Mollie B Polka Party Now With Chicago & Eastern Styles

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Last Saturday's program was the first one showing Frankenmuth Festival
bands.

Polka Family representing Chicago style, and Big Daddy Lackowski
representing Eastern style, will now surely satisfy people who have
said these styles were lacking in earlier programs.

Also a great job on the audio remix done by Gary Rhamy of Peppermint
Productions in Youngstown OH adds to the excellent videos.

[Claude Wiatrowski]

As I was watching, the first thing I noticed was the very high quality
audio. It was truly a pleasant listen!

Not that it was not all very good: the video, the bands, the host,
excellent program. This is the kind of professional image that the
polka industry needs to present.

Claude

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Tonight's program includes Pan Franek, Lenny Gomulka, & Downtown
Sound.

If you're going to a live polka dance tonight, set your pvr's.

[Ted Lange]

Just as a heads up:

Due to some audio issues that we are working on resolving, the band lineup
for this saturday (and the following wednesday) has been slightly altered
from what is published in the RFD-TV Magazine. The lineup will be as
follows:

Lenny Gomulka
Leo Lonnie Orchestra
Downtown Sound
Matt Hodek and the Dakota Dutchmen
***Squeezebox - (taking the place of Pan Franek this week). We expect to
have Pan Franek's audio files squared away by the next time that they are
scheduled to air.

Just a heads up!

Ted

"CanadianPolkaGuy" <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f8ee854-bf9d-47b3...@dk6g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...

[B.Richter]

In article <o7ydnYSZktXToBrT...@bright.net>,

This show was perhaps the best so far! The production values are so much
higher and far better audio! AFAIC, Lennie G, Downtown Sound had the
polka tempo nailed...making the dancers want to dance with the czech
stuff a bit slower, but this band was far, far better with the tuba in
the background instead of seemingly leading everything but perhaps that
goes to audio issues being resolved. Interesting was Mollie playing
one-handed button box but sounding great with the right tempo and Ted
doing fills-backing up her effort and doing it right.

If you also note, Lennie G and Downtown Sound had tight harmony-stuff
done right! How nice.

All in all, I think this show is a home run and truly represents a
cross-section of polka styles and I hope the upcoming shows are in the
same vein.

When you keep trying things get better!
--
Robert

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Tonight's program includes Brass Express and Dynabrass.

[jrodg]

On Oct 8, 10:11 am, CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Tonight's program includes Brass Express and Dynabrass.

Just caught about half of tonight's show -- and hope to see the rest
when it's re-broadcast later this week . Both bands I saw were great:
Love Bobby Z and Polka Joy every time ^^ --- and everything
( vocalizing, harmonies, songs, that accordion duet= everything ) the
Dynabrass did was wonderful. I wasn't impressed or excited by them
years ago ( Silly me ?) --- but sure am now . -:)
How great it is to have this show --- that ongoing , eternal polka
festival from far away and out of the sky, as it were --- to come
home to , and to see at regular intervals during the week . Thanks and
"grats" again to all involved.

[B.Richter]

In article
<25575c17-7f48-4741...@c1g2000yql.googlegroups.com>,
CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Tonight's program includes Brass Express and Dynabrass.

I was not impressed...
--
Robert

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Tonight's program includes Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones.

[jrodg]

On Oct 15, 11:25 am, CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Tonight's program includes Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones.

I don't think it did (= include EBV ---unless I missed something
while running to the refrigerator -- If I'm right and they weren't
there , I hope they'll be on soon : A great band and soon to be
"history," unfortunately.
What was on was a great mix of fine polka music of all styles:
Squeezebox did a nice German set ( especially "Juppheidi" and the new
German favorite, the "Fliegerlied" ) , Pan Franek's daughters ( and
the band in general) are a unique treasure of Polish-style music, the
Meisner band ably represented Slovenian style ( That Slovenian
yodelling number is awesome^) , and I was in sheer "bliss" with the
music of the two Czech style groups , the Moonliters ( Love the Heart
of Stone/Kamenne Srdce waltz and their polkas, too, as well as that
triple button accordion + brass sound) and the Jim Bochnicek Orchestra
( beautiful orchestrations and great, rarely-heard numbers , like that
lilting Laendler and Za Vodou/Tavern By the Waterfall polka : These
are a particular treat for someone like me , who lived in the German/
Czech border country as a boy ----- and can never hear Czech style
polkas live at all here on the East coast. So once again, thanks to
RFD TV and to Mollie B and Co. for giving us all this beautiful "polka
joy" ---of every style , for every possible polka taste ---Even after
playing 8 hours ( 2 different Oktoberfests ) today it was a joy to
come home and unwind to another full hour of some of the finest polka
music I could hope to see and hear ----Bring it on ! -:)

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Tonight's program includes for the first time The Knewz.

Don't plan on watching this program next Wednesday when typically it
is a repeat, because starting next week the Wednesday program will be
a new episode, and Saturday will be another new episode.

[jrodg]

Thanks for the warning--That's a shame in a way ( Programmers/Ted L:
Take note) because, as it is, it's hard to keep up with all the
episodes if, like many musicians and polka fans, you are busy Sat.
nights and miss the first segment then: Previously , there were always
one of two chances to see the segment missed on Sat. during the week--
Now it appears that this won't be possible, and that, in fact, people
who work evenings ( as I am now doing , teaching night classes all
week + "playing out" on weekends) will not only miss many of the
Saturday shows and not be able to make them up , but will actually
miss twice as many episodes if we can't tune in on Wed. at 7 PM EST .
There also used to be a late night Sat. repeat at 2 AM EST -- I wonder
if they couldn't bring that one back---IIt's hard to imagine that this
pace of two new shows a week can be kept up very long in any case --
Hopefully all of these will be re-run--and /our eventually shown at a
less hectic ("two shows per week" ) pace , which , although well-
intentioned, might prove counter-productive by causing most fans to
miss 50% or more of the shows. ---and yes, I'm aware of the
"taping" option : However, many conservative , older fans ( That's the
show's main "demographic," of course) are probably not inclined to be
a DVR for this purpose : I actually have one, which I had installed
when I learned I'd be working nights---but I got it for Dish Network
( to tape my favorite sat. programming , which is mostly on that
""dish,", while I receive "Mollie B" on Directv) -- and admit that I'm
"disinclined" to buy or subscribe to yet another DVR service to tape
just one show...

[jrodg]

Thanks to the East Coast's first , premature "Nor'easter," I got to
stay home tonight and see the latest "Mollie B," and for the most part
it thrilled me, and , I think , offered some of the best possible "P-
Music" of all styles with something good for most tastes. First up,
"Barefoot Becky" surprised and impressed me by singing "Praha polka"
in perfect Czech (^^) , and her group was nice and energetic. Next was
the Pan Franek group, and I can't say enough good things about their
performance: This group has it all ( like no other group in the field
now, or ever for that matter ) : Youth , beauty,charisma, energy, an
unequalled feeling of family and community, unique instrumentation,
ethnic and linguistic authenticity, excellent song selection, and
variety : I'm always surprised by their latest "offerings,' which this
evening included solo vocal performances by their youngest, Simon.
Their set included a "goral" medley, which showed that, in addition to
the instrumentation of a conventional polka band, the group also has
the line-up ( incl. 3 violins ) of a traditional "goralska kapela"/
mountaineer band ---again like no other in our field. With "Fajduli
Faj," they showed again that, like exceedingly few others in the field
( except for the great Canadians, Gora and Guca) , they invariably
know how to include "real popular Polish music" in their polka
repertoire, and thus to make the music both more authentic and more
relevant to a European and European-American audience. To sum up,
this group is "the best , co jest" : A rare, unique and greatly
underrated gem of the "Polish" field.
The Barry Boyce group ( from Nebraska) that followed was no "
slouch" either : I've never heard more infectious, lively, joyous
"oompah style" music : This is definitely not "your grandpa's" oompah.
---DITTO for the Herman Dinges group__ More energy and joy, Midwestern
style : This group , like Barry B's , was also more upbeat and
irresistibly "happy" in its presentation than any I'd heard
previously ( and I've heard countless such groups over the years).
The "Knewz" were no doubt a highlight of the evening for many
"Polish style" fans ( at least for those who don't understand the
Polish language well. This popular, skilled group of
instrumentalists spreads "polka joy" very well to its audiences, and
that is no doubt the most important thing -- although I have to admit
that personally I'm sort of jaded ( overdosed decades ago already,
actually ) on the standard "Push-+" formula ( I guess I'd call it ) of
constant bellows shaking , interrupted at regular intervals by quirky
syncopations and "out chords" : Give me the more traditional sounds of
the earlier Chi-style ( and present day Western Pa.) polka bands every
time ---and , although Buffalo area bands often turn out well-played
"push style" music and have for years, their vocal renditions almost
invariably make me miss the "real", authentic Polish vocals of the
original Chi-style masters , such as Marion L and Lil Wally, which ,
fortunately, are still performed quite well by singers here and there
around the country in a mellifluous way with few or no garbled words .
( Ironically, there is a pretty simple solution to these problems, if
the "B-Bands" ( "B" stands for Buffalo here ) would choose to take it:
Since most of the Polish songs they perform are Lil Wally material,
just following the texts in the Lil Wally songbooks would make their
vocals a whole lot better. -- As a fan of several styles , who was
raised with Polish, Czech and German, I can testify to the interesting
fact that virtually no one in the large "Czech field" nationwide, ever
makes a vocal mistake, ever--It just isn't done. The German and
Slovenian fields have the same high standards for the most part ---
while some in the Polish field ( not that many, really, but some ,
particularly in one or two areas of the country ) really fall
seriously short in this regard. This always surprises me because it
really doesn't need to be this way, as the standards of the other
Polish ethnic styles prove.
In the final analysis, of course , most will probably agree that
it's simply exceedingly hard to "please all the people all the time" --
and tastes, standards and priorities of course differ. Overall, if
one hour of this program thrills me four fifths of the time ( while I
find one set less than ideal ) , that still means that I was thrilled
most of the time ,and no single segment was really what I'd call "bad"
-- Others ( like, for example, the "oompah haters" out there) no doubt
differ in their positive and negative assessments. Regardless, as I
suspect thousands of polka fans nationwide will agree, overall the
program is a wonderful gift and constant source of joy to us all---and
the only real "complaint" ( as mentioned above ) I have about it is
that, due to the present schedule, it's hard for me to see it ( at
least to see all the episodes ) more often^^ --so once again, as
usual, I offer heartfelt thanks to Mollie B, RFD-TV and everyone
involved for a wonderful weekly polka "ride", and for productions that
represent polka music ( of all styles) to the entire nation in a
positive way that is matched by no other source.

