Next Polka Time is all 45RPM.
Save the Date for Gemütlichkeit Days!
Bonus material
This week’s Polka Time with DJ Shotski show will be all 7-inch records! Some of them are scratchy. Others wobbled on the turntables. But all of this week’s songs are gems. Set a reminder in your phone to stream the show online on Sunday at 7 p.m. CST.
Polka Time: Where and when to listen
LIVE - February 2 all-45s show
Sunday, 7 p.m. - WVMO-FM 98.7 Monona
Streaming - Rebroadcast of last week’s episode with a Bill Thull twin spin
Saturday, 8 a.m. - WHYS-FM 96.3 Eau Claire - support WHYS
Saturday, 3 p.m. - WRJQ Goodtime Radio - support WRJQ
Saturday, 6 p.m. - WPCA-FM 93.1 Amery - support WPCA
Saturday, 7 p.m. - WVMO-FM 98.7 Monona - support WVMO
Sunday, 7 a.m. - WOJB-FM 88.9 Hayward - support WOJB
Sunday, 8 a.m. - WILW-FM 96.3 Waupaca
Sunday, 9 a.m. - WOCT-FM 101.9 Oshkosh
Sunday, 4 p.m. - WLSP-FM 103.5 Sun Prairie - support SPMC
Thanks to these community and volunteer-powered stations for keeping vintage polka on the air waves.
DJ Shotski mentioned on Twin Cities TV!
KSTP-TV in Minneapolis previewed the Grumpy Old Men Festival in Wabasha and mentioned our polka dance. I about fainted.
Take a minute to watch the whole segment. You’ll love to hear about all the creative things happening during the festival. Wabasha has a population of around 2500 people, but we’re about to bring buffalo plaid and polka insanity to this town!
Don’t hoard records. Share them.
A fun, music-loving Substack account called Songletter posted this photo of Japanese author Haruki Murakami and his records.
I had a sharp reaction to it.
Years ago I might have whispered to myself, “GOALS.” But now, as the curator of nearly a thousand polka LPs, I raise an eyebrow over such large record collections.
I don’t know more about Murakami’s life than what’s on this Wikipedia page. The only mention of his connection to music is that he worked at a Kissa (a vinyl listening bar popular in Japan after World War II) and that he was passionate about jazz and classical. Is there — or should there — be a line that divides passion and hoarding?
I shared Songletter’s post with this note:
Images like this remind me to double down on sharing the music I collect.
I am on a mission to get people to listen to vintage polka from Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. I do that as a volunteer* DJ on community radio. I do not hoard records. I actively and freely share them with the public over the airwaves to deepen our connection to Wisconsin’s state dance.
* support from fans covers my costs! Shotski Lodge Substack newsletters are FREE for anyone. Reader support keeps the records spinning.
If you have questions about Substack, drop me a line at djshotski@gmail.com and I can tell you about why I started using it for my email newsletter a year ago. If you’re new to Substack, welcome.
Paid memberships (subscriptions) to the Shotski Lodge are a big help, but so are contributions via Venmo, coming to my gigs, or buying my merch. Thank you for supporting my mission.
Support for nonprofit radio stations is more important than ever (no, we’re serious this time)
I love non-commercial radio. It’s not just that you don’t have to listen to ads after every two songs. Nonprofit radio is rooted in the local community in a deep way. Our community members volunteer there. Our local businesses contribute underwriting support. We donate. We hear music and news about us and for us.
Nonprofit media isn’t beholden to commercial interests. It can be independent and follow ethical rules of news reporting. Politicians HATE this. Powerful people love to operate without sunshine or scrutiny. That’s why public journalism has been a target for decades. Big entities like National Public Radio and PBS have survived many slings and arrows. Tiny entities like the community radio stations in Wisconsin have our own funding challenges. We all can truly benefit from tax dollars, but we thrive when everyone chips in money to support us.
I’m so glad to have Polka Time air on WOJB in Reserve, WI. They wrote a really good post about the value of public media and the role federal funding plays in its existence. Federal funding cuts — especially due to political hostility towards the public’s interest — are bad. But we survive because local people, businesses and foundations donate.
New Glarus Hotel in the news
Very cool to see the restoration of the New Glarus Hotel in the news. A group of smart, local folks are banding together to bring new life to the old hotel. I’m pleased as punch to see their efforts include a deep nod to the building’s significance to New Glarus, Wisconsin’s polka history.
The last time I saw music at the hotel was in 2018 during the Roger Bright Memorial Polkafest. The Zweifel Brothers played on the stage, dancers danced, and I got a case of the Polka Tears*. I awkwardly captured the moment on my Instagram account.
Polka Tears happen to me whenever there is a polka band and dancers, but I’m sure I’ll totally lose it when the restored hotel hosts live music once again, not to mention seeing the Roger Bright wall of records come to life.
[What are Polka Tears? I explain why “polka music is happy music, but it also makes me cry” in my “Why I Play Polka Music” post. I’m sentimental.]
Events
Saturday, February 22 — Polka Dance Party at the Grumpy Old Men Winter Festival, Wabasha, MN
If John Gustafson and Max Goldman are your vibe, you will love this dance party at the annual Grumpy Old Men festival in Wabasha, Minnesota. DJ Shotski will team up with Twin Cities dance instructor Miss Shannon to share an all-Minnesota polka music set and teach people how to dance the polka. Dancing shoes and buffalo plaid encouraged.
Find the dance at The Transfer Building, 128 W 2nd St, Wabasha, MN from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, February 22.
Saturday, September 13 - Gemütlichkeit Days
Jefferson County, Wisconsin has thrown a party to celebrate its German heritage since 1971. This year will be no exception as the community gathers for polka music, dancing, games and the welcoming spirit of Gemütlichkeit.
Join DJ Shotski in the GDays biergarten for vintage polka from Wisconsin and the upper Midwest from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Dancers welcome.
The event is held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 503 N. Jackson Ave., Jefferson, WI. In the event of rain, the event will move inside a fairgrounds building. Thanks to generous local sponsors, GDays is free.
What’s next for DJ Shotski?
I’ve got some public and private events in the works, but if you know someone who needs vintage vinyl or polka jams for their next party, drop me a line at djshotski@gmail.com.
Readers like you keep the Shotski Lodge open
The Shotski Lodge is a reader-supported publication. Support from subscribers like you gives me the confidence to pursue my mission to get more people to listen to vintage polka and vinyl records, including through this free e-newsletter.
Become a Shotski Lodge member - Substack offers paid subscriptions for people who want to be patrons of the Lodge’s mission.
DJ Shotski’s Venmo - skip the subscription and give via Venmo where transaction fees are lower.
Hire me for a gig! - your community needs a polka party. Email me at djshotski@gmail.com if you have a venue or an event that needs a vinyl DJ.
Donate records - the answer to free records is always “yes,” though I’m backed up on processing donated records at the moment. I hope to be caught up by spring 2025. Email me at djshotski@gmail.com with a description of what you have to share.