Polish Pete Crafts a Championship Polka

By Theresa Cernoch Parker
Featured in December 2017 issue of Texas Polka News

This year’s World Series had it all – pitching duels, homerun rallies, celebrity fans, extra innings, AND polka! Houston Astros’ mega fan Polish Pete made sure of that. He and his Polka? I Hardly Know Her Band whipped out a ditty called the Altuve Polka inspired by American League MVP, second baseman Jose Altuve. With the help of Pete’s video-producer friend, Jason Yu, a video was made and posted to YouTube within 24 hours of recording the song. The video went viral easily racking up 100,000 views in no time. Polkabeat Facebook fans made it the most shared video in the page’s history.

The Altuve Polka garnered Polish Pete an invite to Game 5 from Astros management, where he hob-knobbed with TV talk show legend and Los Angeles Dodger fan Larry King behind home
plate. (Larry said he loved the Altuve Polka.) You’ll recall Game 5 was the 10-inning, five-hour thriller in Minute Maid Park. That victory inspired Pete and the guys to create another YouTube
hit – I Love Those Houston Astros Polka. They made and posted that video within 8 hours of writing it.

When the Astros won it all, the team invited Polish Pete and his band to be a part of the downtown victory parade on Fri., Nov. 3. They had their own float with Houston pitching legend Nolan Ryan riding along to the polka beat. Texas Polka News caught up with Polish Pete
Gordon at his day job – manager of the Continental Club in downtown Houston – to learn how he and the guys got caught up in the championship frenzy that rocked the city.

What was that victory parade like?
It was great. Nolan Ryan was on our float. Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros, and family stopped by before the float took off to meet the band. We played for the fans, who were all smiling back at us. Love for the city, POLKA, and the Houston Astros was in the air the whole time.

Did you get to meet Jose Altuve?
We have yet to meet Jose, but he did say, "I love it. It's really good," about the song on
national TV. We did get to meet the owner Jim Crane, the president Reid Ryan, the GM Jeff Luhnow, and the great Nolan Ryan, who are all fans of the songs and us, so I'm hopeful we will get a chance to meet Jose soon…maybe spring training.

Why Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie for the Altuve Polka? What’s the tune for I Love Those Houston Astros?
I always felt Apples, Peaches to be a very strong Houston traditional number. All the bands play it but there are not many recordings of it, and the words in my head just fell into place with the melody. I just liked the way that all came together very quickly, it felt right. I love those Houston Astros so much I wrote a tune called I Love Those Houston Astros. It is an original tune but I wanted to evoke the style of the old Houston Oilers #1 song of the seventies which was such a great anthem for the city. I have been following the Astros since the day I moved to Texas.

Years ago around 1991 when I was on tour with Mojo Nixon full time, we got to see the Astros in the Dome, back in the days of Biggio, Bagwell, Caminiti. A friend of ours, Casey Candaele, was on the team at that time and gave us front row tickets for the game. Later that night a bunch of the players came to our show at the old BonTon room on Washington Ave, including Mark Portugal and then rookie Darryl Kile. I always give a nod to the DK on the stadium wall when I go to the
games now. I love those Houston Astros!

What’s your polka and baseball story?
I was born in Pittsburgh, PA where my grandparents lived in the Polish Hill neighborhood. Polka was very popular there in the seventies; it was everywhere. My grandparents loved music of all
kinds, and encouraged me to play and listen to everything. My grandfather had season tickets to the Pirates games, and there was a rule in the house – no tickets to the game unless the Lawrence Welk program was watched in its entirety. Which was always a double win for me! We would sing and dance in the living room watching Lawrence Welk, and my grandparents knew all the words to every song. We would go see music all the time all over the East Coast.

I moved to Texas in the mid-eighties, and started going to shows all over Texas. Of course here in Houston, Bill Mraz ballroom, when it was still with us, and the SPJST lodge. I took a great trip to Poland last year, and met some unbelievable people and musicians there. I was in Krakow for the fall traditional music and heritage festival. It was everything I dreamed of seeing and hearing, and more! I hope to go back again next year.

How did you decide to play the accordion?
I love polka, and I always wanted to have a polka band, so I started teaching myself the accordion, polka stylings, and melodies with the stradella bass system, so I could polka. In order to play polka well, you have to have an accordion and a polka band.

Tell us about the band.
We are all full-time musicians, playing in many different bands, as well as working in the music business. The instruments we play in the polka band were all new to us when we started the group in 2012. We all had a love for polka and wanted to play the traditional instruments, and be able to march, as well as preform on stage. Allen Hill “Tuba” plays the tuba (he is a bass player) and runs his own booking agency, Allen Hill Entertainment. Tomas Escalante “Little Tommy E on the Big Bass Drum” plays the marching bass drum, sings harmony, and yodels (he is a lead vocalist). Tomas owns the record store, Sig's Lagoon, on Main Street. James Henkel “Strum” on the ole banjo (he is a guitar player), plays full time. John "Goodtime" Smith plays the marching
snare with the bells and blocks (he is a drummer)." I “Polish Pete” play the accordion and sing (I’m a piano player). I own and operate The Continental Club here in Houston, along with my right-hand man, Goodtime. You'll need to come to one of our shows to find out why his name is "Goodtime.”

And the band’s name?
The POLKA? I Hardly Know Her Band is a play off the old joke. (The joke is to take a common word that ends in the sound "er," and add "I hardly know her!" for comedic effect.)

You’ve just ridden in the World Series Victory Parade, now what?
I’m going to DisneyWorld. No really, we are finishing up a full-length album that will be released in a few months, and these two songs are being released on a 45. We have many shows coming up, playing frequently at the Continental Club and festivals all over Texas and Louisiana. We
bring the fun everywhere we go, and hope to play some new festivals next year.

On behalf of polka fans everywhere, thanks Polish Pete and the Polka? I Hardly Know Her Band for shining a positive light on polka, and working up the Houston Astros’ fans into a fever pitch.

ALTUVE POLKA
Not too short, he’s ten feet tall,
comes to bat, he hits the ball
Let’s all cheer Altuve
Batting title in his hands, has the
crown, he’s our man
Let’s all cheer Altuve
Hits one here, hits one there, hits everywhere
A double over here, home run over there
Hits one here, hits one there, hits everywhere
Let’s all cheer Altuve
Hits the ball where they ain’t, in
our town he’s a saint
Let’s all cheer Altuve
He might just be 5 foot 3, but he’s
the league’s MVP
Let’s all cheer Altuve
Hits one here, hits one there, hits everywhere
A double over here, home run over there
Hits one here, hits one there, hits everywhere
Let’s all cheer Altuve
Houston town is so cheery, took us
to the World Series
Let’s all cheer Altuve
The Dodger team will be so blue,
when Jose pulls us through
Hits one here, hits one there hits everywhere
A double over here, grand slam over there
Hits one here hits one there hits everywhere
Let’s all cheer Altuve

I LOVE THOSE HOUSTON ASTROS
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, Houston Astros
that’s our team.
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, World Series that’s
our dream.
Altuve and Correa turn a double play
Marwin slides home, as Springer saves the day
When Gattis hits the ball, he needs no glove at all
Bregman hits one long, we know we’re Houston strong
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, Houston Astros
that’s our team.
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, World Series that’s
our dream.
Reddick snags a drive, and Yuli rakes a double
With Keuchel on the mound those Dodgers are in trouble
McCullers gets the ball, McCann frames the call
Verlander goes all night long, we know we’re Houston strong
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, Houston Astros
that’s our team.
I love those Houston Astros,
Houston Astros, World Series that’s
our dream.

Terry Cavanagh: Accordion with Attitude

By Theresa Cernoch Parker
Featured in the October 2017 issue of Texas Polka News

Some musicians are born with instruments in their hands, others choose an instrument with the guidance of a school band director, and then there are careers launched by random moments of
fate. “I was seven years old when my mom got a marketing call from the University School of Music [the famed accordion studio in Houston, home of the Palmer/Hughes Accordion Symphony, and owned by Willard Palmer protégé, Lynlee Barry],” Terry Cavanagh recalls. “All
my mom had to do was name three U.S. presidents to win a month of accordion lessons and the free use of an accordion.” She aced it and little Terry was on his way to accordion stardom.

The music school not only taught how to play the accordion, it helped students hone their skills in the art of performance. “They were always big on contests and lots of performances at places like Sharpstown Mall. It was great fun,” Terry said.

ANOTHER MAGIC MOMENT
By the time Terry was playing gigs at Bavarian Gardens in the Heights and Astroworld, he was having a blast with his music. And once again, one of those random moments of fate happened.
“Friend and band leader at the Bavarian Gardens, Kevin Hatcher, was invited to play at Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando with yodel master, Kerry Christiansen. Kevin and Kerry’s accordionist friend, Herschel Moody, invited me to come out and visit,” Terry said. While there, Terry was asked to audition to work with Kevin and Kerry at Epcot’s German Pavilion. He borrowed Herschel’s accordion and got the job.

At age 31, Terry would have a steady gig at Epcot for five years. He described this chapter in his career as idyllic. “It was fun and lucrative,” he said. “The pay was good, and regular. It’s not that easy for musicians to get steady pay, sick pay, paid vacation, retirement benefits, work in a
beautiful place with strong audiences, and have a smiling seamstress at your service,” Terry said.
“My musical awareness and sensibilities went way up from working with the great musicians at Epcot. I learned an incredible amount from them. Plus, I made friends with people from all over Europe. I always loved the Disney magic; riding my favorite rides at night in the Magic Kingdom FOR FREE never ceased to be a genuine thrill.” Terry laughed, “Sometimes I could kick myself for not staying at Epcot.”

Texans and Oktoberfests across the country are glad he didn’t, though.

ABOARD THE ALPINE EXPRESS
Terry brought his Florida experience back to Texas. “In addition to the great American talent at Disney World, Epcot center and other Florida venues featured zelt (tent) bands from Austria and
Germany. I would see how the Europeans performed, and what the style was like for authentic German music,” he said. That inspired him to form his own band – Alpine Express. “I wanted to
create a band that covered all the bases important for an Oktoberfest – family entertainment, plus more edgy material for late night crowds wanting to dance and party,” Terry said.

Performing with the accordion, keyboards, Alphorn, tuned cowbells, and other traditional folk instruments, Alpine Express has been captivating audiences around the world for over two
decades. "This band is all about pure, unadulterated, fun,” Terry said. “People forget their troubles for an evening, let go, and get caught up in the spirit of good fellowship, music, and ridiculous fun."

“They do it all! Their comedy, audience interaction, and great listening and dance music make them an excellent full entertainment choice,” said Jay Foster, Director, Redstone Arsenal Oktoberfest in Hunstville, Alabama. Terry and his band made their 17th appearance at the 22nd
annual event in September.

The current band consists of Bill King (clarinet, sax), Jason Jones (trumpet, baritone, Alphorn), Miekki Canales (drums, Hölzerne G’lachter - xylophone ), and Jimmy Shortell (trumpet, keyboard).

FRANZIE IS HATCHED
Always looking for ways to enhance the Oktoberfest experience, Terry hatched an idea in 1994 to really get the crowd going during that festival rite of passage – the chicken dance. Meet Franzie, a 6-ft yellow rooster who loves to dance and have his photo taken. Terry found the costume and had a costume manufacturer add the lederhosen. The name Franzie goes back to Disney days. “I worked with Gary Trumet [now with the Austin-based band, Yodelblitz] when he was the night
show leader at Epcot’s German Pavilion. His stage name was Franzie. I chose to immortalize him through Franzie the Chicken,” Terry chuckled. BTW, Terry’s stage name was Ziggy. “You can see that I love Zs,” Terry explained.

Many have worn the costume. One of the best, according to Terry, was Benjamin Wagoner, a dance major at the local St. Charles, Missouri university, who jumped into the costume for engagements at St. Charles Oktoberfest (held this year Sept. 22-24). “Benjamin had great skills
and a tremendous work ethic,” Terry said. “He would completely throw himself into the chicken dance with extras you couldn't believe, like moonwalking and disco moves. He had my musicians
cracking up all night long.”

IT'S LIKE LIFE
Back home in New Braunfels, Terry recruited one of his accordion students, 15-year-old Isaak Wolfshohl, to be Franzie at Wurstfest last year. “It was the first night of Wurstfest and Terry walked up to me and asked if I wanted to be part of the show. Of course I said yes,” Isaak recalled. He followed Terry back to the dressing area where Terry handed him the costume
and said, “Great, put this on.”

Isaak had a great time and will reprise the role of Franzie at Wurstfest again this year. “I enjoy making people laugh and seeing them happy. They love seeing the giant chicken walking around.
Kids just run up to you and hug you. It’s a lot of fun.”

It was another learning experience for Isaak, the kind of lesson that helps him take the next step from musician to performer. “Isaak has the burn to learn and to perform music, which is what I
look for when coaching students,” Terry said.

“A lot of that coaching is not only about skills and attitudes important for mastering music but also for building a successful life. You can generalize the music experience to many other parts of
life; like skills for learning, relationships, school work, and being successful at a job. It’s fun to see Isaak grow and develop qualities to relate successfully to an audience and create the kind of
atmosphere that means more fun for guests and more guests for the venue.”

"Working with Terry is a lot of fun," Isaak said. "Even during performances he continues to teach me about performing and what goes into making a good show."

Classic or Edgy: Alpine Village Band Has Your Polka

By Theresa Cernoch Parker
Featured in the September 2017 issue of Texas Polka News

As you’re walking around downtown McKinney during Oktoberfest and hear the Cat Stevens’ tune Wild World with a reggae polka beat, no need to double check the program. Yes, it is the Alpine Village Band, playing a number from the set list of its alter-ego band, The Dogensteins.
And don’t worry, you will still hear lots of great Czech and German music during their performance.

Wes Kucera, drummer and band leader of both bands, describes The Dogensteins as a group that plays more “edgy” music that combines a unique blend of reggae, cha-cha, rock, country, and bossa nova, with songs from the 1950s to the present, while adding a polka rhythm to the mix. “It has been a calculated risk,” Wes said. “But so far the audiences love it and we have started to play major festivals around the state and out of state this year as well.”

In addition to the McKinney fest, AVB will play at Oktoberfests in Little Elm, Fort Worth, Addison,
Fredericksburg, Muenster, and will make its first appearance at Wurstfest. 

"Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg's slogan is ‘Oompah at its Best.’ We hire bands from around the state to perform all three days on four stages. Oompah music certainly fills the air and adds lots of excitement to our festival," stated Debbie Farquhar, Oktoberfest Manager. "In 2016 I hired the Alpine Village Band for the first time, and they certainly were a crowd pleaser. They, too, keep our dance floors packed. And got lots of great feedback while they were on stage. We're happy to have them back this year, performing several times throughout the weekend," Debbie concluded. 

CZECH OUT THIS MUSICAL FAMILY TREE
The Alpine Village Band has been entertaining crowds at dances and festivals for years. It was during the band’s 25th anniversary in 2015, that leaders Bill and Louise Kucera (Wes’ dad and mom), decided to retire from the music business. The great polka music from this family goes
back even farther than AVB, starting in the old country on Louise’s side. Wes’ great-grandfather, Gabriel Snapka, came over on a ship from Czechoslovakia when he was 3 years old. He grew up in West, playing trumpet and accordion. His son, Henry, played button accordion for house dances around the West/Waco area. Henry formed the Snapka Orchestra, which included Henry,
Louise on the piano accordion, her sister, Barbara Dybala, on drums, and her brother, Michael Snapka, who sang and played guitar. Unable to read music, Henry told the Dallas Morning News in 1987, “I just play from the heart.”

