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Itinerant Locals
come to Town with Oomph and a Squeeze By Shara Rutberg
One button on the old Renelli squeezebox keeps jamming. The tuba is tarnished. But nothing gets in the way of the Itinerant Locals World Domination Tour, which swings through Crested Butte this weekend.
So far, the Seattle-based duo of Zachary Smith on tuba and former local Cheryl Roorda on accordion have hit five cities in Canada, played in streets and parking lots up and down the east coast, and headlined at Betsy's Wedding (an event, not a night club) in Wisconsin. They've put 11,000 miles on Paco the Prelude, a weathered white Honda they've been calling home. Living in a Japanese compact is even more challenging when two large musical instruments take up most of the back seat.
Two things keep them going on their musical cross-continental journey. The first is an addiction to the instant gratification the two enjoy when people turn a corner and hear the oompah of the horn and carnival-esque melody of the accordion. The second is polyester.
"I'm thrilled to be doing this," says Roorda, who sports a polyester blazer in a color no longer manufactured in the Western world. "This is an absolutely ideal job for me. We're our own bosses and we're providing art. We're making people smile."
"We love the one-on-one interaction
of street performing," says Smith from under a hat that resembles
a lampshade more than a little bit. "Our payoff is so instant."
Smith is not referring to the cash that fans toss into their instrument
cases, though they've earned enough on the streets to finance their tour.
He means the grins they get from passersby, the squeals they get from
kids who park themselves in front of the duo and the many, many people
who have told them 'thank you whatever the hell you are." "In
New York City, people came up and danced," he says. The reaction
has been different in other places. The Itinerant Locals set up outside
a Twins game in Minneapolis and nobody seemed to notice the two polyester-clad
minstrels tooting and squeezing on the corner. Perhaps polyester and tubas
are more common in the Midwest.
Polyester has become more than a costume for Roorda and Smith. It is a way of life. It is a political statement. "We're out to save our landfills!" says Roorda. "Because, like diamonds, polyester is forever."
Smith explains the polyester connection: "It all started in Bismark, North Dakota," (as many things do). "I found a place that sold all the polyester clothes you could stuff into a bag for one dollar." A wardrobe was born. The duo encourages people who come to see them this weekend to squeeze into their favorite polyester ensembles. There will be a prize for the best display of synthetic fabric. "Go for the 'full Cleveland,' one hundred percent unnatural fibers," says Smith. "It's not easy. But it can be done."
The band's repertoire runs the gamut from classic tarantella and polka to new tuba/accordion spins on old rock favorites. The mingled sounds of the big old horn and the piano in a box are a sign of future musical trends, says Smith. "There's definitely a revival of these instruments," he says, "a neo-Gothic feeling, a revival of vaudeville and circus." In fact, a circus is where the two met. Smith and Roorda were playing for the Seattle's Cirque du Flambe where they shared a music stand. In between flaming acts of juggling and acrobatics, something sparked between the two. Luckily, they weren't wearing highly flammable polyester ensembles at the time.
The Itinerant Locals play the Forest Queen
Friday night at 8 p.m. Wear polyester.
