As the day wore on today, I thought the band Squeeze This had planned this weather.  Most of the day it was dark and cloudy.  Gloomy, cold, depressing.  Filled with despair.  And then in the hours before showtime, the sun broke out and before long the sky was cloudless.  Really the same pattern as their show.

Paul Cook with Squeeze This, on stage at The Acoustic Cafe, April 2010

Squeeze This is made up of Paul Cook and Joel Jensen they play  a (usually) light hearted variety of songs.  But tonight isn't about light hearted songs.  Tonight the first half of the show is about Despair.  Taxes and it's partner, love lost, cheated and mistreated, not to mention the inability to buy beer.  As Paul put it mid show, "I'm sadder than hell and we ain't done yet".

The show is billed to be from despair to hope.  Hope was better.  The second set had Tom Petty, a satirical dedication to the Tea Party, a rewritten version of Tea for Two and a closing with the whole crowd on their feet and singing acapella.  Squeeze this puts on a fun show.  A good time with some humor and some good times.  Accordions with nary a polka.  --The best way to see them.

The showbill says Joel is making his singing debut, which is not true.  I saw him sing a couple of songs at the Harmony Corners Cafe  here in Eau Claire a year ago.  But tonight he is singing a bit more than usual.  He has a pretty good voice, much softer than Paul's brassy confidence.  The pair work well together trading humor and music back and forth.

The crowd is enthused.  The tables all have sing along sheets and quite a few people are using them.
Almost the full crowd also stayed the whole night, which is a little rare.  Lots of times it thins out quite a bit by the second set.  I think even if you don't particularly like the music, which considering its eclectic mix is not unlikely, there is enough sheer entertainment value to the show to make it worthwhile.

	Also Sprach Zarathustra moving into as close to a polka as Squeeze This will play.
	Squeeze this, with guests Billy Krause and others playing Sure Good To Be Home Again

The Acoustic Cafe just by virtue of it's location and menu draws a few people who could care less about music.  Ok, listen to me about to rip into the handicapped guy, but there is a guy in a wheel chair sitting right up front.  He has a cell phone with a ring tone like the old style rotary bell phones.  And, each time it rings he has to have a conversation I can hear just fine, above the music, and I am sitting six tables away from the guy!  The first time it rang, I thought it was a stage prop.  Paul and Joel wouldn't be above working phone calls into their routine.  But then I realized it was someone in the crowd.  I realize he has some challenges that prevent him from leaping up and dashing outside to carry on a phone conversation if he must.  Perhaps being polite and turning off your phone?

So Squeeze This was a good show.  A fun time as always, for it's non-traditional accordion value. Worth seeing.

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