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 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.

Texas Polka News Launches Subscription Drive

By Theresa Cernoch Parker, Publisher & Bohemian Princess

Texas Polka News will mark its 30th anniversary in 2018. To celebrate, we’re launching a drive to reach 3,000 subscribers. Sure, we want more people reading The News, but we also want to give back to say thanks for supporting the newspaper, polka, and Texas music/ethnic heritage.

Here’s how it works: For every new subscription or renewal from now through January 2018, TPN will donate $5 of the subscription price to a dance club or music/heritage organization of your choice. Not only will your group benefit from the donated subscription money, $3,000 in prizes will be awarded in two categories in June 2018.

Category one awards $1,000 to the organization that turned in the most subscriptions/
renewals; $500 to second place.

Category two awards $500 to the dance club (50 members or less) that turned in the most subscriptions/renewals; $250 for second place; $500 to the dance club (51 members
or more); $250 for second place.

Examples of dance clubs are Polka Lovers Klub of America, Texas Heritage Music & Dance Club, Swiss Alp Dance Club, Cajun French Music Association, Sealy Dance Club, Wallis Dance Club, DaCosta Western Dance Club, and German/Czech/Polish performance groups, such as high
school clubs, Wawel Polish dance group, Keine Kunst dance group.

Examples of organizations are Polka Lovers Club of Texas Museum, Texas Polka Music Museum, and other heritage museums, Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center, PolkaWorks, Texas Folklife, Texas Dance Hall Preservation, South Texas Czech Heritage Society, German-
Texan Heritage Society, Bluebonnet Opry and other oprys, and libraries.

We will be distributing campaign flyers and order forms to groups through September. Flyers and forms can also be downloaded from TexasPolkaNews.com.

Questions? Contact Theresa Parker at 281-836-6362 or theresa@polkabeat.com.

TPN to Sponsor Salute to Hofner, Czech Polka at Pearl

Join Texas Polka News in saluting the music of Adolph Hofner in the centennial of his birth on Wed., Aug. 17, and kicking up our heels at a Czech polka dance on Wed., Aug. 24. Both are part of the Summer Dance Hall Series at the Pearl Stable in San Antonio, held from 6-9 pm.

The Hofner salute will feature music by The New Pearl Wranglers, led by David Bedrich of Austin. (David also plays for Czech Melody Masters and The Swingsters.) Adolph's daughter,
Kathy Hofner Fielding, will be there, and maybe join the band for a tune or two.

The polka dance on the 24th will feature the music of Mark Halata & Texavia. Texavia played
at the Pearl Stable last year and everyone had a ball.

LIFE AT THE PEARL
When the San Antonio Brewery closed in 2001, the brewery grounds were repurposed using the majestic brew building as a focal point, into the “community” of Pearl. Boasting 324 apartments, 15 restaurants, 13 retailers, and 18 resident businesses, as well as a twice-weekly Farmers Market, Pearl has formed an exciting neighborhood on the upper San Antonio River just north of downtown known as Museum Reach. The newest addition is Hotel Emma, which
opened last fall in the Brewhouse.

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

Pearl's Summer Dance Hall Series Lineup Announced

Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to twirl your partner around the floor! Pearl Stable, in partnership with San Antonio jazz legend Doc Watkins, is proud to present live regional music every Wednesday night July 6 through August 24. Doc Watkins & His Orchestra kicked off the series on the 6th. See more photos by Gary E. McKee. The rest of the summer schedule:
July
13 George Chambers & The Country Gentlemen
20 Johnny P & The Wiseguys
27 Jose Amador & Natiao Salsa
August
03 Santiago Jimenez
10 FingerPistol
17 New Pearl Wranglers - Tribute to Adolph Hofner in honor of his 100th birthday this year. Special appearance by Adolph's daughter, Kathy Fielding. Co-sponsored by Texas Polka News.
24 Mark Halata & Texavia

LIFE AT THE PEARL
When the San Antonio Brewery closed in 2001, the brewery grounds were repurposed using the majestic brew building as a focal point, into the “community” of Pearl.      

Boasting 324 apartments, 15 restaurants, 13 retailers, and 18 resident businesses, as well as a twice-weekly Farmers Market, Pearl has formed an exciting neighborhood on the upper San Antonio River just north of downtown known as Museum Reach. The newest addition is Hotel Emma, which opened last fall in the Brewhouse.

Encore Time: Schroeder Hall Reopens!

