Alex's Weblog

alexmeixner — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Check out some of my tunes and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Thanks, Alex

Fall gigs recap, Stay All Night finally up on digital distribution, December gigs, recording projects….

alexmeixner — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Now, this is Christmas!

alexmeixner — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What goes better together than beer, burlesque and, of course, polka! Last week, Alex and the scantily clad ladies of the Wasabassco Burlesque took the stage to perform a Christmas themed take on their smash hit, the Oktoburlesque show. Alex was joined by Wonder-Drummer, Matt Zebroski and Dallas Vietty on accordion. While Matt has been a long-time sideman of Alex, Dallas, one of Alex's old students and a wonderful French/jazz accordionist, took the polka stage for the first time ever. The Alex Meixner Band and the Wasabassco Dancers traded sets all night and even did some numbers together, "Strip Polka" and "There Always In The Way." All in all it was a great night! You're not going to want to miss the next one! Check out some of these photos from the event taken by Sam Horine. You can find all the event photos here. [gallery]

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alexmeixner — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

7 Springs, British Columbia and Butte! Montana

alexmeixner — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:26:20 +0000

July sure has been a month so far..... after a few days at home with Zoey showing us all of her new moves, new words and preparing us for the terrible 2s, I was back off to work.... Polka Freak Out made their first appearance (notice the inclusion of "first" as I hope it is to be repeated!) at 7 Spring Polka Fireworks. It was great to see some of my friends from the Polish polka world that I rarely get to see, as well as meet some of the great musicians I've admired from afar for a long time. It was a daunting opening as Tony's Polka Band had the crowd jamming right before us... and well, we're not a Polish band... therefore there was probably some skeptical trepidation from a good portion of the audience... Luckily, Hank Guzevich tuned up the sound system pretty quickly and had us off and running... the audience responded enthusiastically, even if they weren't dancing-- luckily, Dennis Polisky and the Maestro's Men gave them the straight up rocking Polish dance beat alternating with us.... Overall it was a blast hearing Blazoncyck's Versatones, Dynabrass and Pan Franek as well as playing for a fun polka audience.... From there- it was a late night drive back home and reload with the Alex Meixner Band to head back to Kimberley, British Columbia.. Although a scheduing mixup caused us to be unable to adjudicate the competitions, it was great to be back to entertain in the Wednesday concert. Don Lipovac wowed everyone with his accordion mastery as the opening act. At age 72, he continues to inspire me with his pure musicality and absoulte humility-- constantly striving to achieve higher levels of performance... amazing! Then, we went on-- Matt Tolentino, Matt Zebroski and Dad (back on stage for this tour) really put it all together for a fun show. Zebar even made his accordion debut in front of the entire arena audience! I think he has a future in this.... Don joined us for a finale- and I got a good accordion lesson on stage, as always from the master... From there- it was on to Butte, MT- where we performed at the National Folk Festival. I can't begin to say enough about the hospitality of the people in Butte. Everyone was so friendly and proud of their town hosting this mammoth event-- and they deserve the recognition!! This was my first work in this circuit and I look forward to the continuing collaborations with other artists and the staff that shows respect and appreciation for such a wide variety of talented artists... So many new friends were made that it's hard to single any out-- but, suffice to say that I have lot's of practicing to do on Bulgarian music after meeting Milen and Kalin.... On the opposite side of the world, but totally grooving on his own is Nathan Williams of the Zydeco Cha chas--- who totally showed how to whip a crowd into a dance freindzy....Then, it was just a totally awesome irony to meet a conjunto from Washington headed up by the brother in law (and including the father) of one of my favorite musicians- Joel Guzman-- Juan, Andy and the crew are top class individuals that I'm proud to now say our friends too! Well--- i'm off to get some sleep before the next round of driving-- homeward bound....

How could I forget Rotondi????

alexmeixner — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:21:29 +0000

So as I reviewed last night's new additions on my musical influence list-- I noticed that one cd has been played over and over for the last 6 months on both my ipod, my car and in my daughter's manic dance sessions in the house.... Rotondi was a band from California in the mid-80s that started as the brain child of Paul Lacques. As i was co-hosting my Dad's radio show at the time (at the ripe old age of 8 or 9), I encountered their premier record- "Polka Changed my Life Today" and determined that I really didn't like what they were doing... I was a staunch polka traditionalist at the time! Fast forward about 20 years.... As I was recording the Polka Freak Out album with Bubba- he brings in some tunes by Paul Lacques that are among some of the prettiest and most thought out compositions I have played in ages... We ended up cutting "Baby" and "Girl of my Dreams" for the album and I gained a great admiration for Paul. Then--- I saw him perform with his current band- I see Hawks, a great country group, that performed with PFO in LA last year. Shortly after, I acquired the cds of Polka Changed my Life Today and Play On. Both are pretty amazing- but Play On is truly a masterpiece. The compositions, the arrangements and performances are really amazing. I can't really describe where anything is coming from as it's all over the place-- some stuff has a good polka tempo with horn lines and melodies that seem to come from different pop influences-- but they coalesce seemlessly. Other tunes would've sounded perfect done by THe Police-- though I think Rotondi was better.... (also- keep in kind, everyone in the band was playing their secondary instruments... imagine the Police with Sting on drums....) If you get the chance- the cd is still available at cdbaby. Check it out.... oh, while you are-- my new one should be there in the next few weeks... shameless plug, I know... but I'm preparing to pay for them!!! :) -Alex

Family Tradition now at CDbaby.com

alexmeixner — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:27:03 +0000

I finally have the new cd available online at CD Baby! Family Tradition celebrates 4 generations of Meixner Music in the United States with 19 all new performances by Alex Meixner. Some traditional style, some more contemporary makes for a varied listening experience-- much like the live shows Alex presents throughout the nation.... There are sound clips at the cdbaby site--- hope you enjoy my latest work....

Mel McDaniel

alexmeixner — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:24:47 +0000

I am finally getting a little rest time in my hotel in West, Texas as I prepare for the last leg of a pretty big tour... some gigs in CA- including one of my favorite festivals-- the Cotati Accordion Festival (where I was made an honorary citizen of Cotati this year!!) and a return visit to the Minnesota State Fair... (where I performed a few years ago with The Al Meixner Trio) MN State Fair is a great event-- amazing varieties of fried foods you can't even imagine and almost everything is available on a stick. The crew is at the Bandshell is super easy to work with and the staff is really cool and helpful. I was performing with Polka Freak Out and had the honor of being in rotation with Five by Design and the great country singer Mel McDaniel. I wasn't really familiar with Mr. McDaniel by name, but came in as he kicked into Louisiana Saturday Night and totally remembered that big voice. Mel is getting over a case of pneumonia and has had a battery of health difficulties- but really affected me with his total commitment to his audience. He poured every ounce of his being into those sets-- and sounded great. The audience was totally there for him... I watched people come up with Lps from the 70s for him to sign, and although he was really hurting physically, it was amazing to watch him do it... singing, interacting with the fans and his band family and lovely wife. I'm a fan now.... His band- Oklahoma Wind is comprised of great musicians, and a wonderful support structure in every way. It was a true honor to meet these gentlemen and hope to have the opportunity to see them again. I wish them all the best in health and happiness.... thank you Mel for your great spirit and inspiration...

New Stuff!

alexmeixner — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:28:43 +0000

I'm in Helen, GA right now for my annual performances at the "World's Longest Oktoberfest". We had a nice opening last night and I'm looking forward to 3 more days of duo performances with Ed Klancnik on drums.... In the meantime, this has been my busiest year ever of touring performances. Since May, I have traveled approximately 25,000 miles throughout the USA, with a brief stop in British Columbia. The response from the crowds to the live performances, as well as the new "Family Tradition" cd has been overwhelmingly positive and I'm very grateful for all of the support and friendship I have received this year. At the same time, I am working very hard to continue developing more repertoire to bring more exciting shows your way for the rest of this year and next year. In order to keep everything going on the road and at home - I have enlisted the services of a good friend, Mark Bengtson, who will be coordinating some of my promotions work. He is administering this myspace and will be setting up a you tube channel amongst other efforts. Definitely check out the sites as they're developing and pass them on to your friends too! (I will still be answering personal messages in my inbox in as timely a fashion as possible-- so I look forward to keeping in touch with my friends as well!!) Hope to see ya down the road with the remainder of the Oktoberfest/ Wurstfest season and into Christmas time...

About

alexmeixner — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:50:53 +0000

I have been a lifelong musician- first performing in public at age 6 with my 2 sisters as the Meixner Kinder, accompanied by my father's band. From these early performing experiences, I have gone onto lead a life immersed in music. I have performed and recorded with a multitude of artists from all around the world and teach music students ranging in age from 6 to 76. I perform on trumpet, piano accordion, diatonic button accordion, keyboards, bass and drums- in addition to other horns and the occasional vocal (or yodel). I currently lead The Alex Meixner Band and Jazz Visions as well as colloborate with Bubba Hernandez in our 2007 Grammy nominated Polka Freak Out project. Additionally, I enjoy collaborating with artists in many musical genres for studio projects and live gigs.

Oktoberfest!

alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:41:22 +0000

I’m finally getting around to setting up a formal blog, besides MySpace… Thanks to my promotions manager, Mark Bengtson, I will hopefully have an increased presence on the web. He’s also making sure that I get some stuff up on the crazy gigs I’m playing… soon- I’ll have pictures too! Just a matter of me getting that digital camera to work!! (Why can’t they be simple like accordions?!?!?) This past weekend marked a return to the “World’s Longest Oktoberfest”- at Helen, GA. Perfect weather, a great sound man and Ed Klancnik providing the beat for our dynamic duo act gave us a lot of fun. The audience was a great mix of traditional Germans and fun loving southerners- which allowed us to jump around with a lot of different repertoire… of course, the FL Gator contingent demanded some gator chomps in retaliation for our performance of “Rocky Top”—which we gladly obliged with being that the Gators beat Tennessee on Saturday…. It was a pleasure splitting stage with Al Nowak and the Edelweiss Orchestra from Cleveland, OH. I always enjoyed Al’s old recordings and it’s great to see him and the band, including Heidi- out on the road. Hope to have the opportunity to return back to Helen in 2009--- we’ll keep you posted as that schedule develops! alex

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alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:47:46 +0000

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Recording, NARAS and...MORE OKTOBERFEST!!!

