VeroniqueC

Polka Haunt Us Progress Report No. 2

Greetings Dear Fiends and Fans!

Well, we are happy to report to you that things are really coming along nicely. We laid down our inaugural track, "The White Witch Of Jamaica" on Tuesday, March 11th, and the happy result is the rough mix/demo that is now posted on this profile's music player. We will be adding a few more embellishments, but it is mostly close to finished as it is.


PHU Song States of Readiness:

A)"Bubbe's Dybbuk Polka" based on a short story by journalist and nationally syndicated columnist Ted Roberts (music composed by Jann Castor) is awaiting vocals by noted Cantor (and very funny man), Gary Shapiro. Klezmer clarinet master, Zinovy Goro has been approached to lay down some licks, and an extra-special Mystery Bubbe will add some spoken word to round out the composition.

B)Guitar virtuoso/Grammy Nominee Goh Kurosawa has just given us the completed tracks for "The Devil's Guitar" for which he composed the music to Veronique's lyrics. Not only is he a great player, but he's also quite an expressive vocalist. This piece is sure to appeal to everyone's inner Rock Star! (Or is that "Polka Star"?)

C)The most infamous haunted hot spot in all of Ireland, "Castle Leap", is the subject of a composition of the same name, by Gee Rabe. At last, there will be a worthy Halloween anthem polka for citizens of the Emerald Isle the world over. But you'll need a green pumpkin to go with your beer!

D)"Full Moon Face-Off" is the title of the track that Polka Grammy Nominee Alex Meixner has been so gracious as to create for the project. It holds the promise of becoming the "Dueling Banjos" of the accordion world. Who is Alex's partner in squeeze box prowess on the track? Why, again, the multi-dimensional (or is that dementia-nal?) Gee Rabe! (Yes, it's true, sometimes the best man for the job is a woman!)

E) And speaking of great women, Grammy Nominated soprano Elisabeth Ekornes is fast at work on her composition of "The Fisher Bird Girl", based on the spooky folktale "The Cormorants of Andver" from her native Norway. She will be also adding her gorgeous vocals for great atmospheric effect.

F) "Kalkajaka Polka" based on one of Australia's most haunted natural formations, Black Mountain, is the subject of another composition by Jann Castor. (An interesting aside about Jann is that in 1981, he was the first rock artist to incorporate indigenous musical instruments into mainstream pop music with his song "My Digeridu". See his clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RV8dP8howY).

That's all for now. Please stay tuned for more!