MONROE, Wis. -- Whether you're into rock 'n' roll, country, R&B or something a little more out there, the power of music reaches almost everyone. It's why some Green County residents are holding onto the soundtrack of their lives.

These music lovers all come together -- one night a month -- to pay tribute to an instrument they regard as an old friend. It's why if people listen closely in the city Monroe, they just might hear the city's history weaving through their ears.

Long before iTunes, MP3s or ringtones, there was Del Heins and his accordion.

"Well, I started back when I was about 7 or 8 years old," said Heins. "I'm 72, so you do the math."

Heins said he remembers six toe-tapping decades ago -- way before today's children ever dreamed of being guitar heroes.

"I can remember my two brothers. One played violin, one played the guitar. They played for house parties," said Heins. "They'd go into some neighbor's house, and they'd clear out the furniture in the living room, roll the rug up and they'd dance till 2 a.m., 3 a.m."

This is why at Monroe's Turner Hall, a reunion takes place once a month.

"Been coming here since I was a teenager," said Bertha Digman, who remembers all the free wedding dances here. She said it's the music that always takes her back.

"There were just a lot of local bands here," said Digman. "All the kids that grew up with this kind of music played accordion, so they started a band."

Listeners won't find any set lists or sheet music at Squeezebox Night.

"Everybody kind of does their own thing," said Heins. "They got special songs they want to do, and when it gets to be your turn, you just do whatever pops in your mind."

But the crowd at this jam session isn't easy to win over.

"Of course, now you couldn't get me interested in rock 'n' roll," said listener Evelyn Kubly-Jacobs, "Oh, the songs they sing today, they just repeat and repeat, you know?"

"That's a foxtrot we're playing here now," said Heins. "Now you say something called a Foxtrot to an 18-year-old kid, he thinks that's a fox running through the field out there."

So, if there's a fox that still needs trotting, you can bet Heins and his friends will do all they can to turn back the clock, one slow waltz at a time.

Heins said all are invited to play, no matter how much experience they have.

Squeezebox Night. is held every third Tuesday of the month, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Monroe's Turner Hall.