alexmeixner — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:53:46 +0000

Another week is almost flown by….. It's Oktoberfest time so I'm flying by the seat of my pants—but strangely enough, it's not all Oktoberfest work right now! Last week I had the great honor of recording with the incredible accordionist Guy Klucevsek. Some very exciting music that will be released on CD in the near future—it's definitely a step in a different world for me, but all an extension of what music can lead us to. Of course, the sessions were quickly followed by the return of leather….. I had Oktoberfest gigs with The Alex Meixner Band at United German-Hungarians for the Bayrischer Volksfest Verein- near Philadelphia, PA and at Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, PA. Despite the remnants of hurricanes blowing rain up the east coast—we had enthusiastic audiences at both venues as we brought out the old traditional chestnuts and hit with all of our energetic Oktoberfest favorites. We'll be back at Stoudt's on Sunday October 19--- if you're in the area you don't want to miss it--- not only is it a great venue for our band- the beer, food (especially Eddie's Breads and Pretzels) and the overall atmosphere is a lot of fun! Last night, I went down to Philadelphia with my cousin/ guitarist and all around good guy- Jon Asbath to check out an "In the Mix" event for the Philadelphia chapter of NARAS. It was good to get out and meet some of the people in our area making music. It never ceases to amaze me how much talent is out there- locally and internationally--- meeting up with some new friends in the jazz, gospel, pop and R & B worlds—and also checking out their connections and interests to the music that I'm focusing on these days. Hopefully I'm able to continue attending more of these events to forge greater partnerships for my upcoming projects. In the meantime---- I'm back to teaching a bit today and gearing up for some more Oktoberfest gigs this weekend…. A country club in Hummels Wharf, PA and the 1st annual October Fescht in Schnecksville, PA (benefiting the American Cancer Society). Hope to see ya out there! alex

Oktoberfest….Oktoberfest….Oktoberfest….

alexmeixner — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:06:14 +0000

This time of year always has me running in every direction--- as you can tell from my lack of blogging! I’ve been playing everywhere from north Jersey catering halls, to private country clubs to large festivals and local fire halls. The band has been keeping me rolling the tunes out for a lot of audiences here in the northeast… We had our first gigs at Honor’s Haven Resort (formerly the Fallsview) in Ellenville, NY for Dick Pillar’s Polka Weekend and at Bear Mountain State Park (NY) Oktoberfest this past weekend. Last weekend we stayed local for an Oktoberfest at the Schnecksville Fire Company- organized by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs… we raised funds for the American Cancer Society and a good time was had by all! During the week- Ace in the Hole Productions has us performing at the Brownstone in Paterson, NJ for sold out audiences of senior groups from throughout the tri-state area. The audiences have been very enthusiastic all around…. We have a few more public Oktoberfests coming up in PA—this Sunday Oct. 19 at Stoudts Brewery in Adamstown, PA and next Sunday Oct. 26 at Bear Creek Mountain in Macungie, PA before heading out to Wurstfest in New Braunfels, TX--- hope to see ya soon! alex

Just when we thought it was about over…..

alexmeixner — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:19:46 +0000

This sure has been a crazy Oktoberfest season…. For those of you, who have recently just found me or know me from any of my other musical incarnations or educational endeavors—I know the oktoberfest stuff might seem overwhelming—but this year especially has been pretty manic… I concluded my 2 week run with the band for Ace in the Hole Productions in Paterson, NJ doing Oktoberfest shows for senior groups during the weekdays. We’re engaged for almost 3 weeks of performances for 09—it’s a real fun time for the audiences and for us. Obviously we tailor the dance sets towards more foxtrots and cha-chas than Jimmy Buffet and Bon Jovi J -- which allows us to showcase Matt Tolentino’s exquisite talents as a vocal stylist on those real old time tunes. After some private parties, the band returned to Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, PA. Again—it’s so much fun to play there--- Ed and Carol and their staff have extended great hospitality to our band. The packed house really responded well to the variety of traditional Oktoberfest tunes and Rocktoberfest medleys—but I would be remiss if I didn’t credit the showstoppers of the day--- 1) Ed’s vocal premier with the Alex Meixner Band doing his rendition of “What a Wonderful World”--- I was completely impressed! 2) Ed and Carol’s grandson marching around the dance floor with a baritone horn--- I think we’re going to add him on soon to the band!! In both cases—this is what YouTube was created for…. I hope someone caught the moments! Speaking of catching the moments--- I have completely dropped the ball on getting photos up here…. It’s kinda difficult to take pictures when I’m in the midst of performing—and I never seem to remember to bring a camera for someone else to use. SO--- if you happen to have pictures from any of the gigs, feel free to e-mail them over to me so we can post them…. Last night—I had a last minute gig booked at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY (Gowanus). This is a cool new venue in an up and coming neighborhood--- definitely check the place out—www.thebellhouseny.com Anyway--- it’s only been open for about a month and the owners decided to have an Oktoberfest last night. Bratwurst, Beer, and a projection screen showing The Sound of Music and Beer Fest in a great room set the stage for Alex Meixner vs. Matt Zebroski duel--- oh, I mean Duo. It was a lot of fun and was well received by the crowd… in fact, we hope to be coming back on a regular basis through the year--- keep an eye on the websites for further info….. A few more private parties this week before the final home Oktoberfest for 2008 at Bear Creek Mountain in Macungie, PA. The Alex Meixner Band will be playing from 12-2:30, then the UGH Schuplattlers and The Adlers will be performing as well…. (besides that, Mike Fortunato—my great friend and reed player extraordinaire will be turning 30 on Sunday!! ) From there it’s on to wurstfest!!!! alex

Review from Wurstfest!

alexmeixner — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:29:11 +0000

Last Wednesday, Robert A. Nowotny caught my set at Wurstfest and wrote this awesome review. Check out all the other Robert's other reviews at www.NeedToVent.com Somehow The Weather Channel failed to mention the biggest hurricane to hit Texas since Ike. Maybe it is because this super powerful force of nature blew in from Allentown, Pennsylvania and not from the Gulf Coast. Yes, I said Allentown, PA — the home of one Alex Meixner, arguably the most dynamic, electrifying musical performer working today. If Alex's energy could be harnessed to an electrical grid, he could power all of Central Texas for a year. And speaking of Central Texas, that's just where we most recently saw the Alex Meixner Band perform — at the venerable New Bruanfels Wurstfest, a ten–day celebration consisting of beer and sausage and beer and potato pancakes and beer and kartoffel and, well, you get the idea. Oh yes, and music, too, where every evening as many as three bands play simultaneously in separate musical venues situated within the Wurstfest grounds. That's a lot of music, but, for ten consecutive years, the one band that packs them in to capacity, performance after performance, has been headlined by Alex Meixner. Step aside Whitesnake, Metalica and Twisted Sister — Alex possesses a stage presence and exuberance and kinetic energy that makes you guys look lame and tame in comparison. Lederhosen never looked so hip. Backed this year by three highly talented accomplices, the Alex Meixner Band set a new standard for fun, zaniness, musicality and perspiration. Phalanges flew faster than a hummingbird's wings when Alex literally attacked his button box while belting out a truly eclectic array of unexpected tunes, all with a "Meixnerian" slant that had everyone, including the usually sedate fans of Lawrence Welk Champagne–style Music, cheering wildly and forming Conga lines as long and spirited as any during Carnival in Rio. Examples of Meixnerian "Loony Tunes" include "The Devil Goes To Munich," an exhilarating adaptation that Charlie Daniels must surely salute along with that other Daniels fellow, Jack. Or how about Sachmo's "When The Saints Come Marching In," featuring Alex's amazing vocals successfully emulating America's beloved Ambassador of Good Will. Or Iron Butterfly's "In–A–Gadda–Da–Vida," where Alex is accompanied by one of the band members playing a Ukulele — a dad gum Ukulele! Want another example? How about Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music, White Boy," a groovy, irrepressible rendition performed on a Siwa & Figli accordion. Bet you never thought you'd see that… (More information on the Alex Meixner Band, including a schedule of their upcoming appearances, can be found at www.alexmeixner.com)

The Best Fest is Wurstfest!

alexmeixner — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:38:30 +0000

The major travel season for The Alex Meixner Band concluded with the annual Wurstfest Texas trip. The band was really excited for the events, especially with the addition of Mikey Kramar from California on brass, accordions, bass and vocals to the stellar lineup that included Matt Tolentino on sax, clarinet, accordion, ukulele, tuba and vocals and Ed Klancnik on super drums. We kicked off with our party in Canyon Lake- organized by the Riekers and Cases. It’s always a good time playing out by the pool in the picturesque setting…. Never knowing what kind of alphorn contest will ensue….For some reason the drunk monkey was pretty tame this year, but a fun time was had by all…. I was honored to mc the opening ceremonies of Wurstfest again—and lead the countdown to the biting of the wurst, along with musical soundtracks by The Alex Meixner Band and the Comal Community Band. From there we went over to the Big Tent and led off a raucous night of entertainment alternating with those crazy huggie bears of Austria--- Die Hohberg Buam. The audiences were extremely enthusiastic and just exemplified everything I love about entertaining! Matt Tolentino might have even gotten a few phone numbers by all of the mentions of his singleness!! J I really should blog this festival on a daily basis as there were so many highlights. Despite some midi accordion malfunctions, this was definitely the best audience reaction I’ve ever had at the festival. Thanks to Terry Cavanagh for his technical assistance as well as Berndt and TJ- the sound men extraordinaire--- we had a blast presenting medleys of up to 70 minutes long(!!!!!), as well as the rest of our repertoire. Selections from the latest cd, Family Tradition were well received, as well as new features by Mikey (playing the button box with a wine bottle), Matt (in total tribute to Linsk Minyk in “The Last Polka”- singing “On the Road Again”) and Ed’s stupendous drum solos…. Not to mention—I think we now hold the record for the fastest chicken dance ever…. I can’t begin to thank everyone that was there or assisted us in producing the shows—but please know I appreciate everything that was done for us this year, as well as in the preceding 10 years. I look forward to returning for many more!!!! We actually will have pictures and videos coming soon!!! Stay tuned to the blogs for proof of the mayhem! In the meantime—I get a little time off, and a few nice gigs—including a trip out to Pittsburgh with the band on Nov. 23… Hope to catch up with some friends in western PA soon! alex

Lititz and Cleveland….oh my….

alexmeixner — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:10:57 +0000

So, The Alex Meixner Band performances are winding down for the year which is signaled by the annual gig for the Dutchland Polkateers in Lititz, PA. It’s always nice to get back to St. James Church Hall and play for the excellent dancers over there. As always, the dancers gave us a work out digging through some old repertoire—(including all of the old figure dances and a few first time tunes for our band!) as well as rocking out to some of our newer stuff. It was a nice evening for everyone, including the 2 couples celebrating anniversaries and the girl celebrating her 21st birthday (sorry I forgot names!!!) Looking forward to seeing everyone back again next November…. After the gig, Billy and Fort headed home and I headed west. Sunday morning found me in greater Cleveland…. With a morning full of appointments and then an afternoon/ early evening of a hard-hitting gig, I was definitely getting ready for an action packed day. For as much as I prepared for it—nothing quite gets you ready to get rolling with Eddie Rodick and the crew! On Saturday night, the Rodick Orchestra was named Band of the Year for the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame awards show, (for the 2nd year in a row). Additionally, Eddie was given a lifetime achievement award, his son Eddie III was named a sideman of the year, and his wife Kim was also named sideman and vocalist of the year! Congrats all around!!! Johnny Koenig graciously lent me his Petromilli polka box so I could have a proper Cleveland tuned accordion to keep up with the band (which was rounded out by Ron Sluga, who actually organized the gig in the first place on banjo and the great reed man/ harmonica master- Frank Yasnowski). It was a total thrill playing all of those great old tunes with such a rocking band! It was a total workout for me…. And then it continued to rise when Ron Likovic joined in for a button box duel and Hank Thunander ran through a bunch of Bass tunes… All around a great day. I look forward to having the honor to work with these fine musicians and friends again in the near future! In the meantime, luckily I dodged the snow on the way home and got back to teach my trumpet students in Plymouth Meeting on Monday afternoon….. another day down polka road…. :) alex

New Songs Up On Reverbnation!

