Polkacide
Encyclopedia
Polkacide is a band based in the San Francisco Bay Area
that plays their own unique style of polka
, which can be characterized as "punk polka". They have appeared on the Doctor Demento television show and have made several recordings.
for the 50th anniversary of the Deaf Club
in San Francisco. The Deaf Club (which actually is a club for deaf people) had been hiring rock
and punk bands
to perform for them because they were so loud that club members could dance to them. It was suggested that some of the more elderly members did not want a punk band for the anniversary show. This inspired Abronski to form a "really loud polka band" for the occasion. None of the original members (12 in all) were polka musicians at the time, but they had varied backgrounds in music, including classical, rock, punk and jazz. Clarinetist Neil Kaitner, a.k.a Neil Basa, came up with the name for the band and also designed the band logo, which features a skull and crossed sausages.
Band members were recruited, costumes made (black leather lederhosen
with spikes, etc.,) and a repertoire of classic polkas learned in a three-month period leading up to the Deaf Club's 50th anniversary party. One week before the performance was to take place, it was cancelled due to noise abatement orders from local authorities. Rather than let their efforts go to waste, the band determined to play at least one performance and managed to be included in a punk show at the Mabuhay Gardens
in San Francisco, a major punk venue at the time. Polkacide played loud, fast polkas at a thrashing punk tempo while mowhawk-headed punks stage dived
and mosh
ed in the pit along with the punk-dirndl
clad Polka Sluts who turned out in support of the band.
Members of other bands that performed that night at the Mabuhay were still talking and laughing about it when they went to play other venues later that week, and word spread to booking agents and club owners about the "Punk Polka Band" Polkacide. The band has been playing ever since.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
that plays their own unique style of polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, which can be characterized as "punk polka". They have appeared on the Doctor Demento television show and have made several recordings.
Band history
Polkacide, founded in 1985 by Ward Abronski, was originally organized to play a one-night standOne-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
for the 50th anniversary of the Deaf Club
The Deaf Club
The Deaf Club was a notable music venue located on Valencia Street in San Francisco which remained open for an 18 month period. Its main attraction was punk music...
in San Francisco. The Deaf Club (which actually is a club for deaf people) had been hiring rock
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
and punk bands
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
to perform for them because they were so loud that club members could dance to them. It was suggested that some of the more elderly members did not want a punk band for the anniversary show. This inspired Abronski to form a "really loud polka band" for the occasion. None of the original members (12 in all) were polka musicians at the time, but they had varied backgrounds in music, including classical, rock, punk and jazz. Clarinetist Neil Kaitner, a.k.a Neil Basa, came up with the name for the band and also designed the band logo, which features a skull and crossed sausages.
Band members were recruited, costumes made (black leather lederhosen
Lederhosen
Lederhosen are breeches made of leather; they may be either short or knee-length. The longer ones are generally called Bundhosen....
with spikes, etc.,) and a repertoire of classic polkas learned in a three-month period leading up to the Deaf Club's 50th anniversary party. One week before the performance was to take place, it was cancelled due to noise abatement orders from local authorities. Rather than let their efforts go to waste, the band determined to play at least one performance and managed to be included in a punk show at the Mabuhay Gardens
Mabuhay Gardens
The Mabuhay Gardens was a San Francisco nightclub located at , on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best known for its strip clubs....
in San Francisco, a major punk venue at the time. Polkacide played loud, fast polkas at a thrashing punk tempo while mowhawk-headed punks stage dived
Stage diving
Stage diving is the act of leaping from a concert stage onto the crowd below. It is often the precursor to crowd surfing.Initially seen as confrontational and extreme, stage diving has become common at hardcore punk and thrash metal performances. Many musicians have made stage diving a part of...
and mosh
Mosh
Moshing is a dance in which participants push or slam into each other. They also flail their limbs to breakdowns of hardcore punk and its sub-genres. It is most associated with aggressive music genres, such as hardcore punk and heavy metal...
ed in the pit along with the punk-dirndl
Dirndl
A dirndl [ˈdɪʁndl̩] is a type of traditional dress worn in Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Austria, and South Tyrol, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode.-Description:...
clad Polka Sluts who turned out in support of the band.
Members of other bands that performed that night at the Mabuhay were still talking and laughing about it when they went to play other venues later that week, and word spread to booking agents and club owners about the "Punk Polka Band" Polkacide. The band has been playing ever since.