Eventually, Bill Kucera joined the band playing rhythm guitar and singing, and married Louise.
Bill also comes from a long line of family musicians. Bill plays button accordion, guitar, and bass guitar thanks to lessons from his mom, Sophie Adams Kucera, and Uncle Eugene. Bill’s dad, Will, also played button accordion. Three other uncles also played button box, and one mastered the fiddle. Bill’s Aunt Ida Adams Marek was a button accordionist as well. They just played for their own enjoyment and never formed a band.

“As you can see, I come from a heavily polka-populated background of Czech music,” Wes said. “When I was four years old my mom stuck some spoons in my hand and said, ‘Play’.” When Wes was of age, Bill and Louise created another branch on the Snapka Czech band music tree with Bill Kucera’s Czechmates in 1970.

Spoons gave way to drumsticks and Wes got his first review at the age of five from the Dallas KJZT newspaper in 1970: “Following on the agenda was a presentation of music by the Bill Kucera Family. With Bill on the guitar, Mrs. Kucera on the accordion and the little son on the drums, several musical compositions were presented, followed by several encores. What was very entertaining was the fact that the little drummer had just recently only celebrated his fifth
birthday. I note that several of our older musicians really took notes of the youngster’s talents and am sure to foresee great aspects for his future.”

Uncle Michael Snapka joined the Czechmates on trumpet. From there it blossomed into a six- and sometime seven-piece band throughout the 1970s and '80s. Michael then formed a band called the Czech Harvesters, and occasionally plays with them today (you can see the Harvesters at music festivals in Ennis). In 1990, Bill and Louise decided to combine the Czech music with a German flair and formed the Alpine Village Band.

POLKA WITH A BITE
The idea for The Dogensteins can be traced back to the University of North Texas in Denton in the 1980s. Wes was a student there, and with current bandmate Sander Hickerson, had a rock band called The Dogs. Walking across campus one day, Wes thought he heard polka being
played. Not in the traditional style though. It had an edge to it. That’s when he met Carl Finch and Brave Combo. “They definitely influenced the creation of our alter-ego polka band,” Wes said. “We are eternally indebted to those guys.”

Wes and Carl catch up with each other at festivals. In 2004, the two even collaborated when Carl invited Wes to the studio to play drums during the recording of BC’s Let’s Kiss CD. The CD went on to win the Grammy for Best Polka Album of the Year in 2004. Wes displays the Grammy on his wall in his office at the City of Garland, where he works by day as the Director of Water and
Wastewater. The certificate is always a conversation starter with visitors.

“I met Wes and his family in the earliest days of Brave Combo,” Carl recalled. “They were all extremely supportive and it was great to meet musicians in the established local Czech/German-style polka community who understood Brave Combo and encouraged us. Once or twice a year, at least, we get to give each other a hug and say hello, along with our good buddies and partners
in polka crime, Das Ist Lustig and AlpenMusikanten.

“I always felt accepted as a friend, as well, by Wes and his folks,” Carl continued. “I'm sure we copped a few musical things from them, too, as we maneuvered our way through this complicated polka world. And, we had Wes play some authentic grooves on our CD, Let’s Kiss. He was amazing! Now the Dogensteins are rockin' the polka, which is good news for those unsuspecting listeners right around the corner. We played a show with them in 2016 and they were great. I'm totally digging their sonic madness. Wes and his bandmates know, better than anyone, how to mix styles and make the results work, musically. I look forward to seeing and hearing how the band evolves and grows. And I expect to be blown away! No pressure! Viva Los Dogensteins!”

#WhoAreTheDogensteins? They are everything, and nothing at all, according to their website. They are a polka band that plays rock, country, metal, industrial, new wave, classics, and The Beatles. Lots of Beatles. Except as a polka. Or maybe waltz, or a nice Texas shuffle. In short, they must be seen (and heard) to be believed. Call it a credibility problem.

On their Facebook page, you’ll find a crazy diverse selection of videos - Blue Bayou (Linda
Ronstadt), Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash), SOS (Abba), and Corn Cockle Polka (Jimmy Brosch). They call themselves polka bandits. “We steal from The Beatles, give you polka. We steal from The Eagles, give you waltz. We steal from Elvis, give you polka. We steal from The Police. That's tricky!”

“I have often wondered if (great-grandfather) Gabriel ever thought his down-the-line children would still be carrying on the tradition,” Wes said. “In a slightly different manner of course. Our goal is to get young people involved. Introduce polka in a different way through songs they know and understand.”

Band mom Louise loves that different manner. “They are awesome and definitely taking polka music to the next level by intertwining the old traditional style with their own versions of rock, reggae, swing, and other musical styles into an entertaining mix,” she said. “Who would have thought anyone could do a grunge rock version of the Corn Cockle Polka? The talent, energy, and infused mix of genres sets them up very well for the future by introducing a new style of polka which appeals to the younger generation audience. Bill and I love what the band is doing. I think we can sum it up by saying, ‘The Dogensteins…Polka with a Bite!’”

Wes appreciates the support he’s gotten from his parents and his wife, Tracy. “She has put up with me, and my music, for the past 28 years,” Wes said. His millennial kids, Rachel and Alex, dig what dad is doing, too. At one point, Rachel sang with the band, but both are pursuing their
careers, which leaves little time for polka gigs.

MEET THE BAND(S)
In addition to his polka gigs playing drums for the past 48 years, Wes has also played local theater shows including Broadway versions of Annie, Oliver, Beauty and the Beast, Always Patsy Cline, and Sinatra’s Christmas My Way.

Byron Palla – sax, guitar, vocalist – has played for various bands in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,
as well as the Longhorn and Gator marching, jazz, and symphonic bands while attending the University of Texas and University of Florida. Byron started playing Czech polka music at age 12 in the Fritz Hodde and the Fabulous Six band where his father, Arthur Palla, was a longtime member. Arthur also played sax, guitar, and vocals and continues to do so today in the Granger area after a 60+ year musical career. When not gigging with the band, Byron is a chemical engineer at Texas Instruments, but don't ever ask him about it because he'll put you to sleep talking molecules and such (Yuk). Probst!

Brian Busch plays accordion and bass guitar for all sorts of genres, including rock, Latin, polka,
country, and much more drawing from his childhood in Detroit. Brian came to Dallas many years ago in a rock and wedding style band and continued to play in diversified bands for many years. He has also had the privilege of playing at the Dallas House of Blues main stage as a soloist for many of club’s special shows.

Sander Hickerson started playing sax, bass, and guitar as a teen in his hometown of Belton. He studied jazz at the University of North Texas, where he graduated with a minor in music. Since then, Sander has performed, composed, toured, and recorded in a variety of musical styles, including rock, blues, acoustic jazz, polka, and hip hop. He has had songs featured on the
Texas Tapes program of Dallas radio station KTXQ (Q102), and has two Austin Music Awards as a member of diRTy WoRMz. Now a Dallas resident, Sander also performs with rock tribute bands INTXS, and The Pretenders tribute band In-tenders.

Molly Fine is a vocalist (and sometimes tambourinist, when she remembers). She has been singing since she was a child, growing up in Dallas in school choirs, show choirs, and musicals, elementary school through college. In her early 30s, she was the lead singer for the rock band ironically…no, aptly named Unknown. These days, she’s also the Chrissie Hynde lead in The
Pretenders tribute band In-tenders and a back-up vocalist in the tribute band INTXS.

“Each member adds his or her own musical style and originality to the mix of songs that we play,”
Wes said. “We are all like brothers and a big sister to keep us in check. This translates into great chemistry on and off the stage. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, as we like to have fun and imbibe an adult beverage and a beer toast every now and then. You can definitely see that
in our shows.”

The Dogensteins made its debut in December 2016 at the Instrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery in
Garland. The group has developed a fan base at the venue and continue to perform there. Next appearance is scheduled for December 2. 

TLCB Celebrates 10 Years

By Theresa Parker

There are the usual reasons for the split-up of a band – personality clashes, day job demands, family obligations, retirement, poor health, even the death of the band leader. But no one was prepared for the news coming from the polka world in June 2007 when it was announced that Bobby Jones, the charismatic leader of his namesake band, was missing. Tire tracks and the license plate from his car were found on the banks of the rain swollen Brazos River in Wharton. It was hard news to accept, especially for those musicians who had shared the stage with Bobby in one of the most popular bands around.

                Some of the members of the Bobby Jones Czech Band were in a state of shock and couldn’t continue playing for a while. Bob Suttie, who had been with the band since 1989, decided to continue the legacy.

                “I guess I’m just not ready to quit playing this music!” Bob said in the September 2007 issue of Texas Polka News. “I wrote the song ‘Polka Time in Texas’ 15 years ago, because that is what I saw when I looked out at the crowds dancing to the Bobby Jones Czech Band. I had been in the band less than two years. But from the beginning I could see that ‘When it’s polka time in Texas, the world is a brighter place, that beautiful Czech music puts a smile on every face.’”  

He went on: “The shock of this whole situation has continued to take its toll, but I am committed to continuing this fine tradition. I feel I have a legacy to cherish, and to pass on to my children. So I have started a band called the Texas Legacy Czech Band.” Bob also thought it was important to honor the more than 30 bookings the Bobby Jones Band had for the rest of 2007.

                In the October 2007 issue of the paper, Editor John Rivard reported that “Bob Suttie and the Texas Legacy Czech Band brought new life to the New Taiton Dance Hall on Sunday, Aug. 26, playing for a good crowd eager to hear the new band. It was a fun dance!”

The article continued: “Suttie is still putting together the new band. On this day he had Cary Oswald (accordion), Mike Gest (tuba, bass), Donnie Wavra (sax), and Jimmy Ryza (drums), while Bob played trumpet, sax, and trombone. The music was good. The band played a great variety, and also closed with a group singalong of You Are My Sunshine, followed by a march around the hall to When the Saints Go Marching In. We were also pleased to see Bob working the hall during the band break, thanking people for coming.”

The Legacy Continues
Other members of the TLCB in the beginning included Delores Rivera and Gene Janis. Bobby Jones alum Joe Zetka Jr. returned to play with the band and continues as accordionist when he’s not playing with the Jodie Mikula Orchestra. Other mainstay members now are Bob Suttie (accordion, trumpet, sax, trombone), Mike Gest (tuba, bass), Jimmy Heinsohn (trumpet, steel guitar), and Darrell Pavlas (drums).

                Bob said the years have flown by. “We’ve recorded three CDs, appeared five times at Wurstfest, and performed at the National Polka Festival and on the Mollie B Polka Party TV show. We continued the tradition of playing every year at the Christmas parties in Shelby and New Taiton, and the military tribute in Rosenberg each May,” he recalled.

                And the best thing about the gigs – the people. “I sure appreciate the people who come out to dance to our music and listen to us. Through the years, we’ve seen a lot of same people at our yearly dances. It’s especially gratifying when they talk about how good the music and dancing are,” Bob said.

                Bob invites everyone to the Taiton Community Center on Sunday, July 30, to help the band celebrate its 10th year anniversary from 2-6 pm. Freddie Vacek will be serving pork steak, sausage, Texas toast, potatoes, veggie, and dessert cobbler, all for $7 a plate.  

Come dance and party with us! Guest appearances by former TLCB band members. Bring your instruments for the jam session. All those 21 and under will get in free and will eat free!

Mikulas Celebrate 50 Years of Making Happy Music

By Gary E. McKee
Mikula (Mĕkoola) translates to Nicholas in Czech and is a very popular name around December 5th in the Czech Republic as Svatý Mikuláš (Saint Nick) visits the children with gifts to brighten their lives. The same can be said, any time of the year, when the Jodie Mikula Orchestra (JMO)
visits your dance hall with its unique brand of dance music as they have been doing for the past 50 years.

ACCORDION LESSONS
It all began around 1929 near Ennis, Texas when 11-year-old Josef Maetej (Michael) Mikula received a $12 accordion from his father, Josef. When there was time on the cotton farm, Great Uncle Frank Mikula would stop by to give Jodie accordion lessons. Jodie became confident enough to start sitting in with local bands while in his late teens.

With the advent of World War II, Jodie left the accordion and the farm behind to serve in the Army. Upon returning, he got a mechanic job in Ennis and subsequently met Rosie Horak at a polka dance at the KJT Hall. They were married in 1947. Uncle Frank’s accordion led the Grand
March at the wedding reception. The union produced three sons: Ken, Nick, and Andy. When they were in elementary and junior high school, Jodie ensured that they began a music education. To steer them the polka way, Jodie asked a friend, Raymond Zapletal, who was head of The Music Masters, to teach Ken and Nick the cornet. Andy, who was always drumming his fingers on
something opted to learn the drums.

As the boys were learning the horns, their father, astounded them and their mother by pulling out an accordion and started playing some old Czech songs. He had never mentioned to even his wife of almost 20 years that he had once played the accordion. With their father guiding them, the boys progressed toward their destiny.

FAMILY JAMS
On Sundays, Uncle Frank would bring his accordion over for a polka jam. Ken reminisced: “One Sunday, the idea came up about starting a band. We needed a bass player and we looked to our cousin Edwin Mikula, Uncle Frank’s son. Edwin rented a Sousaphone but soon decided it wasn’t anything he wanted to do. We looked to our mom, Rosie, who offered to play drums. Andy gave up the drum slot and started on bass.” Utilizing Johnny Mensik and The Vrazels as guidelines, the
band searched for their own sound.

By 1967, the family band was ready to go public. Jodie and Frank were on accordions, Ken and Nick on cornets and saxophones, and Andy on Sousaphone. (The Sousaphone is the big round
marching-band type of bass horn.) Ken and Nick provided the Czech and English vocals. The cornets produced a sound that is markedly different than that of a trumpet, a less brassy sound, which set the band apart. Soon, they were booked almost every weekend for a dance or church bazaar.

Their reputation grew as evidenced by the December 1973 advertisement run
by Elm Mott’s Linden Hall, just north of Waco: We got ’em again. You liked ’em so well in January now come and enjoy them again. Polka, Waltz, Popular, Country- Western. On their 10th anniversary, the SPJST Lodge 84 in Dallas advertised for polka fans to: Listen or Dance to Jodie’s music while he plays that accordion and still smiles at his three sons who are part of this family band. Dance schedules show that they were performing at least once a week for several decades, particularly in the Dallas/Fort Worth-Waco-Ennis area.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION
The 25th anniversary of the band was celebrated at the SPJST Lodge 18 in Elgin in March 1992. The Lodge presented them with a nice plaque engraved: To the Mikula Orchestra, who have made a significant contribution to promoting polka and waltz music. In 1997, to mark the 30th anniversary of JMO, they performed at a polka Mass and then gave a dance at the West
Fraternal Auditorium where they had played the very first song, the Dance Hall Polka performed there at the hall’s grand opening 20 years earlier. Details for the 50th anniversary celebration to be held August 26 at the KJT Hall in Ennis are being worked out as you read this.