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:48:53 +0000

Hey There, Recently, I made it in the top 20 on Reverbnation's Folk Artist chart. To celebrate, I have released 4 new tracks on my Reverbnation site: www.reverbnation.com/alexmeixner. 2 of the tracks are off of my last release, Family Tradition , and the other two are from my jazz album, Scenes From A Parallel Universe. 2 of the tracks are special "Fan Exclusive" tracks, so you'll ahve to sign up for a Reverb Nation account, but don't worry; it's quick, easy and you'll be able to stream and download the songs unlimitedly! If you have any questions, you can always leave me a comment or send me a message through MySpace. Thank you so much for the support! alex

Christkindlmarket in Mifflinburg!

alexmeixner — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:02:12 +0000

This weekend I got to make my annual trip to Mifflinburg, PA for their wonderful German Christkindlmarket. I first discovered this town about 3 years ago when I passed through on my way home from another central PA school--- and earned my first speeding ticket there! Upon sending in my fine—I found out that they had an old German community and that they had this Christmas festival…. Low and behold, I got called to perform that year…. Now—this is a real authentic market environment—which means- it’s outside…. So is the entertainment!!! Well, luckily, Friday starts with a performance for the elementary kids at the school… always a fun time… also—Friday night, we’ve moved the performance inside to a church. This was a very nice setting for Roger Latzgo and I to perform completely acoustic. The audience was nice and receptive as we told tales of German Christmas lore and performed some of the traditional and more contemporary Alpine Christmas music. On Saturday- we performed outside from 1-2:45…. After putting on about 4 layers of clothes—it was pretty bearable to play… The audience was a nice crowd—sometimes dancing or singing along—but mostly appreciating the repertoire, in between checking out some of the great food (yeah—Scrapple sandwiches and Sauerkraut chowder!) Looking forward to coming back next year… In the meantime—I have a bunch of “Holidays around the world” school presentations and 1 more band job before getting some time off for the winter. (There are a few select January and February dates that will be announced soon—but stay tuned to the websites for more info…) Don’t forget there’s still time to pickup Family Tradition cds for Christmas gifts at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex. Merry Christmas Y’all, Alex

YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAh

alexmeixner — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:24:37 +0000

Happy New Year!

alexmeixner — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:56:45 +0000

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and brought 2009 in with the proper bang (or relaxed and brought in a calm year-- whatever is your pleasure!) I'm enjoying some down time from gigs for the holiday season with my family. (Yes, I obviously love the shows- but need a little time to recharge!) Of course, I can't completely stay away from the stage, so I booked a fun show at the Bell House in Gowanus (Brooklyn), NY for Mon. Jan. 12. I did an Oktoberfest as this new venue back in October and the owners want to run an "Oktoberfest Revisited" show on a regular basis so here we go.... It's an early show (7:30 pm)- so all you working stiffs can come out, party a bit and drink a few beers while enjoying the music of me, with Matt Zebroski on drums. The cover is only $5-- so you can afford the night out, even after paying off the holiday bills! For info on the place-- check out www.thebellhouseny.com Hope to see ya there, alex

Back In the Saddle Again...

alexmeixner — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:46:36 +0000

After being buried in writing and studio work, and actually breathing a bit at home--- I hit the road again this past weekend. I had the great opportunity of working with some of my favorite collaborators in duo settings over the past 3 days and really recharged some batteries. On Friday, I was out in State College, PA—where I did a morning of jazz clinics with my good friend, Rick Hirsch. In addition to having the opportunity to rehearse the State College High School Jazz Band (which recently made the finals for the Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center)—we also got to play a few duets for the students. Whenever I work with Rick, whether in educational settings or when we do performances, it’s always a fun musical challenge. He’s a wonderful saxophone stylist that you should definitely check out in person or online at www.hirschmusic.biz. After the morning clinics, I was out in Centre Hall, PA where I did a solo performance of “the Wonderful World of Music” for 250 Kindergarten-4th grade students. An enthusiastic and inquisitive group of kids made it a real fun gig. Both the performance and the clinics were arranged by Galaxy Arts in Education and supported by the PA Council on the Arts. It is great that our state is still renewing its commitments to arts education in the schools with these performances and clinics. In many cases, this is our children’s only chance to work with pro artists and is so important to continue developing culture. On Saturday, I was in Brooklyn, NY performing at one of my favorite venues anywhere- Barbes. Olivier and his staff, as well as the audiences, are always first rate. It was a special evening, as I was joined by the incomparable Guy Klucevsek. Anyone that is not familiar with Guy’s composing and accordion performances definitely needs to check him out ( www.GuyKlucevsek.com ) I did a solo performance for the 1st half of the gig, and then Guy joined in. We performed a few selections from his upcoming CD on Tzadik Records-- it will be officially released at the end of March, and I guested on 3 tracks… it’s some great accordion music with some of the premier musicians in NYC. Additionally, I got to hang out with Adam, who is producing podcasts from Barbes… so a few snidbits of the performance and an interview should be online in the near future… as soon as I have a definite link, I’ll post it here too… On Sunday, I was back home in the Lehigh Valley and performed a recital to benefit the PA Sinfonia Orchestra. The Wesley Church was a beautiful venue to perform in and it was a great opportunity to invite Tedd Firth, a wonderful pianist from NYC to jam a bit. Tedd and I performed quite a bit a few years ago with my jazz quartet for some concert dates and it was fun to play with him again. The repertoire went from Handel to Charlie Parker so we definitely stretched. The audience was enthusiastic, so hopefully we have the opportunity to work together again in the near future. In the meantime—Oktoberfest meets Spring Break… I’m heading to Panama City Beach, FL to start performing for the next week and a half at the Hofbrau Haus. Ed Klancnik will be slamming the drums as I rock out on accordion for everyone’s favorite German beer drinking songs…. And other stuff…. If you’re in the neighborhood, come join us! See ya soon… alex

Opening night at Hofbrau-Panama City Beach…

alexmeixner — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:45:28 +0000

We had a great start to a 12 day run at the Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach, FL last night. With cold weather enveloping most of the nation, it’s nice to be in the upper 50s and 60s, with a warm front moving in soon! My accordion and Ed’s drums are doing our best to heat things up as the Spring Breakers will be hitting town on Friday night… We had a nice audience that enjoyed the sets of German favorites, Party band tunes and other mayhem that ensues…. If you’re in the area grab some great German food, beer and music at the Hofbrau Haus with us! alex

Spring Break!

alexmeixner — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:00:15 +0000

We’re ready to hit again tonight at the Hofbrau Haus after a relaxing Monday off on Panama City Beach. It sure is a rough life down here—mid 70s, sunny weather and cool people. The crowds have been nice all week—with local families and snowbirds being around for dinner time, and then college spring breakers for the rest of the evening… We’re even getting some new covers and originals from the upcoming album into our playlist! The Alex Meixner Duo will be performing 6-9pm Tues.- Thurs and Sunday, 7-11pm on Fri- Sat… if you’re in Panama City Beach, FL—stop by the Hofbrau Haus for the best Spring Break Oktoberfest party anywhere! alex

Small world, eh?

alexmeixner — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:01:09 +0000

As I’m continuing the engagement here at the Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach- had a few interesting encounters… A group of Army dudes came in on Wednesday- as their ringleader saw The Alex Meixner Band play at Newport, RI’s Oktoberfest a few years ago… total coincidence that they happened to be passing the Hofbrau that night! Always good—hope to be playing for them in New England later this year again with the whole band… Besides old faces, it was a little slow last night in our early set, so we were going through some different repertoire in our medleys—and happened to play one of my old Polish favorites- “Hey Cavalier”. Turns out there was a group of students from Michigan at the pizza place next door- including a driver/ promoter for the Dynabrass, a great Polish band from up there… totally random! Always good to run into some already converted polka fans! The Alex Meixner Duo continues at the Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach tonight at 7pm. We’re there on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 6pm before heading out of town…hope to see ya there…. alex

Featured on a New Recording...

alexmeixner — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 07:36:12 +0000

I'm very happy to announce that the new cd by Guy Klucevsek "Dancing on the Volcano" has been issued on Tzadik Records. ( www.tzadik.com )Any recording by the famed accordion virtuoso/ composer is cause for celebration, but I'm personally honored to have been included as a guest artist on 3 tunes. I played 2nd accordion to Guy on the title track, a Slavic style romp on a volcano that keeps us both flying on the fingerboard, while the stellar rhythm section of John Hollenbeck and Pete Donovan keeps us in Czech.... (a little ethnic humor there! :) Additionally, I also played on "The Man with the Rubber Head," a curious little waltz with a pretty melody and cool harmonies, along with some adventure and "Meet Me on the Midway", a polka Guy dedicated to the late great accordionist Johnny Vadnal. This tune brought out some different interpretations from me, so don't be surprised if you see it showing up with a different arrangement on my next album... If you like interesting music-- check this cd out, I'm particularly enjoying March of the Lazy Prognosticators (the opening track) as my car cd player is shuffling on the miles of driving. I hope to have some copies available on my upcoming gigs as well. alex

Madcap Jazz Camp- coming up!

alexmeixner — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:56:13 +0000

Some of the most important work I do, involves music education. I feel it’s extremely important to offer opportunities to learn music, which in turn helps us all appreciate music even more. Whether my students are young or old, I approach my educational endeavors with the same vigor as my performances!