By Gary E. McKee

Schroeder Hall, the legendary South Central Texas dance hall, built in the late 1800s, has reopened its doors after a brief respite and will be featuring Chris Rybak, on Saturday, July 16. Schroeder, still owned by Doug Guller, Austin-based restaurant and dancehall owner, has a new manager, Corrine Abbott. Corrine is a native of El Campo, and has a degree in food and beverage management from the University of Houston. She has brought her Wharton County roots to Schroeder and is presently booking polka bands to perform on a regular basis. In between polkas, the hall will be appealing to different genres of Texas music - contemporary country, Red-Dirt Country, indie rock and nationally recognized touring acts.

          On November 19th, all cattle trails and roads will lead to the hall as Schroederfest will commence a day-long celebration of BBQ cookoffs, adult beverages (full bar), vendors, singing in the courtyard with Jon Stork, and culminating with The Charlie Daniels Band that evening.

          As the cooler months come around, Marty Haggard and Kevin Fowler will perform on the same stage that has seen a variety of legends. Bob Wills, Adolph Hofner, George and Tammy, Jimmy Heap, Roy Clark, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Larry Joe Taylor, and Robert Earl Keen top the long list of music heroes.

          Chris, the Accordion Cowboy, is a natural fit for this venue as it resides in the early Spanish ranching grants that date back to the late 1700s. Cattle were driven from this area to Louisiana to feed the Spanish forces fighting the British during the American Revolution.

          As the cattle industry evolved and German/Czech immigrants migrated south, many of them found work on the Tex/Mex ranches and brought their music with them. They began jamming with their Mexican co-workers (Nortiño music) and the blending of the two musical cultures produced a unique sound (Tejano). The accordion-driven Tejano music was absorbed by Tex/Mex/Czech musicians such as Santiago Jimenez, Johnny Rodriguez, and Adolph Hofner.

          Chris' influences have been a combination of Myron Floren and the Jimenez brothers – Flaco and Santiago – with a strong Hank Williams flavor.

          This Slavic/Hispanic sound will be channeled by Chris in this old hall (now air-conditioned) that has its roots in a community that was once named Germantown. During World War I, the name was changed to a little less Teutonic-sounding name, Schroeder, which was in honor of a resident killed fighting the Germans in Europe.

          Visit schroederhall.com for the soon-to-be weekly dance and event schedule at one of the last vestiges of Texas rambling dancehalls. Also appearing in July are Jake Worthington on the 9th; George Navarro on the 23rd; and Jarrod Birmingham on the 30th.

          Schroeder Hall is roughly between Goliad and Victoria and has a self-contained RV park across the road for those travelers who wish to stay the night and explore this history-filled area of Texas.

It's a Free For All!

Accordion Wrestling
By Gary E. McKee

The Hot Peppers: (L-R) Bill Seim, Bob Ascott, Rambie Briggs, Rollie Revering at the 2014 Free-For-All./CTAA photo

The Central Texas Accordion Association will host its 15th annual Accordion Free-For-All, Tuesday, June 7, at 7 pm. The program is being held in the Lamar Senior Activity Center on 2874 Shoal Crest Ave, Austin.

          The crowd-pleasing program features 10 to 12 accordionists who are given approximately 10 minutes each to showcase their skills, as well as one or two accordion bands. This year's event will feature special guest Chris Rybak, the Accordion Cowboy. All genres of music, such as country and western, big band, polkas, and European styles will possibly be performed. Some accordionists perform solo and some have a rhythmic backing musician.

          "We also have had yodelers, singers, concertinas, diatonic accordions, and piano accordions, says CTAAA President Rollie Revering. "Musicians of various talent levels play while still keeping close to a professional level. And of course, a jester of some kind to bring a few laughs.

         The CTAA, 40 members strong, meets monthly at Casa Chapala Mexican Restaurant for programs and jams. The Association was a sponsor of the Texas Folklife's Big Squeeze Contest promoting youth accordion skills and is a chapter of the National Accordion Association.

          Remember June is National Accordion Month so come on down to see what all this squeezing is about.

Sing a Czech Song

By Gary E. McKee

With flood threats and warnings abounding, this writer questioned the wisdom of attending a function being held in a basement. But this wasn't any underground shelter, it was the Texas Capitol Extension Auditorium in Austin. Descending into this secure, dry, beautiful labyrinth, it was surprising the number of tourists visiting this hallowed building on such an ominous day.