[Heiney24]

Joe,

We'll update our Lil Wally books and work on the Polish vocals. We're
doing the best we can. I'm fairly certain our English
vocals are satisfactory however, but you failed to mention that in
your "review".

Aside from that, our schedule seems to indicate that our "formula", or
our interpretation of push style polkas is received
in a very positive way by the folks who see us play and I'm thankful
to Mollie and Ted for contacting us and asking us
to be part of the new series of shows.

As I've offered before, I'm hopeful that readers of this group know
that your opinions are "yours" and not
an overall representation of the Polka field as a whole. Taking a
small sampling of what you watched on the show and
generalizing our band as "quirky" is not fair to us and only furthers
my point that your "reviews" are jaded, as you clearly stated.

Thanks again to Molly and Ted for all their hard work on the show and,
to our fans, we'll see you all next year with a new CD
of Buffalo push style polkas!!!

Tommy Wanderlich
The Knewz

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Tommy you have nothing to apologize for with your Polish lyrics.
Your hit song Wipij Sobie should have been the USPA song of the year
instead of just runner up (an ENGLISH song was the winner).
On My Wedding Day and I'd Rather Be In Jail are fabulous examples of
wonderful Polish lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9AViPWbHew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrVRghi5qtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAp0oYJkNuw

[jrodg]

Of course ( as I wrote) , Tommy, your band is successful and brings
joy to many people. My use of the word "quirky" referred only to
"syncopations," as you'll note, and not to your band as a whole, which
I also described as "skillful," "popular,etc. Of course, as I also
mentioned, others are free to disagree about any of this . One thing
that simnply is not a matter of opinion , but rather pure fact, is the
qulaity of the Polish vocals ( specifically the waltz) in this
instance. In commenting on these things I take into account that no
one is perfect, we can all have a bad day, slip of the tongue, etc. ,
and therefore never comment on something like that unless there are at
least three mistakes in a song , at which point I jsut think it's a
good thing to mention, as gently and factually as I am able, that it
would be good to correct something like that ---i.a. to bring it into
line with the great majority of band vocals these days , where I don't
hear many mistakes : As the record will show, I'm a big fan of the
Mollie B show and have "gushed" over 9/10 of the performances I've
seen on the show since it started---so my approach is basically very
positive :It's just a fact that this is the first "set" I've heard on
the show where the vocals didn't happen to be flawless --I was amazed
because in this segment , even "Barefoot Becky," who I'm pretty sure
isn't Czech, sang in perfect Czech. again, i'm just dealing in facts
here ( on a subject that's pretty dear to me , and to some others ,
here) ; that is , the quality of the vocals . I also thought it
interesting and om-ortant to mention what I've noticed over the years--
that somehow the Czech vocals, Slovenian, and others always seem
perfect , but that some "Polish"-style bands, particularly from a
couple of areas, don seem "challenged" in this respect--and that , I
truly believe, with a bit more attention to that fact, that needn't be
the case. You basically acknowledge ( and that is honest and good)
that maybe a little more consultation of the Lil wally books ( or a
native Polish adviser ) would be in order ---After all, when bands
appear in public and in the media, on TV , etc., certainly they are
presenting themselves for all to see , hear and react to as they deem
appropriate : That's jsut part of the way the entertainment world
works. As somone involved in the music ( Others write here and
elsewhere and of course express their opinions, pro and con, too) in
various ways ( as a musician/bandleader, sometimes songwriter/blogger/
fan, , etc. , and a language teacher and lover of Polish culture) , I
just naturally give my sincere opinions on these matters from time to
time , and don't do so with any malice in mind, as most who know me
probably realize, but simply in order to write truthfully and
objectively ( It would be purposeless, false and a dis-service to the
truth and the music itself if I or anyone were just to write mindless
praise of something that he dar well knows is flawed ---and
ultimately, heopfully, to make the product ( the Polish sopngs, in
this case, which many people including myself, love) a little better
--and to give "polka " a better image ; i.e. in the minds of the
miullions of Polish-speaking people who do react negatively to hearing
the language and lyrics mispronounced. Again, any reviewer, any
commentator worth his salt should certainly, while being positive
wherever he can , not shrink from occasionally noticing shortcomings
where this are obvious to the trained ear . Your reaction " Ok , we'll
review the Wally books " a bit is , I think, a good and well-
intentioned one. Saying "Hey we're real popular, etc. ( implying "So
what does it matter?" is defensive--I can sort of understand that :
Although I didn't mean to play this role, the "We are great, so WTH ---
How dare you find fault?" is immortalized in the legend of the
"Emperor's New Clothes," where everyone gets mad at the one little guy
who notes that "all isn't perfect in the state of Denmark." I'm always
glad in these instances that we are in a free society where we do have
the freedom to point out occasional problems and ways to remedy
them : The greatest value of a free society is actually based on the
fact that we can point these things out without being silenced.
Finally, I think I recall ( although I did not even know that you were
in this group until you wrote ) that you wrote at great length about a
"popular" number of my group's a couple of years back that it wasn
"demeaning" to Polish people and similar sharply negative comments
( although others and I pointed out that there was no Polish content
in the song at all, since my band is German -American and the number
in question was a US political parody---at which point you wrote that
parodies were bad in your opinion, as were songs about famous people,
sports, etc. ----so , if I recall correctly, you're quite an
opinionated guy, hold strong views and pull no punches. My comments
above were brief and, for the most part ( re Polish lyrics) factual by
comparison---but again, we both---we all--have the right to voice our
opinions on public performances. In this case , a bit of attention to
the vocal problem would definitely make the popular band's perforances
even better--I hope this can ultimately be taken in that spirit.
As for your loyal supporter's ("CPG") contention that there's
nothing wrong with the Polish lyrics, etc. ---That just has to be
taken with a grain of salt because (1) The fact is either the lyrics
are wrong or they're right: The truth is the truth and it doesn't
depend on his "say-so" ---all the more since (2) he ( and various
others I've seen who refer to this nice song online) can never even
spell the song title correctly : It's "Wypij Sobie" ( Not "Wpij sobie"
and not "Wipij sobie" ) -- In at least one similar discussion before,
"CPG" admitted the obvious ---That he isn't really literate in Polish--
so , well-intentioned though he is ( and of course it's great for you
that you have such an ardent supporter) , his judgement in these
matters is not objective or reliable. ( Here, too, I don't mean to
hurt anyone's feelings by pointing this out: As a trained teacher,
etc. , it's just my natural instinct to do so --and in this case I
think it really would be good, since "CPG" brought up this song's
title , to finally ensure that it's spelled correctly --- Such things
do really mean a lot to most lovers of Polish culture, musical and
otherwise.

All the best --and I sincerely hope that you and your band
friends keep giving people happiness with your music, which I know
is , in most repects, exciting and beautiful.
"

[Heiney24]

Let me just point out a couple things.

I did not say "we're really popular, what does it matter?" I simply
stated that our interpretation of push style
polkas is well received, addressing your comment about lots of bellow
shaking and "quirky" syncopation and
off chords. We, and many of our fans do not see this as a problem and
for you to take what I said and fit it to your comments again points
to your narrow view of polka music. Let me again point out that your
opinions are yours and a lot of us feel that your lengthy "reviews"
and "opinions" give the polka music we love so much a bad review
because our interpretation is different than yours.

For the record, it is my "opinion" that a lot of what you write does
not give an accurate view of the polka scene as it is today and that
your "reviews" are not "reliable" or "objective" as you so willingly
stated about CPG's reply to you. I suggest attending some of the many
festivals throughout the country to better round out your "opinion" of
polka music today and quit trying to fit every band into your
"opinion" of how polka music should be played.

I addressed your comment about the polish lyrics in my first
statement. I don't think it was necessary for you to go into a
dissertation on the subject. Let me point out that you are not the
"polish lyric police". I said we will work on them and we will. Please
provide a sampling of your work for me to critique and I'll be happy
to provide my "opinion".