Every July, I conduct a full week of a jazz day camp for Madcap Music Camps in Allentown, PA ( www.madcapmusiccamps.org ) It’s an exciting time for the students (as well as my co-teachers and me!) This is an activity for students age 10 to 17, ranging from strong beginners to advanced players. The camp is July 27 – July 31 – but most importantly the deadline for applications is June 1 so we can get everyone auditioned on June 7. If you have any questions e-mail me directly at alex@alexmeixner.com

I’m looking forward to another great year at the camp…

Catching Up!

alexmeixner — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:32:54 +0000

Hello everybody, I know it’s been awhile since I've posted. I’ve been very appreciative of everyone who has e-mailed to keep up with me—as well as everyone who has come out to the spring shows. Lot’s has been going on so here’s the report…. In March, I had a nearly 2 week run at the Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach, FL for Spring Break meets Oktoberfest. It was a fun gig and hopefully I’ll be back there sometime next year. If you’re in the area, check this place out for some real German beer and a great menu. (Some of the best Jaeger schnitzel I’ve had anywhere!) In April, I had a little gig out in western PA where the Alex Meixner Band (with some special guests from the Pittsburgh area- including Jerry Zagar, Larry Divis, Kevin Solecki and our host Jack Tady) performed to a packed house at the Acmetonia Slovenian Club. It was a blast sharing the stage with Jack Tady and the Tady Bears as well as George Suhon’s Silver Sky Duo. We’re already working on planning something for next year and we’ll have a whole bunch more in store then! Also- in April, I had the opportunity to play some classical trumpet… something I don’t get to do too often these days, but something that’s always nice to get back to. I performed the Haydn trumpet concerto with Bob Ormesher at Salem Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, PA (where Jamie and I got married a few years ago…. ) It’s nice to know that my college degrees can be put to work every once in awhile… (for those of you who don’t know, I actually have my degrees in trumpet performance and music education from Ithaca College and Penn State) In the midst of these performances, I had some nice school shows, a Dueling Accordions extravaganza with my friend, Mario Tacca, a wonderful accordionist from New York, some jazz festival adjudications and was feverishly at work on the upcoming album… but more on that in a minute…. By the time May rolled around- everything went to full tilt. The Alex Meixner Band had a gig at the newly reopened Blob’s Park in Jessup, MD. ( www.blobspark.net ) We’ll be back there in October—and hope to continue coming back to this great venue in the future. A great dance floor, bar and food make this an ideal spot to go in between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Just after that gig, I was on my first trip to Europe with a great All star crew of American-Slovenian Polka artists. We had a great reception with gigs in the Netherlands and I greatly enjoyed the time in Germany as well. Musically it was a blast playing with some old friends, as well as new ones- including Walter Ostanek, The Rodicks, Ron Likovic, Frank Moravcik and Denis Novato- as well as the rest of the crew. There are some Youtubes out there of some of our performances, so check us out… I was back in the states for 2 days before I was enroute to Texas for some recording sessions and a private party before tearing back to PA for 2 days of clinics and a performance with the Lake Wallenpaupack HS Jazz Band and my annual concert at the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School in Loganton, PA. It’s always good to get back to these schools and I greatly appreciate the hospitality of the students, parents, administrators and most importantly music directors Eric Warner (Lake Wallenpaupack) and Cory Spotts (Sugar Valley). I’d also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Peg, my band’s favorite lunch lady at Sugar Valley… If you’re in the area when we do our spring concert, come by and check out the wonderful dinners she prepares! Thanks!!!!!! So here we are—up to date in June… now for the rest of the news! After a long search, my family is relocating to Florida. With the tremendous amount of traveling I do for gigs, it’s easier for us to be based closer to Jamie’s family down there…and winter is much better than it is for us in Pennsylvania! I’m taking most of June off to get situated and then it’s back to the road in July….. also in July, I will be premiering- “Stay All Night” my new album! I’m very excited about this one and sure y’all will like this. Without putting too much pressure on the final mixes (which are currently being tweaked….) – I think the live energy of the show has been captured. I have some new originals, as well as some fan favorites… We might leak a track or two early on the reverb nation site ( www.reverbnation.com/alexmeixner ) so keep an eye on the site and sign up for fan exclusives…. While you’re online—you might want to drop by www.youtube.com/alexmeixner There are a few new videos popping up… some fun stuff that’s been sent to us by fans as well as a few tv spots that we’re editing for your enjoyment…. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing my friends in Kimberley, British Columbia and Utica, NY next month. If you’re in the area (or if you’re not try to make it to the areas!) for the Kimberley International Old Time Accordion Championships (www.kiotac.ca ) and the Bavarian Festival sponsored by the Utica Maennerchor in Marcy, NY – they’re sure to be a fun time… See ya down the road…. alex

Group Shot

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:11:19 +0000

Live on the Stage!

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:12:13 +0000

Another Live Shot

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:12:53 +0000

A Little Bass Action...

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:13:34 +0000

One Big Jam!

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:15:12 +0000

Photos From Polka Party 2009

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:17:39 +0000

A little while ago, I had the great opportunity to play the Polka Party 2009 in the Netherlands. I decided that I would throw up some photos so that everyone could see some of the craziness that went on! [gallery] All the photos were provided by www.polkas.nl. If you want to find out more of what happened and see more awesome pictures, you can read the full Polka Party Blog HERE!

Stay In Touch!

alexmeixner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:32:03 +0000

Hey All! ...Just wanted to give you a couple ways to keep in touch with what I'm doing: RSS - For those of you that don't know, RSS feeds are a handy way to keep track of things like this blog! Just click here to open one up. You may need a browser like Firefox to view these feeds. Be My Friend! - You can find me on MySpace and Facebook. Get my Tweets - Find out instantly what I'm up to on my Twitter Profile. ...And of course, you can always leave me a comment here and I'll be sure to get back to you! I'll have some more pictures up soon. Stay in touch! alex

Getting Set….

alexmeixner — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:23:59 +0000

Hey everybody—just wanted to let you know we’re getting closer to the official release of my next CD—“Stay All Night”. I have been notified that I will have CDs ready for July 6, my first day in Kimberley, British Columbia (Appropriately, as one of the 22 featured tunes is Odie Odenbrett’s ode to this scenic spot and the annual Accordion festival in July!) The CD will be available on line shortly after at CDbaby and Itunes and a bunch of other sites… In the meantime, keep an eye on my reverb nation site—as registered fans will get a sneak preview at a track or 2 very soon! (It doesn’t cost anything to join me on reverb nation, so just drop on by—www.reverbnation.com/alexmeixner ) I’m heading back to the practice room to get ready for the upcoming shows… I don’t want to be Left in the Dust by my band….:) alex

www.PolkasUnited.com

alexmeixner — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:27:06 +0000

I just wanted to let everyone know about a new website that was just posted and is currently being developed for all polka fans, musicians, promoters—pretty much anyone interested in polka music. www.Polkasunited.com is a forum for people to communicate ideas and learn about what’s going on with polka music these days. Although the site is just in its infancy, I think it’s designed very well and could become a great place for fans from throughout the nation (and world for that matter) to share their views and check out stuff about the music. Personally, I think this is a great idea and I look forward to hopefully taking part in some good discussion about where our music is heading. Additionally- there are areas set up to inquire about lyrics and music for songs- so musicians can help each other to keep the traditions alive. Check out the site—and join in… I’m really curious to see the interaction of fans from the Chicago Polish scene, Texas Czech land, Cleveland Slovenians and… well, everyone… you might be surprised about what’s out there! alex

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alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:24 +0000

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alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:29 +0000

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alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:33 +0000

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alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:38 +0000

Soulutions

alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:44 +0000

Some Pictures From The Road

alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:22:38 +0000

I was just going through some of my photos from the years on the road. These were some of my favorites. Hope you enjoy! [gallery] alex

Listen to a Sneak Peak from the New Album for FREE!

alexmeixner — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:50:04 +0000

Hey all, I just posted a sneak peak from my new album, 'Stay All Night.' Its going to be released on July 5th. For now, you can listen and download the title track from the album at www.reverbnation.com/alexmeixner. alex

On the way to Kimberley!

alexmeixner — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:44:34 +0000

So-- the boys loaded into the van this morning from western PA to embark on our adventure to Kimberley, British Columbia for the Accordion festival.... good times already!! First of all anytime Fortunato and Tollentino are together (the fabulous Tollenato Brothers!) you know good times will be had-- add Zebar to the mix, and well.... it's all good... Tollentino has been serenading us in the van with his wholesome ukelele songs and megaphone... (please keep in mind-- this is just a van!) We had a pitstop in Cleveland to bring some accordions for touchup work and stopped by Sterle's Slovenian Country House for lunch...Schnitzel, Liver and Onions, homemade Slovenian sausage and kraut... oh yeah! Unfortunately we had to take off before Fred Ziwich showed up for his gig-- but we had to go west... (young man!)... So... we're driving along and got to Madison, WI before turning in for the night... When in Madison...you have to go to the Essen Haus! Boots of beer = good times! Add the music of Jeff Winard and David Austin with their fine drummer and you have really good times... We sat in for a few tunes too-- I displayed that I'm not Denny Andersen when I yodel, but the audience liked it! Only unfortunate thing is we didn't have the camera out... Off to sleep-- another day of driving tomorrow! alex

Kimberley!!!

alexmeixner — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:58:24 +0000

It’s already Thursday here. I can’t believe how fast time flies when I’m up at KIOTAC in Kimberley, BC. All week, my band has been backing up musicians from all over the world on the town platzl and really working hard (and having fun while at it…) I thoroughly enjoyed my Monday out there with them, despite the rain that shut us down for an hour… There is such a wide spectrum of players and spectators that make it so much fun…. While the boys are there—I’m in the arena adjudicating the accordion competitions. Young and old really come together for the love of accordion music up here. A truly amazing and inspiring sight. I’ve greatly enjoyed concerts by my friends Gary Blair Sr and Jr, as well as dance performances by the Softones and my buddy Rob Brabic—(I know it’s Brabec, but when we both pronounce our names correctly life as we know it will completely go upside down!) Last night though really kicked in for me…. Patricia Bartell opened the concert—borrowing Matt Zebroski from my band for hers…. She sounded wonderful as always and really got the crowd involved… Our band then jumped up and had a great concert. The audience really enjoyed the variety of selections featuring the piano accordion and button accordion, as well as all of the features by Matt Tolentino on his instruments and Mike Fortunato on clarinet and sax… We even gave Zebar a drum solo! We then were treated to a special performance by Cory Pesaturo from Rhode Island… a brilliant jazz accordionist and rocked a finale with him soloing with our band… an unexpected foray into our jazz repertoire—including dusting off my bebop trumpet chops for a few tunes… Good times!! The crowd responded very well all around…. We’ve been getting a great response to the new cd, “Stay All Night” and it will be available online very soon…. Hope to see y’all down the road soon… alex

Bavarian Festival- Utica, NY

alexmeixner — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:00:23 +0000

Not even a steady rain on Friday could keep everyone from celebrating with the Utica Maennerchor for their annual Bavarian Festival this weekend. A solid crowd of roughly 500 people on Friday and 1500 on Saturday partied down with us, as well as the Edelweiss Schuplattlers at the festival—while eating great German food and drinking Spaten, Becks and a few Saranacs too…. The hospitality of the Maennerchor is always superb, so it was a pleasure coming back to perform for them again. Also- our good buddy Ed Widomski helped out with some extra equipment so we could keep the show rolling (Thanks Ed!!!). It was good to see some other musician colleagues this weekend, including Fritz of the infamous Fritz’s Polka Band and Frank Svet from Dayton, OH…. With all of the activity, we didn’t get the chance to jam this time but hopefully next time we’re up this way we’ll all get to hang again. After the 5 hour marathon gig, we piled back into the van and got home around 4:30 in time to have a nice restful Sunday! Within the next few weeks the new CD – “Stay All Night” will be available for download on the major sites—but cds are now available at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex2. Of course the cd is available at the live shows of The Alex Meixner Band—so check out our schedule to catch us at an upcoming performance! alex

Catching Up With Everything!

