These days, it’s beyond cliche to say “If you need a break from the relentless onslaught of 2020 awfulness, here’s [pleasant diversion].” But, well, sometimes a cliche is a cliche for a reason. So, if you need a break from the relentless onslaught of 2020 awfulness, here’s a short article about polka videos.
But not just ANY polka videos, mind you—the pandemic-era polka videos of longtime Milwaukee-area polka purveyor Mike Schneider! The titular leader of the Mike Schneider Band has been a local polka fixture since the 1990s, winning a slew of awards and just generally being a swell fellow. The latter quality is on full display throughout Schneider’s YouTube channel, which features delightful performances of polka classics like “Hello, Hello, Hello!”…
The “Clarinet Polka”…
And “No Beer Today” (by request!)…
Schneider also has plenty of original tunes up his sleeve, like the “Touchstone Polka”…
The “Iron Mountain Polka”…
And the “Tanya Polka”…
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Even Schneider’s “We need to talk about the pandemic and its effect on musicians” plea is somehow pleasant…
Happily, Schneider has some gigs on the books. He’ll be at Coins Sports Bar in Kenosha on Saturday, September 26, and Broken Bat Brewing Co.’s “Party on Pitt” event in Milwaukee for a couple of weekends in October. (Here’s his full schedule.)
Thank you, Mike, for keeping the polka flame alive and for being a light in these dark, dark times. CUE THE CHICKEN DANCE: