February Shows!

The Cardinal Cafe is a fabulous new venue for music and arts in Scottsville, VA. I performed their a week ago along side my favorite Scottsville gals Mary Hardy Roberts and Nancy Gill. In fact, I sat on the left side of my own accordion teacher--impressario and ambassador extraordinaire--Dale Wise (so I could see what moves he has on the bass side of the instrument!). I will be performing on February 26th with Thomas Gunn and Matt Wyatt from 6 to 9 pm. Thomas is a fantastic songwriter and he and I will be accompanying each other on our original songs for the first few hours with Matt 'Last Word' Wyatt on drums. The third set, we will change into our zydeco guises and perform cajun stomping Mudflaps material. Then on February 28th, we will bust out the Mardi Gras beads on Fat Tuesday and lead the parade through the streets to Fellini's starting at around 7 pm. Get there early for a special solo accordion performance from the rooftop.

Shows in January 2006 and beyond!

Lots of live shows coming up in January. More to come but for now here are some dates at Fellini's #9. Call 979 4279 for directions. Wednesday January 11th at 10 pm I will be performing w/ the Mudflaps (see previous posts for details on our music) so get your dancing shoes on. Wednesday the 25th of January will be a very special show for me. I will don the Nat King Cole crown and perform with my beautiful fiancee Daphne Latham for the first time LIVE (we do lots of private performances at home for our cats). The show will start at 8 pm and will be packed with hit songs from the swingin' jazz era, classic country tunes, and contemporary pop numbers. Get there early and be prepared to sing along. Saturday January 28th the Mudflaps are back on Saturday night from 10 pm through the night. And Sunday January 29th I will perform solo on piano from 6 to 9 pm. Bring your sweetheart to dinner and enjoy the wonderful food, atmosphere, and music.

Many thanks to Dave 'Blogge' Hogge

This is an oxymoronic personal post to David Hogge, who created this blog site for me. If any warm blooded creature on this hurtling rock knows this king among men, please give him a generous hug and firm handshake for me. And if you speak Spanish, please say this to him, 'Quitese de sus calzoncilla. Quisiera una muestra de sus heces.' Any questions you might have on Dave's relative greatness can be referred to me. I will kindly pass them along. A million thanks, Dave.

Upcoming Cajun show 12/28

Well happy holidays and best wishes for the new year. Until that baby rolls over for the first and this 2005 yr. old man rolls away, you may wish to stroll down to Fellini's #9 at the corner of Market and 2nd to see Mighty Mudcalfe and the Mudflaps perform our authentic blend of cajun, zydeco, and Americana music. In addition to our dance-the-night-away material, we will be performing new material for the first time. Come on down at 10 pm to see the show--featuring Thomas Gunn on guitar, Matt Wyatt on drums, Matt Gallup on washboard/percussion, and myself on Cordovox (the instrument that made translyvania infamous). 'Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Kwazy Kwanzaa, a tip top tet, and a solemn, respectful Ramadan'--Krusty the Clown

Update on Lessons

Matty is accepting music students for the upcoming season, contact Matty to sign up for piano, accordion, banjo, mandolin, guitar, or bass lessons. Get in early, spaces are filling up!

Matty teaches piano, accordion, 5-string banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass to students of all levels and ages at his home studio in downtown Charlottesville. Please contact for rates and a schedule of availibility.

Offering:

• A wide range of styles including classical and jazz piano, multi-ethnic accordion, Scruggs-style banjo, and bluegrass and Irish style mandolin
, classical and rock guitar, and bass.

• A wide range of methods to complement each student's learning strengths


• Lessons for beginner and advanced students, children and adults, designed specifically for your musical goals

Contact me at metcalfemusic@yahoo.com or by phone at (434) 295-4267 for more details.

December 10th at High Meadows' Vintner's Dinner

Matty performs on piano and accordion
at High Meadows' Vintner's Dinner from 6 - 9 pm.
Please visit www.highmeadows.com to view this
beautiful winery and estate.