          The reason for this journey was to attend the presentation of Varied and Vibrant Sources of the Czech Song in Texas  – a lecture/demo by accordionists and music scholars Frances Barton and Dr. John Novak in support of their forthcoming book. Frances and John have been compiling a collection of folk and popular songs of Czech Texas for several years and are nearing completion of their project. The finished songbook (late 2016) will contain 90 songs familiar to most people in the Texas Czech community and will include the music, chords, Czech lyrics, English translations, English lyrics if there are any, and historical and folkloric information on each song.

          The presentation, attended by over 125 enthusiastic souls, featured the origin of six popular songs, Julida Polka, Shiner Song, Wedding Song, Beer Barrel Polka, and two others. After a history of each song, Frances and/or John would perform the song on their accordions with the audience chiming in singing in either Czech or English. Those needing a little help on words could read the lyrics from a huge screen in the back of the stage. On several selections, Frances' daughter, Jubilee, accompanied Frances and John on the singing of songs in Czech. The mother/daughter harmonizing spellbound the audience.

          The event was offered in conjunction with the multi-media exhibition Texas Czechs: Rooted in Tradition, which is currently on display at the Capitol Visitors Center (112 E. 11th Street in Austin ) in Austin through June 11, 2016. It was produced by the nonprofit organization PolkaWorks and co-curated by Texas Czechs Lori Najvar and Dawn Orsak. It is being presented at the CVC by the State Preservation Board.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 11, for Big Czechs, Little Czechs, an afternoon of family activities that features food, language, kroj, music, and dance. The event will be held from 1-4 pm.

Polka Heartland Captures Polka Smiles

By Theresa Parker
From November 2015 issue of Texas Polka News

From the minute you pick up Polka Heartland to the second you finish reading it, you won’t stop smiling. That’s because it’s about polka – happy music for happy people. As a polka lover, you can relate. As a history buff, you can appreciate the immigrant story. Author Rick March and photographer Dick Blau may have based the book on Wisconsin, but you soon discover, it’s a national story.

Rick, a squeezeman and mandolin player himself, thought a comprehensive book about polka was long overdue. Not because it’s dying out, but because it’s a story that hasn’t been told.

“Polka is danced and played a lot, but its story is seldom written,” he said. “Polka will never totally die out. It goes through ups and downs – it was up with Frankie (Yankovic) after WWII, down after Elvis and rock and roll, for example. Polka music and dancing is generational. Kids whose parents love the polka, still do it at a wedding, they haven’t rejected it completely. It’s cool and retro.

“The polka has had, along with waltz, the greatest longevity as a general participation dance. You can dance it as an expert, or just get up on floor, and if you don’t bump into any one, you’re fine. The Charleston and Lindy are still known, but the polka has staying power,” Rick explained.

Rick served as the State Folklorist for Wisconsin from 1983 to 2009, and was the radio host of Down Home Dairyland on Wisconsin Public Radio for 14 years. He has started recording his show again for community AM stations. No Internet streaming yet, but he said it will be soon. He noted he enjoys listening to Texas polka radio stations on the Internet.

Polka Road Trip!
Rick and Dick spent nine months traveling to dances and festivals capturing the various styles of polka – Czech, Slovenian, Polish, Dutchman, even Mexican. As the photographer, Dick said his goal was not to teach readers anything, but to get them to feel something. He calls his work “ethnography of the feelings.”

“I wanted to make pictures that bring a song to mind, bring an experience to mind. See if I can get this silent medium to charge up the eyes and ears. I want the viewer to be invited in without being stopped by the frame,” he said.

Dick accomplished his goal. And this isn’t his first polka party book. He also provided the photography for Polka Happiness, published in 1992 by Temple University Press, and authored by Charles and Angeliki V. Keil.

The historic chapters of Polka Heartland are supplemented with extras called Polka Interludes, in which Rick explains such things as the difference between concertina and accordion (it’s like canoe/kayak, he writes), how beer and polka just go together, and the origin of the polka Mass.

Rick hesitated to name his favorite polka, but finally relented and said, “The Wisconsin National Anthem – In Heaven There is No Beer.”

He has been to Texas a few times to attend conventions and perform at the Accordion Festival in San Antonio. “You have smoother dancers in Texas. You just slide across the floor, and we’re up here hopping up and down,” he said.

Order the book.

Then And Now Shows V-E Versatility

By Theresa Parker
From November 2015 issue of Texas Polka News
 

Music Publishers of America (MPA) has released Then and Now, a CD based entirely on music from its Vitak-Elsnic (V-E) portfolio. The CD is the company’s first venture into recording V-E music, part of its objective of reintroducing the V-E brand to a new generation of music lovers.

