The Music

Dan Newton’s Cafe Accordion Orchestra (CAO) performs an eclectic mix full of

French flare, Latin heat and Bohemian attitude. The heart of the CAO repertoire is the

romantic, gypsy-influenced valse-musette. The group complements the musettes with

swing, ballads, tangos, cha chas, rumbas, and cumbias to create a wonderfully varied

show. They inject their music with good humor and expressive abandon. Their high

level of musicianship and passion for performance makes them an entertaining

concert act as well as a great dance band.

The Artists

CAO is led by DAN NEWTON on accordion and vocals, with ERIC MOHRING on

mandolin, violin and vocals, ERIK LILLESTOL on bass and vocals, ROBERT BELL

on guitar and vocals and JOE STEINGER on percussion. CAO has been delighting

audiences and dancers alike since 1995. They have appeared in New York at the

Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing series, the International Akkordeon

Festival in Vienna, Austria, the Minnesota State Fair, as well as festivals, theaters and

dance halls across the United States.

“Music like yours is a breath of springtime, a surge of hope and

optimism, a blossoming of new life, a revival of all things human

and warm and inviting.... jeeziz, we need music like this!!”

R. Crumb