The Night the Accordion Stole the Show at Broken Spoke

I’ll never forget the first time I brought my accordion through the doors of the Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas. It was a hot Tuesday night in the early-90s, and the back room dance floor was already packed with two-steppers spinning under the colorful lights that stay up all year-round. Playing in the front cafe was Wayne “the train” Hancock and bass man Don Bacoch. They asked me to sit in with them and this was the first of many wonderful evenings playing music at the historic honky-tonk.

The Broken Spoke is world famous. Visitors from all around the world have the Spoke on their “must do” list. Some people who came in had never seen a woman leading a band with a full-size piano accordion. Some smiled politely. A few raised eyebrows. But the moment we hit the first notes of a swinging version of Hank Williams “Jambalaya,” something magical happened — the whole room leaned in.

The accordion doesn’t ask for permission.

That night I learned a powerful truth: Just opens those bellows can breathes life into any room. By the third song, people were fully engaged. Hollering requests, and dancing like they’d known these Cajun and Tex-Mex rhythms their whole lives.

I played with fire in my fingers and joy in my heart. We tore through classic Hank Williams songs and I added a few of my easy to learn on the spot cajun-y, country blues original songs. At one point an older cowboy tipped his hat and yelled, “Girl, that squeezebox of yours has more soul than half the guitars in Austin!”

That was the night I truly understood why I was happy I chose this instrument. It’s not flashy. It’s not loud just to be loud. But when you play it with heart, it connects people — young and old, country and city, dancers and listeners — in a way few other instruments can.

From that night on, the Broken Spoke became my musical home for over 30 years. Tuesday evenings with the Love Saints became a celebration of real Texas music, real dancing, and real connection.

The accordion taught me this:

Music isn’t about being the biggest or the loudest. It’s about showing up and breathing life into the moment. Playing with other musicians is always the best! Inviting Austin’s great guitarists who were there is how I formed the original band. I loved Austin for this easy way to share in the sheer joy of playing roots music.

And I’m still doing exactly that — now from Phoenix, through online lessons, new recordings, and the stories I’m finally ready to share here on debweb.