It’s getting lots of attention with airtime on both Internet and traditional radio stations, steady sales, and even interest from the Grammy screening committee. The entire Then and Now album is being considered for best album in the American Roots category, which includes blues, bluegrass, folk, and regional roots (such as polka) music. The single track recording of Snow Waltz, featuring amazing vocals by Abby Broeniman, is being considered for best regional roots performance.

Something for Everyone
“This album has a little bit of something for everyone, including people not that familiar with polka music,” said MPA President Steve Harris. There are 14 songs on the CD, with some played as originally published by V-E decades ago, such as Helena Polka (1925), Crackerjack Polka (1949), and Holzauction Schottische (1926). Others, such as Red Raven Polka, Rain Rain Polka, and Schneider Polka, are completely new arrangements from Alex Meixner, Grammy-nominated performing and recording artist, music producer, and MPA Vice President.

“And there’s another twist,” Steve said. “We’ve added brand-new English lyrics to some songs that either never had them or that were originally in Czech or Polish.” 

Steve penned the new lyrics to Snow Waltz, Rain Rain Polka, Tinker Polka, Julida Polka, Chicago Waltz, and A Night in May Waltz that are on the album.

Steve has written a novel in an earlier life, but this was his first foray into song writing. Where Czech or other lyrics already existed, he enjoyed researching the original meanings of the songs, which served as the muse for his lyrics.

All-Star Band
The Vitak-Elsnic All-Star Band, led by Alex, was pulled together specifically for this project. “Each musician brought a unique style and skill set to the studio, and the end result turned out beautifully,” Alex said. In addition to Alex, Grammy-nominated Hank Guzevich of Polka Family, as well as recording veterans Michael Morris (Praha Brothers), Ed Klancnik, Don Hunjadi, Joe Tierney, Richard Watson, and Sam Broeniman round out the band. Alex, Hank, Michael, and Abby perform vocals. “Abby is simply awesome,” Steve stated. “She sings from the heart and really delivers.”

Abby has been featured on RFD-TV’s Mollie B Polka Party. She’s now attending college in Wisconsin and comes from a polka music family. Her grandfather, Ernie, is an outstanding tuba player, who has developed many tuba players, including his son, Sam, Abby’s dad. Sam performed with the U.S. Army Band and with his dad’s group, Dorf Kapelle. You can hear Sam on tuba on Then and Now.

As Seen on Mollie B
The Broenimans are snow birds who reside in Mission, Texas, during the winter. That’s where Mollie B first heard Abby sing on a Dorf Kapelle CD that was playing while riding for a day trip to Mexico with Steve and others.  Mollie was wowed by Abby’s voice, and immediately signed her up to appear on the Mollie B TV show.  Abby also has appeared on Mollie’s Christmas program on RFD-TV.  And all that while still in high school!

In addition to the rave reviews on Abby’s Snow Waltz, another cut is gaining a following - Nina Bailando/Pretty Dancing Girl, which features Michael and Hank on vocals. Michael wrote the Spanish lyrics. Alex has been playing some of Then and Now tunes at his gigs, and reports Pretty Dancing Girl is by far the favorite.

“Then and Now celebrates the legacy of the Vitak-Elsnic Music Publishing Company. It’s definitely not a normal ‘Alex album’ – but it’s a really special album to me,” Alex said. “It allowed me to revisit some classic polka tunes and perform them in an old school, traditional Midwest style, as well as update a few of them into more contemporary arrangements. I hope you’ll enjoy checking out the album as much as the boys, Abby, and I enjoyed making it.”

Order the CD.

La Bahia Turn Verein to Host Fiddle Fest

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

If you were to drive by the beautiful, wooden dancehall between Carmine and Burton on the old La Grange-Burton highway (SH 237) on any Wednesday evening you would see a dozen or more cars parked under the massive live oaks. If curiosity compelled you to stop and stick your head in the door, you would see several tables with groups of four people playing cards. The card game would be called Pitch, a trick-taking game that dates back to the 1800s.

This is not just a group of people who like to play cards. They are members of the La Bahia Turn Verein (pronounced TOORN-fair-ine), carrying on a 136-year-old tradition of promoting community social life. Founded on July 5, 1879, LBTV presently has 40 members, and is a branch of a national and state Turn Verein.

