Texas Polka News - February 2015 Volume 27 | Isssue 1 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Texas PolkaFounded in 1987News - A Polkabeat Inc. Publication 2 Bohemian Princess Report Homegrown Opry Experience Tweety, Red Raider Sax and By Gary E. McKee Polka On! Story on Page 8-9 3 Editor’s Log Gary E. McKee Accordion: Bagpipe with Pleats 3 From the TPN Archives 5 Winter Tours Awesome Alex and Barefoot Becky 6-7 In the News Cowboy Gathering, Sausage Fest, Remembering Big Joe 8-9 Featured Story Gary E. McKee Homegrown Opry Experience 10-11 Dances, Festivals, Events, Live Music, and National Festivals 12 PoLK of A Royalty, Ready to Promote Polka! 13 Czech Exhibit 14 New Release Brave Combo @ Blob's Park 16 Texas Sound Check Benny O Tells a Story 17-18 Dance Notes 20 Polka Smiles! Page 2 Texas Polka News - February 2015 I missed the official first battle Texas Polka News Staff Bohemian Princess dance of the year between Ennis Report Czech Boys and the new band, Theresa Cernoch Parker, Publisher All Around Czechs, in Ennis on Gary E. McKee, Editor/Photo Journalist Saturday, Jan. 3. I look forward to Jeff Brosch, Artist/Graphic Designer Contributors: learning more about this young Julie Ardery Alec Seegers group. I attended the second battle Bill Bishop Will Seegers dance of the year on Sunday in Mark Hiebert Karen Williams Rosenberg and enjoyed the music Mark Karasek John Roberts of Texas Sound Check and Red Julie Matus Earline Berger Okruhlik Ravens. It was great to see Ben By Theresa Cernoch Parker Contact Hope everyone’s new year is off to Theresa Parker, Texas Polka News a good dancing start! John and I P.O. Box 800183 • Houston, TX 77280 281-836-5362 made sure we stepped into 2015 on [email protected] | Gary: [email protected] the right foot by dancing to Mark Halata & Texavia on New Year’s Eve at the KC Hall in Houston. It was Ads/Media cold and rainy outside but warm and Articles, ads, letters to the editor deadline: 5th of the month for the next month welcoming inside. Of course we had Orsak’s daughter, Kelsey, join the Ad Rates 1/3 page: $170 1/8: $55 our favorite table partners with us – band on sax. She is a member of the Full page: $455 1/4 page: $115 1/16: $35 1/2 page: $255 3/16 page: $75 Harold and Mary Lou Lawson. Fighting Red Raider Band at Texas I remembered one of Harold’s Rates above are for one-time, black-and-white ad placement. Discounts available Tech. Polka on Kelsey! for multiple runs. Additional charge for color. Combo deals available for ads in many talents from several years ago Unfortunately, I missed the TPN and polkabeat.com. when my son, Alec, and I traveled annual installation of officers and Contact Theresa Parker for information. with them and my folks to Colorado. royalty coronation of the Polka We attended a polka fest headlined Lovers Klub of America Texas On The Cover by Ann Marie. Everywhere we Chapter, held Jan. 11 in Sealy. I stopped for refueling, if they had one was at home with one of those fun Gary E. McKee captured this photo of the Jordan Sisters at the Fayette of those stuffed animal claw games, respiratory infections. I served as County Country Music Opry at the KC Hall in La Grange on December 15, Harold played AND WON! Alec executive secretary of the Polka 2014. came home with several new stuffed Klub for the past two years and am stepping down this year because About Texas Polka News of my new duties as publisher of TPN. Thanks to Joyce Bohuslav The Texas Polka News was started by throughout Texas and the U.S. John for stepping up to take my place. Julius Tupa of Houston in 1987 with stepped down as editor in June 2014 to the mission to preserve and promote care for Marlys’ failing health. Marie It has been an honor to work with polka music and dance. When Julius sold the paper to Theresa Cernoch the board to find ways to promote passed away in 2002, his wife, Marie, Parker, who resumed publishing the polka music and dancing. And I still continued as publisher, and his friend, paper in September 2014. Theresa also plan to do that, just not in an official John Rivard, took the reins as volunteer founded polkabeat.com in 2010 to editor. John’s wife, Marlys, was a regular honor the memory of her dad, Willie board capacity. contributor to the paper, and the couple “Bill” Cernoch, to promote polka music I am looking forward to working were always on the floor at dance halls and heritage. with Lori Najvar and Dawn Orsak of Polkaworks as their exhibit Texas Get/Give The Texas Polka News Czechs: Rooted in Tradition opens at the Czech Center Museum Houston. Continue the polka