MUSICIANS PLAY
A few musicians have come and gone from the band, but the greatest loss was Jodie Mikula himself who passed away in 1989. The following year The Texas Polka Music Association (TMPA) bestowed a posthumous award to Jodie: A Pioneer Polka Band Leader with a Lifetime of Dedication to Polka Dance Music. A year after the band’s forming, Rosie decided that the already full schedule was not for her, so she bowed out and Andy went back to his first love, the drums. Dan Barto filled in for a couple of years on bass. Musicians who have helped build and ensure the success of the band were Charlie Patak, who “unretired” from music, signed on, and squeezed
the accordion for 25 years; John Graves on keyboards, and James Zalkovsky on electric bass and vocals. Keeping the band close to home and returning the music lesson favor, Raymond Zapletal’s wife, Pat, played keyboards for 25 years.

MAREKS JOIN JMO
Janice Matocha Marek came aboard the JMO in 2013. Janice began music by occasionally singing with her father’s band, the Lee Roy Matocha Orchestra in 1975, and moved into full-time keyboardist four years later for the legendary band. Several years later, Mike Marek began
dating Janice and Lee Roy told him if he was going to follow her around he should bring his tuba along. He followed his future father-in-law’s advice and Lee Roy gained a son-in-law and a tuba player.

Mike played with the Matochas until Lee Roy’s retirement in 1998. At that time the Mikulas needed a bass player. Mike signed on, and is still thumping away. After her father’s retirement, Janice kept her fingers nimble by playing keyboards at their church in Marek, Texas. When Pat
Z retired from JMO after 25 years, Janice, who had been occasionally sitting in for Pat, took the keyboard position.

Mike Marek began his musical career in the 8th grade without knowing how to play. The story goes that his father’s band, Der Rhein Steins was filming a promotional video for a Cameron festival and they needed someone to hold the tuba. Mike was drafted. After the shoot, his father suggested he learn how to play music so he started taking band in high school. For the next several years he played with various Cameron-area bands such as Bob Schlecte’s Central Texas
Polka Image and Leroy Schiller’s East Bell County Bohemian Brass and BBQ Society.

After Charlie Patak retired (again), Joe Zetka Jr. was tapped to handle the accordion side of the band. Joe was auditioned at a Corn Hill dance, but had just slammed his index finger in a car
door. He still passed the audition with only three operable fingers. Joe’s multi-instrumental
talent strengthens the band’s unique sound (he also is a great harmonica player). For the record, this year Joe will be the same age as the band, 50. His wife, Patti, says that he was born to play in the JMO. The versatility of these six members adds up to over 20 different instruments that they can play producing a wide repertoire with a full, rich sound.

WELL TRAVELED
Along the way, JMO has picked up numerous awards and accolades. In 1991 the TMPA named the JMO band of the year with Ken and Nick being designated the Best Vocal Duo and the JMO’s album, Hot Favorites making Album of the Year. Two years later, the TMPA chose The
Klobase Polka as song of the year. The song was penned by Ken and Charlie Patak, and is a humorous story of two farm boys who were given money by their mother to go buy some klobase in town. There, the boys discover a polka dance in progress and they proceed to whoop it up, spending all their money, and suffering the consequence when returning home empty
handed.

In June 1996, JMO performed at the First Annual Lawrence Welk Polka Festival in Branson, Missouri. There was a band competition judged by some of the original Lawrence Welk performers. The JMO tied for first place and performed with Myron Floren in the Lawrence Welk
Branson show that evening.

Over the years, the JMO has tested its sea legs on eight polka cruises to various Caribbean ports, including the most recent this past November with the Dujka Brothers and Alex Meixner, and
in January 2014 hosted by Jimmy Sturr and Mollie B. They have also tested their ability to be confined to close quarters by hosting bus trips to Nevada, St. Louis, and the Midwest. Apparently they have survived their journeys intact. Being so well traveled, they have also broadened
their ethnic horizons by playing at St. Patrick’s Day festivals, though I doubt that they played very many Irish jigs.

So remember to journey to Ennis in August to help the Jodie Mikula Orchestra kick off another 50 years.

Sweethearts Share Love of Music, Polka

By Gary E. McKee
It’s a musical Valentine’s story: girl develops crush on boy she sees at church. Despite living only several miles across the pastures of deep rural Central Texas from him, she never talks to him. They travel to two different schools in the same town on different buses until her Catholic
schooling ends in the 8th grade and she transfers to his public school. They ride the same yellow bus 32 miles to school and back every day, and romance starts to blossom. They attend a youth group function and she asks him to dance. They become high school sweethearts. When he takes her to the prom, they first have dinner at (Gene) Hackemack’s Hofbrau House, where, white tuxedo-clad, he borrows an accordion from the house band, plays, and dedicates The Starlight
Waltz to her. This was the teenage love story of Alicia Brune and Tim Kulhanek, members of the emerging Lost Cause Band (LCB).

BORN TO SING, PLAY TRUMPET
Alicia Brune Kulhanek, was, as she said, “Born into the church choir.” Her mother sang and her father was the church organist at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Frelsburg, north of Columbus. In addition to her parents teaching her music, she joined the school band, falling in the shadow of
her older sister, Leigh Ann. The instructor was so impressed with Leigh Ann’s abilities on trumpet,
he proclaimed Alicia would be a trumpeter, also. Well, the teacher was correct. Alicia’s talent took her as soloist and her school’s band (Columbus) to win many different competitions. After high school and during college, she slowed down on trumpeting, but was still very active in
the music of the church.

Alicia and Leigh Ann were among those kids who slept on or under the benches and had polkas and waltzes as lullabies. Her parents thoroughly enjoyed live music and never missed a picnic or dance in the area. Her years of singing harmony led her to really love just “singing along” with others. Occasionally, she was asked to sing a song or two with Central Texas Sounds (CTS) as
her husband, Tim, was a member of band by then. There is a big difference between singing with others and as a lead singer. She begrudgingly accepted and was successful making the
transition to occasional lead singing.

POLKA INFLUENCE
Tim Kulhanek, raised in Lone Oak (between Fayetteville and Frelsburg), was a somewhat typical child of the 1980s, listening to his dad’s scratchy AM radio. Tim was not overly impressed by the polka shows that his dad listened to. Those rock-oriented sounds that he heard on other folks’
FM radios and at the teen dances appealed to him more.

Playing music did interest Tim. He took one interesting piano lesson from Alicia’s cousin, Dena. Tim played the music as it should sound, he just played a different style than the classic form. It was obvious that he had the gift of learning and playing by ear. He was also interested in the saxophone and the accordion, but never seriously pursued them as a youngster. However, one day, on the way home from hauling hay, Tim and his dad stopped at Krenek’s Store in Fayetteville and bought a Dujka Brothers cassette and stuck it in the vehicle’s tape deck. John and Mark Dujka’s style of music awakened something in Tim, and he began to listen more to his dad’s music, especially The Vrazels. Soon, Tim was begging his mother to take him to wherever the Dujkas were playing, and he began absorbing the brothers’ arrangements. Their music, and that of the Vrazels and Lee Roy Matocha, began to feed his musical talent.

When Tim was old enough, he got a job washing dishes at Hackemack’s Hofbrauhaus, located north of Columbus. The restaurant owned by accordionist Gene Hackemack, was a German-themed restaurant complete with accordion virtuoso Jason Keepers (Enzian Buam) providing
most of the musical entertainment. Tim had been learning the accordion, and working with Jason
upped his skill level considerably. Gene loved to tell the audience, “Playing the accordion is easier
than it looks. Why, I bet my young dishwasher could play.” The trap was set for the diners. Tim would take the stage, fumble around a few minutes, and then leap right into several songs.
The crowd loved it.

The draw of the Dujka Brothers to Tim continued at a festival dance in Ellinger featuring the Bobby Jones Band and the Dujkas. John asked Tim to join them on stage. Tim said playing
those few songs with his musical heroes was one of his best times ever on stage. When Tim and Alicia were married in 2002, guess who played for the wedding - the Dujkas - and Tim got to serenade Alicia from the stage for the second time wearing a tuxedo.

TEXAS DREAM CALLING
In high school, Tim recorded a CD and started playing a few family reunions, but nothing serious. After graduation and marriage to Alicia, music kind of fell by the wayside as he focused on making a living. Then, out of the blue he received a phone call from Texas Dream. They were in a bind and needed a keyboard player the next Saturday, and without blinking he said, “Sure
I can make it.” There was only one problem. He had sold off most of his equipment including his keyboard.

After a quick trip to Collins Music in El Campo, he bought a keyboard, his natural musicianship kicked in, and by Saturday Tim was on stage and played with them for two more years. These were very formative years as he learned stagecraft and explored musical boundaries with the band. Since Texas Dream primarily played Saturday nights, Tim had Sundays off. This gave him an opportunity to begin occasionally sitting in with CTS. After a while, he left Texas Dream and began playing with CTS more. When a spot became open in CTS, bandleader Larry Sodek
called Tim and offered him a full-time position. Holding down the keyboard, saxophone, and accordion positions in CTS, Tim was able to play the music that his dad loved so much and, thanks to the Dujka Brothers, Tim felt at home with.

MEET LCB
The Lost Cause Band was officially formed in 2014. Tired of being a “no-name” band, drummer Spencer Schneider had the wild idea to borrow the initials from the Liquor Control Board for fun, and instead made it stand for Lost Cause Band. The name stuck. The five-piece group plays a
wide range of music from country to polkas to rock, and is composed of some members who also play in a favorite band based in Fayetteville called Central Texas Sounds (CTS).

In addition to Spencer, LCB/CTS members are Joey Krchnak, guitar; his son Walter, bass; and Tim Kulhanek, keyboards, saxophone, and accordion. Alicia, on trumpet, accordion, and vocals rounds out the sound of LCB. Joey, who works at Huebner Concrete as a truck driver, learned guitar while playing in his father’s band, The Western Stars, in Houston. His father, Dan, was one of the twin fiddles in the band that played major dance halls such as Magnolia Gardens and Dancetown. Joey was singing with them at the age of seven and soon was playing rhythm guitar for several
years. After moving back home to Central Texas he joined a band out of Brenham, Country Keys, and later became a 17-year veteran of the Sil and Ray Krenek Orchestras. When CTS had an opening for a guitarist, Joey jumped in and began a long run with them providing spot-on classic
country guitar licks. Joey’s guitar style was influenced by two of the most innovative players:
Merle Travis and Eldon Shamblin, the innovative rhythm and lead guitarist of the early Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

Joey’s son, Walter, started playing bass when he was 14 and learned by playing along at home listening to tapes of the Vrazels and other topnotch artists. He played bass for a while with Southbound FM 955 and CTS, and then took a break to go to college. After returning home, he
rejoined CTS backing up his dad in addition to providing the back beat of the LCB. During the day, Walter is a technician with Winkler’s A/C & Heating.

Percussionist Spencer Schneider, is the musical co-anchor of LCB along with Walter. Spencer, who spends his days as an inspector for the City of Giddings, began learning his stagecraft
in a country band in the Giddings area in the mid-1970s. However the band’s sound went disco during that period. Spence has a philosophy: “When it quits being fun, I’m going fishing.”
Spencer chose fishing over disco. He left and hooked up with The Ellinger Combo in 1978 and began a long and happy time playing drums for them, then CTS, and now both CTS and the
LCB.

Once CTS played a battle dance with the Vrazels. Spencer, like many other musicians, was in awe of Thomas Strmiska’s drumming for that legendary polka band. As they were setting up drum kits side by side by side, Spencer was a little intimidated. Thomas came up to him and politely said, “You have your style of drumming and it’s great, and I have my style, so let’s give the dancers a
great show.” They were good friends till Thomas’ passing.

Tim’s tan gives him away as a laborer for the Kulhanek Construction Co., and Alicia is an assistant vice president/real estate lender/loan officer for Industry State Bank in New Ulm. The group plans to record a CD in the near future.

THANKS, FANS!
LCB members would like to thank the top members of their fan club for the love and support they have received. These are Tim’s parents: Delbert and Laura Kulhanek; Alicia’s parents:
Lambert and Carol Brune; Joey’s wife: Lori; and Spencer’s wife: Carolyn. Lost Cause has a cool promotional video on YouTube that can be found by a search for “The Lost Cause Band”
or Erik McCowan, who filmed it among other musical events. If you need a great all-around band for an event, please contact Tim at 979-732-4065 or Alicia at 979-733-4481, but hurry as the 2017 dance calendar is filling up rapidly!

Polka Man of the Hour - Danny Z

By Gary E. McKee

When you want to create an event to promote polka, who ya gonna call?
Danny Z!

Musician, arranger, bandleader, vocalist, national festival director, international polka hall of fame
trustee, and radio disc jockey, Danny Zapletal of Ennis, Texas knows the polka world. One of his favorite ways to promote the music is on the KBEC Polka Party show, from 9-11 am, on 1390 KBEC out of Waxahachie and online at kbec.com. It’s a job he inherited from legendary polka DJ
Johnnie I. Kracja, who was recently honored by the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center (TPN December 2016).

“It was a tremendous honor to be chosen by KBEC to follow in Johnnie I.’s footsteps,” DZ said. “Those are very big shoes to try and fill. Johnnie dedicated over 48 years to being at the station every Sunday to host his show, and did a fantastic job playing all the requests. Johnnie had a huge following and I just hope that I can continue in the same fashion of playing good polkas and waltzes every Sunday morning.”

Taking over for a legend can be worrisome, but DZ said the listeners have embraced his show. “After doing the polka show for three years I cannot ask for a better response than what I have received,” he said. “I do have a different format than what Johnnie had, but I feel it’s best to
have your own identity. I like to play as much music as possible, by as many different bands as possible. There are so many great bands from the past and from the present. I try to play them all
including many bands from the Czech Republic. I truly have a lot of fun doing the polka show.”

DZ pre-records the show on Thursday nights in his home recording studio from requests that
he has received, mostly through email (dannyzpolkashow@yahoo.com). This is not DZ’s first appearance behind a radio microphone. He got his start as a polka DJ on Internet radio station WRJQradio.com out of Wisconsin five and half years ago. When it came time to choose a theme song, DZ went with Oh Clara Polka.

“We (Czech & Then Some) were working on the Texas Tribute album to Ernie Kucera and I have always liked his recording of the song,” he said. “We decided to put it on the recording and got a great response from our fans. It’s a fun song to play and not many bands play it. It has good drive to it. The crowd always responds well when we play it. It’s one of my favorite polkas.” And, when he took over KBEC Polka Party, there was only one choice for the theme song - Oh Clara Polka.

DZ continued to do the WRJQ show along with the KBEC Polka Party, until he got word the station wouldn’t be able to continue all its programming.

“I appreciate Aaron Schuelke giving me the chance to be on his station without even knowing who I was. WRJQ is the best 24/7 polka station. I think I can say I brought a lot of Texas listeners to the station,” DZ said.

Aaron at first was going to shut down the station completely because of growing job and family
commitments, but the fans spoke. “I started getting emails and phone calls from the listeners telling me their disappointment that the station was no longer going to be on air,” DZ said. “After visiting with Aaron and letting him know how many calls and emails I was getting, he said he was getting the same on his end, so he came up with a plan to keep the station on the air.”

Unfortunately, the station had to cut some of its special programming like DZ’s show. “I’m glad Aaron found a way to keep the station going playing polkas and waltzes 24/7. I still listen to
the station every chance I get,” DZ said.

