Imagine square dancing at cirque de soleil or smoking a hookah while wearing lederhosen and you might begin to approach the bizarre synthesis that is The Polka Floyd Show, a band who channels Pink Floyd through the medium of Polka music.  Their self-titled debut gives a unique spin on seven classic Pink Floyd tracks from six different albums that span three decades. 

Polka Floyd's debut CD Release Party will take place this Saturday (February 9th) at The New Dodge in Hamtramck (where else, right?).  So load up on the Paczkis and beer because it's going to be a crazy night. 

Click "read more" below for the review.

~ Quick Take ~

Sounds Like: Your Polish grandmother's record collection colliding with your older brother's record collection. Best Moment: Ken Haas ripping on "Hey You" while Eric Hite paddles and pumps the accordion like a madman. Why You Should Buy:  Because laughing hysterically and dancing like a lunatic is good for your disposition.

Band: The Polka Floyd Show
Release: The Polka Floyd Show
Year: 2008
Band Members: Ken Haas (arrangements, vocals, guitar, steel guitar), Eric Hite (accordion vocals), Chris Zielinski (bass, vocals), Penny Haas (keyboards), Frank Dramczyk (drums)
Recorded by: Audioflare @ Zeta Recording Studio, Holland, OH.
Produced by: The Polka Floyd Show & Christopher P. Stoll
Label: Static Records, Detroit, Mi.

review by Mitch Phillips

The Polka Floyd Show began in 2006 when native Detroiter Ken Haas (Culture Bandits, Hoola Poppers, Zimmerman Twins) and his wife Penny (Click) met up with members of a Toledo-based polka outfit named "Crusade". It started as casual jamming, something to do with friends after the dissolution of their last cover band.  But after selling out some hometown performances and being asked to open for national acts, this merry band of duple-time troubadours found itself performing post-psychedelic polkas on a regular basis.

Their self-titled debut offers a unique take on seven classic Pink Floyd songs from six of their albums, including tracks from "Dark Side Of The Moon" and "The Wall".  Some are well worn staples of classic rock radio such as "Breathe", "Have a Cigar" and "Hey You" but there's something for the Floyd aficionado as well, including a polka version of the Syd Barrett's 1967 single "See Emily Play",  a faithful rendition of "Pigs On The Wing" and an odd take on "Outside The Wall" which sounds like a bad poetry reading set to circus music.

Guitarist, vocalist and arranger Ken Haas was careful to give Floyd fans a flash of recognition on these tracks before turning their drug-addled memories into double-time dance numbers; most of the tunes begin as close to the original as you can get with an accordion before bounding off into the land of beer and sausages. The inclusion of various interludes give this disc the pace of a Floyd record too.

While the focus here is definitely polkas, Eric Hite's nimble-fingered performance recalls other accordion genres as well; parts of this disc sounds like Zydeco or Klezmer while others inspire a mid-western square-dance. The gruff vocal delivery on "Have A Cigar" contrasted with Hite's whimsical accordion sounds like some crazed version of "Tommy's Holiday Camp" and the intro to "Hey You" sounds like street music for Cafe de Paris.

Unfortunately, "Another Brick In The Wall" didn't make the cut on this debut, but at the time of this posting you can still hear a demo on their MySpace page.  Let's hope for a quick sophomore release.   - Mitch


Track By Track

1. See Emily Play (Barrett - originally appeared on "Relics")

2. One Of These Days  (Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason - originally appeared on "Meddle")

3. Breathe (Waters - originally appeared on "Dark Side Of The Moon")
4. Have A Cigar (Gilmour, Mason, Waters, Wright - originally appeared on "Wish You Were Here")

5. Pigs On The Wing (Waters - originally appeared on "Animals")

6. Hey You (Waters - originally appeared on "The Wall")

7. Outside The Wall (Waters - originally appeared on "The Wall")


Visit Polka Floyd On MySpace:      
http://www.myspace.com/polkafloyd

Visit The Polka Floyd Show's Official Webstie
www.polkafloyd.com