The ‘Polka Star of Tomorrow’ is helping to bring the music back.
good music
Hundreds of polka fans felt the joy and nostalgia as Garrett Tatano and his bandplayed “Quick Stop Polka” — a Clevelandstyle polka classic — to end their set at a recent polka music competition hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum.
Afterward, 300 polka music fans cast ballots for him and three other musicians, and he was declared the “Polka Star of Tomorrow.”
Mr. Tatano, a 23-year-old accordionist from Canonsburg, never thought he would win that distinction, nor even compete with his newly formed band in the annual competition hosted by the Euclid, Ohio, institution at the nearby SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, on July 18. But he does know that he has always wanted to see a polka and accordionbased music resurgence in Pittsburgh.
Although the music is not as popular as in the past, America’s Polka Belt is much wider than most imagine, wrapping around Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. Cleveland was the home of Frankie Yankovic, the late King of Polka credited with founding Cleveland-style polka.
That is just one of many genres of polka music; others include Slovenian, Polish, German and Italian. The culturally rich folk music in the past was shared with children to carry on the tradition.
“I have an ethnic family, so from a very young age I have been attending polka dances in this area. Both of my grandparents were interested in that, which means my parents were, and that carried on to me,” Mr. Tatano said.
And before he was walking and talking, according to his mother, he was staring down the accordionists on stage and dancing happily to the music.
Long before he began taking lessons 15 years ago, the Western Pennsylvania polka scene had been strong, with a heavy presence of the Slovenian style. Local polka legends include accordionist and broadcaster Sam Pugliano, musical arranger Fred Gregorich, music teacher Gene Casciola, and bandleaders Martin Serro and Jack and Dick Tady. Even into the 1990s, Mr. Tatano said, “polkas were massive. You would find a polka band in bars in most cities around here from Thursdays to Sundays, and there were so many bands. Now I would say it’s like twice a month: sometimes not even that.”
Of the decline, he said, “I think a lot of it has to do with not enough young people giving it a chance.”
Today, although the scene is very close knit, dances, concerts, parties and festivals are much harder to come by, so some Western Pennsylvanians are doing all they can to continue the tradition. Whether it’s via radio shows or accordion lessons, the culture is hanging on.
Just ask Kevin Solecki, the owner of the Carnegie Accordion Co. “The accordion is usually the cornerstone of [polka] bands. It’s such a unique instrument; you can play rhythm and melody at the same time, and it’s almost like a one man band in itself.”
After his Grammy nomination in 2005 for his album “Solecktions,” and after traveling the country with the Family Polka Band, the 42-year-old Mr. Solecki settled down in Carnegie where he opened the store in 2016; a time when Pittsburgh was devoid of any accordion sales and repairs shops. Garrett Tatano was his first student.
Since then, he noticed a rise in interested accordion players and polka musicians. He now has eight dedicated accordion students, with many others stopping in and showing interest now more than in the past.
“Certain bands feature accordions right now, whether as a forefront instrument or as a novelty instrument. It’s out in the public eye as far as being on commercials or television shows or the radio, and young people are really gravitating towards it,” Mr. Solecki said, adding that polka music is not “dead” by any means.
A big proponent of spreading polka music, specifically Cleveland-style and Slovenian-style, is Jerry Zagar’s Prime Time Polkas, broadcast from noon to 1 p.m. Sundays on 620 AM WKHB (FM translators are 94.1, 102.1 and 92.3).
The radio show’s motto of “more music, less talk” allows those who tune in an almost uninterrupted hour of polka music, with the occasional interview with bands to talk about their music and plug their future performances.
Polka musicians typically play at bigger festivals throughout the year, but sometimes smaller shows can be seen at the Slovene National Benefit Society recreation center in Imperial and local lodges, the Acme Club in Cheswick, and other polka dances hosted by DJs.
Mr. Tatano believes that Garrett Tatano Band, made up of members all under 25, is a key part in keeping the tradition going.
“What we are doing is exactly the way to bring polkas back onto the main stage: a young group that has drive and energy and excitement, but also relatability to an age group,” said the accordionist, who also plays with Jack Tady’s Pittsburgh-based band. “Hopefully it’ll be a domino effect, where our friends are coming and they’re bringing their friends to the point where maybe it will inspire other young musicians to put together their own groups — anything to keep the tradition alive.”
Along with the plaque he received at the recent competition, he and his band — including Vincent Filipelli, Anthony Popovski, Logan Watson and Phil Yan III — get the opportunity to perform with the three other under-25 polka contenders — Cleveland-area accordionists Joshua Kay and TJ Likovic and Youngstown drummer RJ Zolka and their bands — on the main stage at the Thanksgiving Polka Weekend at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South, in Independence, Ohio, Nov. 26 through 28. For more, visit www.polkafame.com.