TEXAS POLKA CHEERLEADER
Another new polka assignment DZ accepted last year was to the board of trustees of the International Polka Association’s Hall of Fame based in Chicago. His job is to make recommendations to the board on hall of fame inductees and music awards by artists from Texas and Southwest U.S. DZ leads a group of electorates from this region who get to vote on the final
nominations ballot.

DZ worked with Mollie B and Ted Lange of SqueezeBox, and a team of Texas Polka News volunteers to host a Super Bowl Polka Party last year at SPJST Lodge 88 in Houston to
introduce the IPA and raise funds for the association that will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary.

This January, during National Polka Month, DZ, TPN, and a team of Texas polka supporters once
again gathered to raise funds for the association while celebrating Carl Finch’s (Brave Combo) induction into the hall of fame and the 20th anniversary of Czech & Then Some, led by DZ. The dance was held Sat., Jan. 21, at the KJT Hall in Ennis. (See the photos).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATS!!!
Not the Broadway musical, but the Ennis-based Czech music ensemble that celebrates its founding 20 years ago. To clarify, CATS is the acronym for Czech & Then Some, a seven-piece, multi-ethnic orchestra. The nickname came about when leader DZ’s wife, Yvonne, got tired of filling her calendar space with “Czech & Then Some” and started abbreviating it to reserve days for performances or practices. The actual name is a descriptor of the Czech music they play, and the “then some” refers to the other ethnic polkas and country music they play.

CATS started out when Joe Betik, a good friend of DZ and David Slovak, asked David to play his accordion for his sister’s 50th wedding anniversary. David recruited DZ, David Trojacek, Louis Valek, John Marek Jr., and Andy Mikula to assist him. The band didn’t even have a name, but after that gig, they realized that there was some musical chemistry happening. Soon afterwards, Joe Lansfeld, the president of KJT Society #35 in Ennis, as well as DZ’s father-in-law, hired the band to play for their annual KJT membership recognition dance. That confirmed it.

As the band evolved playing countless parties and festivals around North Texas, the band members kept developing new arrangements to old standards that they presented to great
acclaim around the Central Texas Polka Triangle (Ennis-San Antonio-Houston). What sets CATS apart is the use of the full arrangement of all the songs they play as opposed to just playing the chorus rendition of a song.

In 2012, CATS was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of “The
Music of Budapest, Prague, and Vienna” celebration. On a recent return trip to D.C. they were blessed to play at the Czech Embassy’s Open House. Most of the visitor activities, including the music, had been set up outside, but a rainstorm drove them inside, where CATS performed “au
natural” without mikes and amps.

Part of the attraction of CATS is the musical diversity of the musicians. In addition to polka and waltzes of German, Czech, and Cajun extraction, they have backgrounds from big band, country & western, Tejano, jazz bands. The family connections enhance the vocal harmonies and with two females at the microphones, singing, in addition to playing sax and clarinet, it creates a unique sound in the polka world. Every member of the band is a multi-instrumentalist and are
vocally accomplished.

The youngest member of CATS is Josh Zapletal (2012), DZ’s son, carrying on his dad’s and grandfather Raymond’s tradition on trumpet. John Schumacher, bass and vocals, came to
the band after having played with The Czech Harvesters a few years before; Zeke Martinez (2007), percussion and guitar, has a background in Tejano music.

Jennifer Slovak (1998), David Slovak’s sister and recently Zeke’s wife, plays saxophone and clarinet. Michelle Slovak (1998), DZ’s sister and David’s wife, played with Harry Czarnek and
the Texas Dutchmen.

David Czarnek, (2010) who plays sax and clarinet, came to the band from his father’s band, the Texas Dutchmen, and has a background of big band, jazz, country, and rock.

David Slovak (1997), accordionist and piano, played with the Henry Rejcek Polka Band and Czech Harvesters before founding CATS with DZ.

FAMILY TRADITION
DZ grew up in a house filled with polka as his Czech dad, Raymond, had his own polka band in Ennis from 1960-1969 - the Music Masters, then played in the Texas Dutchmen when the family moved to Houston, and his German/Czech mother, Pat, was a pianist for the Jodie Mikula Orchestra for 25 years. One of DZ’s earliest memories is of being at home with a plastic toy
trumpet imitating his father. Raymond had learned music while attending St. John’s Nepomucene Catholic High School in Ennis, where he played with several Czech bands while still in school. He also taught Kenneth and Nick Mikula the fine points of playing trumpet.

In his early teens, DZ joined the Dutchmen with a real trumpet. “My first actual job was playing with Harry Czarnek and The Texas Dutchmen on Dec. 9, 1978 in Needville,” DZ recalled. “I think we played for a wedding that day. I was 13 years old at the time.”

Through the years, he continued to play with the Texas Dutchmen, as well as help out a few other bands before cranking up CATS.

Harry Czarnek’s Texas Dutchmen had a lot of influence on CATS, mentoring young DZ and Michelle. Gene Patalik and Harry were like second fathers to them, and Gene’s son, “Sonny,” was DZ’s accordion teacher and fantastic trumpet player and arranger. CATS plays many of Sonny’s arrangements today at all of their engagements.

Living in the Zapletal house meant you were also involved in promoting Czech heritage. DZ’s dad was one of the co-founders of the National Polka Festival, which has been held on Memorial Day Weekend for many years. The festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. DZ served for 18 years as the director of festival. Michelle has been the secretary of the festival for over 15 years keeping Czech heritage alive in Ennis.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Ennis area has a plethora of young Czech bands. “I think that comes from the musicians growing up listening to Johnny Mensik,” DZ said. “Johnny’s style is a little bit different and jazzy, which catches the interest of the younger folks.

Polka Power Duo: DUJKA BROTHERS CELEBRATE 30 YEARS

By Gary E. McKee
In a triangle within the towns of East Bernard, Wallis, and Rosenberg is the small community of Tavener, founded as a railroad stop in 1890. This flat, fertile blackland area, populated by Czechs in the early 1900s, is well known as a high producer of row crops such as cotton. The Czechs who
come from there are men of the soil and the people who till it. Two of these men are the Dujka Brothers, John and Mark. For the Czech-challenged it’s pronounced doy-ka.
      Their father, Willie, who along with his 14 brothers and sisters, carried on the tradition of their
forefathers who conquered this tough black gumbo oasis and raised their family. Their mother, Mary Lou (Brossmann) from St. John, southwest of Schulenburg, was raised in a similar situation.
      John and Mark shared the chores around the farm from an early age. John, the oldest, seemed to be musically inclined and was taking piano lessons by the first grade. Younger brother, Mark, seemed to have the music gene also and began taking piano lessons at the same
age. By the time they were in grade school, their music teacher, Jane Turner, owner of Rosenberg Music, confirmed their talent by getting them on television.
      The Houston TV show on Channel 39, was a cowboy-themed kiddie talent show, called Don Mahoney and Jeanne Clare’s Kiddie Troopers. Every few months through their grade school years they made appearances on the show singing and playing. John remembers singing Little Brown Jug on his first performance. It was their first taste of bright spotlights and structured performances, but hardly their last.
      As time went by the brother’s chops improved (practice, practice, practice) and by the ripe old age of 13, John had his first paying gig at a wedding in East Bernard. Most traditional piano lessons are based on classical music, however, Ms. Turner, was open minded and exposed them to other forms of music, opening their minds to country, jazz, and pop sounds.
      Another sound that the brothers enjoyed growing up was the sound of their Grandfather Herman Brossmann’s accordion. They hadbeen to many picnics and heard bands, but it was their grandfather playing at his house that made a huge impression. Though German, he played many Czech songs which the brothers absorbed and learned on the accordion. Mark still plays
the same accordion on stage. It was their grandfather’s passing in 1986 that stimulated the brothers to start exploring their heritage and begin playing more German/Czech songs in
their set lists.

THANKS, AL
In high school, the brothers were blessed to have Al Sulak as a band director. Al has his own band, Al Sulak and the Country Sounds, which has kept the dance floor full for over 30 years with their unique blend of country and polkas. After graduation, Mark started attending college in Wharton as a music major. However, the blackland under his fingernails, spoke to him and he got
a degree in agriculture-business at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), and came back home to farm with his father. After 12 years and a bad back, Mark decided to change careers. A local financial institution was looking for a person with a background in agriculture and business. Mark fit the bill perfectly, and soon had a day job, but still farmed in the evenings.
      John entered the music program at the University of Houston and achieved a Master’s Degree in Music with an emphasis on piano performance. In addition to his academic musical training, John acquired an excellent education in Czech music from working as an accompanist/recording
engineer with the East Bernard Czech Singers under the direction of Martha Viktorin. He received lessons on the Czech language in song and how to use the most commonly used lyrics and melodies to make their music even more authentic.

CZECH KARMA
The brothers never started out to make playing music an integral part of their lives, but other forces were at work. In the mid 1980s, Mark had been sitting in on bass guitar with Al Sulak’s band. John had been playing more frequent solo gigs, but injured his hand, so Mark, who had been learning the bass guitar, stepped in. They found that they made a pretty good duo, but they still just played small events.
      Their confidence increased when John temporarily lost his voice and the vocal duties were all Mark’s, giving him even more singing experience. The Bleiblerville (south of Brenham) Fish Fry offered them a paying gig and The Dujka Brothers premiered to the general public at this fun little gathering. As the bookings increased, KULP polka disc jockey B.J. Sablatura began encouraging the brothers to make a cassette of their favorite songs. They returned to their roots and recorded their first cassette, At the Dance, in the Tavener house that they grew up in.
      After completion, marketing wasn’t a problem, as both B.J. and Bobby Jones played them on their KULP shows. Their version of The Hills of Shiner Polka was the first song that the brothers heard on the radio, giving them pause to think that maybe that there is a chemistry between them.
      The song and cassette were received by the public like a fresh batch of kolaches right out of the oven. From then on the brothers never looked back. A total of 11 recordings followed including the just released Let’s Have a Party: The Dujka Brothers 30th Anniversary CD. John has
returned the KULP favor by having his own weekly polka show, which carries on the tradition of playing requests and helping new bands get exposure.

THANKS, FANS!
The Dujkas have always been very thankful for their fans, and the liner notes on their releases have, whenever space allowed, included English translations of the Czech songs. Just prior to completing the Road to St. John, famed musician and disc jockey Lee Roy Matocha passed away. Lee Roy had geographically extended the brothers’ fan base by playing their songs on his show based in La Grange with syndication on other stations in Brenham, Columbus, and Gonzales. The brothers went back into the studio and recorded a tribute medley to Lee Roy.
      The brothers have never had an actual band. In the beginning, John utilized a drum machine to back his personal piano playing. When Mark joined his brother, he brought saxophone, guitar, and bass instruments, so the drum machine was still used. As the duo began performing at larger venues like the St. John picnic (continuous appearances since July 1987), John brought in his laptop computer to produce a fuller sound. Mark and John would record all the necessary parts (tuba, sax, drum, guitars) themselves to be played later, as if there were five or six Dujka brothers. This writer remembers a St. John picnic, in the last century, where some of the old timers would walk around the stage looking for all the extra musicians they were hearing. John said that they never really talked about having a full band, and looking back, they adopted a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude, which sounds like a song that needs to be written.

PIVO & TAMALES
Speaking of song writing, the Dujkas have contributed a lot of new music to the polka and waltz world. John collaborated with Daniel Klapuch and Mark Hermes on the FM 959 anthem, Moon Over Moravia, which helped put Henrietta and Frankie’s store on the map. Light-hearted songs such as Out Behind the Barn, Grandpa Got Drunk at the St. John Picnic, and Pivo and Kolaches, Cerveza and Tamales not only tell of rural culture, but are just plain fun to sing and dance to.
John said the Pivo song came about when there seemed to a large number of Hispanics in his music classes. (He is a music professor at Blinn College.) He got to thinking about the similarity
between his Czech traditional polkas/culture and the Tejano traditional polkas/culture. A song was born.
      By the early 1990s, The Dujka Brothers were averaging 75 gigs per year. That’s performing once every five days while holding down day jobs. John has been a professor of music at Blinn College in Brenham since 1990. Mark marked his 10th year in the banking business helping farmers and ranchers of his home territory keep the tradition going, and has helped transition his family farm into a cattle business.
      The Dujka Brothers strive to keep the music vibrant and speak to the heritage of their forefathers. That is never more evident than in their latest CD, which was recorded, where they
began, in their parent’s home. The CD is a great mixture of old and new tunes including Church Picnic Polka and Seven Step Polka so you can practice shouting HEY! at home.

Tribute to Al Dean

By Allen Pollard
Al Dean, “Mr. Cotton Eyed Joe,” passed away on Oct. 3, in San Antonio at the age of 85. He died from complications of cancer, and his last public appearance was in June.

Al’s music career began in 1952 playing local dances and parties in his hometown of Freer, Texas. In 1967, in Nashville, he recorded the old folk dance fiddle tune Cotton Eyed Joe, an old folk dance fiddle tune, made famous in the 1940s and ’50s by Adolph Hofner in the San Antonio area. The side-by-side lines of dancers kicked their legs/boots emulating being in the barnyard getting rid of cow poop then stomping their boots in step to an abbreviated polka-type beat. The dancers also shouted out various chants and they became known as “Kickers.”

Al’s version of the song became a huge Texas and regional hit and many radio stations began playing it before network news breaks. Cotton Eyed Joe was even played during breaks of the San Antonio Spurs basketball games. As well, for the last 33 years, the Cotton Eyed Joe has been played during the 7th inning stretch of the Texas Rangers home baseball games.

In 1987 the American Music Association awarded Al Dean the “Most Programmed Record” in the history of the Jukebox industry. In 1999, the Country Music Association of Texas inducted Al Dean into the Texas Hall of Fame.

Al also had a unique great voice for country music, and wrote and recorded many successful
albums and popular singles, such as Casting My Lasso, Rough-Neck-Paycheck, Let’s Go Dancing, Verge of The Blues, and many others. Al developed a special straight and perfect pitch singing style with variations of beats for different styles of the Texas two-step. He also was a tremendous yodeler and could sing and yodel with the best of ’em.

Al Dean & The Allstars band became very popular performing in well over 100 different locations and dance halls in Texas and the Southwest. The first Al Dean & The Allstars dance that I attended as a teenager was a St. Patrick’s celebration in Old San Patricio, Texas, in March
of 1965. As a young musician, I was totally impressed with the outstanding quality of the singing and style of playing by the talented musicians, plus they played most of the latest songs heard on country music radio stations.

They also impressed me with their custom-made western suits and 5-inch brim white cowboy hats and boots. I had never seen nor heard of a country band that had a girl drummer. She could even play a solo on a fast song called Draggin’ the Bow. That drummer turned out to be Maxine Dean, Al’s wife and the mother of sons, Galen and Gary Dean.

Al had worked as an oilfield supply salesman since high school to support his family and his music/singing sideline. In 1974, he made the decision to go full time in the music business due to the popularity of his music and successful record sales.

Over the years, more than 12 musicians played steel guitar in the Al Dean band. I became an “Allstar” in 1974 playing the steel guitar full time. This was a personal challenge and privilege as
my predecessor was the late Ray Smith, a very talented musician and long-time Allstar. My career with the band ended in 1978 when accepting a shift-work job at a local refinery. I continued to play special events with the band up until a few years ago when I began my DJ services (Dancehall Sounds).

