During its 23 years of keeping polka music alive and kicking in Central New York, this group from Verona has also made a ripple on the national scene. In addition to performing at Woodstock 1999, Fritz's Polka Band earned Record of the Year and Band of the Year nominations last year from the Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. The incessant yet playful swirl of the accordions means a lot of the material sounds the same.
Polka music is about partying, plain and simple.
While an accordion carrying the melody line is a departure from the popular music of today, polka's themes are universal. Despite Fritz Scherz landing a nomination for Best Vocal Performance from the Polka Hall of Fame, no one will confuse him, or his father Fred Sr., with Pavarotti anytime soon. The largely spoken lyrics don't exactly require an opera singer's range. With a couple of cold ones in you, though, they quickly start to sound better. Pa. The engineers captured well the vitality and nuances of the accordions, adding to the energy of the songs.