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.