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CCS News

Mike Stapinski   Roger Malinowski   Lenny Gomulka   Mike Matousek   Al Piatkowski   Jimmy Weber

“Caribbean Polka Cruise with the Stars” - Huge Success! 

Make Plans for "Caribbean Polka Cruise with the Stars II" for January '09    

Polka Hall of Famers Lenny Gomulka, Jimmy Weber, Al Piatkowski, and Mike Matousek, along with polka legends Mike Stapinski and Roger Mailnowski (as a group called Full Circle)hosted their hugely successful  “Caribbean Polka Cruise with the Stars” this past February 9 – 16, 2008.  280 polka fans from 22 states and Canada sailed from Miami, FL and toured the Eastern Caribbean on a fabulous 7-day polka adventure at sea.  The legendary Joe Oberaitis along with Rick Piotrowski, Terry Neithamer, and Brad Turk also provided their exciting polka sounds.  Even DJs Steve Matousek and Kenny Olowin hosted some great afternoon polka parties!  To see photos from the 2008 cruise click here.

Plans are now set for Full Circle's "Caribbean Polka Cruise with the Stars II" next January 24 - 31, 2009.  Based on the feedback from our past cruisers, we tried to keep the trip affordable, select a different cruise line, find a newer ship with a nice dance floor, and sail from a Florida port other than Miami.  I think we found an itinerary that meets all these preferences!   

So, join us on board the brand-new, luxurious MSC Orchestra (MSC cruise line’s flag ship) as we sail from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, Cozumel (Mexico), Georgetown (Grand Cayman), and MSC’s private port in the Dominican Republic, Cayo Levantado.  The MSC Orchestra was just built in 2007, has all the state-of-the-art amenities, and is coming to the Caribbean for the first time!  Its Shaker’s Lounge has a 484 square foot dance floor, too!  We'll be having our signature cocktail parties, special polka parties with DJ Kenny Olowin, and of course, world-class live polka parties with Full Circle, special guest star and Polka Hall of Famer Mitch Biskup, and guest musicians, Rick Piotrowski, Steve Dudas and Brad Turk.

As a special bonus, MSC invited baseball greats Rick Burleson, Ken Griffey Sr., Andre Dawson, Gary Peters, and Stan Bahnsen to sail this itinerary and rub elbows with the cruisers!  To learn more about the MSC Orchestra click here!   

By the way, we’re now working with an experienced, professional travel agent who is an avid polka fan and dancer!  Her name is Helga Leonard and she owns “A Dream Trip 4 U” travel agency in the Pittsburgh area.  MSC has allowed us to block 150 cabins for our group but we need your deposit immediately in order to keep them. 

Our great cabin rates (double occupancy) include government taxes, port fees and fuel surcharges:

Interior Cabin           - $763

Ocean View Cabin   - $883

Standard Balcony    - $1033

Superior Balcony     - $1233

3rd and 4th adults in a cabin are only $499 per person! 

Kids 17 and under even sail free (with two adults in a cabin. Only the $42 fuel surcharge per child  applies)!

Please give Helga a call at (724) 234-2033 immediately to make your deposit and reserve your stateroom.  You can email her at helga@adreamtrip4u.com with any questions.  Check out our web site at www.gonefullcircle.com  for more cruise news.

Let’s spend another wonderful week together in polka paradise!  Please act now!

For a cruise brochure, click here.  

IPA Inducts 2008 Hall of Famers & Presents 2007 Music Awards

On August 2, 2008, the International Polka Association inducted this year's Polka Music Hall of Famers and presented the 2007 Polka Music Awards.  The honorees are listed below: 

2008 Polka Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Living Category - Mike Matousek (MD), Raymond "Ray Jay" Jarusinski (PA)

Pioneer Category - Teresa Zapolska (NY)

Deceased Category - William (Wesoly Bolek) Borek (FL)

2007 Polka Music Award Winners 

Favorite CD - "Bulletproof Polkas" by John Gora and Gorale (Canada)

Favorite Song - "Kiss of Fire" by John Gora and Gorale (Canada)

Favorite Male Vocalist - Lenny Gomulka (MA)

Favorite Female Vocalist - Stephanie Pietrzak (NY)

Favorite Instrumental Group - Dennis Polisky and The Maestros Men (CT)

      Mike Matousek is inducted into the Polka Music Hall of Fame

(left to right: Jerry Wantroba, IPA Director, Pete Danielczuk, IPA Sgt.-At-.Arms and Awards Banquet MC, 

Mike Matousek, 2008 Hall of Fame Inductee, and Leon Kozicki, Polka Music Hall of Fame Chairman)

Congratulations to all the Hall of Fame inductees and Music Award winners!  This year's IPA Festival & Convention was a great success!  Large crowds turned out to celebrate the IPA's 40th anniversary and  attend the Polka Music Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on July 31 - August 3, 2008 in Independence, Ohio.  The festival and convention will return to Ohio in 2009 and 2010.  Click here for all the details. 