alexmeixner — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:10:16 +0000

I've been so busy lately, I've barely had time to think- let alone get a new blog out!!! Firstly I'd like to thank all the parents and kids that participated in this year's Madcap Jazz Camp-- it's a lot of work for all of us, but I really enjoyed the week again this year... The Alex Meixner Band had some nice regional concert gigs in Buckingham and Hollidaysburg, PA. It's always fun to play in these communities with our mix of music-- even if we're dodging potential weather!! (Luckily it held out in Buckingham-- and the rain came earlier in the day for Hollidaysburg!) Of course, this week- finds the band out in East Lansing, MI performing for 2 days at the Great Lakes Folk Festival (Fri-Sat) and then doing our traditional closing day performances at Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA on Sunday (Volksplatz 3-4:30 and Festplatz 7:30-11pm before and after the fireworks). Hope to see ya there... The new record, Stay All Night, is out! We have it on Cd baby but digital distribution isn't finalized. We'll have more info on it soon--- stay tuned! alex

Oh, I've Been Everywhere, Man...

alexmeixner — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:12:25 +0000

I’m finally catching up from everything after a very busy weekend of gigs…. Friday and Saturday – I was in East Lansing, MI with the band at Great Lakes Folk Festival. Despite some heavy rains, we still had an enthusiastic crowd of polka dancers and folk music aficionados. Of course, Ed Klancnik, our MSU alum, had a fan club of his own there. I refrained from reminding them how good Penn State football was last year and we all agreed to root together against Ohio State…. (sorry to my friends in Columbus!). Patrick Power and his staff were great hosts and made sure everything went smoothly—hope to have the opportunity to work with them again down the road… In the meantime, we hit the road immediately after the Saturday show and got back to Allentown, PA around 6:30 am—just in time to get a little nap and head over to Bethlehem Musikfest. Again- rain dampened the proceedings, but once we hit the stage at Volksplatz, the skies did clear…. We had a nice show with the excellent sound crew Dave Hinson assembled over there- (as always!) After the afternoon show, we headed over to Festplatz where Brave Combo was rocking the house. Little Jack Melody has definitely slid into a good spot in that rhythm section anchored by Arjuna, who has established a pretty mean polka groove- amidst his great Latin, Rock, Jazz energy! (Of course, Carl, Jeffrey, Danny and Joe were their normal spectacular selves as well!) I got to jam with the band, and special guest Hank Guzevich from Polka Family on trumpet. After their rain filled show, the skies cleared again as we got set up for our 7:30- 11pm show…We had a lot of fun playing for the dancers, as well as the tv audience on Service Electric. Looking forward to next year already… In the meantime—the new album, “Stay All Night” has been selling well and getting great reviews on the radio already. There are cds available at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex2 as well as www.jimmykpolkas.com and www.polkaconnection.com in addition to our live shows. Digital downloads will be available soon…. I will have a bunch of new dates to announce soon…. Including Labor Day weekend at the new Hofbrau Haus in Pittsburgh, PA and the dates for Wurstfest in New Braunfels, TX. See ya soon! alex

NY, NY and PA…..

alexmeixner — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:41:31 +0000

Had a fun little weekend of gigs, kicked off with an unexpected call from my friend Mario Tacca for a last minute concert date in Westhampton, NY. Turns out, his wife, the incomparable vocalist Mary Mancini, had a case of laryngitis so they needed a substitute for her in a concert. Luckily, I wasn’t asked to sing her vast repertoire of classical and international favorites, but I did get to sit in with some accordion solos and trumpet features with Mario and the band. It was a lot of fun- actually a preview for a gig we have coming up at the Maganini Vineyard in Wallkill, NY on Sun. Sept. 13…. If you’re in the area see us then… in the meantime, a speedy recovery to Mary! Switching accordion gears again, on Fri. I returned to one of my favorite venues, Barbes, in Brooklyn, NY. This time I did a duo concert with the awesome accordionist/ composer- Guy Klucevsek. Guy has been writing and arranging up a storm for us—and really getting me in gear reading some challenging and rewarding music with him. The audience was very enthusiastic and I look forward to not only returning to Barbes again in the near future—but continuing to develop the repertoire with Guy…. Finally Saturday, found a return engagement for the Alex Meixner Band at the Alpine in Honesdale, PA. It’s always a pleasure performing for the Eiffert family and the crowd that comes out for our gig up there. Luckily, the rain held out for our performance and we hope to be able to return again next year. In the meantime, there’s still no word from cd baby regarding the digital distribution on the new cd- “Stay All Night”… (sorry for the hold up!!)—If you want a cd though, they are available at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex2 or by seeing us at a live gig…. The Oktoberfest schedule kicks in with Labor Day weekend gigs (Fri and Sat) at the new Hofbrau Haus in Pittsburgh, PA. Also--- there are some cool interviews I’ve been doing for the new cd… I’ll have some links posted soon…. alex

Recent radio interviews….

alexmeixner — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:29:39 +0000

Alex been on the radio promoting his new cd “Stay All Night” quite a bit recently…. Besides receiving airplay on a myriad of radio stations throughout the USA and on the internet, Alex has been on numerous radio shows as a featured guest for interviews. A few of the interviews are available online… Alex’s interview with James Lowe on KJAG in Salina, KS is here…. http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=81009&cmd=tc (check to see where in this link my interview is….) As other links become available we will post them here… In the meantime, you can pick up your very own copy of the “Stay All Night” cd—at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex2 or at any live performance of The Alex Meixner Band. Digital downloads will be coming soon…..

Friday night at Hofbrauhaus-Pittsburgh.

alexmeixner — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:47:43 +0000

This being our first trip to the new Hofbrau in Pittsburgh, we didn’t exactly know what to expect—but what we got was an awesome place with a great atmosphere and audience. We started off with some old school Oktoberfest favorites and very quickly everyone was singing in the Ein Prosits and Zigge Zagge Hoi, Hoi, Hois! Of course, this was helped by many sales of shot skis, and many people enjoying the great Hofbrau beer. I personally paid for a shot ski, when one gentleman, took my challenge to chug a whole liter of beer after a shot ski of jaegermeister. (I can only imagine the headache he woke up with this morning!) Anyway—it was great to visit with some old friends from college, as well as renowned Polka djs Pam and Jerry Zagar. (Jerry is also a great musician on bass and drums) Looking forward to another night of merriment tonight! alex

Yeah- Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh!

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:47:21 +0000

Saturday night, the place to be in Pittsburgh was the Hofbrauhaus! That is- if you like to drink great beer, have a good time with a lot of fun people and party down with The Alex Meixner Band. The place was jammed and jamming! Young and old alike were digging on the band and the antics—a great feeling for me and the boys in the band. Zebar and Fort were especially enjoying the round of the Stiller’s Polka—which they are know singing in proper Pittsburghese! Besides all of the regular patrons, there were a bunch of the local polka musicians there- including Brian O’Boyle (who is also mixed and recorded a big portion of my new album- “Stay All Night”), Kevin Solecki (who might have had a beer or 2 during the night!) and the Bogdon brothers from Henny and the Versa J’s. I hope to be able to come back to the Hofbrauhaus sometime next year… see ya there next time! In the meantime—this coming weekend, breaks a bit of the Oktoberfest theme--- I have the band up in Alexandria Bay, NY at an annual party for the Royal order of Jesters, then I do a private concert with Guy Klucevsek in Western PA and a show with Mario Tacca at the Maganini Winery in Wallkill, NY. If you’re in the area for that one- it’s the only public gig this weekend- and does promise to be a fun show! alex

….Accordion Mania weekend….

alexmeixner — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:11:56 +0000

After kicking off this past weekend with a little jazz party for the Royal Order of Jesters with The Alex Meixner Band- (which is always a fun gig for me and the band—as well as the Jesters!), I got my accordion brain on hard core. Saturday brought me to the metropolis of Cranberry, PA (a suburb of Oil City) for a special dinner/concert at Bob Flabas’ barn with the great Guy Klucevsek. "Wow" is all I can say about the whole setup! I’m speechless at the whole thing…. Firstly, the setting was amazing--- in a very rural part of western PA and a barn. A barn! This place is decked out in a fashion that is unbelievable. From the collectibles that are basically a history of the area from the last 100 years, to the seating and great sound system to the people who brought some amazing home cooked dishes- I was completely overwhelmed. Mix in that I’m doing a concert with one of the finest musicians in the world- and we have a great night. Of course, Guy’s solo set was sublime. I did a solo set as well and then followed it up with 45 minutes of duets. It has been such a challenge preparing this music with Guy—I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to present this music to audiences and really hope to have the opportunity to do more of it in the future. Hopefully some you tubes will be up soon, as it’s a really exciting musical venture for us… I got back in the Subaru Saturday night and started heading east… (luckily my A/C is finally fixed—anyone willing to donate to all of the car repair bills is welcome !!!). Sunday afternoon, I was at the Magnanini Winery in Wallkill, NY with my good friend Mario Tacca. Again, another virtuoso accordionist—in the more traditional Italian and show repertoires—another great challenge and fun endeavor. Joined by Mario’s fine drummer, Ricky and a guest appearance by Mario’s wife, the great vocalist, Mary Mancini—and enhanced by some great wine, food and hospitality—I hope I have the opportunity to perform up there again…. On a personal note, I got to visit with one of my best friends from college, Mark Heinsman and his lovely wife- Kim. Some of you who have been following my music for a long time might recognize Mark as the drummer in the Al Meixner Trio (1999-2002) as well as the vibist in my jazz quartet through most of my undergrad years. As I’m typing those years in and realizing 2009 is quickly coming to a close, I’m truly understanding how fast time flies. This time of year is especially busy for me as I’m traveling and performing almost every day of the week, but I’m trying to appreciate those people in my life who have shaped and are continuing to shape what I do. Thank you for supporting my efforts…. I hope you continue to enjoy the music…. Off to Helen, GA this week! I start dueling with Klancnik on Thursday evening!

Opening night at Helen, GA Oktoberfest…

alexmeixner — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:21:14 +0000

It was great to return to one of my old favorite venues, the Festhalle in Helen, GA for Oktoberfest last night. I’m performing through Sunday with super drummer Ed Klancnik, my dueling partner in the Alex Meixner Duo. Despite a fairly dreary weather forecast of rain, rain and more rain—the faithful gang came out to enjoy some old school German favorites and other stuff with my Duo, as well as our new friends from Cincinnati—Pros’t! Between our 2 groups, we’re able to play just about any kind of dance music… it’s a lot of fun—so if you’re in the area of northeast Georgia (or in the mood for a beautiful road trip through the mountains)—c’mon by! There have already been some pretty cool jams between our groups on everything from "Oktoberfest Chestnuts" to "Mustang Sally" and "Play that Alpenmusik Kraut Boy"—and well you can just imagine the good time… Hope to see ya tonight, tomorrow and Sunday! Hopefully some pictures will be coming soon….

