EUCLID. Ohio — The instrument that TJ Likovic plays is called a button box. It’s not a traditional accordion, and the 18-year-old wants people to know the difference.
“The button box only has a certain range of keys compared to a regular accordion,” Likovic said.
He showed off his prized possession at the Super Button Box Bash, an event hosted at the Slovenian Society Home that’s dubbed as the Woodstock of Polka.
“Well, it’s the first event back in two, three years,” Likovic said. “It’s good to have everyone back.”
At the event, polka lovers danced to the sound of nearly 60 button boxes. It’s an event that Likovic could play in because of his dad.
“My father taught me,” he said.
Now, they get to play together, alongside his brother, RJ Likovic, in a band named after his dad, called Ron Likovic and Friends.
“I can give it all to my dad, riding on his coattails,” he said. “He gets me up [and involved] with bands, and all that stuff, and as he’s saying, ‘I’m beating him.”
The prodigy just might beat his dad’s career in the industry. Likovic’s skills have taken him all over the world.
“I played in the Netherlands,” Likovic said.
He hasn’t made it over to play in Slovenia yet, but Likovic said the instrument allows him to still feel connected to his culture as they play Eastern European-style music.
“It allows us to keep the music going, keep the culture, and everything rolling,” he said. “You know, it’s sad to say it might be dying.”
He shared a suggestion for keeping the culture alive.
“[We] gotta get the young generation back in it,” he said. “People like me. I gotta do my part, and everyone’s gotta do theirs.”