As an Allstar, I was very fortunate to play dances at Schroeder Hall in Goliad, The Winchester Club in Houston, Alice VFW, the Stampede Club in Big Spring, internationally famous Farmer’s Daughter Club in San Antonio, and many other dance halls throughout the state of Texas. I also had the opportunity to travel to Nashville when Al and Galen recorded in studio B at RCA Records, where I met Buddy Emmons, Buddy Spicher, Dave Kirby, Jimmy Capps, and many other famous Nashville musicians. I also had the honor of playing steel guitar on the entire album, On The Bandstand recorded in Houston, for the Glad Music record company.

Al was easy to please so long as the musicians played the songs his way and kept the music straight without any fancy ad libs. He was very honest and always paid the musicians what was agreed. Al traveled in two different full-size buses over the years and the last bus was the most comfortable as it was fully air conditioned. We learned over the years which were the better cafes/restaurants to stop at, and which ones had the best hot coffee as we consumed many a
thermos full.

The faithful friends and following of dancing fans was Al’s most cherished reward for performing his style of music. My memories of Al will always be those of good times, lots of miles traveled, and a lifetime of music and friendship with “Mr. Cotton Eyed Joe.”

Allen will DJ a special tribute dance to Al Dean on Sat., Nov. 12 at the Gallagher Ranch Barn Dance, 1020 FM 1540 in Sandia, from 6-11 pm. Bring your own lawn chairs, snacks, and drinks. Call 361-813-8817 for information.

Stuff Your Stockings with Music!

There’s nothing better than to take down that stocking on Christmas morning to find it filled with chocolate, gift cards, AND MUSIC! Your favorite bands have new recordings just in time for holiday giving.

SqueezeBox by Request
SqueezeBox Band

Mollie B and Ted Lange have recorded a collection of 15 songs most requested by fans at their performances. And it’s a great lineup of music. Mozart’s Polka features accordion and sax and Mollie said it’s an arrangement like no other, done “SqueezeBox style.”

North Shore Polka features Ted on Polish vocals. “When performed live, it gets the crowd going,” Ted said. Rock and Roll Waltz is a classic waltz originally performed by Kay Starr, featuring Mollie's vocal talents on this fan favorite. Schneider Polka is a Six Fat Dutchmen number performed on two trumpets and sax, plus accordion, bass, and drums. A Ja Sam, a Czech song from the old country, is performed the Texas way, including dueling saxes, an accordion solo with a Tejano flair, guitar fills, and “even the ‘whoo, whoo, whoo’ influenced by our Texas friends,” Mollie said.

Crazy, a lighter ballad sung by Mollie with unique accordion and piano work by Ted, is performed in a jazz ballad style. El Rio Drive is a Verne Meisner number with a SqueezeBox twist including "soft-shoe" and Latin sections. Waltz of the Angels, is one of the band's most requested waltzes. My Heart Skips A Beat is a Buck Owens number played with a groovin’ Cajun beat.

Beer Mug Polka is one of the standards SqueezeBox plays to get the crowd going. Edelweiss is a vocal/piano ballad, sung in English and German. You will hear Mollie's classical training in this song. Red Apples Polka is the band’s version of a hoolerie – Dutchmen-style song featuring the clarinet. Polish Boyfriend Polka is one of Mollie's signature songs. The Rose, is a ballad featuring Mollie. Barbara Polka, is a traditional Czech number featuring the button box.

This new CD is the third recording for the band. Freshly Squeezed (2009) contains 20 songs including 14 polkas, 2 waltzes, and 4 fox trots/two-steps with vocals in English, German, Polish, and Czech. Squeeze Me (2007) contains 16 songs including 8 polkas, 2 waltzes, and 6 fox-trots/two-steps/slow songs with vocals in English, German, Polish, and Czech.

Order yours today!

Little Fishermen Orchestra featuring Mollie B

In addition to the By Request CD, Mollie B has released two other CDs - Little Fishermen Orchestra featuring Mollie B has 25 songs performed in Dutchmen and Big Band style, and Mollie B Live with Kenny, Tony, and Dana has 14 songs performed live on the Mollie B Polka Party, taped in Ennis earlier this year.

The Little Fishermen CD tracks: It’s a Small World, Midnight Waltz, Sweet Nearness of You, Elmdale Waltz, Aunt Ella’s Polka, Waltz Medley (Four in the Morning/Tennessee Waltz), Rainbow Valley Polka, Homecoming Waltz, Paper Roses, Matilda Polka, Edelweiss, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Silk Skirt Waltz, Red Raven Polka, Invisible Tears, Fritzie Polka, Snow Waltz, Stranger on the Shore, Ellen Polka, Foundling Waltz, Please Release Me, Innocence Waltz, Yellow Rose of Texas, Little Fishermen’s Waltz, and Sauerkraut Polka.

Order yours today!

Mollie B Live

Mollie B Live features Mollie on vocals, trumpet, sax, and keyboard; Kenny Brandt on sax; Tony Sabo on accordion, midi bass; and Dana Lindblad on drums. Tracks: Beer Barrel Polka, Praha Polka, Tick-Tock Polka, Slap Happy Polka, Pennsylvania Polka, Rock Around the Clock, Mozart's Polka, Save the Last Dance for Me, I Fall to Pieces, Kramer's Polka, Marie Augie's Polka, Memories of Vienna, and Quick Stop Polka. Order yours today!

Mollie is also offering a special discount to Texas Polka News and polkabeat.com fans. on her Christmas Special DVDs/CDs. She has four DVD/CD packs available. When you buy 3 packs TPN/polkabeat fans get a $5 discount; $10 when you buy 4. Shop now and be sure to type in TPN in the PayPal message section. Mollie will send you the discount via PayPal. 

Cajun Baby
Chris Rybak, Hallettsville

This CD has the classics and original tunes to make you feel like you’re at a Cajun polka party. In addition to Cajun standbys like Jole Blon, Jambalaya, and Diggy Liggy Lo, the CD features three original tunes – Cajun Baby’s Cookin’ Tonight, written by Daniel Klapuch (who co-penned Moon Over Moravia), Going to Hallettsville, written by Daniel and Chris, and Love that Chicken From Popeyes, written by Chris. Inspiration came for the latter tune after Chris and his band performed for a party at the Popeyes headquarters in New Orleans. In addition to Chris on accordion, keyboard, and vocals, the CD features Bonnie Riley on fiddle, Jonathan Statsky on rubboard and vocals, Marvin Kremling on maracas and vocals, Ronnie Hermes on guitar and vocals, and Edita Rybak on vocals. Available in the Polka On! Store or send $18 (includes shipping) to Chris Rybak 603 N Texana, Hallettsville, TX 77964.

Polka Time in Texas
The Moravians, Ennis

This CD features six polkas, six waltzes (including a beautiful rendition of Waltz of the Angels), the classic Spanish Eyes, and two country tunes, including Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver is smiling). The band was started in 2009, and this is the group’s second CD. Current band members consist of seven college students, five being proud Fightin’ Texas Aggies (Whoop!). The band enjoys taking trips to play in new places and looks forward to spreading the joy of polka music for many years to come. Band members: Matthew Matous (accordion, trumpet, sax, vocals), Chris Trojacek (accordion, guitar, trumpet, sax, vocals), Adam Rejcek, drums, vocals, Josh Goodwin, tuba, bass, Zachary Matous (keyboard, bass) Phillip Cryer (sax, guitar, vocals), Tyler Prasifka (trumpet, vocals). The band's first CD, Czech Spirit Will Live On, is also available at the band website and the Polka On! Store. 

Cheers to 10 Years!
Ennis Czech Boys

This CD is pure polka and waltz music, featuring 11 polkas, including Long Road to Praha, Gypsy, Music, Music, and Peanuts, and five waltzes such as the beautiful Dreamland Waltz and Owl Waltz. In the liner notes, ECB says, “It seems like yesterday we went from three guys in a garage to now eight guys having the opportunity to perform at some of the best events for the greatest people you’ll find anywhere.” Band members: Chris Trojacek (vocals, tenor sax, trumpet), Corey Mikula (drums), Frank Vrla III (tenor sax, guitar, trumpet) Jared Prachyl (bass, vocals), Jerry Petter (accordion), Michael Trojacek (alto/tenor sax, vocals), Trey Sylvester (keyboard, vocals), and Zeke Martinez (rhythm guitar). Available in the Polka On! Store or send $18 (includes shipping) to Trey Sylvester 2392 Intrepid Dr., Buda, TX 78610.

Let’s Have a Party! 30th Anniversary
Dujka Brothers

This CD is non-stop polka party fun! John and Mark have selected 20 great tunes to celebrate their 30 years in the polka party business. The CD features 11 polkas, including Church Picnic Polka, written by Donnie Hons, If I Were a Bird, Tick-Tock, Seven Step, and Hey Baby Que Paso, written by Augie Meyers; five waltzes, including the beautiful Katherine’s Waltz, written by Jason Keepers, Westphalia, and a waltz medley with Looking for my Sweetheart and At the Spring; three country tunes – Dark Lighted Barrooms, The Chair, and Make the World Go Away; and the fun Santa Bring Me a Tuba, written by Daniel Klapuch. Available in the Polka On! Store or send $19 (includes shipping) to John Dujka 3384 Success Dr Brenham, TX 77833.

Czech, Please!
Czech Melody Masters, Austin

If you love brass in your polka, then this is the CD for you. The band has always strived to emulate the classic brass band sound of such beloved Texas bands as the Bacova Ceska Kapela, Adolph Pavlas, and the Joe Patek and Lee Roy Matocha Orchestras. The CD features eight polkas, including Prune Dumplings, Wooden Heart, and No Beer Today; and eight waltzes, including My Darling, Rosalinda, and Waiting in the Woods. The Red and White Waltz is the arrangement as originally recorded by Baca's Ceska Kapela from their first recording session in 1929 at Okeh Records in San Antonio. The band is anchored by original members Dennis Svatek (lead trumpet, lead vocals and music arranger), Dave Bedrich (trumpet and vocals) and Thomas Durnin (stand up bass). The sound is rounded out with Frances Barton on accordion, Rob Schmidt on drums, and their newest member, Dennis’ son, Stephen Svatek on baritone and guitar (when he’s not playing with the UT marching band). Czech out the band’s website – czechpolka.com – where you’ll find the world's longest running polka podcast, since 1998!Dennis uploads new shows every two weeks, plus you’ll find 68 archived shows, for over 176 hours of free music! CD available in the Polka On! Store or send $18 (includes shipping) to Dennis Svatek 2100 Mildred Dr. Taylor, TX 76574.

Polka Roots and Scoot the Boots
Off the Grid, Austin

This is the group’s first CD providing a mixture of cover tunes with some originals written by bandleader Joe Klaus. Tunes include Paint It Black (yes, Rolling Stones), which Joe converted to a polka after sitting with a rock band from Austin; Polka Medley, with some of the group’s favorite German and Czech tunes; Cortina, named after Lake Cortina in Northern Italy, which Joe was inspired by the beauty of the lake surrounded by the Italian Alps while on a boat ride; Paula's Cuckoo Waltz, an original tune written for Paula Kager from the Kuckucknest German Store in Fredericksburg; No Beer Today, no explanation needed; Baumerwald, features Joey Schwab on baritone; In Heaven There Is No Beer- sung in English, German, and Spanish, with some Polish la-las thrown in; Ooh La La, an adaptation of a Rocking Sidney Zydeco tune; and Swingtown, a polka version of the Steve Miller rock tune, a OTG favorite and one of their most requested tunes. Available in the Polka On! Store or send $18 (includes shipping) to Mike Campasso 8100 Manassas Dr. Austin, TX 78745.

Your Connection to Great Polka Music

Expand your music search to polkaconnection.com where you’ll find simply the best collection of fine polka music from around the world. Owner and musician Chuck Stastny has been collecting this fine polka music for 25 years, 10 years on the web. His catalog now features 2,500 different CDs and DVDs for sale, and the website has over 34,000 song samples. "We've provided all the best high-quality polka classics, along with the newest artists for your listening pleasure," said Chuck, who has been loving the music since age 0. “Grandpa played the button box and mom played piano accordion.” He invites you to browse the catalog of more than 2,500 titles, listen to samples, and buy online and pay no domestic shipping.

Accordion Cowboy Chris Rybak Says Na zdraví, Y'all!

By Gary E. McKee

Chris Rybak, a Hallettsville native, was surrounded by music from day one, as he was born into the sounds of his father's band, the Leroy Rybak's Swinging Orchestra, a fixture on the polka scene for over 40 years. Leroy’s wife, Joyce, and toddler Chris were also fixtures at most of Leroy's gigs around the Polka Belt. Chris would hop up on stage playing a plastic trumpet. When he reached the advanced age of six, he started learning music by ear on a small keyboard.

By the ripe old age of 12, Chris received his first accordion and soon played solo at a family event. (Chris still has this $50 accordion and considers it his most prized of his collection of more than 20 accordions.) Playing several instruments with his father's band through junior high school, Chris joined the Hallettsville High School marching band, and was the first student to play an accordion. The highlight of the halftime show was when he and the bass player would play a brief solo (using a new, state-of-the-art wireless sound system). They always received a standing ovation.

When it came time to graduate, the school counselor asked Chris what direction he wanted to take his life. “Music,” he said without hesitating. The counselor suggested he think about pursuing a different career, and perhaps later in life he could play music. Heeding this sage advice, Chris worked in a print shop for a very short period of time before taking a giant leap of faith to follow his passion and become a fulltime musician at the age of 18.

“There was no guaranteed paycheck to pay for gas to the next gig, no guarantee of anything except the concept of focusing on the music and my audience,” Chris said.

Julius Tupa, founder of the Texas Polka News and the Texas Polka Music Association, saw the potential, as he awarded Chris the TPMA New Horizon Award in 1993.

With the basics of music firmly in hand, the next lesson he needed to master was the art of self promotion. At the Yoakum Country Opry, Chris brought along a box of 50 cassette tapes,
thinking he might be able to make gas money by selling them. He sold all 50. Lesson learned.

ONE-MAN BAND
Chris developed a one-man show, ready to "play at the opening of an envelope." This refers to working musicians’ daily gigs of performing at car dealerships, grocery stores, and other businesses that would hire popular entertainers to perform as a public draw. Most of these events happened during the 8 to 5 timeframe. Bob Wills and Adolph Hofner grew their fan base this way.

Chris said the most rewarding of these type of shows were performances at senior citizen centers. “It’s always a great deal of satisfaction to watch folks’ eyes light up and smiles spread across their faces as, maybe for the last time, they are hearing the Julida Polka sung in Czech, as they recollect dancing the night away decades ago,” he said.

Another facet of this solo life is the equipment needed to make it work. Chris, who has been playing a conventional accordion for 25 years can make a joyful sound, but to enhance the performance, a band was needed. In 2007, musical powers-to-be smiled upon Chris. Roland Music Corp. had just developed the first digital (electronic) accordion and was ready to unveil
it to the music industry at the next NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) convention, which was going to be held in Austin.

Roland located Chris through an Internet search. They offered him a "free" chance to own the first digital accordion. As with all things "free," there was a catch. He had three days to learn how to play this revolutionary instrument and then wow the music store owners at the
convention. Chris was successful, so successful that Roland made him an advisor and flew him to Italy to assist with the introduction and design of a new model.

