Production Details

Guilty Pleasures and Hip Hits -
Music of 20th-Century American and European Pop Culture
The No-Mads celebrate music’s reign as the defining art form in 20th-century popular culture of Europe and the Americas. The No-Mads’ instrumental program is an international tapestry woven from swing, TV and film themes, novelty songs, bebop, rock, crooner hits, bal-musette, show tunes, Italian folk songs, Bossa Nova, sounds of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, and more. In nostalgic reinterpretations of familiar tunes that maybe you’ve forgotten you know and love, and in novel arrangements of obscure gems -- all played on guitar, accordion, and percussion -- you’ll find delight from beginning to end.

The No-Mads
The No-Mads are guitarist Ned Boynton, organist / accordionist / pianist Robert Kennedy, and often their musical guests. In 2015, Robert got the call to play organ on one of Ned’s gigs, and the two quickly discovered a shared taste for TV themes, rock anthems, hot-club tunes, Italian folk music, popular music of Europe and the Americas, novelty songs, and jazz standards.

For several years Ned and Robert freelanced on guitar and organ in each other’s groups and occasionally crossed paths as hired guns in other bands. Adding to his focus on piano and organ performance, Robert got serious about accordion in 2018, joining the nascent Mission Hot Club, where Ned occasionally subbed on guitar. An accordion / guitar collaboration was natural for Ned thanks to his long history with accordionists in Los Pinkys, Surfer Roma, and The Caffè Trieste Family Band, so the composite sound of accordion and guitar was fertile ground for collaboration and naturally became the foundation of The No-Mads.