April 17th was indeed a sad day for American music. Not only did we lose Danny Federici of the E Street Band but another accordionist and significant figure in Southern Californian roots music, Chris Gaffney, also died of cancer. You might know him for his association with Lucinda Williams or Dave Alvin but in recent years he had fronted with Dave Gonzalez, formerly of The Paladins, a terrific band called The Hacienda Brothers. Their two studio releases are both worth checking out, but perhaps best is their live album which contains a huge, bluesy, accordion-soaked Since I Met You Baby on which Chris wails.

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