Helen, GA Oktoberfest recap/ Seamus Kennedy Recording…

alexmeixner — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:37:12 +0000

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…

Oktoberfest in full swing, rock, polka, polka and polka!

alexmeixner — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:35:14 +0000

The Alex Meixner Band is having great times entertaining y’all that have braved the cold and rain to celebrate Oktoberfests in the Northeast these 2 weeks. At this point, we might be qualified to play for a convention of postal workers (though rain, sleet, snow…..)—except that I’m pretty snow adverse! Anyway—I hear a rumor that the weather is clearing for our Sunday gig at Stoudts—then keep in mind, we are indoors all week in Paterson, NJ and of course for the Bell House’s 1st Annual (we hope!) OktoberBurlesque show with the Wasabassco Burlesque Dancers and yours truly! (no I won’t be dancing—luckily for y’all!!!) Now I just have to fight off my little cold….. Thanks for coming out—hope to see ya at the upcoming Oktoberfest shows!!!! alex

Absolutely Amazing!

alexmeixner — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:28:58 +0000

So—of course, all week I’ve been performing sold out Oktoberfest shows at the Brownstone in Paterson, NJ. For those of you unfamiliar with this side of my career, I work with a wonderful production company called Ace in the Hole, that specializes in presenting luncheon shows to senior groups. I’ll be back for 7 more Oktoberfest shows (and the company has me booked for an Alpine Christmas show in December, an All Star Polka event in May, 2010 with Hank Guzevich, Fred Ziwich and Ed Klancnik, as well as nearly 3 weeks of Oktoberfest in October, 2010) Although those audiences have been great—The band and I have been looking forward to the OktoBurlesk show that William Crane from the Bell House in Brooklyn set up. Last night was the big night. Firstly, I’ll openly admit that I really didn’t know exactly what I was in for—but it not only exceeded all of my expectations, it was…… I’m speechless! Doc and his crew from Wasabassco Burlesque are truly one of the greatest entertainment outfits I’ve ever worked with. Ultra professional, ultra entertaining and just all around cool people. The whole show was top notch--- we even accompanied Nasty Canasta on the Schnitzelbank…. (I don’t know if Matt Tolentino will ever be able to sing the song the same way again!!!!) While I’m writing all of the stuff on the dancers, I really can’t begin to tell you how awesome William Crane is (the owner and brain child of this event!). He has booked me twice before at the Bell House—for a last minute Oktoberfest last year and a gig in January, 2009. Both times, I’ve been extremely impressed with the venue (check it out www.thebellhouseny.com), including the management and sound people…. But, we haven’t had a huge audience…. With last minute gigs or January in the Northeast, it’s never easy to pull in an audience… but everyone there has totally rocked out to my music and made the gigs a total blast… Yesterday—had a full court press… Great posters—I mean, great posters—then besides my band and Wasabassco Burlesque, Theo was outside grilling some of the most amazing bratwursts ever….(he’s a competition chef who has won some major sausage awards—I can taste why!)-- also, the bar is just rocking in both rooms at the Bell House. So the place was packed and just going nuts. We played an extra set for the manic polka dancers…. I see a new scene developing for our music in New York… It’s great to see people digging the music…. I’m disappointed we won’t be at Studio Square in Long Island City tonight—but there’s a strong forecast of rain and it’s an uncovered outside beer garden… Hope we get to make up the date sometime down the road next year…. Thanks everyone for coming out this week--- Check us out at Bear Mountain State Park on Saturday Noon-5pm (It’s supposed to be a beautiful day so it should be perfect….) and at Blob’s Park in Jessup, MD on Sunday 4-8pm…. Good times to be had by all! alex

OKTOBERFEST!

alexmeixner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:29:03 +0000

Sorry I’ve been so out of blogging… my laptop was down just as the Oktoberfest/ Wurstfest schedule hit the final overdrive! Thanks to the great Matt Busby (tubist, civil engineer and computer specialist extraordinaire— but questionable driver/ navigator) I’m back up and running… Anyway—despite my computer troubles—audiences have been Staying All Night and partying with the Alex Meixner Band! We had a great performance at Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, PA on Sun. Oct. 25. It’s always great to perform for Ed and Carol and their great crew—as well as the awesome audiences that come to partake in fine beer, food and the most amazing pretzels anywhere… (Too bad they ran out before the band could get to the kitchen this week!!). We’ve already set some dates to open their Oktoberfest for next September and another date in October. From there, I concluded the 2 ½ week stint in Paterson, NJ for Ace in the Hole Productions. Always a class act of people to work with… Looking forward to the Alpine Christmas shows coming up in early December. Then--- off to Texas! We warmed up at the Rieker’s House in Canyon Lake—to play for our good friends, the Drunk Monkey and his bunch…. Then, Wurstfest!!!!!!!!! I can’t even begin to tell you how much me and the band enjoy playing for these audiences! If you’ve never been, you need to make it to the festival. It’s been great fun so far—I’m performing through Wednesday Nov. 4—so if you’re in travel distance to New Braunfels, TX- boogie on over and polka down with us! Hope to get some fan pics posted soon… visit me at facebook and you tube with your pics/ videos! Thanks everyone for your great support…. alex

Wurstfest rocks and more importantly Polkas!

alexmeixner — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:45:29 +0000

Thanks again to everyone that came out to New Braunfels Wurstfest this year. As always, it’s one of Alex’s favorite gigs of the year because the audiences are so enthusiastic…. Hope we’re back next year for the 50th anniversary! A lot of pictures and videos have been posted online at you tube and on facebook…. Please tag Alex Meixner and the Alex Meixner Band so we can continue to get the word out about the Alex Meixner Band’s awesome live shows! In the meantime, Stay All Night, the new album is finally available on all of the major digital sources…. I tunes, Rhapsody and even downloads at www.cdbaby.com/meixneralex2 If you haven’t picked up the cd yet—you can get the full artwork and cd at cdbaby or download the music at the other sites…. Thanks for your support!—Mark Bengtson, Publicity coordinator for Alex Meixner Band

Bavarian X-mas

alexmeixner — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:46 +0000

Bavarian X-mas

alexmeixner — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:03:44 +0000

A Bavarian X-Mas

alexmeixner — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:04:21 +0000

Whether or not you saw the show in Oktoberfest, you'll want to check this one out!

Happy Birthday!

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:54:34 +0000

Just wanted to stop by really quick and let everyone know that its Alex's birthday today! If you want to wish him a Happy Birthday, you can stop by www.facebook.com/alexmeixner and leave a comment. Cheers, Mark Meixner Music Productions Publicity Chair

The Band Rocks Out

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:39:20 +0000

Ziggy Zaggy

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:40:40 +0000

"Strip Polka"

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:41:50 +0000

Who Wants

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:43:01 +0000

Christmas Spirit

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:43:07 +0000

Job

alexmeixner — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:43:15 +0000

Accordion Jam!

alexmeixner — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:26:40 +0000

On Saturday Jan. 16, I had the great opportunity to perform for WMNF’s Accordion Jam. The Jam was a benefit for Wackie Jackie’s Polka Party Express radio show at the Polish American Pulaski Club in Holiday, FL. A full house was on hand to hear Walter Kasprzyk, Bob Turcola, Joe Oberaitis, Tony Lovello, the jammers and me play. It was an absolute blast. All of the featured accordionists got enthusiastic receptions, despite their varied styles and repertoires—the type of events I really like to participate in! Personally, it was a blast to play with Joe again, as it’s been over a decade since we played together both in Joe’s band (where I was the drummer) and my Dad’s band (where Joe was the drummer). We played a duet on “Tanzende Finger” (from my latest “Stay All Night” CD) as well as the Eddie Habat classic- "Go Man Go"… Finally, I got to play trumpet on one of Joe’s old hits- “Crumbling Heart”. Good times! I hope to have the opportunity to see more of the people from Tampa area on Sunday Jan. 24 when I will be performing, with Wackie Jackie on drums, for the Suncoast Arts Festival. For more information, check out www.suncoastartsfest.com. Mrs. Wackie and Wackie will be on hand for a live radio broadcast as well as the performance by the Alex Meixner Duo. See ya soon!

Good Times!

alexmeixner — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:49:56 +0000

This time of year sure is a good “break” for me… ( I have to put break in quotes, because, although I’m not touring like crazy across the USA, I’m still busy on the phone and computer lining up those dates—while juggling house and family stuff!) Amidst the normal stuff this week, I had a nice little, last minute house party gig on Saturday in Clearwater, FL. Some people that I met at the Accordion Festival in Holiday had me come over to play for an International themed party. Some people came decked out in traditional attires (including the host in a full Polish folk outfit) and others just came to enjoy a great evening of friendship and fellowship- as well as great food provided by the Pierogi Grill from Clearwater. I really enjoy these types of gigs… I just played acoustic accordion and sang a bunch of requests. A makeshift dance floor developed in the living room and everyone had a good time. The alphorn contest was a bit of a challenge, as I think we were sorta in 3 rooms at one time- but that added to the atmosphere! Anyway—it was a real pleasant time and really epitomizes how much I enjoy my work… Whether on large festival stages, cool clubs or people’s living rooms, music communicates with people in a way that lets them enjoy life more… Good stuff…

alexmeixner — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:19:38 +0000

A good day at home... never too restful, but it's all good...

Help Alex Become #1 - Get FREE Music

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:11:51 +0000

Hey All! Lately, Alex has been burning up the charts over at Reverb Nation. Thanks to you, he has been the #1 artist in Allentown, PA for the last few months and is currently #14 in the Folk category! Its pretty awesome, but we would like to see him reach #1 in Folk by March... Here's how you can help and get some FREE downloads: -Visit Alex Meixner's Fan Page and go to the My Band tab where you can listen and download songs and well as sign up for Alex' Mailing List -Check out Alex's Reverbnation Page. Listen to some tunes and fine some cool stuff! Thanks again for all your support! We couldn't do it without you! Cheers, Mark Promotions Chair, Meixner Music Productions

alexmeixner — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:40:13 +0000

Starting to get psyched for the weekend at Panama City Beach Hofbrau! I'm playing there Fri-Sat-Sun for their 2nd Anniversary celebration.

Just a Reminder...

alexmeixner — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:32:07 +0000

Hey all...I'm going to be playing some crazy shows at the Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach, FL with the Alex Meixner Duo to celebrate their 2nd anniversary this weekend. Ed Klancnik and I will be playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday so be sure to stop out! 701 Pier Park Dr # 155 Panama City, FL 32413-2172 (850) 235-4632 See you there! -alex

alexmeixner — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:15:33 +0000

It's raining and cold, for Panama City Beach, but Hofbrau will be rocking at 7pm tonight!

alexmeixner — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:27:58 +0000

Round 2 at PCB Hofbrau tonight! See y'all at 7pm....