Also, as for your "popular" parody from a few years back, let me
remind you Joe that you posted links to your "German" bands video in a
POLKA forum where POLKA people tend to hang out. That you chose to
showcase your "German" band in that light is up to you, stereotypical
as it is. I am German/Polish if you didn't know and simply said that
your outdated and narrow view of the POLKA scene was not an overall
view of how the music is actually portrayed by bands like ours who are
actually "out there" from state to state playing POLKA music every
weekend. Again, you're fitting my comments to support your view.

Finally, I will state once again that as good intentioned as you are,
you are not "the" authority on the polka music scene as it is today
and many people feel that your views are not an accurate
representation, but all things the same, we'll keep doing what we do
( with better polish lyrics hopefully ) and you'll keep doing what you
do, which in my "opinion" is misinforming the casual reader of this
group by providing a slanted "opinion".

TW

[jrodg]

Pointing out (truthfully) that some lyrics contain some errors
actually fits the definition of "informing", not "misinforming" , as
you put it : Any distortion here appears to be yours. Your objection/
problems with our German-style video on a "POLKA site "where POLKA
( implying Polish , I take it ) people tend to hang out " has
discriminatory overtones , as did your overheated reaction at the time
and the claim that the "Sarah Palin" song was somehow an affront to
Polish people. More enlightened people who post on the site would not
see or raise the spectrum of Polish-German ethnic conflict in a song
about Sarah Palin (!?) , or on polka sites in general , for that
matter. Lord knows there's been more than enough of that in recent
years, with a few eccentrics railing against "tubas," "Lederhosen" ,
oompah, etc. ---and somehow all that discrimination is all uni-
directional ---just against "German style." For the record, I also
have German and Polish background and appreciate both genres, as well
as Czech and the other polka styles , equally : It would never occur
to me to suggest that it's inappropriate to post a video on this site
because it's "German flavored and this is a site where Polish people
hang out." Actually, because I like all polka genres equally , I end
up loving, and saying more positive things overall, about more polka
bands than most would ever think to do --as is reflected in the
writing above. It's just unfortunate that in making a truthful comment
re a problem with lyrics I happened to run into you again ---A word to
the wise on this matter would ordinarily be sufficient , I think ---
and again, commentators can say whatever they wish about public
performances in a free society --- I have a feeling that ultimately
this discussion will actually have some good results; i.e. that , as
you say, a bit more care will be taken with Lil Wally's lyrics. and
that "Wypij sobie" will be spelled correctly. Ideally, as I suspect
many, including your band colleagues, may feel , it would be better
for you not to make such a big deal over this ( "Killing the
messenger" , as the saying goes, which means attacking someone who
offers a valid criticism, rather than just taking it in stride and
making improvements if warranted) --- because by escalating the matter
you just draw much more attention to the shortcoming mentioned than it
requires. ( I think that it would be in the band's interest to
minmize this issue at this point, instead of going on the attack and
dragging it on with an attitude of " How dare you ( or anyone else ,
by inference?) question how great we are?" : I doubt that your band
friends really want this. or anyone will benefit from it.
My comment was actually pretty restrained compared to that of
another frequent commentator on this thread ( Read above) , who has
repeatedly complained about virtually all the "non-Polish "
performances on the show, and most recently panned every single
performance on an episode ( all of which i'd praised ) by simply
saying "I wasn't impressed." I would never be that indiscrinately
negative . However, most of us do have , and have a right to, our
sincere, justified opinions on performances , and unfortunately this
little segment was jarring too me , and pulled me down from the "polka
bliss" I'd been feeling with all the other performances that night by
virtue i.a. of the repeated vocal glitches , as well as a couple of
other matters I tried only to hint at ever so vaguely by saying that I
missed the "mellifluous" sound of singers like Wally and Lush ( and
countless others, like Whitey Pawola, Al Soyka, Gene Wisniewski, Lil
R9chard etc. , for that matter : Here I purposely used a word I
thought most wouldn't understand , in order to minimize controversy or
hurt feelings ---but since this is being dragged on I'll clarify that
with this word I was referring to such issues as singing smoothly and
in tune , something which all those singers did so well--and that ,
too, used to be standard in the polka field). You asked why I "picked
on" this one little segment--A fair question: I referred to it simply
because this is the segment I saw-- I know that your band has had much
better segments -- Indeed most of us have had better and worse
moments, nights, etc. -- I can't possibly keep track of all your
performances and have never seen the group live : This program is the
only main, and virtually only way, that these things come to my and
many others' attention--and we can only react to what we see and hear
--- and how it comes across , in our opinion , compared to the rest of
the program and performances in the field in general, as we know it.
Yoiu also comment that I could have at least praised the English
language vocal in the segment : Again, it's not really for you to
exercise any sort of "thought control" about others' reactions to a 3-
song set, I'm afraid.
My reaction to the segment was simply what it was: The "set" had two
Polish and one English vocal : The Polish vocals caught my attention
more in this case--I'd already intentionally , to be fair, said
everything i could about the band and the segment, and I give more
atention to individual numbers than most when I get into these things.
No one writes about every single number , though : It seems redundant
to say, or to have to say, something like " The English vocal was
ok."....
As I said, I recall that my few "critical" comments, were
actually very mild compared to yours in a similar situation ( where
you railed on and on , improably , about how an "all-American" themed
song was anti-Polish, condemned songwriting on current events and
sports, etc., as in bad taste and much more) .
Realistically, in the music field, and in general, we should
realize that people may expess , and always have expressed, views on
our bands that are not necesssarily "adulatory" --and we should be
able to live with that , rather than trying to "blow them away" or
discredit them ( especially if they're telling the truth , as in the
case of this lyrics matter --- The truth really trumps every other
consideration, and that fact seems largely lost on you ) . As just
one example ( among, no doubt, thousands of incidents in this field) ,
your mention of how I should talk about the English vocal ( and praise
it, I assume)and not just the Polish ones takes me back to a situation
decades ago, in our group, the Happy Harmony Boys, where a young,
clari/sax player told me "Joe, all you care about is Polish songs, not
English ones---You don't care about quality at all except where Polish
is concerend!"---Instead of getting mad at him, and lashing out, as
you tend to do at any criticism, however truthful or diplomatic, I
thought about what he said , saw some trtuh in it, and decided to
start writing English language material , too ( Since then I've
written quite abit with good results) --and to select an English song
( with a "quirky" appeal) for our next album ("Maurice,Don't Do
That") , which did become a big hit. From this experience I learned
that it can be good and productive to consider criticism thoughtfully
instead of just striking back at anyone who offers it...Ironically
this same story line offers a good reminder that my few words re the
Polish vocal are gentle and diplomatic , after all, compared not only
to your own comments but to those of many polka reviewers and
commentators : This very same young clari/sax player's first recording
with our band was panned in very strong terms by L. Trojak ( whose
Polish vocals, incidentally, have always sounded great^) , who wrote
polka LP reviews at the time: He said nice things about my vocals ,
about which I was grateful, but then went on to say that that young
musician's notes in the high register had "killed his house
plants" ( for which I took him to task about being too hard on a young
musician in public) : The point is ( and with this this story comes
"full circle," so to speak -- forgive the "polka pun") this one
instance illustrates how in fact your words of criticism, that by the
young sax/clari. player ( whose name I won't drag into this) , and
that of the young man's playing by Mr. L.T. ( who is , I know,
basically a fine and idealistic man ) are all much stronger , I think,
than mine have ever been---so I remain convinced that in this field,
as in life in general , we have to try to make the best of occasional
criticism, especially when it contains some truth that may ultimately
be helpful --- and that it tends to be "part of the game" : Overall,
it is a dis-service to truth and to the field in general to write
nothing but fawning praise of every rendition, regardless of the
facts , and just "kiss up," as it were...And that exchange between the
young clari. player and "Mr. T'" , as well as my experience with you,
reminds me that there's always been an element of both "dishing it
out" and "taking it" in discussions of recordings, videos, TV
performances, etc. --- and ultimately, unless someone goes too
"ballistic" in reaction to occasional criticism, this is probably
natural and healthy.
Clearly ( and understandably, since this is human) , you welcome
positive comments much more than critical ones , so I'll close with
this one, and hope that it helps: I did view "CPG'"'s supportive
videos of your group , and yes, they were all enjoyable and nice ---
and ( again, as a "Polish vocal fan" of course) I particularly enjoyed
your drummer's performance of the old Pala Bros. number, "Wolal bym ja
Wolal" --- I thought that was great --Well done, great energy and
feeling : He gave it new life.......... :)

[Heiney24]

Yikes. I'll never get that 5 minutes back reading that. For the third
time, I SAID we'll work on the lyrics. You keep harping on the point.
I took much more from your generalized comments about our style of
music. It's laughable to me that you're such a critic of the music you
"love" so much, but when someone questions your opinion, we're the
ones "escalating the matter".

For what it's worth, I too listen intently to polka music. Now, I
don't understand polish as well as yourself, but my ear is quite good
when it comes to the actual music. Playing the right notes, the right
chords, and playing in tune are paramount for me when it comes to
listening. But, you don't see me in the group commenting on it or even
providing my "opinion" as to what I feel I've had an "overdose" of, to
use your line.

And, regarding your parody. Trying to capitalize on current events by
blending them with a "theme" as you call it doesn't offer the public
anything in terms of substance. It's just an attempt to "stand out"
and it provides nothing useful, or memorable for that matter. You made
the point that the band is German style. So that makes it OK to post
videos on a POLKA site and stereotype German bands? Obviously you
thought so. With your teaching background, I'm surprised at your lack
of open mindedness on this subject.