The digital accordion has allowed Chris to have the sound of a back-up band while playing all music live, not a preprogrammed music track. Life with Roland has been very good exposing
Chris to many different cultures as the company sends him and his accordion to venues throughout the U.S. and overseas. One of Chris’ proudest moments was to perform for the Czech Republic president, prime minister, and other government dignitaries.

POLKA PARTNERSHIPS
Chris has always been on the lookout for assistance in procuring gigs, and two of the most supportive have been John Hybner and Jimmy Mauric, past and present brewmasters of the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner. “These guys and all of the staff at Shiner have always helped
promote my music,” Chris said. He showed his gratitude with a CD called Shiner Time, produced in 2010.

The Shiner Time song features a chorus recorded at the brewery with Shiner staff singing along, “Well, we’re drinking beer in Shiner, Texas. The party’s here, so drink one with us. We’ve all got friends in Shiner, Texas. The party never ends when you’re drinking with us.”

Chris has also reached out for collaboration with other artists, the most notable being his friendship with conjunto accordionist Santiago Jimenez Jr. The duo has toured on educational
jaunts and heritage festivals, and collaborated on a CD – Two Kings of Accordion, recorded in 2012. The Czech-Mex tracks take turns featuring Czech classics like Clarinet Polka, and conjunto favorites, like Viva Seguin Polka, written by Santiago Sr.

ZICKE ZACKE ZICKE ZACKE HOI! HOI! HOI!
Chris’ brand of “let’s get everyone together to dance, drink some pivo, and have a good time,” fits in well with festival entertainment. He is a much sought-after performer at festivals that
promote all kinds of heritage – Czech (Westfest in West, Kolache Festival in Caldwell), German (Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, German Heritage Festival in Tomball, where Chris has his own party stage), Polish (Houston Polish Festival), Tejano (Big Bang Salsa Fest in Three Rivers), and Cajun (Fiddlers Frolics in Hallettsville).

The latter had hometown boy Chris headlining Cajun Night this year. “My family always went to this event and my dad would say, ‘One day, you’re going to play here.’ He didn’t get a chance to see me play (his father passed away in 2012), but I think he had a hand from above in getting me in the lineup,” Chris said. He debuted his latest CD Cajun Baby at this year’s festival. It features the song Going to Hallettsville, which tells the story of going to the Fiddlers Frolics.

Chris has also been a mainstay at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville at the Arborhaus Biergarten since 2005. He was the first and only accordionist there for a while, although the fest now features other accordionists. He also brought his wireless mike to the
biergarten, which was frowned upon by other festival acts, wanting to remain true to the period and not introduce today’s technology. Chris reported most of the other stages now usewireless. “Yeah, we changed the landscape of the Ren Fest,” Chris joked.

Depending on the event, Chris recruits other musicians to round out his band. Mainstays include guitarist Marvin Kremling, who played in Leroy’s band, and drummer Jonathan Statsky.
Of course, Chris’ wife of 16 years, Edita, also joins in on vocals, offering authentic pronunciation of Czech lyrics since she hails from Slovakia. Chris also brings in brass, reeds, tuba, fiddle – whatever is needed to keep the polka party going.

TAKING THE PARTY ACROSS THE POND
Chris and Edita have added another dimension to their entertainment business by organizing European tours for their fans. Since 2008, they have taken music fans overseas 14 times, and
this past September took travelers to Europe for a tour of Italy, Vatican, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. On February 12-19, 2017, they will host a Valentine Polka Cruise to Belize, Cozumel, and Mahogany Bay with several polka dances scheduled. On May 1-15, 2017, Chris and Edita will host another Mediterranean cruise tour; their first was held earlier this year. “It was so popular, we decided to do it again,” Edita said. Many polka fans have toured with the couple more than once. “It’s just a great time and the people you meet on the tour become lifelong
friends,” said Dennis Pustejovsky of the Waco area.

“It’s great when we go to an event like the Praha Picnic and see a group of people who have toured with us. They immediately raise their drinks and greet us with ‘Na zdraví,’ because we are always toasting to each other’s health (with slivovitz) on our tours,” Edita said.

CONTINUING THE RYBAK TRADITION
In the spring of 2011, Chris became the proud father of a beautiful daughter, Kristina Nicole, who is already walking in her father's bootsteps. She is showing much interest in music and has even appeared in national newspapers and television programs, such as the Mollie B Polka Party and early morning news programs.

Chris Rybak is an excellent example of the American Dream, a small-town kid who stuck by his accordion, and followed it halfway around the world many times. Looking back, Chris said he
wouldn’t change a thing. “I think back to those who said, ‘You’ll never make a living playing accordion.’ I’m glad I didn’t listen,” he said.

This writer wonders if he has ever played Frank Sinatra's immortal (I did it) My Way.

Chris' CDs are available in the Polka On! Store.

It’s Oktoberfest Man!

By Theresa Parker

For most of the year, Alex Meixner and his merry band travel the nation bringing polka to the masses. But once fall approaches, he kicks it up a notch. Able to leap across the stage whipping
fans into a polka frenzy. It’s an accordion! It’s a trumpet! It’s Oktoberfest Man!

Alex will once again be at Wurstfest (Nov4-13), ending a seven-week Oktoberfest tour with stops in Ohio, Oklahoma, El Paso, Wisconsin, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. The merry band features Hank Guzevich, trumpet; Joe Tierney, sax; and Ed Klancnik, drums. They’ll be joined at Wurstfest by California accordionist Mike Kramer, and bass player Shawn Hart, originally from Wisconsin, now living in New Braunfels. “Shawn was deported from Wisconsin for being lactose intolerant, and now he’s living out every musician’s dream of playing in a polka band,” Alex said.

Alex said he loves Texas fans. “When I play in Texas, you have those audience members who have grown up with this music, and those hearing it for maybe the first time. I love to build the bridge between both of those populations. Brave Combo blazed the trail for that in Texas,” he said.

QUITE A YEAR
Since last we saw Oktoberfest Man at Wurstfest 2015, Alex has been on some awesome adventures. He signed on as the one-man pep band for Hormel pepperoni, filming TV and Internet commercials in LA.

“It’s part of our festival shtick. We throw pepperoni into the audience. It has been a great association with the company. Hormel is 125 years old this year. It’s a great American company
based in Austin, Minnesota. Did you know they have only had 4 CEOs in their entire history?”

Alex jetted to New York in July to spend two days recording with Jack Black for the movie soundtrack of The Polka King. It’s the story of Pennsylvania polka legend Jan Lewan, who developed a plan to get rich that shocked his fans and landed him in jail. Now out of jail and working with Jack on the movie, Jan called Alex and asked if he would bring his accordion to the recording session.

“Jan is a very generous man,” Alex said. “He has been extremely straightforward with me about
business. He made some mistakes in the past, spent some time in prison. He has atoned for those mistakes.”

Alex said working with Jack was a hoot. “Jack does all the vocal parts and he’s a tremendous musician and singer. You would think he’s a native Polish speaker. It’s awesome working with people like that who are extremely talented and authentically themselves.” The film is expected to be released in February 2017.

And that brings us to the backyard of Wurstfest at Faust Hotel and Brewery. Alex worked with Brewmaster Ray Middledorf for about nine months, tasting and perfecting a brew that has
been born and named the Alex Meixner Polka Pilsner.

“It’s a European-style pilsner with like 4.8 alcohol, so it’s something you can drink a few of, which makes it a great Oktoberfest beer. It’s not the kind of place you want to have one heavy
beer. You want to have a few, dance, have a good time, and still have control of your faculties. You can indulge and not die thirsty,” Alex explained.

The perfect place to enjoy the new brew, other than Wurstfest, is while staying in the Alex Meixner Suite at the Faust Hotel. “It’s pretty cool. They have my first button accordion and some other memorabilia in the room,” he said, with the disclaimer, “I’m not liable for child support if any children are produced in that room!”

Right after Wurstfest, Alex and his merry band will join the Jodie Mikula Orchestra and Dujka Brothers on a cruise. “We have over 150 cabins booked. There will be lots of great fellowship and jam sessions,” he said.

Stay tuned for what 2017 has in store for Oktoberfest Man!

Everyone Scream! Carl Finch Is a Polka Hall of Famer!

By Gary E. McKee
As reported in the August 2016 issue of Texas Polka News 

Brave Combo (BC) is one of the most accurately named bands in the music scene today. Leader and founder Carl Finch has been taking his musical cronies into little known realms of
rhythm without fear of repercussion for 37 years. To illustrate the progress he has made, Carl was recently inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame, where he joins 2016 inductees Stanley "Stas" Golonka, Dean Hansen, Richard Midura, and Don Jodlowski (posthumously).

"I'm beyond the most outside person, I think," Carl said. "Most people [in the Polka Hall of Fame] grew up in some household where polka was a way of life, and [their] family has played for generations." Carl said that there are not any musicians in his family, and that music wasn't a major facet of his home life.

UNBELIEVABLE HONOR
Carl wasn't expecting to be named as an inductee. "I couldn't believe it," he said. "I could look at tangible markers in my career that tell me I achieved what I wanted as an artist." Some markers include marching in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, playing the Lincoln Center and next night, CBGB, a famous punk rock club in New York City. Brave Combo has earned Grammys, performed in movies, written and performed television show soundtracks, been
animated in a couple of episodes of The Simpsons, and Bob Dylan covered one of their songs, to give a short list.

Carl continued, "I look at all of these things, but the Hall of Fame means that my adventure through this art - polka - has now been not only recognized, but lauded by people who
have been doing this forever."

All sounds like a great musical resume. But marching in Macy's parade? BC had been performing as a wandering polka band at the Texas State Fair for several years, when they
got several gigs in New York over Thanksgiving weekend in the mid 1980s. On a whim, Carl contacted Macy's Parade officials and asked if they needed another marching band. All they could say was "No", right? Carl sent in a demo tape, Macy's accepted, and they were playing polka in the parade behind the Woody Woodpecker balloon and in front of Dionne Warwick's float.

BC had a wandering gig at the State Fair for 10 years until October fests filled their schedule. But this year, they're back. BC will be headlining the main stage on Thurs., Oct. 6. "We get to bring polka awareness to the state fair," Carl said.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP
Growing up in Texarkana, and attending Texas High, might have shaped Carl into a person that can see both sides of musical composition. Texarkana is a city that the Texas/Arkansas state line literally runs through the courthouse and down the main drag. The Arkansas side of the street is lined with honky-tonks and the Texas side has a lot of churches. This environment might have influenced Carl to start polkasizing rock-n-roll songs.

In extreme northeast Texas, polka was nonexistent. In the late 1970s, Carl had been collecting 45s and albums while learning about different music genres. Venturing into the local Woolworth's, Carl distinctly remembers it was on the left hand side just at you entered,
and there it was, a large stack of polka albums for sale REAL cheap. Not sure what polka sounded like, he bought them all. (Remember, they were REAL cheap. Us record collectors
understand.)

Dragging his growing record collection to college in Denton, he studied graphic design, art, and music. Figuring the best way to combine his talents was to form a band. While attempting to figure out which direction to take his music, the Texarkana influence kicked in and he started listening to his polka LP stash more closely, discovering a whole new world of rhythms and musical textures that felt authentic and was nowhere near mainstream music.

"I wanted to present polka in a way that wasn't stereotypical of the genre during the band's growth in the '80s," Carl said. "Accordion in rock music was unheard of, much less popular. I
was confused about why polka music was always the butt of the joke - why it was always the music that people would use to sell beer and sausage."

POLKA WAS THE ANSWER
The move away from guaranteed gigs (as long as you could play Proud Mary and Wooly Bully, you got paid) gave birth to the name Brave Combo as they began attempting to recreate what they heard on these albums Woolworth's couldn't sell. Attempting to recreate these rhythms was difficult as they were clueless on the music itself, which was mostly Polish polkas. This accounts for early BC songs having a real fast beat, which over the years Carl said was slowed down to the "peppy" speed of today.

After feeling secure in their musical abilities, BC took a gamble in restructuring worshipped, traditional music and then rebuilding it as something new and refreshing. This theory was applied to all genres. This writer's favorite Christmas album is BC's It's Christmas Man!
composed of new strains of standard music, such as a cha-cha version of O Holy Night. But their version of Ave Maria is played so reverently that you can smell the incense and hear the
priests chanting in a huge cathedral.

"I have always said, 'Nothing is sacred, and everything is sacred,'" Carl said, channeling the Texas side of Texarkana. "We've never done these things to mock the music. It has never
been a joke to us."

When BC turns loose on polka standards such as Beer Barrel Polka (Arkansas side of Texarkana) it is pedal-to-the-floor intensity. BC's mission has also been to expose their followers to the different styles of music from around the globe, such as Skokiaan, a 1950s SouthAfrican song about making bootleg liquor. It has been previously recorded by Louis Armstrong, Bill Haley, and Herb Alpert. Carl has interpreted musical voices from Japanese pop to zydeco to multiple Latin rhythms. A critic noted while attending a BC gig, "You might come for the party, but you will leave with an education."

Carl said that one main goal of his band's music is to "destroy people's misconceptions about what's cool in music."

TIP OF THE HAT
Carl said he was something of an outsider from the get-go. He has been a vegetarian for years and mostly abstinent when it comes to alcohol (Texas side of Texarkana). As BC climbed the ladder of success and started logging lots of festival invitations, his diet and non-drinking ways might have irritated the hospitality folks at events that tend to celebrate beer and bratwurst.

When on a bill with Tejano bands, Carl said, "It's a complicated thing, but I wanted
to be part of it (Tejano festivals) even though I knew someone was going to want to go eat cabrito at some point."

That funky red top hat that Carl has been wearing for several years is the only fashion statement that he makes on stage. For years, he wore a black T-shirt and black jeans so as not to distract from the music. When he decided to brighten up his stage dress, he hit the jackpot when he found his "fab" red hat at a costume supply shop in Denton.

The very first weekend he wore it was at a gig in Odessa, Texas. Several weeks later, while performing in Las Vegas, he was standing in a long line waiting for a taxi when a voice
boomed from across the street, "YOU GUYS WERE GREAT IN ODESSA!" The hat and BC music had made an impression on at least one Texian.

One last BC story. Westfest, held in the town of West, Texas, is a bastion of Czech polka and waltz music. The festival oozes authentic Czech music like peach filling from a kolache. BC
has been the house band for over 30 years. 'I asked the booking agent for an opportunity to play and told him they didn't have to pay us," Carl recalled. "We just needed a chance to play in front of a real polka crowd."

They were given a corner of a small tent. After the first set, the crowd kept growing. When
their time was up, the crowd refused to let them quit and passed the hat around and came up with $100, and the rest is history.

"My life continues to surprise and confuse me," Carl said, speaking over the phone while standing on his patio - or, as he likes to call it, his "catio" or patio for cats. "I'm amazed that I've made enough money with Brave Combo that we could build this really nice patio for our cats."

The IPA's acknowledgement of Carl and his music is a refreshing acceptance of the diversification of polka. The induction ceremonies will be conducted at the association's Polka Hall of Fame & Music Awards Banquet on Sat., Sept. 3 in Buffalo, New York. Unfortunately, Carl won't be able to attend. That's Westfest weekend! The banquet is part of the 48th Annual IPA Polka Festival and Convention. For more information, visit ipapolkas.com.