What Is a Turn Verein?
The failed 1848 Revolution in the over 40 dukedoms that made up Germany compelled many of the dissenters (Germans, Slavics, Hungarians) to evacuate Europe and seek asylum in the United States. One of the causes of the revolution was the belief that people that spoke the same language should be of one country, not the numerous separate kingdoms that constituted Germany. The model for this was the French Revolution that united all French speakers under a democratic government.

The German refugees brought to Texas many of their traditions, particularly the Vereins (a voluntary club of like-minded people.) The three main Vereins focused on music, target shooting, and physical fitness. These types of activities needed a home, which led to the building of physical structures such as the LBTV hall and many other similar social centers.

The gymnastic clubs (Turn Vereins), founded in Berlin in 1811, were the most blatantly political. Founder Freidrich Jahn adapted the word Turnen signifying the medieval order of knights and its intensely physical tournaments. The first Turn Verein had 200 members who performed gymnastics to increase their physical and mental strength, communal spirit, and character. They also undertook long marches by torchlight, practiced fencing, and crossbow shooting with military precision. By 1848, there were over 300 Turn Vereins with 90,000 members.

Texas Turn Vereins
In Texas, one of the earliest destinations of German immigrants was the fertile lands between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers and a hundred miles inland, roughly a triangle between present day Brenham, La Grange, and Sealy.

The La Bahia TurnVerein was founded with the purpose of “the physical and spiritual development of the members and the promotion of social life.” (FYI: the community’s name comes from the La Bahia Trail, which was previously the El Camino Real de los Tejas. There was a La Bahia German School about 4 miles away. The Brenham organization wasnamed the Alamo Turn Verein, and others had community names, such as Mill Creek and Round Top.)  

Amazingly, the bylaws and minutes of all the LBTV meetings since 1879 have been preserved. Originally, all transactions were written in “High German.” In 1943, the correspondence and minutes began being recorded in a German/English dialect, and in 1954, all the minutes were translated and recorded in English, signifying the decline of the population of German readers.

To join the LBTV, one had to be an 18-year-old male and have an unblemished reputation. A training period could be begun at the age of 15, if your father was a member. Then a two-thirds vote was necessary to be accepted. While physical exercise was a focal point, the hard-working farmers were generally too tired to go exercise and over the years all that was required was to do 12 chin-ups on the gymnastic bar to be a member. These bars are still in the hall.

Building and Rebuilding
Five years after organizing, the LBVT built a hall as a focal point for functions. Three years later, the hall burned, but within a month quarrymen were at work breaking rocks for the foundation on the new hall. The LBVT prospered, and on its 5th anniversary celebration they invited the Brenham fire department and a number of their “gallant fire ladies” who attended in full uniform.

Disaster struck again in 1901 as a suspicious fire destroyed the hall including, “music, library, fixtures, and furniture.”  The hall had been insured for $850 by Hanover Insurance of Hanover, Germany. That same day the verein met, voted to post a $100 reward for the arsonists, and to begin building a new hall. (Not sure if the arsonist was caught. Subsequent issues of the paper are missing.)

The 1902 hall was larger as attendance and membership had increased dramatically. In 1910, the LBTV celebrated another anniversary with a program that offered “all kinds of clean and healthful amusements” followed by a baseball game and then a grand ball.

Pentecost Day was observed in 1923 during which a Fayetteville Band provided music. Over the years, the hall was enlarged, out buildings constructed, heating, plumbing, and electricity installed until it reached its present state of simplistic grandeur.  

One of the cool upgrades was a bank of metal fans in the shape of airplanes that was installed in the early 1930s when the hall was electrified.

The Turn Verein has done an excellent job keeping this 114-year-old hall in fine shape. Various members have been instrumental in managing and guiding the hall over the years. At present, Roy and Carol Schmidt are coordinating ongoing efforts by the Turn Verein to keep everything painted, the immense roof from leaking, and the indoor plumbing functioning among myriad other tasks.

The list of bands that played the hall seems endless and contains the usual list of suspects, including the Bacas, Lee Roy Matocha, Kreneks, Hi Toppers, Blume’s Orchestra, the Original Triumphs, contemporary country bands, and the upcoming Fiddle Fest.

Buzzard's Roost view
Billy Koerth has been a LBTV member for over 50 years. As a trainee, it was his job to sweep the floor during intermissions at the dances. He remembers that there was a set of bleachers on the edge of the dance floor that was referred to as the Buzzard Roost. Dancers paid 50 cents admission and those who watched from the Roost paid a dime. All present members of the Verein agree that the hall was packed every time there was a dance.