Travel to other events rather than sit behind your computer speaking
as if you were "elected" to comment. You're not taken half as
seriously as you think you are....

[Mike Surratt]

Well, one thing for sure...the new Mollie B show is generating some
talk...

I'm not sure if I read something right...it should be ok to promote
any style of polka on this particular group, correct? After all, it's
not called alt.music.polishpolkas.

I think what I find most interesting is that it appears that the
"Polish Grandmother/Fathers" or any Polish speaking fans of US Polish
style polka bands do not correct the band for their bad Polish
grammer, or DO THEY? That would be interesting to know...

I can tell you that I have caught a lot of grief from "Germans" if I
do not sing something correctly and do continually try to sing German
better to please the "real german speaking people" in my audience. I
also, as JR could attest to, tried my best to sing 3 Polish songs on
my band's last CD "Polka World" and would not have released them
unless I had JR's approval. To further support JR's expertise, even
John Gora ( a native speaker) gave me a 98% thumbs up after JR helped
me out. If I can do that, I believe anyone somewhat familiar with
Polish could even do better, if not be flawless.

I have traveled a LOT throughout the USA performing at many ethnically
diverse festivals over the last 39+ years with my band. Joe might not
know what's going on in "The Knewz" world, but, quite honestly each
band only knows the circuit they perform in...I'm glad to know that
Mollie B (& Ted) are showcasing a diverse amount of polka music and
The Knewz was a great addition to the lineup...in my opinion. After
all, I don't speak Polish (so I'm listening more to the arrangements
and musicianship and tone) and if the Knewz ever records something in
German, I hope you will not mind if I mentioned you had a mispelled
title or didn;t quite get the inflections correct.

My overall opinion is if you're working and getting bookings, you're
doing something right... and critique is part of the game. Trust me,
this exchange is NOTHING compared to some face to face commentary I
have endured over the years from Germans. It just makes me try
harder...and certainly helped me drive all over Germany/Austria when I
visited those countries.

I'm not on stage to please me, I'm on stage to please my audience...I
think both of you are too...

MS

[Heiney24]

Mike,

Thanks for the comments and your view on this but as I've stated now 5
times, my issue with Joe's post
was not the fact that he noticed some lyrical problems. I understand
that and we will correct it, as I've stated. I should also
mention that we DO use a fluent person to help with our songs, just
not on the ones that we're featured.

I've mentioned we'll do better with the vocals, but taking this small
sampling and stating that B-bands ( Buffalo Bands )
have always had this "issue" with polish lyrics is a bit much. Who
else is Joe including in this opinion? He never mentioned.

I had more issue with the fact that our style was deemed overdone,
quirky and non traditional for Joe's tastes.

So please, lyrics aside, all I was really commenting on was Joe's
opinion about our style and how he is not the authority
on what is or is not accepted in polkas today. I only wanted to say
that his opinion is his, and, as much as he comments
in this group, some people that do not know The Knewz too well will
look at his review as some sort of Gospel, which it is not.

Good luck with your music Mike!!

TW

[Mike Surratt]

On Nov 1, 7:57 am, Heiney24 <heine...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mike,

>
> I've mentioned we'll do better with the vocals, but taking this small
> sampling and stating that B-bands ( Buffalo Bands )
> have always had this "issue" with polish lyrics is a bit much. Who
> else is Joe including in this opinion? He never mentioned.
>
> I had more issue with the fact that our style was deemed overdone,
> quirky and non traditional for Joe's tastes.
>
> So please, lyrics aside, all I was really commenting on was Joe's
> opinion about our style and how he is not the authority
> on what is or is not accepted in polkas today. I only wanted to say
> that his opinion is his, and, as much as he comments
> in this group, some people that do not know The Knewz too well will
> look at his review as some sort of Gospel, which it is not.
>
> Good luck with your music Mike!!
>
> TW

Hi Tommy,

I get it and I have felt the same way when someone blasts German oom-
pah (I hate that word) and presumes that we who play that style are
all the same. Anyone can pick any band apart for any reason.

Wishing The Knewz many many great gigs, accolades, smiles, and safe
journeys. I'm not going to speak for JR, but, I feel he doesn't have
any serious negative feelings about any band out there playing polkas.
He cares about the music just as much as you and I do...

Mike

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Here's the song that The Knewz played on Mollie B (but not the actual
televised performance which I assume is copyrighted and I could not
post on Youtube), Fortunes of War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-cBGakiDQ

Here's Dynatones (another Buffalo band unfortunately for some folks)
performing the same song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLPaFdIQ60

I will preempt the former teacher who needs to criticize people for
spelling mistakes that the title on the last video, Fortune's is
spelled incorrectly to save the teacher some typing time.

[Mike Surratt]

On Nov 1, 11:47 am, CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I will preempt the former teacher who needs to criticize people for
> spelling mistakes that the title on the last video, Fortune's is
> spelled incorrectly to save the teacher some typing time.>

Golli CPG -- boared twoday?

Sumtymes itt iss beter two knot dizturb eh sleepyng dawg...

Just had to get a jab in, huh? I thought Tommy's response was sincere
and restrained. After all...it really is their discussion.

pulkas r kool - even mispelled

MS

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

> Just had to get a jab in, huh? I thought Tommy's response was sincere
> and restrained. After all...it really is their discussion.

I know MS you are a good friend of jrodg and I am clearly a fan of the
Knewz.

When jrodg first criticized the Polish lyrics of Fortunes Of War, I
suggested he look at the video of their hit song Wypij Sobie (spelled
correctly this time!).

Instead of saying anything whatsoever about that video, jrodg said
because I misspelled Wipij, "his judgement in these matters is not
objective or reliable" (direct quote).

So when jrodg slams you hard, that's ok, but dare you criticize him,
it's disrespectful?

Also, if it's "their discussion" why did you feel a need to comment?

[jrodg]

Thanks for your support , Mike-- You probably summed up this
issue best above when you wrote that " Critique is part of the game"
--- In normal, mainstream musical culture, in columns , articles,
chats, You tube threads, and everywhere, fans and detractors of all
major groups and artists ( Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga,
Madonna, , just to name a few: Check them out) give their reactions ,
pro and con, to artists' and groups' videos, performances, recordings,
and much more: No holds are barred and tough language is often used:
This is an accepted part of culture and life--as it is in the major
media, where reviews, newscasts and discussions deal with artists' and
groups, work, their productions, quirks, habits, conflicts, and again,
free discussion is encouraged- That's the way it's supposed to be in a
free society--Usually, only in a doctatorship will you find associates
of an artist, group or leader ---or their sidemen or shills trying to
obstruct free opinion and intimidate or badmouth anyone who dares to
say , however mildly, that their work is anything other than awesome
into silence. In our mainstream press, music reviews constantly
cover both the high and low, strong and weak points of artists' and
groups' performances, including their voice quality, mastery of their
material and much more--and our radio and TV stations note, and ( as
happened in recent weaks) sometimes create a furor over vocal glitches
by prominent artists. this is par for the course : That's the way
culture and musical culture in particular, work in a free society.
Such reasonably free discussion has generally been the case in the
polka field, too. On this very thread, others have used stronger, more
negative language about performances than I used--and Tom himself
constantly uses stronger , more destructive, and less reasoned
language: His repeated argument ( above) that parodies contribute
nothing useful to music or culture is the result of pure ignorance
since most educated people know that parodies (= making light of those
in power or those who want to be in power ) are an important means of
safeguarding democracy--since laughing at "posers" , "bullies" and
would-be big stars or bosses ( who are afraid to allow jokes or
criticisms) is a way of letting their humorless bullying be revealed
and preventing it from getting out of hand. That's the reason for the
prevalence of parodies on late-night comedy shows, the million-selling
success of Weird A ( the "king" of parodies)l, and his many famous
predecessors, like Charlie Chaplin, who parodied the "Great Dictator,"
Hitler, and more---There's a whole cultural history behind this which
TW is completely ignorant and contemptuous of. ---He goes on to
repeat his strange , deluded arguments, made before , that there's
something unworthy about songs about famous people, sports figures,
etc. --That's it's all just, somehow, a "rip-off" ---while, on the
other hand, as his "yes-man" enthusiastically repeats ( although they
can't even spell the thing,LOL), a drinking song ( Talk about
stereotypes: One of the main criticisms of polka music is that far too
many of its songs are just about drinking) "should've been" a major
hit. and all of this just because of a couple of mild words of
criticism of a group of which TW happens to be a member : Never mind
that he can tear apart others' work in every bizarre way imaginable ---
but if you say anything about a group he's in , he and "many others"
who think like him ( He keeps saying ) object big -time: A word about
this "many others" thing: The best response to this in the annals of
American culture is probably the old saying "Speak for yourself, John
Alden " : The strange ideas listed above are mainly TW's own. This is
not the fight of "many others" : Most could care less. It's the fight
of someone who's much too thin-skinned and belligerant , both in
judging others' work and in reacting to a couple words of criticism,
arguably the mildest ever given on that thread, just because it's of
"his" group.
On this very thread, another writer panned every non-Polish
group , as well as, most recently, every group that performed on
Mollie B one evening , simply saying he "wasn't impressed." A while
back, one deluded writer carried on a year-long campaign charging that
virtually all Polish style vocalists were terrible and so bad that
they were "incomprehensible" ---I took him on , as did Mike S, too, i
think , a bit, and he finally relented---Where you you , TW and your
one-liner buddy, when all that was going on??--when EVERY Polish -
style band was being grossly demeaned ? --You didn't say one word then
---presumably because none of that concerned you: The only thing you
care about is attacking someone else who doesn't fit your idea of what
"POLKA music on a POLKA site" should be---as Mike noted, that's a
strange , discriminatory idea, too, and the way you put it, it appears
that only "Polish-style" qualifies as "POLKA MUSIC " fir for a "POLKA
site" ---That statement is of course absurd ( i.a. because German
style polka music probably has upwards of 100 million fans in the
world while "Polish-style " polka music is generally unpopular in
Poland and declining rapidly here, too.) In any case, continuing to
discriminate against an (English language) polka video by a German-
style group for the bizarre reasons you do is something that
exceedingly few persons of normal intelligence can understand or
accept.
The word "bizarre" above ( as well as the "code word" crusade )
remind me of yet another review by Buffalo-based polka star + reviewer
( at the time ) Larry T ( who certainly wrote entertaining pieces ,
although he ruffled some feathers) , who wrote when reviewing an
album release by a Midwestern polka leader whose vocals verged on the
operatic : "His vocals are bizarre." There are countless examples
online of such dialogue --and no one in his right mind has ever tended
to "go ballistic" over it ---Again, this is because we are free to
react to music as we wish ( only the most repressive, thug-like
dictatorial systems try to prevent such reactions, or parodies and the
rest, for that matter) , and the general advice given to those who
object to others' criticizing their "artistic" efforts has always
been : "If you can't take the heat, stay away from the fire."
Mike is right, too , when he notes ( As I mentioned previously,
too) that in the German field, people are much more critical of vocal
mistakes than in most of the "Polish American" field. For the record,
Mike, standards in the "Polish-American" field ( not to be confused
with the "European" or Polish-speaking world, who abhor poor Polish
vocals, which is one main reason why they don't accept polkas),
particularly in several geographical areas and among the bands from
those areas, are much lower than in the German field, where, as you
say, performers are often given hell for mistakes in pronunciation. In
the "Czech" field, the standards are higher yet : It is written on
various Czech-American websites, and is very true, that in the Czech
field you just DON'T make vocal mistakes with the songs --NEVER--
EVER---and they mean it --The songs are considered a sacred cultural
heritage -- and sure enough , in listening to Czech songs over the
years , I've never heard a single vocal glitch...The "Slovenian
situation" seems similar, too. These differing standards are
apparently the result of different cultures , circumstances and
values : Different strokes for different folks.
With this I hope to put an end to my part in this discussion ,
which is , in most respects, not only a waste of time and energy, but
which contains a slew of distortions, cultural and linguistic
inaccuracies, and bizarre statements equalled by very few I've ever
encountered before, all of which basically result from the thinly
camouflaged inability of one or two individuals to live with a few
words of relatively mild criticism that is absolutely harmless
compared to the kind they are accustomed to dishing out themselves,
and, for that matter, compared to the average dialogues on music which
are carried on online , in the media and in everyday discourse all
over our nation and wherever free speech exists on our planet.