29th Annual Polkamotion by the Ocean returns to Rehoboth Beach in 2008! 

Plans are set for the 29th Annual Polkamotion by the Ocean to return to Rehoboth Beach, DE next September 11 - 14, 2008.  Once again a great line-up of polka bands will be featured in the Convention Center.  Polka Family, Polka Country Musicians, Dynabrass, Full Circle (Lenny Gomulka, Jimmy Weber, Al Piatkowski, Mike Stapinski, Roger Malinowski & Mike Matousek), Old School, the Eddie Forman Orchestra, Phocus, Jolly Rich and the Polka Stars,  and the Tommy Thomas Trio will all be there.  Polish food will be available in the Convention Center throughout the festival and a Polka Mass will be conducted on Sunday.  Attention golfers: Don't miss the Polkamotion Celebrity Golf Tournament that will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2008.  Contact Rich Anton at (732) 905-9454 for more details.  We've incorporated many of your suggestions to make Polkamotion even better in '08!  Feel free to contact us at mike@charmcitysound.com or mikez@charmcitysound.com with your thoughts.  For the latest information on Polkamotion, click here.  

Best regards!

Mike Matousek & Mike Ziemski
Polkamotion by the Ocean
www.rbpolka.com 

The Mikes Are On!

 Internet Polka Show with Mike Matousek and Mike Ziemski!

Mike Matousek and Mike Ziemski invite you to tune into their entertaining Internet polka show called "The Mikes Are On!"  The show is broadcast four times each week on www.247polkaheaven.com beginning on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m.  Mike and Mike, with the help of producer/engineer Steve Kaminski, combine the best of today's Polish/Push-style polkas with interviews, insights, and comic bits to create 60 minutes of captivating online polka entertainment.  

In addition to Mike and Mike, the "staff" of "The Mikes Are On!" include:

•  "Bawlmer" Bernie, the lovable, historical correspondent who speaks with the classic "Bawlmer" accent and shares the local culture.  "Go Ravens!"

• Siddhartha Parminder Sikorski, the half-Polish, half-Indian proprietor of the "Polka Dot Express", an ecclectic convenience store that sells unusual polka recordings.

• Uncle Jezy, Sid's elderly uncle who helps work the store and manage the chili dogs.

• Nigel Periwinkle III, the former British Broadcasting Company (BBC) reporter new to America and the polka world.  

To see the complete weekly schedule of polka shows on www.247polkaheaven.com click here.  Note that "The Mikes Are On!" is also featured on Sundays at 2:00 p.m., Mondays at 11:00 a.m., and Wednesdays at 12:00 a.m.  The show is updated every other Friday.

To listen to a show anytime you want, just click on one of these recent entertaining editions of "The Mikes Are On!: 

  "Sid Co-hosts"   "Just One Mike"   "The Belltower"  "The Ballgame"   

Any bandleaders or record labels that would like their music featured on "The Mikes Are On!", should send their CDs to: The Mikes Are On!, 8372 Williamstowne Drive, Millersville, MD, 21108.  Feedback and suggestions regarding the show are welcome at mike@charmcitysound.com.  Feel free to share any polka events you'd like us to promote! 

Tune in when you can because The Mikes Are On! 

The Boys Are Back!

That's right folks!  After eighteen years all the major players of the The Boys have regrouped to once again recreate  some of their magical polka music that dominated the polka scene in the late 1980's.  Teddy Borzymowski, "Mazurka Al" Puwalski, Jeff Yash, and now Polka Hall of Famers Frankie Liszka and Mike Matousek will assume their regular positions on stage for some select performances.  Even the former "Dynatone" Mike Evan has joined as the newest "Boy" to help give the band its biggest sound ever.   To keep track of The Boys' rare appearances, visit the Tour page at this site by clicking here.  

Charm City Sound Releases New CD, "Christmas Lights" 

CD Featured on www.ChristmasReviews.com

After a year of work, Charm City Sound is proud to release their newest CD, "Christmas Lights".  Christmas Lights is truly a unique collection of works that manages to capture the wide range of emotions stirred by the holiday season.  The true meaning of Christmas is definitely proclaimed as well.  Half of the selections are original CCS compositions and the rest include classics like: "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "Dzisiaj Betlejem", and "Little Drummer Boy", all executed with refreshingly rich arrangements in a commercial-quality production.  From the traditional flavor of Little Wally's "Zebym Mi Santa Claus" to the contemporary feel of the original rock/oberek, "Tell The World", this CD covers the musical spectrum for the holiday season.  Even IPA Polka Hall of Famer Jimmy Weber croons a couple tunes on the album!  Other guest artists and surprises are featured as well.  To get your copy of Christmas Lights, just send your check or money order of $15 to Mike Matousek, 8372 Williamstowne Drive, Millersville, MD. 21108.  You can even sample some of the songs and order it online by clicking here.  