Due to the great condition and beauty of the hall, it has become a favorite wedding reception and music event venue. The hall is booked with an event every weekend through March.

Let's Fiddle On!
This month, on Saturday, the 7th, the hall will be the scene of the Second Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling presented by Texas Folklife and Texas Dance Hall Preservation. The event kicks off Friday evening at 7 pm, with a party at nearby Airway Pavilion in Round Top. The Pettit Brothers from High Hill will provide the music for dancing.     

Next day, workshops and showcases will provide a full spectrum of fiddling including Texas Old Time, Texas Polish, Creole, and Tejano/Mexican style. The evening will swing to a close with a dance by the national award-winning Western Swing trio Hot Club of Cowtown. See schedule and buy tickets.

Well, if you're still standing in the doorway on that Wednesday night at the LBTV hall, several heads will turn away from the card tables and welcome you in. Roy will point out where to help yourself to liquid refreshments and snacks, and ask if you would like to join in on a game of Pitch. I know it worked for me.

Texasu Polski

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

“The next song goes out to Bennie and Kathy Bronikowski: The Chappell Hill Special.” This dedication is a regular at many polka dances, however few dancers understand the significance of the song. The song gives a nod to the town of Chappell Hill, one of the approximately dozen Polish settlements in Texas, located between Brenham and Hempstead, Texas. 

In the mid-1800s Polish immigrants began to arrive in Texas. The primary areas of settlement were Panna Maria (southeast of San Antonio), Brenham, Bremond, and Chappell Hill to name a few. They brought their Catholic religion, culture, and music to the new world. Their Polish music, which is string-instrument based, has been handed down orally from generation to generation.

The original music typically consisted of a fiddle, a bowed bass, and an occasional clarinet. As time went by guitars, drums, and accordions were added. Brass horns were never fully accepted into Polish music as the popular feeling was that it Czechanized the music. This isn’t a negative comment on Czech music, it’s just that horns were not popular in the old country and they were protecting their roots.

The Polish Oberek is a traditional dance that can only be described as a real fast waltz with a lotta foot-stepping in a highly spirited fashion.

Regional Flavors
As with all music there are regional interpretations influenced by geography and politics both in the old country and new world. There are basically two flavors of Polish music in Texas. One is the Chappell Hill type, which infuses a rhythmic sound into the mix. The other is the Bremond style, which reflects the music that would be found in the villages of central and southern Poland.

A master of both flavors, Brian Marshall’s fiddle whips up a dance crowd with its distinct sound. What is constant in Polish music is the presence of a fiddle (or two or three) in Polish polkas. Brian commented, “All Poles play a fiddle, but some shouldn’t.”

Tradition dictated that a fiddler was hired for entertainment at functions and it was up to the fiddler to provide accompaniment.

Brian’s father was a guitar player in a band in the 1950s and ’60s that played mostly Country & Western music, but would bust into Polish music when the crowd was right.

His grandfather, Ed Marshall, was a fiddler in the 1940s and ’50s, but was equally well known for his stage presence as a Druszba (emcee) at Polish weddings and public events. 

It's a Family Tradition
In the tradition of a family band, Brian’s two teenaged sons, Jakub and Michal, have been performing with their father for years on clarinet and fiddle. At the Polish Festival in Bremond (June 26-27, 2015), Brian’s cousin, Ronnie Kasowski played guitar, and his son Jake, was thumping the bass fiddle. On drums was Chuck Bolin, who is married to a cousin, so it was truly a family band. Thank you Brian Marszalek (Marshall) for posting and sharing information on your heritage.

Brian has performed all over the U.S. including the Lincoln Center in New York, National Folk Festivals in Maine and Massachusetts, the Festival of Americana fiddle tunes in Washington, to name a just a few. He is now signed with Arhoolie Records, a music label that specializes in American masters of roots music.

Brian will conduct a workshop and perform Polish fiddle music at the 2nd Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling on November 7th. This festival is an opportunity to see multiple styles of music performed on the same instrument.

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!”

Up Close with Enzian Buam

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

Enzian Buam is one of the most fun bands you will have a close encounter with. Before I explain that remark, let’s shine some light on the band’s name. Enzium is a beautiful trumpet-shaped, deep-blue flower that grows only in the Alpine region. One of its many uses is in alcoholic beverages. Buam roughly translates into boys in an Austrian dialect.