PS : In response to CPC's latest one-liner ( Thanks for your response
to that, too, Mike) , I'd just point out, that , like his "mentor,"
TW, , he continues to make odd mistakes resulting from speaking with a
lack of knowledge: Not that this is important to the discussion, but ,
for the record, he calls me the "former" teacher : Actually ( to use a
Polish word that I guess the two "Polish adepts will understand^) I'm
still working my "dupa" off teaching six classes in several locations
around my state, as well as working in a student mentoring program and
other duties ---so I'm not a "former" teacher yet. ----and yes, CPC,
I'll grant you that noting that "Fortune's" is incorrect there is a
good "catch" on your part ( and one that many wouldn't have made ) ---
so you get a higher grade in English than in Polish.^

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Here's how hundreds of fans enjoy The Knewz, many of them of the
younger generation that so many bands nowadays lament not coming out
to polka dances anymore.
You guys are doing a lot of things right to entertain people and that
is, after all, what this business is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T_obLez_LY

[Heiney24]

Joe,

The main reason myself and loads of others do not post in the group
anymore is because people like yourself have taken over the group.
It's turned into post, and Joe Rodgers responds regardless of the
topic. I'm still wondering who anointed you the authority on all
things polkas? Amazing, since you're so busy working your "dupa" off
that you even have time to post. Unless of course, it's because you
really have nothing much better to do with your time then "pretend"
that you're an important part of polka music.

I don't scour the newsgroup looking for trouble Joe. A friend alerted
me to your post.I just wanted to make note of the fact that your
"opinion" was just that. If you remember, I clearly stated 6 times now
that we'd improve our polish vocals. Anything else you said, is
strictly your opinion and I just wanted to be clear to the readers
that this is all it is....your opinion. Nothing else. Not the
alt.music.polkas Gospel. Just one persons opinion.

So, now let me just say that by reading you responses to me, it's very
clear that you're the one who has issue with someone who takes issue
with you. You stray so far off the original topic that I forgot what
we were talking about in the first place. I could ask you a question
with a one word answer, say, what's your favorite color, and I'd get a
500 word essay.

To recap, I SAID we'd make an effort on the polish vocals. Case
should've been closed. You continued it.

I also SAID, that your opinion on how we play is just that...your
opinion. You took issue with that.

I await your submission of your material for me to listen to, so I can
offer MY opinion.

YOU decided to dig through the archives and bring up your parodies and
what I said about them, I didn't, which had nothing to do with what I
originally posted Joe, and this is, and has been, your biggest
problem. You take what others say and fit it to your argument or try
to discredit what they say by offering YOUR opinion about what they
say. Thin skinned Joe? Those that actually "know" me and are of normal
intelligence as you say, know this is ridiculous. And my lack of
knowledge Joe? I'm speaking from experience. Almost 30 years of it
now. I think I'm qualified to speak about the state of polka music,
where it's been, where it's going, and I take a lot of pride in what
I've accomplished actually playing the music pretty much non stop,
every year, since I was 15, not rambling on, as you SO often do,
hiding behind your computer, quoting odd facts, and twisting what
people say to further your point. It's getting a little bit old, and
believe me, people actually "in" the business try to stay clear of you
to avoid a clash such as this.

So to all who read the forum, be warned. Do not take issue with Mr.
Rodgers ( I like that one ) for he will dissect your comments and make
it seem like he is being attacked, or punished if you will, if you
respond with anything but glowing admiration for him and his opinion.

I stand by what I said in my very first post, which, I will re-post
below for those, like myself, who feel that Joe has taken over this
thread ( again ) and used it to promote his narrow minded and ancient
opinions.



Original reply to Joe's original comments.

[jrodg]

Mike S. briefly answered your obsessive , bizarrely excessive
reaction to my rather harmless, brief comments on your group's
performance better than I can do at this point. There is certainly
no need for you to "restate" any of your rant for the "6th" time , or
whatever--I did not invite this "dialogue" with you and hope to never
have it again: Suffice it to say that almost of your opinions reflect
an astounding ignornace of basic cultural values , like the fact
that, as Mike says, musical criticism and commentary is allowed and
encouraged througout our culture , and you have no legitimate business
trying to stomp it out; moreover, your condemnation of "parody" ,
etc. , as something that is worthless in music is over-the-top idiocy:
It suffices to google "parody" to see a Wikipedia article , and much
more below that, which states that "parody" is one of the main types
of cultural activity in music, literature, etc. ( Don Quixote, one of
the greatest works of world literature, is given as a literary
example, and "Weird Al," originally a polka artist and a master of
parody, whose name graces this website ( and who is the best-selling
artist in the world ever to record a polka and/or parody, (!) is
mentioned as a leading parody artist...and you declare that parodies
are worthless --How arrogant --and how totally ignorant---beyond
belief. Then you go on to repeatedly claim that German-style
material , etc. should not be on a "POLKA site for POLKA people" ---
Absolutely the utmost in harmful , nonsensical, intolerant, paranoid
behavior. Finally, there it is, once again, your claim that "loads of
people, as well as yourself" ( You can never speak for yourself
alone, but I submit that it's highly unlikely that "loads of people"
share these ridiculous views -- We've certainly never heard them from
anyone except you) stay off this site because of me---Actually ,
while, like many others ( for real, this time..) I write , comment,
praise music ( 99% of the time, only criticizing mildly a couple times
over the years when a vocal is really bad, which , again, is common ,
accepted practice througout the music world) , help many bands with
lyrics , share videos, and more with many fellow polka enthusiasts
regularly here, virtually the only "contribution" you make on this
site is to attack me ( at fortunately very rare intervals) as you did
once , just like now, for days on end, simply because we posted a
humorous video.
You make your case and I make mine ,and of course, despite your
appeal for everyone to blackball me ( or whatever ) it's up to
everyone concerned on the site to do as they wish. I won't join you in
your nasty paranoid fantasy that loads of others are filled with your
weird rage, which keeps them from posting , etc. ---although the
site , and the world at large , are better off without too many such
"contributions." Hopefully you can learn a little something from some
of the basic facts given above ---None of it is "rocket science," but
it is comomn cultural knowledge that's accessible to most people who
have a bit of sense and at least a 6th grade education.
---And by all means, let's agree not to "talk" again: For the record,
I have never begun a "conversation" with you : As was the case with
the "Sarah Palin" video ( In fall, 2008 : All of this is on record on
this site) , you began the whole mess with your nasty, over-the-top,
ignorant attack , triggered, in that instance, just by the fact that
you were enraged ( quite bizarrely and inexplicably ) because a
"parody" was being posted on a "POLKA" site , as you keep putting it ,
and that this German style video ( which , you insist against all
logic , shouldn't be posted on a POLKA site ---although most people
know that German-style polkas are polka music , too, and that German-
style postings happen all the time---and of course the Mollie B show
itself is all-inclusive and promotes German-style, too...) was , you
claimed, somehow, offensive to Polish people. By all means, let
anyone who is demented enough to believe any of this join you in your
boycott ---- In fact, nothing gives you the right to condemn entire
sectors of our musical culture, such as parodies, to say that German-
style or any other material should not be on a "POLKA" site, or, for
that matter , to try to prevent mild criticism of your group's or
anyone else's performances from appering on this site. All of things
which you are trying to achieve by blustering , threatening and
distorting the truth are ion fact only done in evil, tyrannical
systems like Nazi Germany or the former Communist empire ---and those
are , thank God, the only places where your type of tactics will work.
Free speech , including the freedom to comment on musical performances
we see on radio and television, is a sacred American value that ( for
once , and only once , I'll use your little "me and many others"
formula, but this time I use it for a good reason) , like countless
American veterans, I risked my life for--and there's no way someone
like you, with the completely unsound arguments you give above, is
going to change that for me : In fact , quite the contrary: Many years
ago, i made the Truth ( with a capital "T") one of my main values ---
and even here , on this ostensibly "harmless" little muisic site, I
see that it's important to stand up for the truth , and to refute all
of the harmful and delusional falsehoods that are fortunately spread
not by "loads of people, as you put it, but only by one or
two.......That's why I set the record straight -- on parodies, on not
allowing German-style postings on POLKA sites for POLKA people, and ,
most importantly, on the importance of the freedom of free speech and
thought,and the freedom to criticize music , vocal performances, or
anything one wishes in a free society, without fear of being silenced
by someone like yourself: You're completely on the wrong side of every
one of this issues ---If this discussion was worth anything , it was
worth pointing that out , I guess---because it's important for
freedom-loving people everywhere never to forget these truths.

