In Fontana, CA, Feb. 16-17 We (Gene Swick, Gail & I) hosted the Steve Drzewicki Band at the Sons of Italy Hall in Fontana the weekend of Feb. 16. This was their first appearance in California and they totally wowed the crowd. They are a fantastic Polish band, mixing in a bunch of Buck Owens …
The Polka Party is held at the Orleans Casino Hotel over Valentine’s each year with dancing 10 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 6 hours on Thursday. The dances are staged in two ballrooms operating simultaneously with a thousand attendees. In the Mardi Gras Ballroom (the largest room) the Rhythm Playboys, Danny Jerabek, and Julie …
In Sacramento – Feb. 10th Fred Mlakar performed at the Slovene Hall in San Francisco for PUST on Feb. 9. The Slovenian celebration of Carnival (PUST) precedes Lent, as does all of the ethnic versions of carnival. At the San Francisco event they forgo dressing up in wild costumes and simply get together for music …
Polka Power California, a Cleveland-style Slovenian band, performed at the Pulaski Club in Phoenix, Arizona the weekend of January 19. Attendance was a little light, as it was the following weekend when John Gora performed. It’s the law of small numbers – with the dwindling supply of polka dancers, when a handful is missing, it’s …
Fontana, CA Jan. 2013 Molly B & the Squeezebox band performed at the Sons of Italy Hall in Fontana, Ca. the first weekend in January. Gene Swick promoted the event, which drew the largest crowd we’ve seen in many years. At least 1/3 of the folk were not from the polka fan base, absolutely new …
The Tropicana Hotel staged its second three-day January 10-12 in Laughlin, Nevada. Laughlin is at the southern end of Nevada, sitting on the Colorado River with Bullhead, Arizona directly on the other side of the river. It doesn’t have the glitz of Las Vegas nor the crowds – it’s more down home and earthy. The …
The Gruber Family Band (GFB) provided a stellar performance at the Germania Verein in San Jose, Ca. on New Year’s Eve. The club is the second oldest German club in California, dating back to 1856. The hall is a beautiful building in downtown San Jose, which was renovated following a fire in 1999. A small …
California – December 8-9, 2012 We left the rainy and cold (50°) San Francisco Bay Area yearning for the sunny (70°) Southern California clime. Yeah, I know that we are California wusses and you folk who live in subzero climates are smirking in disdain. Well, smirk away while I put on my sunscreen and sip …