Though the band plays some festivals and private events, they perform mostly at biergarten-styled venues where they personally interact with the audience. Sing-a-longs, multiple toasts (Prost!), and audience participation transforms listeners into part of the performance as they travel the musical globe playing everything from Alpine love songs to the Cotton-Eyed Joe.

Talented Trio
The band was formed in 2008 by Jason Keepers and Eddie Schaible, formerly of the Walburg Boys, and a native German. The present trio led by Jason has been performing together for three years, and features Robert Herridge on fiddle and guitar, and Bill Holt thumping the bass.

Jason began playing guitar, trumpet, and his favorite, the accordion, at the age of 5. He has spent years studying Alpine music with the masters. In 1995, Jason composed a song for his mother, Katherine’s Waltz 95, which is now a dance hall standard in Texas.

One of his strongest musical talents lies in his yodeling abilities. Jason’s Alpine-style yodeling adds another instrument to the band and gives a unique layer to their songs.

Robert, master fiddler, assisted with reviving a Sängerbund (German singing society) in Bellville, and is a past president of the Texas German Society. His fiddling background is lengthy and includes 14 years with Gilley’s House Band during the Urban Cowboy phenomena and many years with Santa’s Wonderland in College Station, where this year for the first time, Enzian Buam will be playing German Christmas music on Christmas Eve and Christmas night.

Which brings us to the “Tuba Kidd,” Bill Holt. Bill began playing tuba at the age of 11. At the tender age of 14, Accordionist Gene Hackemack bestowed this nickname upon Bill. His abilities have allowed him to be inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame.

Bill performs with many symphonies and wind ensembles, plays the country opry circuit, and sits in with The Cowboy Jazz Band, Billy Mata, The Travelers, Round Top Brass Band, just to name a few.  

They've Got Your Number
Enzian Buam’s extensive repertoire enables them to play anywhere and everywhere. At a recent performance, where the senior citizen crowds were bussed in, the trio conferred for a minute and broke out into Minor Swing, a classic by The Hot Club of Paris from the 1930s.

So for a good time catch Enzian Buam at Kemah’s Oktoberfest, the TCHCC Heritage Fest and Muziky in La Grange October 17, and at their regular weekend gig at the King's Biergarten in Pearland.

Last Member of a Legendary Band

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

The Joe Patek Orchestra, founded by John Patek, was the result of John bringing his musical abilities from Moravia when he immigrated to the Lavaca County area in 1888. After playing in various community bands around Shiner, John formed his own orchestra in 1920. In the 1940s, his two sons, Joe and Jim, joined the band, with Joe assuming leadership. 

The band became a regional favorite among the Czech communities of South and Central Texas, particularly with The Shiner Song and Beautiful America. Their recording of an 1800s Mexican folk song, Corrido Rock, even appeared on Tejano jukeboxes.

Patek’s Orchestra recorded more than 24 78-rpms (thick heavy vinyl platter) and 24 45-rpms (smaller, large hole), and several tapes (cassette and 8-track) and LPs (large, thin, small hole). The Patek Band had a signature sound that set it apart from others in the U.S. with a strong brass sound and emphasis on swing. For years, the band played with only a single microphone for the lead singer. This lasted until the 1970s when a second microphone was added to boost the acoustic guitar, and by 1980, three microphones were used when performing.

Dance Floor Prayer
The stories surrounding the Patek band and associates are endless, but this one reveals the loyalty of their fans. Quentin Hoffman and his wife loved to dance. They made two or three dances every weekend back in the day when Bill Mraz’s Ballroom and Lodge 88 were holding polka dances every weekend. One night, Quentin went up to the Lodge 88 bandstand to request one of his favorites, the Youth and Pleasure Polka.  As he was guiding his niece around the floor, he crumpled to the floor, stricken by a heart attack. Quentin had always said that when the time came he wanted to die dancing. He got his wish, but just too early; he was only 55. Later, when Quentin's son, Johnny (who had witnessed his dad's passing), got married, he danced the Youth and Pleasure Polka with his mother.

Pateks in Demand
The popularity of the band by the 1950s found them playing at least twice every weekend and being booked a year in advance. It must be noted that the vast majority of polka musicians to this day have day jobs, and playing music is not financially rewarding; they do it cause they love it. One musician told me he looks at it this way: "I get paid to travel, set-up, and tear-down, the time between is pleasure." The Patek Band with various members continued until its final performance at the Annual Fireman’s New Year’s Eve Dance in 1982.