[Heiney24]

All,

Here is the link Joe keeps referring to. It's after a few individuals
commented on his parody that he went on his usual tangent. I haven't
read this since
it was posted, but boy is it revealing. We even said, no disrespect
intended....Quite simply Joe, you have some major "security" issues.

My comments show nowhere near the ignorance Joe suggests. Just a
bitter guy who "hijacked" the thread, hiding behind his computer as
usual, instead of actually showing up somewhere to support polka
music.

Enjoy everyone.

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.polkas/browse_thread/thread/2c68a0bf2bcfb950/d7ed6ccb0ff193a8?hl

[CanadianPolkaGuy]

Very interesting link, Tommy.

Those supporting Polka parodies:
the_polis_p..
Mike Surrat
Johnny Prytko Jr

Those saying Polka parodies are harmful:
ericjkurowski
gd500
Ted Lange
tom.wanderlich
voice-of-rea..
spar...
S.L.

Now the most fascinating exact quote from jrodg himself:
" You and others are contentious ( a rather mild word for seeking
controversy ) for conducting an extensive campaign of faultfinding
with someone else's one or two little popular numbers."

Therefore as has been shown on this website dozens of times, it is
quite acceptable and proper for jrodg to criticize other bands,
people, etc. but it is NOT acceptable to criticize him.

RIP alt.music.polkas

[jrodg]

> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.polkas/browse_thread/thread/...

We might compromise, Tom ( if such a thing is possible here) by
agreeing that maybe we both ( or we all , even ) have "security"
issues : That seems to be part of life in this crazy world these days.
One could easily question who the "bitter guy" is who hijacked the
thread, as you put it--- because , as a huge fan of the polka shows, I
was doing my usual thing , writing every week about how I l loved the
show and all of Mollie's work ( as do others ) ---When, also like
others, I ( unfortunately ?) ventured a couple of words of criticism
about one performance on the show , y o u took the whole thread away
from its usual upbeat, "Mollie B/RFD-TV all-stlye polka
theme into a sad , digression in which, you keep claiming, i.a. that
"German-style posts don't belong on POLKA sites" (discrimination that
few believe or indulge in) , parodies and many other musical styles
and themes ;are somwhow "off-limits/"verboten", too, and much more---
All of this is apparently related in some strange way to your
holstility towards me and/or to that old video which caused you to
react with such hostility at the time.
Since you go back to the records of our previous posts
( essentially a good practice : It's wonderful to have the truth of
everything available with one "mouse-click" to anyone who might be
interested in these odd issues) , I'd invite anyone concerened to
consider the following important truth which this site fortunately
shows, too: By clicking on any participant's "profile," you can
immediately see any and all of that person's contributions to this
site ever since it began: And in so doing, by looking at my "record",
you can see, for example, that , far from "imtimidating" people with
negative pposts, as you imply , virtually all my activity here
( =hundreds of posts ) over the years has been dedicated to promoting
polka music by ansering countless requests for lyrics, discussing and
explaining songs and their origins, exchanging and commenting on video
and band "finds" by myself and others, and , maybe most importrantly,
praising "to the slkies" everything that I ( "and many others", as you
put it ) love and cherish in polka music: I particularly love finding
special distinctions in many artists and groups which others may ( or
may not have ) thought of: Thus, I write on this site ( and beneath
relevant you Tube videos) of my huge admiration for four particular
polka figues ( some better, some less known) , such as John Gora, Gary
Sredzienski, Alex Meixner and M. Surratt, as my particular "polka
idols" in various ways ( which I explain); and mention repeatedly that
I admire both Alex M. and Hank Guzevich as perhaps the most dynamic ,
awesome instrumentalists in the field, cionsider John Gora the
greatest Polish singer and performer by far these days, consider the
Pan Franek group the best Polish-style trad/family style group with
the best female entertainers, Goral-style instrumentals, and more;
that I feel that Freeze Dried is the most awesomely versatile, multi-
cultural group in the field , ever ( which is thus perhaps best placed
to represent polka music to the nation and world as a whole) , that
the EFO group is "New England's hope" for keeping polka music alive as
a family/community affair --and both its music and human/community
connections are wonderful; that the Honky Express of Ohio is the best
newer/traditional style group out there and deserves much more
recognition --That Charlie Tansek's presence in the group makes it all
the greter and that Try G, with his wonderfully perfectionist,
traditionally authentic viocals and all his online work, too, for the
polka field are a real treasure ---------and much , much more. In
addition to that, I am fascinated with , and love sharing with the
field on this site, polka music's connections to other countries and
the entire world--and thus, I've explored its conenctions to France
( where I contact and report on, as do Verna M, Troy and others, too,
who are interested in the worldwide polka picture) the bands and
people who cherish this music there--as well as ( sorry German style
offends you agina) , the polka picture in Germany and its neighbors--
and this involves highlighting those great German/Austrian Swiss
groups, which I do toegether with Mike S and others -- and yes, we do
the same with groups from the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovenia,
etc. --In fact, anything imaginable to praise , love and giove
publicity to the whole "polka world --from Texas to South America ,
from Nebraska to Poland, from Florida to Brazil---Re Florida, I've
praised Joe Oberaitis's awesome voice, respect for the lyrics and
tradition and dynamic polaying style often---Interest in the
international polka scene has shown me ( and I passed it on here)
wonderfujl connections , and revelaed whole new "polka worlds " to us;
i.e the recent discovery that one of the Maestro's Men's songs was now
a polka hit in France ( How do I know foir sure? ---Because I wrote
the lyrics, haha--at Dennis's request for his melody) : This showed up
on a French video others and i noticed ---and in the comments below ,
a Brazilian wrote that this new song was now a hit in Brazil, too--
which led me to research the "Polish Brazilian " connection, where we
found videos showing a huge "Polish polka scene " there that has much
bigger, younger crowds tahn we do here---and others and I have made
friends with these people and been invited ( heopfully) to do a polka
tour there some day. Finally ( that should do for starters , anyway) ,
I've been a particular fan and supporter of the RFD polka TV shows ,
and this has led me to lead "write-in campaigns" to RFD to kee the
programs on the air ( as well as to coordinate petitions to Polish TV
stations encouraging them to offer some polka related programming by
leading polka artists who are "good in Polish") --- I supported Big
Joe to the end and have done the smae with Mollie B since the
begininng ( even dedicating a video/siong to her great talents and
achievements), as have many others, of course---I do consider it a
duty ( for the polka cause) as well as a pleasure to supportively
comment on the show and its content whenever I can ( like virtually
every "reviewer," volunteer or otherwise , in the "real world", I do
feel it my duty to be reasonably truthful; that is, to occasionally
mention when something is less than ideal -- Not to do so would
essentially amount to hiding the truth , or lying--That's an ever-
present danger in reviewing and in society, in general--It is
generally understood in society that "artists" shoul d live with this
fact , not take critisicm too seriously --and feel free to shrug it
off---rather than going ballistic over it). All of this has been a
"labor of love" for polka music over the years --and it has been, as
the "profile" record will show about 999.99% positive in tone--As well
as I can recall, I have only said a few words of criticism of
performances ( and in just a few words ) about three times in a total
of , again, hundreds of posts , over ten or so years.
And why do I do all this writing? ---Just, as Mike S. explained it
when someone asked him this question recently, because I love
discussing polkas ---and then, too, because I love supporting the
music and exploring it in this way--Not because I want to dominate the
field , bully others or intimidate them in any way--Anyone is
completely free to disagree any time they want, and many do. As for
the problem of not enough people posting , I think that things would
be much worse, and the polka sites much more dead and desolate , if a
few of us did not post as much as we do . ULsually , whenever there is
really interesting info , or when there are lively discussions, it is
because the saem very few ( 3-5 maybe ) people start them . I think we
all wish that more people would post more , refer us to more videos,
"discover/publicize" new bands, new venues, promising new musicians,
"cool" traditional old-timers, whatever...
Now, looking at your "profile" ( again, these things are great for
cutting through misperceptions, hype and "BS" and getting to the facts
of a situation: I wish I'd thought of this earlier as it might have
spared us much of this ), one will see ( as I thought and implied in
the last post) ----that you have apparently NEVER POSTED ONE SINGLE
POSITIVE WORD , EVER on any aspect of polka music , not one word of
praise of any artist or group ( except of course yourself and "your
group" =as part of your attack posts , when you always write how
popular and great you are and how "evil" your target is) : The record
shows, that , apart from one or two "neutral" one liners, the entire
"sum-total" of your posts on this site over the years has consisted of
two long, bitter attacks on me ( the first , in the "Palin" instance,
and the second, this week) .
I could of course resent this ( and already have : For my part, i
admit that one "hurt feeling" or bad word can lead to another and
that, in frustration with the resulting mess I said a couple words in
this exchange that I wish I hadn't said---Rather than continuing to
"pile it on " in a negative way, though, or play "tit for tat" , Tom,
i 'd rather "take the high road" for a change and use this to
challenge you , Tom, to do better: Because I know you can: You are a
fine musician, I know this , and every group you play in is much
better because of your work --I'll never take that statement back , no
matter what you think of or say about me. I also greatly enjoy the
performances of your whole family , which have contributed greatly to
recordings of groups that I love ( particularly the J. Gora group, one
of my all-time favorites) ---Being caught up in your work and problems
( as I am in mine) , you probably didn't realize this fact ( that you
could actually make a much more postive contribution online if you
chose---by praising some worthy musicians, shows, kids' performances,
videos, or whatever) : A few words of recgnitionand encouragement can
do so much ---yes, just as a few negative words can ( even
unintentionally) cause so much hurt---That's a dilemma we have to live
with--How to be positive and still truthful or somehow express the
occasional reservation or problem we have with a given performance,
style, person , or whastever--I think that's part of our human
dilemma, and as you can tell, I certainly haven't found the solution
to it all, either.
I hope this helps a bit, and wish you well : I would be so thrilled
if some good could come out of all this ---and even if not, hopefully
we can "agree to disagree" and let the thread get "less about you and
me, and more about Mollie B" again.
Sincerely, Joe R