tradition! Give your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews a subscription to Texas Polka News. We’ll extend your current TPN The exhibit will run through April subscription one month for each subscription you designate as a family gift. Published animals. Well, Harold’s still got it, at 25. Photographer Mark Hiebert monthly. One year (12 issues) for $25. age 91. It only took him a few coins Clip this out & mail check for $25 (outside U.S. $40) to The Texas Polka News and I will deliver a presentation on P.O. Box 800183 Houston, TX 77280. Or click on the TPN link on polkabeat.com to to win a Tweety Bird for me from the Saturday, Feb. 21, called "Working subscribe or renew online with a credit card. machine at the KC Hall. He won’t with a Legend to Create a Book reveal his secret for beating these About Legends." We will talk about Name ___________________________________________________________ machines, but that’s okay. I’ll just the process of creating the book Street ___________________________________________________________ make sure to have Harold with me Jimmy Brosch Remembers Twenty when I just can’t live without one of City _________________________________ ST ________ Zip _____________ Legendary Texas Czech Polka Bands. those cute animals! February is for lovers, so grab Ph _____________________ Email____________________________________ your sweetheart and Polka On! ❏ New ❏ Renewal ❏ Gift ❏ Address change (include old address) Texas Polka News - February 2015 Page 3 From the TPN Archives: April 2006 The Chinese cultural migration Editor's Log into eastern Russia over the centu- Accordion: Bagpipe ries collided with European musi- with Pleats cians visiting Russia in the 1700s. As the story goes, they returned with shengs and began modifying them to integrate the instrument into their music. Another origin account is that the English, in the 12th and 13th centuries, developed a portable, miniaturized pipe organ By John Rivard bands provided an excitement and “buzz” The Big Joe Polka Show taping with Texas that kept things moving. It was all a big that a musician strapped to his body bands at the Big Red Barn in February was adventure. It was new and different. By Gary E. McKee and through an early keyboard and Polkadate February 2015. The editor a true polka adventure, and good for polka Even the polka dancing regulars bellows system produced musical in Texas. found it new and different. Choose which explores the history of the instruments that The Big Joe Show on RFD-TV has days you want to go, depending on your entwine (most of the time) to create the notes. This produced a C-major a large viewing audience, and apparently band preferences. Make arrangement for music that we dance to and sing along with. diatonic scale of one octave with an many of them in Texas. Looking around staying in motels, or drive in daily. Walk the hall, we saw many people (and met around the hall, and meet more people added B-flat. For the non-musicians, some) who had never actually been to you know than you do at the Praha picnic The iconic instrument in a polka this allows for easy instrument tun- a polka dance before. Some were avid (and that takes some doing!). Vie to get band is the accordion. The basic ing and playing. watchers of the Big Joe Show. Others selected as “featured dancers” for a spot on mechanics of this instrument is the had heard about the event in various the TV show. ways, including the TPN, band and DJ Yes, it was an adventure, and good same as horns, which is that air is promotions, or word of mouth. Regardless for polka in Texas. moved over a series of reeds (thin of how they got the word, they were there, There will be more dancers in Texas strips of material), which vibrate at a dance, many for the first time. halls because of the Big Joe Show. We And they were enjoying the event. have already met two who were at Corpus and generate a sound. As a child, They found it exciting. Some called it Christi, then Inez. They’re hooked. There you might have plucked a blade of Chinese Sheng awesome! The constant change of will be more. grass, cupped it in both hands, and blew into them creating a high- pitched whistling sound. Another From Our Readers method is moving air over a hole, which creates a more low-pitched Nice change in Texas Polka News format. My wife, Jeanette, and I enjoyed being a sound. After reaching the legal Love it! Here’s my renewal. Keep up the part of the honorees at the Texas Czech good work! Heritage and Cultural Center’s gala in drinking age (ahem) you might Bob Becker, Fargo, ND December.