Those Darn Accordions! at IOTA...sometime this century

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears accordions.

Specifically, Those Darn Accordions!, who took the Iota stage in a whirl of boas, Hawaiian shirts, cat glasses, flared sideburns and vertical keyboards on Monday. The six-piece ensemble -- four squeezeboxers, a drummer and a bassist -- clearly reveled in its oddness, but it also took full advantage of the range of accordion sounds to create high-octane, high-quality pop.

Although the initial shouts of "What time is it? It's polka time!" cast fear into the hearts of some listeners -- I, for one, explored Iota's fine selection of single-malts -- the oompah beat was not the only one in the band's arsenal. "Mr. Stagle's Revenge," a song about a shop teacher and his slacker student, boasted surfy keyboards and female harmonies reminiscent of the B-52's. "Wall of Gum" offered kiddie-bubblegum-rap bounce. And "Clownhead," a nightmare of freakish laughter and wailing chords, suggested the result of putting David Byrne and Frankie Yankovic in a blender and pushing "puree."

But most of the set showcased TDA's genial charms. Singer Paul Rogers apologized to banjoist Travis Rinehart, of opening band Jackass Flats, before the Dr. Demento-worthy rant "Hippie With a Banjo." Afterward, he commented: "Who else are a bunch of accordion players gonna make fun of, really?"