Panama City Beach!

alexmeixner — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:32:42 +0000

Despite a forecast that called for snow in the area (Am I truly writing this about FL????), I had a fun night in Panama City Beach to open up a weekend celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the Hofbrau Haus. As always, the staff at the Hofbrau is super cool to work with and makes sure everyone has a great time. Home of some of the best Jaeger schnitzel in the US, and great beer- it’s always a good place to return to! Ed Klancnik was slapping the drums and we got a chance to play some of our party favorites, as well as work in some new arrangements…

Movin’ Right Along….

alexmeixner — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:03:10 +0000

It sure is nice getting some time down to reflect and plan for the year. This is a very nice time to be home in South Florida. While it seems everywhere else is getting pelted with nasty winter weather, it’s been very pleasant here. It’s giving me some good time at home with my family, while I’m also getting that necessary office work done to book the tour gigs and work on new repertoire. I started composing some more new music this week, which will hopefully be creeping into the repertoire, as well as started thinking of some new cover tunes—both in the traditional and non-traditional sensibilities. (If any of you have ideas for tunes I should think about covering, let me know—might be fun to get a few suggestions rolling…) Already, a few friends have been sharing some cool music with me—everything from some really amazing French accordionists to old Bernie Witkowski Polish polkas to some current Austrian Folk Pop and of course I’m jamming out to some Gypsy punk or something like that too…. My daughter is randomly grabbing cds from my shelf and getting me up and dancing too- so that’s all good! All in all, it’s a good time around here. Hope all is good wherever you are… even if it is snowing…. Soon enough, spring will be here and then summer festival season! Stay well, stay warm and dig some good music… alex

alexmeixner — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:04:09 +0000

I have a serious case of polkaitis.... looking forward to the gigs this weekend...

alexmeixner — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:07:04 +0000

Had a fun gig with Polka Family yesterday in Daytona, looking forward to playing with them in Vero Beach today at the Polish Club 2-6pm.

This Past Weekend with Polka Family...

alexmeixner — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:00:38 +0000

I got a call a week or so ago from my friend Hank Guzevich, (awesome musician, legendary bandleader and supposedly a decent basketball player)-to play a few gigs with his band, Polka Family. For those of you familiar with the Polish polka world, the band needs no introduction. For the rest of you-- check out their clips on you tube and you'll find a kicking band led by Hank on trumpet and vocals that ignites audiences throughout the USA. I knew I was going to be in for a good time, as well as a musical challenge-as this is the first time I've ever played accordion in a Polish style band-and I was playing with some of the best in the field. Add to that, the snow storm stranded the other regular accordionist in New Jersey, so there were 2 of us newbies subbing! From the start, everything really clicked. The band was grooving and a lot of fun and the audiences both in Daytona on Saturday and Vero Beach on Sunday were very enthusiastic. Thanks to Hank, as well as Glenn, Johnny, Josh and Nicky D for a great time-- hope we can do it again sometime! I'm really looking forward to a string of dates in May in which Hank and I will be teaming up with Fred Ziwich and Ed Klancnik for some special performances in North Jersey through Ace in the Hole Productions (www.aceshows.com). It's a real fun combination of musicians/ entertainers and should be a great show.... In the meantime, hope you're staying warm wherever you are! alex

alexmeixner — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:21:31 +0000

Getting ready for Panama City Hofbrau-- THursday-Sunday this week!

alexmeixner — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:59:46 +0000

Starting at the PCB Hofbrau tonight-- I think we play from 8-11pm... Come drink and eat and drink with us!

alexmeixner — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:04:35 +0000

Good morning y'all! Had a rocking time at the hofbrau last night... 8pm tonight, more March madness... polka style in Panama City Beach

alexmeixner — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:03:41 +0000

Rocking crowd at PCB Hofbrau last night... We're back on at 8pm tonight- see ya there!

alexmeixner — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:58:47 +0000

Tonight is the last night at PCB Hofbrau-- starting at 7pm! Great crowd last night of breakers and locals!

alexmeixner — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:22:36 +0000

Check out the review for a new album I'm on http://ping.fm/NwKeh

Spring Break, oh yeah!

alexmeixner — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:09:50 +0000

There's just no place like Hofbrau Haus in Panama City Beach, especially when Spring Break starts to roll into town.... Just had a little run up there for the last 4 days with Klancnik on drums for some fun gigs. It's been really cool to see the audience grow and develop there. It's not a typical location on a German polka circuit, but yet, the Alex Meixner Duo shows are really connecting with the audiences. Before the spring breakers get into town, we get a great crowd of locals (young and old). The Germans that live in the area have definitely embraced the Hofbrau's great food, and of course excellent beer-- and really enjoy our repertoire. The majority of the audience isn't German, but they too are enjoying the mix too. Of course, our musical repertoire is more varied than at some of the other more traditional venues- but it's a lot of fun to string the tunes together for me! As the breakers came into town, the party got even better-- with Saturday night completely rocking the house. Sunday seemed much slower, which seemed like a tame end, until our last hour which roared to an end... You bring the audience, I'll work as hard as I can to entertain them! Through this run, I've been working on some new repertoire-- many of which are requests that are coming online from y'all. Some are quickly finding their way into the set list... a few are a little more challenging to adapt to my style-- but keep the requests coming! I'll have some updates on them in the coming weeks.... Keep rocking those polkas! alex

HA! Valina even got Alex on the dance floor!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:54:10 +0000

by Jonnie Nye

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:01:07 +0000

Thanks to Jonnie Nye of Nyes Eyes Photography for this one!

Rocking Out at the Hoffbrau Haus!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:05:58 +0000

Thanks to Johnny Nye of Nyes Eyes Photography!

Now, that's how you poor a beer!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:13:12 +0000

OK, theres a lot more to this than what you might gather at first glance, not only is this girl sitting on a bar stool pouring a Dunkel, but she is also SPINNING the bar stool in a caddywhompus manner and could get going rather fast! Thanks again to Jonnie Nye of Nyes Eyes Photography!

The MIGHTY Alex Meixner Band!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:16:25 +0000

Thanks to Jonnie Nye of Nyes Eyes Photography!

OH YEAH!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:21:22 +0000

Thanks to JD Merritt from Snaptacular Photos for this one!

Some Pictures From the Road!

alexmeixner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:32:30 +0000

Hey all! This week, Alex and I have been thumbing through the archives to bring you some pictures from Alex's past few gigs. As you can see, everyone's been having a blast! If you want to be part of the fun, log on to www.reverbnation.com/alexmeixner for up-to-date show info. Big thanks to Jonnie Nye of Nyes Eyes Photography and JD Merritt from Snaptacular Photos! [gallery] More news and updates coming soon! Cheers, Mark

alexmeixner — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:16:43 +0000

Let's share some YouTube videos! - http://ping.fm/7VDZM

alexmeixner — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:52:56 +0000

In Fort Walton Beach-- playing a party tonight.... Good times for all!

alexmeixner — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:42:00 +0000

Enjoying the Florida sunshine after a rainy drive back from a gig in Fort Walton Beach.

Fort Walton Beach Party Time…

alexmeixner — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:56:20 +0000

Ya know, every once in awhile you meet people and just think… wonder what kind of parties they have? Well, I’ll tell ya, if your name is Will Corbin- you have a pretty interesting way of celebrating your birthday. With about 100 of his closest friends and family (or enemies in some cases as evidenced by the speeches!!! – just kidding… I think…. :0 ) and music supplied by yours truly and Billy Yob on drums, mixed in with all the embarrassing pictures, stories and anecdotes – everyone had a good time… I really enjoy getting the opportunity to entertain at functions where the people want to have fun. Whether it’s one of the large festivals I get to, or an intimate party at a home or club- it’s a fun challenge to mold the proceedings so that everyone get’s their intended good time. In the case of this party, Will was a great sport—from the roasts (and his responses)- to his jam with us on accordion, his alphorn duel with me and his new experience as a boombadier… the guests danced and listened while the Yobster and I made some music…. Another day, back on the road- home for a bit…. Things are staying busy here with my family and getting set up in my studio before the summer tour season… Preliminary dates will be announced very soon. Stay tuned to the website -www.alexmeixner.com- for updates! alex

alexmeixner — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 03:20:28 +0000

Confirmed a few more gigs today :) Looking forward to posting the Summer/ Fall schedule in the next few days.....

alexmeixner — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:43:17 +0000

Good Morning Everyone!

alexmeixner — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:17:48 +0000

Squeezin that accordion today.... good practice time, getting ready for a sub gig next week with another band...

alexmeixner — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:02:33 +0000

Just published a whole bunch of new pics at the fan site-- www.facebook.com/alexmeixnerband Check em out!

alexmeixner — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:53:48 +0000

Hope y'all had a nice Easter- summer/ fall gigs are now posted at www.alexmeixner.com Check em out- see ya soon!

alexmeixner — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:51:40 +0000

Fun Dyngus Day gig last night with John Stevens' Double Shot up at the Villages. Good to see some old friends up there...

alexmeixner — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:47:21 +0000

A good day! Catching up on everything at home, writing some music and listening to some good tunes to close out the night....

Checking In With Y’all….

alexmeixner — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:50:03 +0000

It seems like so many of my blogs feel like they’re starting with “wow, time sure is flying….” But, it sure does feel like time is flying a lot! This past week was my daughter’s 3rd birthday…. Feels like just yesterday she was born—feels like just yesterday I was the little tike getting on stage at a local church picnic…. In any regard—time sure is flying and it’s exciting…. Whether with my family or my work, I always feel like I’m in a busy state, but I’m feeling about as organized as I can get. I just got the finishing touches of repairs and upgrades to some of my accordions. I’m particularly excited about the button box these days. I’m working hard to keep up with the great musicians I’ll be traveling with this year. I have some good critics in the house to keep me honest….. better work on that sound proofing too! :) Enjoy a beautiful April week! alex

Family Week!

alexmeixner — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:07:36 +0000

Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes… Last Wednesday, my wife and I (along with our “big sister” daughter, Zoey) proudly welcomed a wonderful new baby daughter, Kayla to the world. We’re happy to report she’s doing well and adding a new tempo to the house! I’m taking it easy with limited gigs for the next 2 months until the season kicks in…. It’s all good here! On a sad, reflective note….. I talked with my friend Hank Guzevich today regarding the van accident he had on Saturday night with his band, Polka Family. It’s always difficult to see news like this, especially with the amount of time I spend driving throughout the US for gigs. Please keep the boys in the band in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully everyone’s recoveries are as quick as possible. alex

alexmeixner — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:38:39 +0000

Just got some cool reviews on Fam Trad and Stay All Night- visit http://ping.fm/RQ2Ix

alexmeixner — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:38:06 +0000

Enjoying some calm music with a sleeping daughter in my lap.... nice stuff.....

alexmeixner — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:05:14 +0000

Got a mention in the New Yorker for the upcoming Guactacular gig at the Bell House in Brooklyn on Cinco de Mayo-20 kinds of guac and Polkas!

alexmeixner — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:58:31 +0000

Getting ready for a northern trip-- just added a gig on Sunday in Pottstown, PA with Polka Family- should be a blast!

Getting Ready!

alexmeixner — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:39:06 +0000

I’ll be road tripping out of Florida this weekend for some fun gigs in New Jersey and New York. I’ll be doing an all star polka show with the illustrious Fred Ziwich (from Cleveland, OH) and the inimitable Hank Guzevich (from Polka Family Band) on Monday and Tuesday for the senior audiences of Ace in the Hole Productions at the Brownstone in Paterson, NJ. There might be a few tickets available—for more information contact www.aceshows.com if you want to experience this great band… Also- I’ll be playing at 2 of my favorite places in Brooklyn, NY—celebrating Cinco de Mayo at the Bell House for the infamous Guactacular! 20 chefs will be competing with the best guacamoles in NYC, mixed in with an hour of free Mexican beer and a special Cinco de Mayo Polka set! Check out www.thebellhouseny.com for more information…. Finally, a trip to Brooklyn wouldn’t be complete for me if I didn’t get to do a concert at Barbes—one of my favorite music rooms anywhere! I’ll be playing a solo show at Barbes on Fri. May 7 at 8pm. It’s a great, intimate room to check out for just about any show—Olivier programs some great acts on a regular basis- so check out www.barbesbrooklyn.com and visit—frequently! :) In between the gigs, I’ll be visiting Emmaus High School in Emmaus, PA to work with Mr. Denmead’s fine troupe of musicians. A great band program that’s always fun to hear and play with! Hope to see ya on the road…. alex

alexmeixner — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:56:39 +0000

Just posted a new blog at www.alexmeixner.wordpress.com - Its going to be a fun week!

