A thick dark strand of hair falls from the ponytail and over
the forehead of Michael Del Gardo as he squeezes an emphasized note from his
accordion last Friday evening at Villa Romana restaurant in Myrtle Beach. He leans in close and grimaces,
as the note seems to resonate across the table of tourists and by their plates
of spaghetti.
The large musical breastplate nearly covers the upper
portion of the musician’s body as he moves on and plays an Italian love song
for Michael and Susan Cioaco of Murrells Inlet. The longtime customers are
celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary on this summer evening
and are sharing a chocolate desert by candlelight.
Del Gardo’s goal is to greet each patron of the Italian
eatery and use his instrument like a friendly handshake or maybe a kiss on the
cheek.
“I’ve always played,” he said while holding the heavy
instrument on his lap with little effort. “I don’t remember not playing, I
don’t remember learning how to play the accordion. It’s just something I do.”
Nowadays, Del Gardo is repeating the techniques he learned
as a little boy urged on by his grandfather, Giacinto Marcon, and father, Ralph
Del Gardo, in Summit Hill, Pa., in the early 1960s. Marcon would take
the child prodigy proudly to neighbors’ porches to show off the young Del
Gardo’s talents.
“I’m like 5-years-old and I’m entertaining people. I got
hooked early.”
For the better part of 24 years, Villa Romana has been Del
Gardo’s constant gig -- novelty most accordion players can only wish for.
“I have a joke,” as a smile grows on his face. “You know the
difference between pizza and an accordion player? A pizza can feed a family of
four.”
The smile grows wider, then the musician adds in retrospect.
“Well, I can feed a family of four, I’ve just beaten the odds on that one.”
The constant job and his music have more meaning to Del
Gardo these days. He and his wife Andrea share a life together with their two
children in Socastee and like us all share the challenges in today’s weakened
economy.
“I play love songs better now than I ever did.” He said when
asked about the passion of his instrument. “That’s directly caused by falling
in love.”
Posted by Randall Hill
Watch a music video of Michael performing the Italian classic "Oh' Marie" and his version of The Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby".
Listen to audio clips of Michael Del Gardo performing.
Oh' Marie
Eleanor Rigby
Boogie Woogie on a Squeeze Box
We are the Champions
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Highways and Fairways Mike Evans and fiancee Juanita Rosenfeld are spending a year driving across America, playing multiple rounds of golf each week at some of the best golf courses in the country.
Great stuff, Randall. Loved the music.
Posted by: Michael Mahan | 09/01/2009 at 08:04 AM