asked for volunteers to play the “rub-board” and tambourine, and they found a few talented people! Rub-boards are a modified version of a washboard, one of the unusual instruments Cajun and zydeco bands have been renowned for using.

A squeezebox is a slang term for instruments, such as accordions or concertinas, in which the sound is created by the compressing and drawing in of air. The Iron Works seems an appropriate location for such an instrument to be played, since just down the hill in the forge building are some bellows, which operate on a similar principle. In the case of the Iron Works, the purpose of the bellows is not to create sound but to increase draft to the fire.

Several people got up to dance, and near the end of the evening a conga line was winding its way through the crowd. A pleasant song near the end was “Sweet Cajun Girl,” and they finished up the evening with “Iko Iko,” which may be the only Cajun song most people know, a standard tune for Mardi Gras.

The Squeezebox Stompers will be playing at a special event, New Orleans Night at the Mystic Theatre in Conway, N.H., on Saturday, August 9. Tickets are required for that event, and there will be appropriate Louisiana cuisine available in the theatre’s cafe that evening. An upcoming free local outdoor show will be at Memorial Park in Reading, Mass., on Sunday, August 10 from 6 until 7:30 p.m.

This marks the fourth consecutive summer that the Saugus Public Library and the National Park Service are collaborating on a local outdoor event that seems to get more popular every year. The concert series celebrates local musical talents in Essex County and creates opportunities for residents and visitors to engage with the park during evening hours. Shows begin at 6 p.m. each Wednesday in August. People can bring blankets and chairs, snacks, etc.

The events take place on the stage behind the museum building, and spectators can settle down on the upper lawn. It is suitable for all ages. Restrooms are available until nearly 8 p.m., when the concerts conclude.

If weather looks bad for any particular Wednesday, concert goers are urged to check the library website (www.sauguspubliclibrary.org), which will update for cancellations on that day.

Atwater~Donnelly – which specializes in Traditional American & Celtic Folk Music and Percussive Dance – was scheduled to perform this week (Wednesday, July 30). Here is the rest of the schedule for the summer:

• August 6: Ditto (Acoustic Music, 60s & 70s).
• August 13: John Jerome (Rock, Pop, Country, Hip-Hop).
• August 20: Jon Waterman (a journey through the roots of American popular music).
• August 27: Jump Street (Classic Rock, Motown, Jazz and Funk).