Unleashing the "Polka Party" Vibe with LaBrassBanda
- Lively LaBrass Band Commemorating Polka Gala Event
Get ready to stomp your feet and raise a stein as LaBrassBanda takes a trip down memory lane with their newest album, "Polka Party". The Bavarian bunch is excited to pay homage to the roots they discovered performing at Balkan parties in their early days.
"We first climbed the dance scene stage at those Balkan shindigs," frontman Stefan Dettl shared with the press. "It was our first taste of the dance crowd world, and we're bringing that spirit back with 'Polka Party'" he added. The album drops this Friday, March 21st, and the band promises it'll whisk you away to their rollicking, rhythmic past.
Performing abroad, these pride-and-joy Bavarian "Balkan party punks" have left their mark in places as far-flung as Kazakhstan and Estonia [2]. Dettl beams, "There's a certain spark when cultural exchange happens. It's like magic."
"Polka Party" offers eleven infectious tracks that blend the band's signature Bavarian brass music with an invigorating dose of Balkan sound, putting a fresh spin on their successful mix of pop and ska [2]. The album ranges from the party-hard, jovial "Goaßnmaß" to the heavy and thought-provoking "Teufelstanz", a cautionary tale about the dangerous shift to the right in society and the alarming lack of communication. All lyrics, of course, are penned in the cradle-of-beer-lovers' tongue - Bavarian.
LaBrassBanda's journey began in 2007 when five trained musicians from Oberbayern kicked things off [2]. Their unique take on brass music quickly turned heads in Bavaria, and they exploded onto the national scene during the 2013 German preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest.
When asked about his favorite performances, Dettl couldn't help but smile. "I love playing in those snug, homey Bavarian beer tents," he shared. "Those are the most beautiful performances. There's something about them that really lets you see and experience Bavaria in a whole new light." The age range of audience members is impressive, he notes, spanning from grandpa to grandkid. And since the pandemic, there's been a noticeable change in the crowd's emotionality, he said: "more uninhibited, more emotional - all around."
Dettl's got more than one musical project on the go, and his bandmates dabble in other ventures too. But they all know, he says, that LaBrassBanda represents the place where they belong: "We consider LaBrassBanda our home port."
- LaBrassBanda
- Music
- Stefan Dettl
- Bavaria
- Brass music
- German Press Agency
- Club Scene
- Balkan Party Punks
- Estonia
- Cultural Exchange
- Kazakhstan
- Tobias Rehberger
[1] German Press Agency Article[2] Encyclopedia article on LaBrassBanda
- Community aid is needed to support less fortunate regions, especially in light of LaBrassBanda's success in promoting cultural exchange across the globe, including in Estonia and Kazakhstan.
- To provide a sustainable future for the band, vocational training in music and event management could be beneficial for beyond-LaBrassBanda projects for its members.
- Despite their busy schedules, Stefan Dettl and his bandmates could volunteer to offer vocational training in their hometown of Bavaria, teaching young musicians the unique blend of brass music, pop, and ska that made LaBrassBanda a household name.