In 2013, the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange put together a tribute to the Patek Orchestra by assembling a crack group of veteran musicians to recreate music that the Patek band had created. By all accounts, both band side and audience side, the Patek magic came alive that clear, moonlit night as opposed to the cold and rainy night 31 years earlier when the music stopped.

Performing that evening was one of the final two members of the band, Daniel Malik. The other surviving member was Paul John Darilek, who had filled in for several months following the death of one of the Patek brothers in 1982.

Patek Memorabilia
When I arrived in Shiner to interview Daniel Malik, I was personally unfamiliar with him and unsure how smooth the interview would progress. Arriving at a well-kept house in Shiner, the door opened and a handsome, open, smiling face greeted me. Daniel, with the aid of a cane, escorted me into the dining room, where on the table a fantastic display of photographs and posters of the Joe Patek band was laid out.    

When he sensed that the Patek Orchestra was nearing the end of its amazing 62-year run, he began gathering memorabilia. As his lovely wife, Carolyn, entered the room he was proudly showing me the poster advertising the last performance of the Patek Orchestra in Shiner and the poster of the last out of town performance of the band in Needville. Carolyn was digging in a box and produced tickets and photographs to the last performance of this legendary band.

Daniel’s father and uncle both played polka music informally with family and friends and Daniel played along on trumpet. This feeling of camaraderie instilled the desire to entertain and play music that was fulfilled when the Charlie Tousek Orchestra had an opening for a saxophone player. Daniel went right out, bought a sax, learned to play it by ear, and was a member of the orchestra two weeks later. After doing several years with them, he left to become a founding member of Yoakum’s the Hub City Dutchmen. The Dutchmen once performed 14 days in a row. They had been invited to perform in Wisconsin and booked a gig in each state that they drove through there and back.

Polka Dream Fulfilled
In 1970, an opportunity presented itself for Daniel to fulfill his dream, there was an opening in the Joe Patek Orchestra for a sax player. There was only one problem, he had his own band, The Dutchmasters. He privately discussed it with Joe, voicing the conflict with his own band. Joe understood and told him to go talk it over with his band members. When Daniel assembled his band at the local cafe, he had apparently forgotten he lived in small town, as they already knew he was being considered for the prestigious position and told him to go for it. When I asked Daniel why he had always wanted to play with the Patek band, he immediately responded, "Their style!"

Thus, Daniel began his 12-year stint with the Patek orchestra. The seven-man band he joined was already one of the hardest working bands at the time playing three gigs a weekend. Daniel related how once, they left Shiner at 12:30 on a Saturday afternoon, drove 300 miles to San Angelo, played, packed up, drove back to Shiner arriving at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, got out of the station wagon, went to 8 o’clock Mass, went home, showered and changed shirts, got back into the Patek wagon, where they drove to East Bernard (only 72 miles!). They played the Kolache Festival, drove back to Shiner, arriving at 5:30 p.m., and he went home to Carolyn who had a big pot of chicken noodle soup waiting, which he consumed, and went to sleep. That adds up to 744 miles, two gigs, in 27 hours! The Bill Mraz Ballroom in Houston, had a standing agreement that every two weeks the Patek Orchestra would play, which went on for years.

For the Love of Polka
In 1962, when Daniel first started out with the Tousek band, the musicians were paid $7 a night, and later when he played with Hub City Dutchmen, he made $10 dollars a night. When Daniel finally reached the Patek band, Joe was paying them $14 a night.

Other gradual changes occurred during Daniel’s time with the Pateks. One large station wagon now pulled a trailer with the Shiner Beer emblem on it, replacing the two vehicles, and meat wagon (from the family's Patek Meat Market). And, as mentioned earlier, the band went from using one microphone on stage, to eventually having three mikes.

After the last performance of the Joe Patek Orchestra on New Years Eve, 1982, the band dissolved. Daniel was burned out from playing several times a weekend for over a decade and rarely picked up his sax for four years. (A 1982 dance listing shows 28 gigs that year.) An opportunity to play with The Wence Shimek Band came along and Daniel returned to the stage to play sax with them for five years before retiring again. Now, he sits in with the Shiner Hobo Band, and is mentoring his 13-year-old granddaughter, Cindy, who is proficient on flute, piano, alto and tenor sax, and presently learning guitar.

The spirit of the Patek Band was once again resurrected on October 17, at the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange, as Daniel Malik and other top-notch musicians brought the magic sounds of The Joe Patek Orchestra back to life again. See the photos. The Patek sound never left, it just took a really long break. WOO-HOO-HOO!