This just in........we recently discovered that our "Christmas Lights" CD is currently featured and reviewed on an eclectic Christmas music web site called www.ChristmasReviews.com.  According to the web site, it exists for the purpose of celebrating Christmas music and other seasonal music. They feature and review CDs on the site and promote the ones they like. Their mission is to "focus attention on outstanding independent label and artist releases that are often difficult to locate through conventional distribution channels.  They go on to say. "we hope to provide people an opportunity to see and hear music we might not otherwise find out about at all."  Of course, it's gratifying to learn our CD got a very nice review from a non-polka music critic (see the review at http://christmasreviews.com/wccs6.shtml), but I'm more excited about the fact that polka music is getting some recognition on this music site.  As you might expect, www.ChristmasReviews.com doesn't even have a polka category, so they listed our "Christmas Lights" CD under "Folk".  Nevertheless, the music critic was apparently excited by the polka sound, particularly the use of the accordion and concertina.  I encourage any polka band leaders to check out the site and submit any polka Christmas recordings you may have done for their review. I think it's a great way to introduce the music we love to a broader audience and to re-establish the polka genre back into the mainstream music industry.           

CCS Music On CD Baby, & Apple I-Tunes

CD Baby, the Internet's largest distributor of independently-produced CDs, carries all five of Charm City Sound's recordings.  The "To buy any of our CDs with a credit card, click here" link will take you to CD Baby. There you'll be able to read all about our recordings and sample every song!  From our CD Page you can also just click on any CD and go right to our shopping cart to make a CD purchase.  Of course, you can still buy CCS recordings directly from the band by sending your $15 check or money order in care of Mike Matousek.  The CD Page has all the info you need.  If you're into digital downloads, now you can buy all the songs on Charmed and Dangerous from Apple I-Tunes!  Just click here!  Soon thirty more digital distributors will carry CCS's music.      

For the Perfect Polish Wedding.................................

If you ever needed a tool to help you conduct an authentic Polish wedding reception, Steve Matousek (The Boys, Premiere) just released the perfect CD entitled Polish Wedding Traditions.  With the help of brother Mike Matousek (Charm City Sound), cousin Dave Jankiewicz (Charm City Sound), sister Ellen Snyder and her husband Gary, along with veteran Baltimore musicians Steve Lesniewski and Ron Wise (both of Joy IV), Steve put together a beautiful recording of the special music needed to accompany all the vital Polish wedding traditions. Complete with a manual that provides explicit instructions on conducting each ceremony, this CD is a must for the professional wedding planner, disc jockey, Master of Ceremonies, or the family of newlyweds who want to enjoy those precious Polish traditions on the bride and groom's special day.  Just click on the image above to link to more information about this wonderful capsule of Polish wedding traditions.

Support Polka Music - Join The IPA, USPA, & PAC

There are many ways polka fans can help sustain and grow the polka industry.  Attending polka events, supporting polka bands, DJs & IJs, and sharing the music with friends and co-workers, all help toward the goal of broadening the polka audience.  If you're serious about helping the polka cause, consider joining organizations like the International Polka Association (IPA), United States Polka Association (USPA) and the Polka America Corporation (PAC).

Since 1968 when officially chartered by the State of Illinois as a "not for profit" corporation, the IPA has remained true to its mission by serving as an educational and charitable organization for the preservation, promulgation and advancement of polka music.  It strives to promote, maintain and broaden public interest in polka entertainment, to advance the mutual interests and encourage greater cooperation among its members who are engaged in polka entertainment, and to encourage and pursue the study of polka music, dancing and traditional folklore.  The IPA does this by conducting a variety of polka-oriented events throughout the year, the most significant being its annual Polka Festival & Convention.  It is also responsible for the continued operation and growth of the Polka Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Through this branch, the Association has been able to continue its historical, educational and research goals on behalf of the polka music industry.  Click on here for the whole story regarding the IPA.  

Chartered by the State of Connecticut as a not for profit corporation on December 28, 1968, the USPA began its mission to promote interest and participation in Polish Polka music. The Charter was later moved to the State of Ohio on April 27,1993.  The organization strives to advance the mutual interests and encourage greater cooperation among its members who are engaged in Polish Polka entertainment, as well as pursue the study of Polish polka music and dancing.  Membership is open to any person whose ideals and purposes are in harmony with those of the USPA., and who pledges to observe and be governed by the Constitution-By-Laws and rules of the USPA.  Click here here for more information about the USPA.