PS: Just forgot to say that there seems to be some kind of
misunderstanding again when you say that I should get away from my
computer and come out and support polka music "which I never do" ---
Actually, I play polka music "out" with my group almost everty week
here ( as local people and clubs know---unless again, you don't count
this as "polkas" because it's German style -:(---but about 8/10 of
what we play is either polkas or waltzes...) ---and I support it,
too, by "leaving my computer" to see my favorite (Polish^) polka
groups, whenever I can, too ...

[jrodg]

> "pile it on " in a ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

In my haste , trying to give a quick summary of years of "pro-polka"
posts, in which I sought to highlight many of the "very best" ( in my
opinion --Of course anyone is free to disagree or add more), I forgot
at least a few of the most important ones ( I think--There are so many
that it's hard to remember them all ) , such as these :
Wally Dabrowski ( Perhaps overall the most versatile ,
proficient performer --on every band instrument EVER) plus he is one
of the best performers of Polish vocals in the field ) ;
Mollie B --- the most versatile, proficient female
instrumentalist and vocalist in the field ( in addition to her other
impressive accomplishments) ---and( This discovery is a new one for
me , based on videos for which I'm grateful to other alt.polkas
habitues for alerting me : I've commented on this several times
beneath the videos concerned , but this kind of info certainly belongs
on this site:
Best "Polish-polka" vocal duo ( now and perhaps "ever") = Ed
Guca and Brian Tos of the Polish Canadians/Major Music: Their cultural
authencity, natural delivery ( They obviously understand what they're
singing and pronounce it flawlessly and effortlessly) , harmony and
choice of the best, most authentic material all contribute to their
consistently wonderful vocal performances, which have delighted me on
every one of the numerous videos of their group(s) which I've seen---
and , needless to say, their entire group is excellent, as well.

[Mike Surratt]

On Nov 3, 11:16 am, CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Very interesting link, Tommy.
>
> Those supporting Polka parodies:
> the_polis_p..
> Mike Surrat
> Johnny Prytko Jr
>
> Those saying Polka parodies are harmful:
> ericjkurowski
> gd500
> Ted Lange
> tom.wanderlich
> voice-of-rea..
> spar...
> S.L.
>

> RIP alt.music.polkas

Hmm, CPG - since you made a statistic about the "parody" thread, my
posts were rather neutral on the matter - "damn if you do and damn if
you don't" was one quote. I have had disagreements public and private
with Joe R. and have felt his anger...so? I'm not one to say that we
all have to get along and I certainly to not believe this group is in
need a headstone.

I didn't take a side on this thread, but you sure have...and actually
that's ok with me too. Discussions would never occur if we all agreed
on a subject.

The one thing all of us have to understand is that the polka genre is
not united in any manner, shape or form. Mutual respect for ethnic
groups, styles, approachs, instrumentation etc does not exist and
there truly is NO organization that flies all the same banners to help
the genre grow and achieve respect from the general music buying
public. If one even tries (Polka Alliance & PAC comes to mind) - it's
shot down before it has a chance to even get off the ground with
skepticism and doomed thinking. Joe R has shot down many bands & ideas
and then sometimes has said in public that he changed his mind after
listening/thinking about a certain band or subject. That's the
positive thing about this newsgroup, the information is brought to
many people. Discussions are a good...all of them.

Bottom line is that the Mollie B show (getting back to the topic) is
now the main focus of polka music in North America and is the most
public avenue that the genre has to reach an outside market. Hoping
that a measure of "correctness" singing in a foreign language while
performing on such a public stage is not that much to ask of any band
and it was obvious to me that Tommy knows if one person noticed, maybe
more did and as he stated he "will work on making it better." We're
not perfect, we all make mistakes. I sincerely wish Tommy & the rest
of "The Knewz" continued success. I also wish the same for Joe R and
anyone out there "performing" the music we all enjoy.

Every polka band (including mine) who takes a country or pop song and
turns it into a polka has created a parody. At least Joe's "palin" was
an ORIGINAL song, concept and production, plunger and all. I bet more
people saw The Knewz on RFD than have seen a few polka plumbers on
youtube.

I will say this...sometimes having a loud "fan" at a gig is a good
thing and sometimes it's not. Showing a youtube video from a USPA
party is a drop in the bucket (1,400+ views) compared to the Mollie B
show. Maybe this discussion will make bands think about the songs they
perform on RFD, maybe not.

MS

[jrodg]

On Nov 3, 11:16 am, CanadianPolkaGuy <p1...@hotmail.com> wrote:

As usual, logic is completely lacking from your little "one
liners" : As I noted above (--Google it) : Parody is an accepted
musical genre througout our entire culture ( and officially
disapproved of only in totallitarian, humorless dictatorships ---and
by persons who share these tendencies.
With "due respect" to these individuals, the fact that "polish-p,"
jrodg46 , "erickurowski" and/or a few others on your list favor or
don't favor the concept of "polka parody" changes nothing about the
fact that parody of any type is a universally accepted genre which is
not only allowed, but even encouraged and often praised in all
democratic societies ( as ours was by major US and international TV
stations and media sites --a rare distinction and achievement for a
polka ---for precisely that reason ). To cite a related instance,
the fact that a couple more "Polish-style" fans on your list may ,
like TW, voice disapproval of , say , a "German-style" post on a
"POLKA site does not in any way mean that German-style posts do not
belong on the site ( any more than that parodies are "worthless" , to
cite Mr. W) : The simple fact is that parodies are perfectly
acceptable to the intelligent , educated majority in the world, and
German-style posts are perfectly acceptable on any "POLKA" site--
Anyone who says the contrary is simply intolerant and misinformed .
Likewise ( to cite a bigger issue) , the fact that countless millions
in the US today do not care for polkas of any sort , does not, we
should all agree , mean that polkas are "worthless" ---It just means
that many are ignorant ( which really means don't recognize ) their
value.
Your last statement ( which is, as usual , one of an endless list
of attempts to attack me with your usual lack of logical thinking) is
wrong for the following logical reasons: 1. ANYONE ( not just me , by
any means ) has the right to criticize bands, etc. This is a basic
right in every democratic society ; and 2. Of course anyone can refute
the criticism or "criticize me" in return: What is patently grossly
wrong is for one or two individuals to spend endless pages attacking
someone else ( usually with demonstrably flawed logic ) in any
possible way imaginable---All the more so when it can be/has been
demonstrated that one or both of these iindividuals has actually made
virtually NO POSTITIVE CONTRIBUTION to the polka discourse on this
site in all the years he has posted--Instead, his only two substantial
posts were devoted to pages of personal attacks, as well as weird
attacks on the concept of "parody" ( --Who in his right mind really
cares about this ?) , on "German-style postings on a POLKA site" ,
etc. As I pointed out above, my energy is devoted mainly ( and
intensely , enthusiastically ) to interacting with others throughout
the world to highlight the best in polka music ---Anyone who cares to
can , of course, disagree with any of my opinions, anything I see---
but to spend endless pages trying desperately to find ways to attack
one person who has voiced a criticism, etc. is a an egregious
violation of the freedom of speech, which of course allows criticism,
as well as a pitiful waste of time , which , of course, "hijacks" and
distorts this Moillie B thread and its message of inclusiveness of
all styles . Once again, I'll try to "bow out " of this essentially
phony discussion ( which is being used by one or two just as a thinly-
veiled pretext for trying to attack me )---something that of course
most could care less about ) and devote myself to the real positive
work of polkas as I know it ( which is playing, writing, performing,
and highlighting the best in this music---all styles of this music) --
As I said to Tom W above,I hope that he does the same --He certainly
has the potential to write great constructive things about polka music
on this site ---for the first time, ever--if he so chooses -- and in
any case, I know that he plays beautifully and is , at the very least,
a great asset to bands in his region. Your role and talents are much
more questionable to me ---but I hope that you can succeed in
channeling your energies more constructively, too : As Mike S has
noted, your participation in this thread has essentially been limited
to trying to get in little "jabs" , which the average intelligent
reader most note invariably fail, both because they are mean-spirited
and because they consistently lack logic and are easy to refute---
You , too, could do better , and I hope you do: Get a life, people,
and promote polkas---instead of spending all your energy trying to
demean one genre ( German, parodies, or whatever) , one musician , or
( especially ---since the greatest danger to free speech is the
attempt to prevent criticism ) one critic : ANYONE can criticize:
That's ok--What is terribly wrong is spending endless pages and hours
trying to refute and find fault with someone for just voicing a couple
of words of criticism of "your" ( or "your favorite" ) group.

[Heiney24]

Really well said Mike. And, we gave RFD the right to play whatever
they wanted without restriction or input. We have no problem with
whatever is played from our sets that were recorded. We're just happy
for the opportunity to be featured.

TW

[Mike Surratt]

Thanks Tommy - once again, go out there and have a good/safe time on
the polka road.

Mike

[Heiney24]

Thanks for the kind comments Joe. And for the record, I "have" failed
to mention the good that you do do for the newsgroup, and for those
seeking assistance with lyrics, history or the like. But I am going to
respond to some of the last statements as well.

Hostility towards your video? Read the thread. Wasn't hostile at all.
I agreed with Ted.

When did I ever say German music offended me? I said your video posed
it in a stereotypical light, again, agreeing with Ted.

Younger polka crowds exist Joe. Lots of them. Travel to these places
and you will see this first hand.

Bitter attacks? I made a statement, offered my opinion, and got read
the riot act.

And also, you're not seeing my OTHER email addresses I USED to post
with before the newsgroup
went to hell. So much for the record showing my sum total of posts as
negative.

So, I'm back to not posting in the group for a couple years, joining
once again, countless others who have decided to stay clear of it.

Good luck Joe.

[Mike Surratt]

On Nov 3, 1:10 pm, Heiney24 <heine...@gmail.com> wrote:

Personally Tommy, I wish you would continue to post here...I don't
like all the topics and responses all the time. Hey, I only respond
when I enjoy the topic.

One thing that is curious is that I asked a question if any Polish
polka bands ever received criticism about their language skills from
native speakers like I have endured over the years from Germans.
That's a good topic...after all, we both were not born in those
countries and are really trying our best to preserve our heritages.

Good luck either way - maybe I'll finally meet you if/when you return
to Blob's Park -- I know you all have some fans there! I was unable to
stop by the last time you performed since I was booked elsewhere that
evening...

Mike

[jrodg]

On Nov 3, 1:10 pm, Heiney24 <heine...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you for your initial concilatory remarks, Tom --- Each one of
us evidently feels that the other "read him the riot act" here ( for
just a couple of remarks ) . I did get a feeling of hostility for the
various remarks at the time that our song showed Polish (!?) people in
a bad light," that it shouldn't be posted, nor should "parodies," on a
"POLKA" site for "POLKA" people, etc. --What the heck : We both/all
tend to get hurt more by others' comments, I guess--- assuming that
our own are ok ... It all continues to be a learning experience ---
including , I guess, some of the "Knewz" that you give here: As I said
before ( like Mike) , being busy with my own band, I wasn't even aware
that you were playing steadily with this band ( or that, inferring
from what MS says, you may well be its leader---whatever ) . I didn''t
even know this , or else, given our past "history" . and the fact that
you have backed up others I greatly admire ( like John G) , I might
have avoided commenting on the group --although somehow I'm uneasy
about avoiding comments on any group altogether out of fear for their
reaction. For better or worse, like most others who comment on these
things, I just go with my instinctive feelings ( as well as some
degree of experience and basis for comparison) about the segments I
see and hear on a given evening. That tradition goes way back, I
think , and has resulted in some reviewers, fans and media even
occasionally panning the greatest "super stars", such as F. Sinatra,
Elvis, M. Jackson, etc. , when they occasionally garbled their lyrics,
or simply because some reviewers have "issues" with the artists'
styles ( which would be an interesting issue to discuss sincerely if
we could only do so without hurt feelings) -- As far as I recall or
have heard about such incidents , the performers concerned, presumably
because they felt sufficiently secure and/or realized that it would be
counter-productive to feud with fans or the press over the incidents,
ignored the occasionally negative feedback.
Re "young crowds at (Polish) polka venues" ( I don't quite recall
why you're mentioning that to me now) , I have noticed from some
videos of IPA, etc. that these do exist occasionally in the Midwest or
perhaps your area---far from connecticut , in any case. On this part
of the East Coast , that hasn't been the case for decades, sadly, in
the "Polish" field, while at "German" venues ( i.e. Beer Gardens and
Oktoberfests, anyway, and at one local club here) , fortunately things
are still relatively youthful and "all-age." To my knowledge , only
one Polish-style band in this region ( "EFO") actually "has" and
"maintains" a relatively all-age audience , although in this state
there are two excellent , award-winning bands ( Maestro's Men and
PCM ) who are loved in the Midwest , as well --- The audience for
"polkas" as you put it, is unfortunately moribund in this state , with
signs of becoming that way soon in once vibrant NJ and Mass., too. Of
course I wish more bands or orgs had EFO's "formula" or could do more
about this. Again, because of my own responsibilities , it would be
hard for me to travel to the Midwest to experience the "younger
crowds" live.
Like Mike, I would actually be happy if you ( or anyone else with
lore , expertise or experience relating to the polka field) would
share it here or on polkasunited. Yes, all of us who express opinions
on aspects of the music occasionally hurt someone's feelings , even
though we might not want to ---Again, as Mike said, I think this is
just inevitably going to occur occasionally if there are to be any
genuine , heartfelt discussions at all, and it would be best if we
could all learn to "give and take" a little better, and to discuss
issues a little more "dispassionately". . It is a shame just to feel
you have to disappear from the site for years at a time, and then just
return occasionally to strike out at the same one or two people, whom
you blame for making you stay away in the first place : That sounds
like a losing "vicious cycle" that it would be good for any of us to
break..-We were all falling into a "dark hole" of recriminations in
this discussion ---Mike has played a good role in bringing us out of
that a bit . As he said, it is good when we can revise our negative
views occasionally and remind ourselves of the good that others do,
even though we might not like some aspects of their thought or
activities. I am glad that I've gradually come to accept and
understand various people, bands and styles, which I originally
totally disrespected through discussions on this site and by giving
some of these issues "another look" --- and I'm glad Mike has noticed
this. I'm also grateful that you acknowledge that I've made some
sincere, good efforts : You needn't say that, or attach any value to
my sort of "background" role where other bands , etc. are concerned ,
and , given the circumstances, it is very big and gracious of you to
do that.
I really do wish you and your group continued success, too .
It's clear to me from the videos that I see that you are successful in
bringing joy to many --- and of course none of that would be possible
without the years of love and dedication you all bring to the music.
It's too bad that some occasional differences of taste ,
style ,preferences,etc. cause us to "pan" each others' efforts
sometimes, and that we can't all deal with these things better. Maybe
we can learn from this experience and succeed in that better in the
future , too -- That would make it all worthwhile. Sincerely,JR

[acha sahi]

On Monday, 26 September 2011 at 20:29:57 UTC+5:30, CanadianPolkaGuy wrote:
> Last Saturday's program was the first one showing Frankenmuth Festival
> bands.
>
> Polka Family representing Chicago style, and Big Daddy Lackowski
> representing Eastern style, will now surely satisfy people who have
> said these styles were lacking in earlier programs.
>
> Also a great job on the audio remix done by Gary Rhamy of Peppermint
> Productions in Youngstown OH adds to the excellent videos.
https://songdownloadmp3d.blogspot.com/