Read Congrats Carl! from fellow polka lovers.

Congrats Carl!

Several fellow polka lovers offered their congratulations to Carl Finch, recently inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame. Read the cover story by Gary E. McKee from the August 2016 issue of Texas Polka News.

YOU'VE MADE TEXAS PROUD
I can't remember the first time I saw Brave Combo but I do remember dancing to them at Westfest around 1983 or 1984. When I first heard them I thought these are unbelievable
musicians. The music was wild, different and so much fun. The crowd was just going crazy. Dancing on the floor, tables, chairs, on the grass. It was out of control,  but in a good way. People were eating them up. I used to actually dance those super fast polkas. Not anymore! LOL! One of my early favorite Brave Combo tunes is Three Weeks Polka.  Another one I really like is Polka Dancer Polka off of their Polka Sonic CD. That entire CD is my favorite.  My favorite tune to watch them get the crowd going has to be the Hokey Pokey or getting the conga line started. People go crazy. These guys are a lot of fun. Carl and I go way back and he has always been professional. He has helped a lot of bands get a chance to play for entirely different audiences. Back in the early Czech & Then Some days, Carl would have us open up for a couple of gigs in Deep Ellum in Dallas. That's a wild scene. Brave Combo has become a huge part of our festivals in Texas. The National Polka Festival and Westfest would not be the same without Brave Combo. They know how to play for the people. It was always fun when Danny (O'Brien), Jeffery (Barnes), or Bubba (Hernandez) would sit in with Czech & Then Some, but it is really special when Carl comes up and plays accordion with us. He and David Slovak playing two accordions together really gets the crowd going. I am so excited that Carl has been elected to the IPA Hall of Fame. He has done so much good for polka music and the entire polka scene. They created their own style and sound, but can still play traditional style polkas and waltzes. Brave Combo started a new wave in polka music. Carl has made Texas proud.
Danny Zapletal, Czech & Then Some

POLKA ON!
Congratulations Carl and wishing you the very best on your induction into the IPA Hall of Fame! Polka On!
The Jodie Mikula Orchestra

THEY BLEW ME AWAY
The first time I heard Brave Combo's music was on the CDs we received from Rounder Records. Their recordings of classic tunes like Julida Polka and Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie, plus original tunes and arrangements of the old traditional songs blew me away. I could tell they weren't your normal, everyday polka band. The first time I heard Brave Combo live was at Wurstfest in the 1990s. Me and the late B.J. Sablatura were doing a live remote for KULP Radio. They were doing their show in the big tent right across from us. There were a couple of thousand people, mostly college students partying like crazy with Brave Combo getting them all wound up. It was like a rock concert. We had Carl come over and talk with us on the air afterwards. They were leaving for Holland and a European tour the next day. The next time I saw them live was at John Dujka's 40th birthday party at Hungerford Hall. I haven't had a chance to see them again lately, but I do play lots of their music on KULP. We feature their recording of Must Be Santa during our Christmas holiday programming. Carl is a musical genius covering all styles. As I said earlier, they blow me away!
Clinto Robinson, KULP Radio

GIVE THE PUBLIC WHAT IT WANTS
BC's music is 180 degrees from our music but they're able to give most of the public what they want and are making a living doing it. We've shared the stage with BC numerous times and the entire group, especially Carl, has been very complimentary and cooperative. Every time we saw/heard them we always had to hang around to see what new "musical gimmick" they had contrived. Congratulations, Carl.
Roy G. Haag, Litt'l Fishermen

VIVA LA MUSICA!
I first experienced Brave Combo when I was about 10 years old and was at WMUH in Allentown, PA (where I co-hosted my dad's radio show). I was raised in a household with a lot of different kinds of music, but that opening of Happy Wanderer was totally shocking for polkas. I inhaled that record. I would play Lovesick over and over. When I finally heard and met the band in person, years later, it was awesome to jam with them and especially have long conversations with Carl about all the different polka styles and how they cross over to other music. I've greatly enjoyed and respected his dedication to the music - especially since he wasn't "born into it." Having performed and recorded with BC in myriad venues through the years, I specifically remember Cain Park in Cleveland, OH in 2002. Bubba (Hernandez) and I had just started putting the Polka FreakOut project together and we were playing Uzmi for Steve Popovich (the famed record man from Cleveland International who was a deep Serbian tamburasi) and Carl came running over with such an excitement for the music- as the phrasing, structure was different than many polkas. We talked for about an hour about all of the intricacies of the style. It just struck me that he had won Grammys, performed in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, and had maintained his pure love of music. Something I have watched only continue to grow in the years since. Congrats, Carl! The recognition is long overdue. Thank you for all you have done to inspire other musicians and entertain so many audiences in all of these years. Viva La Musica!
Alex Meixner

HEADBANGING GOOD TIMES
I was shocked when I first saw Brave Combo at Westfest. I was 16 and had just begun to listen to rock-n-roll by choice, but when I thought of hearing polka, I expected the traditional stuff. It took a little while to get over that, but their energy was infectious, and I'm hyper, so it became symbiotic. Flying Saucer is one of my favorite BC tunes. It's fast, it's loud, it reminds me of being a child and imagining cool things. Another fave isn't a polka, it's a South African folk song called Skokiaan. Carl and the guys can deliver that song like no other! Carl and the musicians he works with are musical chameleons. They can work any crowd. I wish I could have been there when they did the Lowlands festival in the Netherlands in 2000. I listened to the audio of that concert, and listened to the man introduce them in Dutch (and the audience's reaction). Then, I heard how the audience just went wild (and stayed wild for the rest of the show) by the second song. All of a sudden, polka was cool. My very favorite memory of seeing BC in concert was when Ross and I were on our honeymoon in Ennis in 2008. Carl invited Alex Meixner to play some songs. WOW, what a show! Carl invites Ross and I up to help lead Edelweiss from time to time, and he asks me to teach Schottisch lessons during their shows. He's always been very kind to help promote me and our band. He's asked me to jodel Auf Der Jodeleralm with them a few times. He sings the words, I jodel, then we get distracted headbanging. My dad got a picture of it from the 2007 Saint Arnold Brewery Oktoberfest.
Valina Polka, Das Ist Lustig

A PRESENCE IN ALL 50 STATES
I have studied this music for decades. I questioned the existence of Brave Combo when they first came onto the scene. I thought they were making fun of polka music, but I came to realize that was not the case at all. I have come to completely appreciate their musicianship and friendship. The first time I saw Brave Combo Live-In-Person was at the Sokol Hall, Omaha, Nebraska. This was the day after they won their first Grammy. It was an exciting time. The Grammy-winning CD album was Polkasonic on Steve Popovich’s Cleveland International
Records label. Flying Saucer is one of my favorite BC tunes, but there are many others.
One of my favorite memories of Brave Combo is when they came to perform in Yankton, South Dakota. They turned many heads with their quality music at the local arts festival
- Yankton’s Annual Riverboat Days. In fact, this performance completed Brave Combo performing in all 50 United States. Carl Finch has a vast knowledge of the musical genre we know as polka music. I always enjoy our conversations. He exposed me to some great
performers from Texas and beyond.
Chuck Stastny, Polka Connection

LET'S DO THE TWIST
I was a little girl when I first saw Brave Combo at the National Polka Festival the first time they played. I really liked them. My parents had a couple of their records. My favorite Brave Combo tune is Three Weeks Polka and I love to see them get the crowd going with The Twist.
Congrats, Carl!
Michelle Slovak, Czech & Then Some

THEY GIVE EVERYTHING THEY HAVE
There are so many words and things you could say about Carl and Brave Combo. But some of the things that stand out to me are the performances that Carl gives. You always know when you experience and leave a Brave Combo show you get their best and they give everything they have to their performances. Carl has truly expanded polka music, exposing so many to the music and art that would never had otherwise experienced it. Congratulations, Carl! This honor is greatly deserved.
Trey Sylvester, Ennis Czech Boys

GINORMOUS AMOUNT OF PASSION
Brave Combo has been a large portion of my musical influence for the overwhelming majority of my life. I was around the age of 10, and already playing polka music. I guess you could say I was studying them before even I knew I was. Carl is an amazing person with an amazing work ethic that is only surpassed by the ginormous amount of passion he puts into polka music.
Whether he's playing or working to help others understand how badly this world needs to polka, he's doing it with all of him. He has been deserving of this great honor for quite some time now.
Jerry Petter, Ennis Czech Boys

MONSTER MUSICAL TALENT
I first saw Brave Combo on a PBS special around 1980. I was blown away by their versatility and arrangements of different polka-style music from all over the world. I was impressed with Carl's keyboard playing and vocal skills. My favorite BC arrangement is the William Tell Overture from their Box of Ghosts CD. That CD really shows off the "monster" musical talent of the group. Their rendition of the Hokey Pokey is my favorite crowd pleaser. I really get a kick out of watching the wide range of ages getting wild and crazy on the dance floor. My favorite memory of jamming with BC would have to be the jam session at my 40th birthday party in Hungerford. It was awesome to share the spotlight with Carl for three tunes, along
with my brother, Mark, and the late, great Tommy Strmiska on drums. Carl, thanks for your always daring and refreshing approach to polka. You've opened minds everywhere.
John Dujka, Dujka Brothers

IT'S A POLKA RAVE!
he first I saw bc was at Sefcik Hall in the late '80s. The raves I heard about BC proved to be true. I loved it. The most novel instrument was the percussion pole with all the beer caps and the crowd loved it every time it was brought out. Later another Melody 5 band member and I ran sound for them at Sefcik Hall - got to know Danny (O'Brien, incredible trumpet player) and the rest of the band from that point of view. That was fun and interesting but nerve racking as I wanted everything to be up to their expectations. Worked out great and had a blast. Always marveled at Jeffrey's (Barnes) sax and clarinet playing and loved Bubba's (Hernandez) solid bass line. Carl has kept the whole thing going which is a credit to his passion for BC music and music mastery which draws from every genre and style. He is a great showman and knows how to get the crowd involved. Lots of songs get the crowd going but after several adult beverages I always liked the conga line!! Congrats Carl - well deserved!!
Jerry Haisler, Jerry Haisler & the Melody 5

Bobby Lee's Nightriders

By Gary E. McKee

Almost 40 years ago, a group of four young men from Port Lavaca decided to try their hand at making traditional country music with a little rock and roll flavoring. Bobby Lee, Bill Elliott, Donnie Hons, and Joel Nava formed a band known as The Bobby Lee Nightriders. Their ages were rather interesting. Bobby was almost 40 and Bill was 33, while Donnie and Joel were still in high school. This age split proved fruitful as the older two were very familiar with the 1950s country music and rockabilly sound, and the two “kids” brought a fresh sound to the band and broadened the fan base.

Always a Singer

Bobby can remember always singing. As a child in the pre-seatbelt days, he remembers standing on the car seat going down the road singing along with his parents. Bobby’s other music lesson involved him and his uncle riding horses through the pastures singing duets.

In 1955, Bobby enrolled at the University of Texas. The first day he walked into his dorm room he spied a guitar leaning against the wall. It was love at first sight, “I’m gonna learn to play that guitar,” he thought. His new roommate, the owner of the guitar, taught him some chords and Bobby spent all his spare time humming On Top of Old Smokey and playing chords.

After becoming confident in the basics of guitar, his roommate, who was from Bermuda, suggested that they form a calypso group. This was during the calypso craze that was sweeping the country; Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song (Day O!) was high on the charts. With the name Calypso Islanders they sharpened their chops by playing continuously on campus and nearby clubs. In 1957, an opportunity to audition to appear on Arthur Godfrey’s national talent show arose and they won. The Calypso Islanders loaded themselves into a car and took off for New York City. It was a great road trip, to say the least. They came in second place losing to a sound effects guy.

Reality Strikes

Bobby put his dreams of being a musician aside as he pursued the almighty dollar by working at a refinery in Port Lavaca. At a wedding reception a friend asked him to get up on stage and sing with the band. He did a Hank Williams song, and then was urged to do several more. The next day at work he mentioned it to his co-worker Bill Elliott. Bill said he played electric guitar and suggested that maybe they should start a band. However, they didn’t know any other working musicians. Then Bill remembered this guy, Donnie Hons, who played bass in his church band. Donnie agreed and then enlisted his buddy, Joel Nava who could play drums.

After a few months of rehearsals and getting to know each other musically, they scored a gig at Bea’s Keg Room in Port Lavaca that held approximately 30 people. Setting up in a corner, Bobby Lee’s Nightriders began playing Thursday nights, passing the tip jar around. 
Performing to a small audience helped them work out the kinks in the band that would only happen when playing live. Their sound kept getting better and the audience was bringing friends to hear them. Soon they had built a following as an up-and-coming band. Offers to play at public events such as street dances, weddings, fundraisers, grand opening, etc., were soon pouring in and the band played frequently. Donnie and Joel were still in high school, which Donnie said made it difficult to stay awake during first period English class on Mondays. He must have learned something in that English class as he can write a heck of a song. 

Nightriders Arrive

Somewhere along the way local dancehall promoters took notice of the popularity of the Nightriders, particularly when they hired a piano player, which greatly enhanced and broadened their set list. By 1978, with Bobby Lee on acoustic rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Bill on lead electric guitar, Donnie on bass, Joel on drums, and Bobby Smith on piano; the Bobby Lee Nightriders took the reins as the country band to hire in the Gulf Coast area.

An ad in the Victoria Advocate in 1978, announced a dance sponsored by the Young Homemakers of Calhoun County with the Bobby Lee Night Riders at the KC Hall in Port Lavaca, $2.50 admission. The Music Box at Six Mile (between Victoria and Port Lavaca) was a honky tonk where the Nightriders played regularly along with area polka bands. The Country Inn and the Sons of Herman Hall in Da Costa were frequent venues for the band. The Silver Wings Ballroom in El Campo hosted 1500 folks scooting their boots to the band, which played both country and rock and roll. In the first two years, the band managed to squeeze out two records between playing every weekend.

1980s Shuffle

By 1980, family obligations forced Bill Elliott to retire from the constant touring. Bobby Jay Vickery, an ace guitarist, stepped in with some electronics that mimicked a pedal steel guitar which sweetened the band’s sound and they continued on wracking up large attendance figures. Soon they were able to afford (Mickey) Gilley’s Recording Studio to produce their third album.

In the beginning of 1982, Donnie and Joel had decided to splinter off and form their own band, The Nightriders.

Bobby Lee changed his band’s name to Country Touch and kept on playing for 18 more years before retiring to focus on his day job.

Donnie has continued playing with numerous bands in the area, recording and pitching his songs to record companies. He recently recorded the Church Picnic Polka that has received favorable airplay in Central Texas.

Joel Nava came from behind the drums to be signed as a vocalist for the Arista Texas Country/Latin label. Releasing several critically acclaimed albums, he now focuses on producing and writing while periodically performing with his band, The Border.

In 2013, all members of the band reunited at the Da Costa hall for a reunion show. The crowd was so enthusiastic and the “ retired” musicians had such a great time that they have had quarterly reunion performances since then.

This Is Where the Cowboy Rides Away

Bobby Lee said that his final gig will be at Da Costa Hall, December 31, 2015, however, the remaining original members have vowed to continue performing in 2016, and carry on the legacy that Bobby created four decades ago. The original journey is coming to an end. But, no one has to ask, is another journey beginning? As for this writer, I sincerely hope so.
I would like to thank Donnie Hons for his assistance in this article.

