band | Alex Meixner

I’ve been a little out of the loop lately- so I apologize for those that I haven’t been on top of e-mails and facebook messages with…. I’ve enjoyed some down time with the family (or up time when it comes to keeping up with the speed of my Zoey Boey Woey!) and have also had a nice stretch of writing time in my home studio. Unfortunately this was also countered with a nasty summer flu. Hopefully that’s gone away and isn’t shared by anyone else in our house!

While I was relaxing a bit, I got the chance to watch a dvd that my buddy Tom Kowalski- Chicago gave me. He had a whole bunch of video clips of classic Polish bands at Polkabration with a great soundtrack of classic, live Happy Louie. I’m guessing that most of the stuff was from the 1980s, so figuratively speaking not too long ago—although there was probably some stuff from the 1970s in there too… The crowds were amazing! Not just in the sheer size of the audiences, but in their enthusiasm and overall energy. The bands definitely fed off those audiences too, with very animated performances as well. In other words people were having fun—which is why many of us go out to festivals and clubs for live shows. I think we, as musicians and as audiences, need to remember to enjoy ourselves more at these events…. I know I do everything I can to make sure that we’re having a good time!

With that being said, I’m getting ready for the next round of tour gigs. I’ll be heading to NY, PA, MI and CA in the next few weeks for a wide variety of gigs. Peppered amidst the festivals and few club dates are a few “serious” jobs. I say serious, because rather than the normal, sweat-drenched, head bobbing, polka mayhem of the Alex Meixner Band—these are more concert like settings, where I sit down and play a program on accordion that blurs the line between ethnic folk-jazz-classical and other stuff. Although I take all of my gigs seriously, these performances present a different challenge that draws on my more academic background in music. Putting all the gigs together, keeps a nice contrast in developing all the sides of my musical personality. I hope you enjoy the shows you get to…. Or that a YouTube shows up that sparks your interest…..

See ya on the flip side… alex

It was great being back at the Helen Oktoberfest this year. Despite the rain all weekend throughout the region, it was a really good time for all of us there. It was particularly fun splitting stage with Pros’t, a great band from Cincinnati. I’m looking forward to next year already! (We’ve already been asked to return with Pros’t for next year’s 40th Anniversary of the Oktoberfest). The atmosphere in the Festhalle was a blast as always- with more traditional German Oktoberfest music during the afternoons and a fun American party mix as the evening evolves. I even sat in on trumpet with Pros’t as they kicked into Offspring’s “Ya Gotta Keep ‘em Separated” (Interesting choice— could devolve into our set list eventually…).

On the way back north, I detoured to Springfield, VA where I had the great opportunity to record at Brad Hayford’s RBO Recording Studio for the upcoming album by Seamus Kennedy, the renowned Irish singer/musician/comedian. It was a pleasure working with Brad and Seamus—I’m really looking forward to the CD. More information will be available when the CD is released!

In the meantime—it’s Oktoberfest time! The Alex Meixner Band will be in Norwalk, CT on Friday (tomorrow!), and at Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, PA on Saturday (this is one of my favorite venues—check us out with some GREAT beer, amazing breads, sausages and the BEST pretzels ever!). On Sunday, I’ll be doing a duo performance for an Oktoberfest in Park Ridge, NJ. It’s all good—check out the website www.alexmeixner.com for more information… or drop me an e-mail if you need more specifics…

Musings as I get ready for the next road trip…..

Helen, GA Oktoberfest recap/ Seamus Kennedy Recording…