THIS SATURDAY!
A LINEUP OF SEISMIC PROPORTIONS!
The Commodes, Roundeye and The Polkaholics ALL ON ONE STAGE!
Saturday Feb. 23rd 2008
Red Line Tap
7006 N. Glenwood
Chicago, IL. (Rogers Park /Loyola Neighborhood
$7.00 Admission
The Commodes at 9:15pm
Roundeye at 10:15pm
The Polkaholics at 11:15pm (til about 1am)
It's sure to be a super fun time in this great Rogers Park Venue that features very tasty food and lots of beer! Take the Red Line to get there!
Dandy Don turned 50 on Saturday February 2nd and to celebrate the Polkaholics® played 3 sets of people pleasing polka at Quencher's in Chicago. I took a few pictures and have posted them here. Thanks you to everyone that came out to this special show- all of us appreciate it!
We were nominated again this year for a Chicago Music Award, the ceremony was held at Park West on January 27th. We did not win but want to send out a "CONGRATS!" to The Versatones for the win.
On Friday February 1st we went into the studio to begin recording some new songs. We were able to get a rough mix in 4 hours. It helps that we have played the song hundreds of times, and we were also able to record some awesome vocals. There a few picts in the above link.
I finally posted a video on You Tube today of The Polkaholics® 10 year anniversary show. It's short but I think it captures the excitement of a live show. I took this video while we were playing "Polka Enemy Number One."
And more on it's way. Woke up this morning to several inches of snow on my wife's car, the sidewalk, the driveway, the street...everywhere snow snow snow and more is on it's way!
On my way in to work today (after shoveling a foot of snow off of my car, sidewalk, driveway, landing)
I watched as an Articulated bus slid through an intersection and took about several cars after finally wrapping itself around a Nissan and coming to a halt. For those of you that are not familiar with an Articulated bus (we call them Accordion busses in Chicago) 
see this link.
Then I had to drive behind not one, not two, not even three but FOUR salt trucks who were taking up all lanes on Lake Shore Drive today. I think the City uses way too much salt on our streets...it's a damn mess to deal with and destroys the pavement not to mention cars. 
Other cities get by without harsh chemicals- why can't Chicago??
Anyhoo- for those of you that live in warmer climes consider yourself lucky.
I took this last shot standing on Lester Fisher bridge at Lincoln Park Zoo this morning. The nice looking shot with the blue sky in the background was taken at the same spot this summer. It's so nasty and windy this morning that the Hancock building is impossible to see.
Three decades of eXtreme Polka! Seems like a dream- albeit one with a nasty hang over- but it is a reality.
This Saturday February 2nd guitarist Dandy Don Hedeker turns 50, on January 26th drummer Action Jackson Wilson turned 41, and on February 17th bassist Jolly James Wallace turns 39.
That is three decades of polka mania!
To celebrate this milestone of eXtreme Polka Longevity The Polkaholics® will be playing 3 sets of polka for FREE at Quencher's Saloon in Chicago on Dandy Don's Birthday!
Come on out and help celebrate all of The Polkaholics birthdays this Saturday night for FREE!
Our annual Critical Mass Polka Show: the following was stolen from CM's site
John Greenfield has charted a course from the Picasso to the Polkaholics that is a work of Art in it's own right: this is one route map that is suitable for framing, so come on out for January's Chicago Critical Mass and join us as we pedal North to Lincoln Lanes for some Punk-Polka, Beer, and Bowling!
It's the last time you can see Dandy Don while he's in his 40's- that alone is reason to come on out and party with us! Click to see high res
Vince and Amy,
Your wedding was beautiful! Thank you for including The Polkaholics. Best of luck to you both!
WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish man got the shock of his life when he visited a brothel and spotted his wife among the establishment's employees. Polish tabloid Super Express said the woman had been making some extra money on the side while telling her husband she worked at a store in a nearby town.
"I was dumfounded. I thought I was dreaming," the husband told the newspaper Wednesday.
The couple, married for 14 years, are now divorcing, the newspaper reported.
(Writing by Chris Borowski, Editing by Matthew Jones)
© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Now- why did he go to there in the first place?!?
Thank you to Chris McNamara for the following article!!
The Polkaholics' pre-show ritual is as follows: strap on ridiculous costumes (normally frilly retro tuxes or lederhosen), guzzle a few Old Styles, then liberally splash Old Spice on their cheeks.
"We call it polka juice," says bassist "Jolly" James Wallace.
The Polkaholics' music is as silly, soused and spicy as the pre-show ritual -- the 1-2-3-4! spirit of punk rock set to the one-two, one-two polka beat.
"It sounds like the Ramones, but we're playing traditional polka songs," explains guitarist "Dandy" Don Hedeker, who formed the band a decade ago. "We're trying to bring polka screaming into the 21st Century."
Decker, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Illinois-Chicago when not on stage, explains how polka originated in the Czech Republic before spreading across Europe. In Chicago, where a strong Polish community thrives, the polka scene is primarily Polish. Occasionally some elder polka fans will find their way to a Polkaholics show.
"Sometimes they're excited to see what we're doing with the music," says Hedeker. "Other times they think we're the devil."
Devils have to eat
Few styles of music are as intertwined with food. The Polkaholics update traditional polka tunes like the sausage-centric "Who Stole the Kishka?" (lyrics: Who stole the kishka?/Who stole the kishka?/Let's go kick his ass) and play originals like "Sauerkraut is Sweet."
"The polka diet is Eastern European -- heavy, stick-to-your-bones food," says Hedeker. Though his parents emigrated from Germany, the frontman knows local Polish food, having grown up in Ukrainian Village. So where to eat before or after a Polkaholics show? He recommends Podhalanka (1549 W. Division, 773-486-6655), situated less than a mile south of Subterranean.
Polish crests hang behind the counter at Podhalanka, a picture of Lady Diana (?) adorns another wall, and the furniture appears to have been smuggled under the Iron Curtain.
But the food is good, authentic in my opinion. (Of course, my opinion about the authenticity of Polish food is about as valid as my opinions on Japanese poetry.) I had a plate of pirogi (Polish for dumplings) that were smooth and heavy like boiled pillows, complemented perfectly by caramelized onions and cool sour cream. My kotlet schabowy (Polish for breaded pork cutlet) was crispy. And my pieczarkowa (mushroom soup) was perfect on a cold Chicago night.
After that meal, I was ready for a drzemka.
The Polkaholics, The Commodes, The New Duncan Imperials, The Locals, The Long Gone Lonesome Boys, Smile Say Hello
The Old Spice boys
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., 773-278-6799, subt.net
Price: $15; 18 & older
Proceeds benefit leukemia research
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onthetown@tribune.com
Thank you to everyone that came to the DANK Haus to ring in 2008 with The Polkaholics®. We were just shy of 500 paying people. Hey did you know Time-Out Magazine listed us as the number 2 best event (out of 100!) for NYE in Chicago!?! Maybe next year we can be the number 1 event! I had a great time- I actually was able to kiss my wife at Midnight! The balloon drop was spectacular and playing my bass with a Champagne bottle is something I'll remember for a long time.
Thank you also to the person that took the picture that I linked to above- I think it shows just how packed the place actually was, thank you for coming to our show..and let me know your actual name so I can give you full credit!
In case you missed Dandy Don on CBS News on Monday evening, you can see it here.
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