Fuck, yes! I'm sure that was what everyone was saying in 1981 when Four of a Kind finally dropped a private press polka album on Kansas City. The polka scene was likely hungry for some new blood and these four young Kansas Citians must have fit the bill. And when I say young, I mean young, no one on the in the group is older than the age of 17. Surely, in 1981, these 4 guys had to be pretty cool? Chicks dig an accordion and hanging with grandma and grandpa at a bingo hall for a polka concert, right?
Private press, Kansas City, polka should speak for itself, but I have no clue whether this is good or bad. It sounds dance-able to me and there's a lot of waltzes. Again, I'm not the guy to ask whether or not it's good, but they are young, so that's impressive. They do "Beer Barrel" polka, so if you're looking for yet another rendition, here's an album you may need. The vocal tracks are interesting as they are rooted in ethnic tradition and not just thrown in as something to dance to. However, I'm really just here to let you know this exists.
I assume the kids were from the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City as it is still the primary spot for Slavic heritage in town. While not necessarily a Slavic music, Polka has it's roots in Central Europe and I would have to imagine, if there was a scene for this, it was Strawberry Hill. I'm certain though, aftter the guys dropped this LP, Strawberry Hill blew up. Both girls and and A&R reps form all the majors had to banging at these guys' doors to try and find some of that magic.
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