Polkacide

Celebrating 25 Years of Accordion Mayham

In 1985 Polkacide played its first gig at San Francisco’s Punk Palace The Mabuhay Gardens “AKA The Fab Mab”. The band’s original lineup included 14 people, most of whom had played with local punk and or art-noise bands including Flipper, Rova Saxophone Quartet, Bad Posture, Tragic Mulatto, and the Geeks. The band had been assembled to play a party for the San Francisco Club For The Deaf, a club for the local deaf community. For some time the Deaf Club had hosted Punk Shows in its Valencia Street apartment/office. The punks got a venue, the deaf folks got some income from the punks and music loud enough for them to feel.

In the fall of 1984, the club was planning a party for it’s members and wanted a band which played loud enough to be felt - enabling dancing - but which didn’t look, “too weird”. A local promoter contacted by the Deaf Club was kicking the idea around with some friends when one of them said jokingly, “how about a polka band”?, and one thing led to another.

Bandleader Ward Abronski gathered some traditional polka arrangements, contacted friend’s from local bands, organized some rehearsals, and Polkacide was born. The band had so much fun rehearsing that when the Deaf Club opted to have a picnic rather than a dance, the newly minted, “polka punks” decided to have a show anyway.

In these last 25 years, Polkacide has played clubs, festivals events, weddings, funerals, performed with a truly eclectic variety of bands including Sun Ra, and has been featured in national and international media.(People Magazine, Interview, SPIN, Nash Bridges Soundtrack and videogame Escape From Lego Island.) What began in irony has developed into one of the wildest, loudest, goofiest dance bands the Bay Area has ever produced. Larger waistlines and higher hairlines maybe in evidence on stage , but so are the tightness of arrangements and level of musicianship which come from 25 years of playing together. They may be knocking on heaven’s door, but these old farts can still take over a room and whip an audience into a beery dancing sweaty mob. See them now before they all end up in the Home For Broken Down Polka Geezers.

NOTE:
According to a ruling by a New York State Court, polka dancing is an, “inherently dangerous activity”. Guests are urged to bear this in mind when planning their evenings wardrobe. Steel-toed boots are recommended.
About the members

Ward Abronski: saxophones, whistles, toys, ukulele, vocals, front man. 
Neil Basa: clarinet, ocarina, vocals, sargeant-at-arms. 
Billy Dee Boom: drums. 
J.X. Lovejones: tenor sax, clarinet, toys, vocals. Alistair Shanks: bass, vocals, soul patch. 
Lawrence Jarach: trombone, resident EMT, vocals. 
John Hensley Nieuwguyski: trumpets, trombone, baritone horn, vocals, sex appeal. 
Max Baloian: guitar, percussion, accordion, vocals. 
Aaron Seeman: accordion.