November 25th at Fellini's #9

Mighty Matty and the Mudflaps perform
at Fellini's #9 from 10 pm to 1 am. New zydeco,
cajun, blues, and two-stepping grooves on their way
tonight.

November 18th at Gravity Lounge

Matty will perform with Thomas Gunn at
his CD 'coming out' celebration at Gravity Lounge at 7
pm. Visit www.gravity-lounge.com/calendar.php for
more info.

A hand in the Jambalaya

Aside from the Mudflaps, I've joined up
with Jambalaya, a band started by Mike 'Big Easy'
D'Antoni and pals. The eight piece band consists of
clarinet, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, guitar, bass,
drums, and yours truly on piano. To me, it's
somewhere between Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the
Funky Meters. Today we performed live in studio to
kick off WTJU's fall fund drive. Check out
www.wtju.net/cpages/marathons/fall2005/sched for more
and I'll post our future gigs on this site.

Fellini's - November 12th

Matty will perform solo piano tunes
from 6 - 9 pm at Fellini's #9. Call 434 979 4279 for
directions.

Mudflaps Demo

Mighty Matty and the Mudflaps recorded a
five-song demo album for all interested parties and
will be looking to record more tunes for an album in
the near future. Keep your ears peeled and your ears
tuned. For now, if you'd like to have a free copy of
the demo, please visit the contact page and email me
with your request.

My Zydeco Band

This same night saw the first live
performance of a zydeco band that I put together with
Thomas Gunn (guitar/vocals), Spencer Lathrop
(drums/percussion), and Matt Gallup (washboard). This
is an extension of a project with Thomas and Matt
Wyatt who will be drumming for an upcoming show on
November 25th at Fellini's #9. I happened upon a
cordovox accordion at a pawn shop in arlington,
virginia a few weeks prior to the show. The cordovox
model is basically an accordion combined with the
innards of an organ and run through a big
cordovox-only amplifier. They were all the rage in
the 1970's I'm told. For our purposes, it fit in
nicely since the bass notes are amplified (obviating
the need for a bassist) and the accordion/organ is
internally miked (I've never met a soundman who enjoys
miking an accordion). Mighty Matty and the Mudflaps
are available for parties, weddings, and any event
that needs a shuffling groove and an accordion laced
melody. The blues never sounds so sweet as when it
has that New Orleans beat.

Stridin' Down Bourbon

I held a CD release party at Fellini's
#9 for my latest album, 'Stridin' Down Bourbon: A
Tribute to James Booker and the Music of New Orleans.'
Since my brother John first introduced me to Booker's
recordings four years ago, I've been mesmorized by his
inimitable approach to stride piano playing. On this
album, I pay homage to his dazzling interpretations of
classical pieces, harmonically layered original tunes,
and stride reinventions of classics from Beatles to
Broadway songs. I play some selections that he never
recorded but treat them with the same stylistic
conventions he might have used. The album is $10 (s &
h included) and all proceeds will be donated to the
New Orleans Musicians' Free Clinic and victims of
Hurricane Katrina. Please visit the 'contact' page
and email me to place an order.

It's all happening...

I am teaming up with my longtime
accordion guru, mentor, and co-conspirator Dale Wise
to offer 'Accordions for Kids,' a bold new way to
offer accordion lessons to children between the ages
of seven and twelve. Basically, it works like this:
We offer a 10-week free trial period of lessons and an
accordion to borrow for a refundable deposit fee. The
student receives an educational DVD to watch and learn
from and meets with the teacher every two weeks to
have a formal private lesson. At the end of the ten
week period, the parents and child determine whether
he/she wishes to continue with lessons at which point
the child will start private lessons with the teacher.
The 10-week period is completely free and there's
nothing to lose and everything to gain from learning
to play music at a young age. To give it a try,
please visit the contacts page and email me for a copy
of the DVD, an loaner accordion, and a ticket to a
free music adventure. Or, contact dale or visit his
website at www.accordionplus.com and
accordionplus@aol.com