Polkaboy, and Boy in the U.S.A, by PolkaBoy
When I tell my friends and co-workers that Polkaboy is playing that night, they look at me with sad, pitying eyes and say, “No thanks, I’m just not into polka music.” It’s just as well, because Polkaboy is so popular, I’m not sure there is room for many more at the Beer Garden at the Rathskeller. Polkaboy is not your usual polka band. Sure, they play many of the traditional polkas, but there’s so much more. Think Frankie Yankovic meets Devo. These guys rock the house with The Most Beautiful Music in Ze Vorld.
Both CD’s, the self-titled Polkaboy and the 2-disc Boy in the USA, display the band’s versatility and range. Several of the standards appear on Polkaboy, such as “Pennsylvania Polka,” “Too-Fat Polka,” and “Beer Barrel Polka.” Alongside these tributes to polka history are fun rockin’ covers of “My Sharona” and the “Squirrel Nut Zippers Hell,” and a version of “She Blinded Me with Science” that brings about dirty dancing in the aisles of the Beer Garden. Boy in the USA presents some of the band’s crowd pleasing favorites such as “In Heaven There is No Beer” and “Volare’”, and a cartoon medley that will bring childlike smiles to every boomer who hears it.
My only regret about these two CD’s is that they are studio creations, and Polkaboy is a band that must be experienced live, with all the bells and whistles, three accordions, tuba, drums, bass, trombone, trumpets, clarinet, guitar, and Ethel Merman singing Led Zepplin. Trust me. This is not your grandparents’ polka.
–Ellen Flexman
You’re right, The Polka Boys draw too large of a crowd now to the Rathskeller that you don’t want to tell your friends about them. Or in a worse case scenario, try to convince someone they should just give them a try. (they’d be hooked for life)
Way too much fun! Shhhhhh…