The Chardon Polka Band | |
|---|---|
 The Chardon Polka Band performing at the Columbus Oktoberfest | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Chardon High School Polka Band |
| Origin | Chardon, OH, USA |
| Genres | Polka |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Members | Jacob Kouwe, Emily Kouwe, Mike Franklin, Mitch Lawrence, Bob Young |
| Past members | Joe Dahlhausen, Paul Coates, Paul "Pops" Magooch |
| Website | http://chardonpolkaband.com |
The Chardon Polka Band is an American, Ohio-based, Cleveland-Style polka band. It was started by Jake Kouwe in 2003 when he recruited four other teenagers to form a polka band at Chardon High School, and the group was originally called "The Chardon High School Polka Band" and included an accordion, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, electric guitar, and tuba. [1] [2] [3] The group got their start in the school's music room and played at local senior centers and nursing homes in the Chardon area. [4] [5] [6] Kouwe cites Weird Al Yankovic as his inspiration for playing the accordion as he started lessons on the accordion after seeing Yankovic in a VH1 special. [4] The popular satirist remains a role model for The Chardon Polka Band. [7] The band had slowly gained notoriety among Polka fans and in the Cleveland music scene in general, but got mainstream attention when they were featured in a reality show named Polka Kings on Reelz in 2015, even though the show was quickly cancelled. [4] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] The band currently plays over 200 shows a year and has grown to be one of the Cleveland music scene's most recognizable performers playing at a mixture of festivals, schools, nursing homes, and bars, but also tours nationally and headlines many of the nation's top folk festival and Oktoberfest celebrations, playing a mixture of original music, classic polkas, and covers of pop songs. [1] [3] [8] [14] [15] The band was also one of the founding members of the Cleveland revival of Dyngus Day. [16] The band has released ten full-length albums, all independently, four of which were nominated for a Polka Hall of Fame award for either the album or one or more songs.