Supreme Sovereign of Squeeze
Queen Accordionna ascended to the Slime Throne in August 2000, making her the First Slug Queen of the New Millennium. And there is no doubt about this claim since her Royal Rain spanned well into 2001 (the year which is purported to be the real start of the New Millennium by some.)
Queen Accordionna had the unprecedented advantage of having her Royal Court on stage during the entire event. This is because Accordions Anonymous – the World’s Only 12-Step group for Accordion Addicts – which was founded by Lorelei Allen (Queen Accordionna’s alter-ego) and Shelley Winship, was the House Band for the 2000 Coronation. What luck!!!
What was her talent? Accordion music, of course! Backed up by Accordions Anonymous, the yet to be queen sang a parody of SWING ON A STAR. At the end she sang a reprise– burlesque style:
So if you want to sit on the throne, sing a song to set the right tone And if the judges throw you a bone … you might just get to live your dream … You might be crowned the next Slug QUEEN!!!
at which point, all the members of the band dropped down to their knees, faced Accordionna, and held up their hands toward her in an adoring gesture to indicate her royal stature! Needless to say, her ploy worked like a charm.
As everyone knows, S.L.U.G. Queens are a philanthropic bunch. Queen Accordionna’s community “pet cause” is transportation and energy efficiency. To that end, she has vowed to lead the search for a “green” Royal Float for the Queens to open the Eugene Celebration Parade… green and leafy would be nice for slugs but it should certainly be one “that wouldn’t spew nasty automobile fumes into the faces of my adoring subjects”.
So how did Queen Accordionna ride in style with her entourage through the streets of Eugene? On nothing less than “The World’s Largest Human Powered All-Terrain Vehicle”! She allied herself with Dean Codo (Admiral Phunn) of Corvallis and his amazing uber vehicle aptly named “The Maltese Fulcrum”. The Fulcrum is “pistoned” (never say “pedaled” because it’s NOT a bike!) by 8 strong-legged humans and has a huge platform on top that can – and did – hold this Slug Queen and her entire 10 piece Royal Court / Accordion Band. The Fulcrum has been used by some of the subsequent Queens in the parade and it is an integral part of the Annual DaVinci Days Kinetic Sculpture Race in Corvallis (3rd weekend of July).
She has combined her two favorite passions by providing musical support to Kinetic Sculpture Races in Corvallis, Oregon and Port Townsend, Washington since she was introduced to the Kinetic World when she first became Slug Queen.
QA avidly promotes appropriate transportation, reduced dependence on fossil fuels and bicycle safety. A year-round bicycle commuter since moving to Eugene in 1994, her bike is her primary vehicle. She encourages walking, sailing, kayaking, carpooling, and using buses and trains whenever possible. QA is not shy about campaigning for a fully government funded passenger and high-speed rail as soon as possible. As a S.L.U.G. Queen Accordionna is deeply invested in the health of our planet and she firmly believes that these measures “will help limit the negative effects of catastrophic climate change that we are already beginning to experience”.
No one ever accused a Slug Queen of Stage fright. For her part QA co-writes, arranges and performs music for Trunkful of Faces, a Eugene-based puppet troupe that creates puppet shows for children of all ages. She also leads her own band, which she calls “event-driven” in that the band name and repertoire varies to suit the event, but the musicians are usually the same: Ken Soko (drums), Skip Moses (sax), Bud Chase (tuba & bass) and El Vid (charrango, trombone, vocals).
One of her favorite musical activities is Accordion-Oke! , which she invented. Accordion-Oke! is karaoke with live musicians and is wildly popular with audiences of all ages. Accordion-Oke! can occur anywhere: private parties, festival stages, or spontaneously on the street.
Queen Accordionna continues to make public appearances now that she is an Old Slug Queen. She has provided the Royal House Band for many of the Slug Queen Coronations, and has emceed and performed at various community events as time allows. A don’t miss? Pirate Queen Accordionna and her salty crew of musicians. This raucous bunch can occasionally be heard playing sea chanteys and traditional and original sailing tunes – both on land and on the water.
Queen Accordionna’s web site: AccordionPower.net