I didn’t watch any of the recent flurry of awards shows (ACM Honors, Americanafest, IBMA, People’s Choice, etc), but I’ll throw in a couple of thoughts.
The IBMA is looking for a new host city after next year’s event in Raleigh. Bluegrass Today published an article discussing this. I have no idea which cities will be in contention. I selfishly hope that it’s somewhere much closer to me than Raleigh.
The Grand Ole Opry-affiliated People’s Choice Awards reportedly didn’t air Morgan Wallen’s three wins. I’m not into Wallen’s music, but at least on the surface, it appears the People’s Choice Awards management are petty cowards. Why bother creating a new “People’s Choice Awards” show when you won’t show the guy who won the top prize? It’s asinine.
Oktoberfest season is in full gear. In Texas, it started rolling in September and will run through Wurstfest in November. Many of the bands that play Oktoberfest and polka events during this time play country music and other styles of music throughout the year. Keep in mind that the majority of the oldest dance halls in Texas were built by Germans and Czechs. Country bands and polka bands often play the same venues and festivals here. You can ask most any polka band here to cover a classic country or western swing song.
Mollie B and Squeezebox are among the best known current polka bands nationally. A couple of weeks ago, they announced plans to scale back touring significantly. They even pulled out of Wurstfest, where they play every year and had been tentatively scheduled for 7 nights. Here’s an interesting quote from Mollie: “We have felt a responsibility to keep the music going, in an age when this genre unfortunately continues to diminish.”
There are some very talented musicians in polka and related fields, and a large number of them also know their way around classic country. Some of these people sing in a half dozen or more languages and play over ten instruments. Mollie released an album of classic country covers in 2023. A couple of days ago, I saw Terry Cavanagh and Tal Spackman. One of Terry’s former students and band members, Catie Offerman, is a country artist who is gaining some traction in Nashville. I saw the fiddler Tal earlier this year in Marcy Grace’s country band. I’ve heard three Texas polka bands cover Merle Haggard in the last month, including The Tubameisters, a group with two tubas and two euphoniums.
Off The Grid is a good example of a Texas polka band that plays classic country, Latin, Cajun, and everything else. This will be their last full season touring, as the accordion player is moving and retiring. They’re the only band I’ve seen that plays a Zendrum. If you want to hear a band cover classic country music with this oddball instrument, then see Off The Grid while you have the chance.
This afternoon, I saw Italian harmonica player Fabrizio Poggi at Gruene Hall. He is in Texas for a brief visit. He last played Gruene Hall eight years ago. Although he is a blues musician, he has collaborated with musicians from various genres over the decades, including Jerry Jeff Walker.
Robert's Country Blog 