Now Showing: The Pettit Brothers

CD Review
By Gary E. McKee

Fifty years in the making! After playing music together since they were knee high to a ukulele, The Pettit Brothers (TPB) have released their first full-length studio CD.  Backed by a seasoned group of studio musicians the TPB takes listeners on a journey from a mournful country blues ballad to a rollicking, buck-dancing bluegrass party, with a stop off at a honky tonk for a couple of cold ones to ease the pain of lost love.

White Freight Liner Blues: TPB captures the driving bluegrass feel of this song while the fiddle and guitar signals the wide open highway. Lonnie’s voice while not attempting the high notes that Townes Van Zandt sometimes attempted, captures the weariness and restlessness of the man going out on the highway to listen the big trucks whine and haul away his mind from his troubles.

Driving Nails in My Coffin: This is Ernest Tubb’s 1944 ode to excessive beer consumption over the loss of a woman. The steady lockstep of Brian Lux’s stand-up bass and drummer Terry Kirkendall pushes the band along in a delightful gallop, while steel guitarist Nathan Fleming’s prowess on old-school steel provides a counterpoint to the gallop. Lonnie is picking his mandolin as only Lonnie can.

Hold Watcha Got: TPB’s rendition of a song recounting an attempt to rekindle a relationship captures the feel of the ‘King of Bluegrass” Jimmie Martin’s original recording. Sean Orr’s fiddle kicks off a shuffle punctuated by the rhythm system allowing Darryl Pettit’s self-assured plea to his woman to wait for him to come back home to wring true.

Why You Been Gone So Long: A relatively new song written by Micky Newberry begins with Brian’s thumping bass drawing the rest of the band into a bouncy song with Darryl’s inquiring twang and Larry Wilson’s guitar plucking.

I Still Miss Someone: TPB takes you back to Johnny Cash’s lament from the 1950s, as Lonnie’s sad regret of a love lost brings a tear to your eye and the need for a beer for it to fall into. Wilson’s interpretation of Luther Perkin’s signature spare guitar work does the job quite nicely.

Trouble in Mind: TPB’s rendition of this 1924 blues song is given the bluegrass treatment with Lonnie’s mandolin complementing Darry’s weary, yet hopeful lyrics.

Dark Hollow: An old-school bluegrass song about a fellow who would rather be anywhere else besides the now empty house that his woman left him in. Sean’s fiddle and George Carver’s harmonica add sparkle to this sad song.

Way Downtown: Doc Watson’s classic bluegrass song with Sean’s inspiring “hoedown” fiddle break ties in with Darryl’s strong guitar work in this fun song.

‘Til the Coast is Clear: Hal Ketchum/Fred Koller’s song of a honky-tonk with all the ingredients of the drinking, smoking, and marital misdeeds associated with them. Carver’s gorgeous resonator guitar with Sean’s relaxed, yet precise fiddling sets the stage for this cheatin’ song.

You Done Me Wrong: Sean’s unique voice and the band’s true to the original Cajun arrangement makes it hard to miss this song by two guys named Ray Price and George Jones. Larry Wilson’s rhythm playing keeps this jaunty song bouncing along.

Bottom Dollar: Lonnie’s vocal captures the feeling of a guy who is down to pocket change, but it’s not the first time, and he realizes it’s his own doing. Nathan Fleming’s steel guitar licks echoes the vocals familiar weariness on this Billy Joe Shaver classic.

Old Home Place: Lonnie’s declaration of self-sorrow over what his life has become after his woman run off closes out this fulfilling band of songs.  This 1970s bluegrass classic is given a faithful treatment by the whole band as Lonnie’s voice carries the song like the geese fly south and the wind blows cold.

You can see and hear TPB almost every Wednesday night at Sengelmann’s Saloon in Schulenburg, and weekends playing in honky tonks from Austin to Houston. For a schedule, buying the CD, and more, check out pettitbrothers.com.

Brothers in Harmony

By Gary E. McKee

L-R: Brian Lux, Darryl Pettit, Sean Orr, Lonnie Pettit, Jim Schubert, and Chase Hrncir @ High Hill Store, Oct. 31, 2015./McKee photo

Lonnie and Darryl Pettit’s childhood wasn’t exactly the Partridge family, but Momma Pettit had a voice that was as crystal clear as Joan Baez’s and like the Johnny Cash song, Daddy played bass, and little brother, Garrett, and sister, Kari, joined right in to fill their house with music.

Lonnie and Darryl Pettit grew up in a family that cherished music. Their parents, Bill and Betty, were active members of the folk music circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s and hosted in their home many of the touring coffeehouse circuit folkies. The touring professionals would give lessons to the whole Pettit family starting all the younger Pettits on their musical journey. Garrett became a respected member of the Houston stage musical scene, and Kari became a music teacher and the mother of The Ginn Sisters, a critically acclaimed national touring act.

What? No Amp?
When the family relocated to the Navidad River bottom in High Hill near Schulenburg, their acoustic sound was an anomaly among the local Czech/German music culture. The few rock and rollers then couldn’t figure out why they still played acoustic string instruments and didn’t plug in into amplifiers.

          After high school Lonnie and Darryl played in numerous bands, both singularly and together around Houston. Darryl sharpened his acoustic six-string picking skills with the Broken String Band, the traveling house band for the Chelsea Street Pub chain that had locations throughout Texas and neighboring states. Meanwhile, Lonnie focused on his mandolin skills and for several years, Lonnie played in a band called Rooster Junction at resorts in the Cayman Islands. The brothers reunited and did a three-year stint at one of the most unusual clubs in Houston. This was Los Truncos, a giant, multileveled enclosed tree house. The Pettits would move from branch to branch performing at each table, which was on a separate level from the others. If anyone went to Sam’s Boat on Richmond in Houston in the early 1980s, The Corona Beach Band was an institution there for six years with Lonnie’s voice serenading the crowd. For the next decade and a half, the Pettit brothers, played hundreds of weddings and parties in the Central Texas area.                

Jammin' at Momma's
In the mid-1990s, the Pettit family began holding a Wednesday evening jam session at Momma’s Pizza, which is in the Von Minden Hotel in Schulenburg. Local musicians soon began stopping by and it rapidly became the place to hear good acoustic traditional music. When younger brother Garrett began managing Sengelmann Hall, a great opportunity opened up. The Wednesday night Momma’s jam did a chord progression to the lower level stage of Sengelmann’s. Great live music, plenty of room, and great food came together to make Sengelmann’s Saloon a weekly oasis for the music lovers in the surrounding counties. As the weekly jam progressed into the new millennium, a core group, who now make up The Pettit Brothers Band emerged playing tight, extremely danceable old school country

          This ensemble consists of Darryl, Lonnie, Jim Schubert, Chase Hrncir, Brian Lux, Sean Orr, with special guests stopping by on a regular basis. 

Meet the Pettit Band
Jim Schubert, based in Austin, has been playing mandolin music over the Southern United States, embracing different styles of mandolin, jazz, and rockabilly to name a couple, in addition to standard bluegrass and all infused with a tinge of the blues, the basis of all American music.

Chase Hrncir, from Moravia, Texas, Lonnie’s protégé, has been playing mandolin for six years, learning from Lonnie and others at the weekly jam.

Anchoring the drummerless band, is a bass fiddle, Brian Lux, who has deep family roots in Schulenburg. Brian has been a musician for over three decades. While attending Texas A&M he discovered that the stand-up bass was to be his instrument of choice. In his life’s travels, he found there was always a need for a good bass man, whether it was rockabilly, rock and roll, jump, jazz, country, or swing. Brian has played them all quite well, and returning to his family’s home, has been with the band for three years.

Widening the Pettit Brothers sound is Sean Orr, from Bastrop, who has spent decades playing fiddle and guitar in a multitude of bands and different styles. He has played Texas style fiddle at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and is an expert on getting the “twang” out of his electric guitar to replicate the honky tonk sound. In addition to Texas fiddle, he honors his Celtic heritage by playing intense Irish fiddle in Sean Orr’s Kick Ass Irish Band.

The band has been touring Central Texas playing several nights a week with a recent return engagement in New Orleans. Even more recently they filled the dance floor at the kick-off party for the Second Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling sponsored by Texas Folklife and Texas Dance Hall Preservation. Check out the band’s schedule and buy the CD at www.pettitbrothers.com, or better yet, come see them live!

Will Polka for Beer

By Gary E. McKee
From October 2015 issue of Texas Polka News
 

AlpenMusikanten (AMK), like its German multi-syllable name is a Dallas-based band that can perform multi-rhythmic music to please any crowd. This group can play anything from Proud Mary to the Clarinet Polka with the Chicken Dance, the Westphalia Waltz, Jump, Jive, and Wail, and, yes, Freebird (great accordion solo), thrown in the middle to appeal to all ages. The band’s name translates into “Alpine Musicians” and has been mispronounced to the extent of Alpine Muskrats; however no one has ever mispronounced its website address: www.willpolkaforbeer.com.

Take Me to my Liter
This five-member ensemble has a varied musical background ranging from growing up in a big band family to college music education degrees and two members who are from Austria. AMK’s seriously humorous attitude towards music is reflected in their latest CD title: Take Me To My Liter which is a mix of funky polkas, waltzes, swing, country, samba, ballad, and even a rock polka, while still maintaining the original Alpine flare with outstanding three-part harmony vocals and yodeling.

With the ever-youthful audience, the band keeps learning contemporary songs and slips a little polka beat into them (subliminal polka brainwashing). If you were at the Tomball German Fest, there is a good chance you saw AMK in action and stayed through the whole set.

AMK’s Oktoberfest schedule has been so busy that they probably wake up at night hollering Prost! The month of September saw them performing at Oktoberfests in Choctaw, Oklahoma; Addison, Texas; Fort Worth, McKinney, and two in Louisiana.       

That’s 20 days of Oktoberfesting and wasn't even Oktober! October had the band on the road 17 days, taking polka to Louisiana, Georgia, and back to the PolkaOkies in Oklahoma.       

So when AMK hits Wurstfest November 6th for three days, they should be ready to Schuhplattler their lederhosen off for your dancing pleasure.

Hail to the Tuba (and Euphonium)

By Theresa Parker
From October 2015 issue of Texas Polka News
 

The TubaMeisters is a quartet, based in San Antonio, specializing in German and Czech music. They are also comedians. Watching them perform their Sound of Music routine at Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg last year was too much fun!

The founding members, who began playing gigs at Fiesta Texas in 1992, are Ray Grim, Al Tapia, and Richard Wallace. Ezra Johnson joined in 2005. Ray is a former school band director who teaches a number of tuba, euphonium, and trombone students and performs with the San Antonio Wind Symphony. Al is a retired U.S. Army bandmaster, who serves as the director of several area community bands. Richard is a retired school band director who now conducts the Alzafar Shrine Band, as well as performing with the Beethoven Concert Band. Ezra is a former middle school band director, and former member of the University of Texas Longhorn band.

Have Tuba, Will Travel
The guys perform at about 20 Oktoberfests during the season. In September, they traveled to Fort Hood, Granbury, and Fort Worth for fests. They started off October in Fredericksburg, played some gigs in Austin and San Antonio, and ended the month at the Galveston Island fest. They also have some great Christmas time gigs coming in Boerne (Nov. 27), Tomball (Dec. 12-13), and San Antonio (Dec. 19).

Thinking about their most unusual Oktoberfest, Ray said, “An Oktoberfest in McAllen. When we began playing the temperature was 102. About 30 minutes into our first set, the skies opened up. We had to scramble to get our sound equipment out of the rain. We spent the remainder of our performance time playing under a tent, unplugged.”

Ray said the most requested song would probably be Beer Barrel Polka. And then there’s the guy who shouts out Freebird. “We have it and sometimes play it when requested,” he said. Their favorite tunes to play are Es Bluht ein Edelweiss, a polka, and Blue Skirt Waltz.

The quartet has four CDs, including a Christmas CD, and Ray said there is a possible recording session next spring.

That's Fun!

By Theresa Parker
From October 2015 issue of Texas Polka News
 

That’s the translation of Das Ist Lustig! (DIL) and the promise of what you’ll get when you see them perform. Ross and Valina formed the group in 2007. Ross studied accordion and voice through college, but never played in a show band until the first DIL show in June 2007. Valina had been on stage in various capacities all her life, but didn’t begin playing instruments and performing as lead singer until DIL was formed.

“We started as a duo, but we add drums and other musicians whenever they're available,” Valina said.  “We've been blessed with very talented people to work with!” They’ve also been blessed with each other. “After we formed the band, Ross and I realized we had fallen in love, so we got married in 2008.” 

Tis the Season
DIL, based in the Houston area, plays an average of 150 shows a year, 60 during the 10-week Oktoberfest season. They have standing gigs for their popular “Dinner and Show” at Rudi Lechner’s in Houston and King’s Biergarten in Pearland. In September, the band was at Oktoberfests in Choctaw, Oklahoma, then back to Texas in Addison and Fort Worth.                  In October, DIL performed at the Kemah Oktoberfest, then boarded a bus on Oct. 15 to head to Deutsches Haus in Kenner, Louisiana. This was their third year playing this fest and Ross and Valina decided it was a unique experience they wanted to share. So they put together a bus trip.

Who wouldn’t want the best of all worlds – party in the French Quarter, have a designated driver, AND party at Oktoberfest!

Do You Know Freebird?
Reflecting on their most unusual Oktoberfest gig, Valina commented, “Every single Oktoberfest we play for has its own unique unusual-ness.  We've played in places where there is a decorative waterway behind the stage full of children trying to splash our drummer to places where people come dressed in giant banana costumes just for the fun of it.  We've played in 110-degree heat and we've played when it's so cold we can't feel the keys or strings of our instruments with our fingers.  We've been sand blasted in high winds, and we've been baked in 100% humidity.  Ahhh, Texas weather.          The people are all wonderful. We love to get to know them, and especially see their party side.  We're not sure we ever want a turkey leg tossed at the stage (like what happened during an Alex Meixner show last year at Wurstfest) but crazy, fun people are a joy to have around.”

When asked about the most requested song, Valina said, “This is most likely a tie between Chicken Dance, Edelweiss, and Wagon Wheel.  Of course, there's always that guy who asks for Freebird.”

Valina and Ross have their favorites, too. They love to play The Bench Dance.  “We got the music from a popular Bavarian folk dance. It has that stereotypical rambunctious biergarten sound everyone seems to love.  We choreographed moves based on the folk dance for the audience to do with us. When there is a whole tent full of people laughing and joining in, you get that warm fuzzy Oktoberfest gemutlichkeit feeling.”

Ready for the Wurst
DIL recorded its first CD last year – Barrel Full of Lustig – packed with 20 tunes, many that were requested special by friends and fans. With the addition of their amazing drummer, tuba, and fiddle player, the songs you're used to hearing from the duo shine with life and style.

After the New Orleans trip, DIL performed at the Galveston Island Oktoberfest, and will appear at Wurstfest, and the Tomball German Christmas Market in December. In addition to their performances at Wurstfest, DIL will also perform at Friesenhaus Restaurant in New Braunfels.

“We got our start at Friesenhaus back during Wurstfest 2007. They're in a new location, but it's still home to us! Come grab a delicious meal before heading to Wurstfest!”