Spring Fling in the Northeast

alexmeixner — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:06:43 +0000

So, I was low on computer access for the end of my May Northeast run and have been trying to keep up with my house since getting home on Sunday. I can report on some fun gigs all across the board for the trip… subbing with Polka Family is a blast; my gigs with Hank Guzevich and Fred Ziwich in New Jersey were a great change of pace for all of us utilizing all of the instruments in our arsenal; the Guactacular at the Bell House was packed and an exciting event for everyone; school clinics at Emmaus were quite enlightening about some of the great stuff going on in Mr. Denmead’s band program and finally an intimate solo concert at Barbes is always good for me to stretch a bit…. In the midst of all of this has been the traveling up I-95 from FL to NY….. I’ve always enjoyed driving like that—good time to observe the country and think and encounter a lot of different kinds of people…. I do have to say, that at least once on each trip in the past year, I’ve been approached by some person in need of assistance—mostly financial. It’s really difficult to see people like this and having to discern whether they are genuinely in need or just wanting to swindle money. Regardless of your social or political thoughts, I think it’s sad that so many more people in our country have been reduced to this... In one sense, makes ya think that there’s less of a need for music/entertainment—but on another hand—I think we need it more now than ever. I generally choose to play music that is basically happy in nature—(I mean, c’mon you have to smile when people are playing or dancing to polka music!!!). Whether you’re doing well or your in a deep funk, music can provide an extra lift to keep ya going and see the light….. Polka on people! alex

Heatwave!

alexmeixner — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:02:44 +0000

Yes, Tampa sure had a heatwave this past weekend… The Alex Meixner Band played a Friday night dance at the Holiday Polish American Pulaski Club and it was a cooker, even inside! A nice time playing for an intimate audience of Polish polka dancers/fans for us… it was particularly fun to pull out some old dance repertoire that I haven’t had the chance to play in ages…. In addition to the regular guys in the band, Matt Zebroski and Matt Tolentino, we had some guests join us on stage—Pan Juzef-Joe Oberaitis played some accordion and sang with the illustrious polka dj/drummer –“Wackie Jackie” and a local sax player, Jerry Krik joined in the fun. Those that came seemed to enjoy themselves so we hope to be back during snowbird season for Ernie and his fine staff. Our main gig for the weekend of course was WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave Festival. If you’ve never been to this extravaganza of music, you owe it to yourself to get to Ybor City for one great night of musical mayhem. Over 40 bands on 8 stages centered around the Cuban Club—with a very wide range of music was a great experience. We got a great reception from the crowd there for our set early in the festivities and really enjoyed sharing the stage with Christabel and the Jons, a tremendous acoustic swing group from TN and Lumiscent Orchestrii, an awesome gypsy-esque group from New York. Hope to have the opportunity to play again for Heatwave, as well as hear these great groups! I just wish I could’ve stuck around to catch more of the music—but travel schedules and exhaustion sometimes impede my ability to hang after our gigs….. the sacrifices of keeping it all rolling, eh? It’s all good though… a few weeks off before heading back up to Panama City Beach…. Stay happy y’all! alex

Why I Do What I Do….

alexmeixner — Mon, 24 May 2010 06:30:44 +0000

It’s definitely been one of those weeks when I’m in the home routine--- trying to keep up with the going ons of a 3 year old, a 5 week old and my wife, while getting the oil changed in the car, cleaning up the house and figuring out who needs to eat when. At the same time, I’ve been answering e-mails about gigs, practicing some new arrangements and trying to generally get in better shape for the upcoming tour season—feeling like living in 2 parallel worlds…. Obviously the 2 intersect and cross over, but it’s also important to keep the head clear for each part of our lives, at least I think so… Anyway, these are also the times that I ponder the big picture stuff…. Like, why do people want or need what I do? Amidst all of the tv stories and real life stories that I witness, of people struggling to make ends meet or dealing with personal heartbreak or sickness, it makes me question why people are able to or want to come hear me play some polkas on my squeeze box. I found a quote from Wynton Marsalis “Art and culture are a way to remind people what their reasons for living are. They’re your traditions, your history and a way to survive throughout time.” That seems to sum up one train of thought for me…. I mean, there are a good portion of people, myself included, that feel it’s good to have a connection to our past in order to appreciate our present. At the same time, if we’re just honoring the past, it seems like we might not be growing in a fashion that is relevant to our current and future surroundings. And our current and future surroundings are the ones we really need to be concerned with these days… at least most of us…. So I find myself thinking- Why do I do what I do? It’s hard to come up with one specific answer but, I think it’s because I feel the need to connect with people. For a few hours, I aim to bring some happiness to people in my audiences. I’m lucky enough that I get to meet a lot of my audience- in person or through e-mails that I receive through the year. They’re a cross section of people—old and young, rich and poor, conservative and liberal, etc…. but they all want to be happy… and I do my best to help them! As I prepare to start hitting the road seriously for the summer, I thank you for letting me into your lives. I hope that my music continues to be a positive soundtrack in your car CD player or when you come out to a gig. Most importantly, as we all figure out what we have time to do, or not, I hope we can all appreciate something beyond the daily necessities….. as those things- music, art, dancing… are what really keep us going… whether it’s honoring a history and tradition as suggested by Mr. Marsalis or celebrating our existence today and for the future. alex

My first Vinyl!

alexmeixner — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:29:42 +0000

I never thought that I’d actually be on a record—but recently 2 of my tunes landed on a 45 rpm made for distribution in the Netherlands. A previously unreleased take of Jaka Caka Polka—(re-named Jelse Pelse Polka, after Jelse Vos, the Dutch record producer) and the recording of HoeDown (from the Stay All Night CD) are now available on www.polkas.nl . I’m anxious to see and hear the finished product—but I’m sure Jelse did a great job getting the tracks mastered for vinyl. In the meantime, I’m busy working on some recording for other people’s projects. Between arranging and performing, it’s a lot of fun getting to work with the variety of musicians that bring me in…. (of course, I’m always interested in collaborating as a soloist or accompanist for new projects, so keep me in mind!) I’m also getting arrangements together to start my next album…. I’m planning on starting to record it later this summer—but it probably won’t be ready until next spring or summer. Hope everyone had a great extended holiday weekend and remembered the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

PCB!

alexmeixner — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:37:21 +0000

I’m in the midst of a week long run here at the infamous Hofbrau Haus Beergarden in Panama City Beach, FL. As always the entire crew here has been spectacular to work with. They are serving up the best German food and beer around and Klancnik and I are serving up our fun mix of musical mayhem! It’s good times for all! It’s particularly good to see our locals enjoying the scene with the tourists. Although the gulf oil spill is putting a damper on the tourist trade a bit, many are still coming down to enjoy the beaches. As of yet, the oil hasn’t reached Panama City Beach, and we’re all hoping that this disaster is contained very soon—for the sake of every aspect of life for the gulf shores. In the meantime, we’re making the best of the time here right now—enjoying the beach and the scenes of this great area….. On a lighter note, we’ve been getting some great audience response to our new covers by Guns n’ Roses, James Brown and The Who, as well as some new traditional German/ Austrian arrangements and some tunes that I’m revisiting from the past repertoires…. Definitely looking forward to continuing to entertain through Thursday evening here in PCB…. If you’re around, c’mon down and party with us….

Good Times…..

alexmeixner — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:31:52 +0000

Whenever I do a run of gigs at 1 venue, there always seems to be a mix of regular routines that settle in (ya know—a few specific songs set the tone for the room each night, a few specific tunes close out the night, you remember some of the favorites for the regulars, etc…). At the same time, there’s always those little things that sometimes seem to come from Mars….. that’s what really makes my job interesting! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy playing the regular repertoire (and the left turn curves that have become my regular repertoire)- but the challenges that come to me, definitely keep me on my toes. For example—I just did a 7 night swing at the Hofbrau in Panama City Beach, FL. Yes, there were requests for "Roll out the Barrel", "Edelweiss" and the "Devil Went Down to Munich"…. I also had the "Germans Up for Fliegerlied", "Hande zum Himmel" and a new arrangement of the "Radetzky March." But on consecutive nights, there were a variety of Europeans coming in asking for Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Jewish, Slovak and Czech tunes… and I got a bunch of them…. I thought the one guy was going to fall out of his seat when I was singing "Uzmi Sve Sto ti Zivot Pruza" for him…. (I can’t believe I got through it in Serbian, as I kept hearing Bubba’s English lyrics from the Polka Freak Out album in my head—thankfully I had the words in my book!) I think the developing arrangement of "Bufcansko Oro" is begging to be recorded soon… whoever knew that Ed Klancnik could get that funky of a Bulgarian/Turkish type groove? (Let’s face it, he can do anything- right?!?) So…. Anyway—thanks to all of ya’ll that come out to the gigs… dig the sounds, challenge me with some different requests—and forgive me when I can’t do all of them! (At the same time… thanks also to the tables that paid the $20 fine to make us play Free Bird…..) I love my work…. It’s also good to be home too! The family is all good and keeping me on my toes….. thanks for the good wishes from y’all for the little ones! alex

What a Crazy Few Weeks...

alexmeixner — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:11:40 +0000

Wow, the last few weeks have really been a whirlwind. There are so many stories, that its hard to single any of them out. You can read about all of the craziness here. We'll get everything organized and post some pictures up real soon!

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

alexmeixner — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:06:05 +0000

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

More Miles of Fun....

alexmeixner — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:45:33 +0000

I've been very bad at reporting from the road these days... Without a doubt, these trips lately have been busier than ever-- which is definitely a good thing, except for scheduling sleep and down time! With a quick recap-- I had a nice little solo concert at Barbes on the 7th. As always, that venue attracts a unique audience of music lovers and is a fun stretch out for me. The Musikfest jazz brunch was a nice standards gig that was well attended.... Fort even got to play the last 20 minutes after his car was towed to get a new alternator! (We got him back on the road to Williamsport in time to play an 8pm show with his other band too!) The solo show at Musikfest Volksplatz on Monday the 9th included some duets with my good friend/ great accordionist and composer- Dallas Vietty.... very nice! Despite some issues with El Chavalon's luggage from Delta (Boo Hiss!), we made it Manistee, MI for a fun Tues afternoon polka party at the Little River Casino and Resort... thanks to Virgil for lining us up... we look forward to returning sometime in 2011... 2 days of recording in Detroit with the beginnings of the next album, were followed by a great weekend back east. The Evergreen club in Fleetwood was packed for our Friday the 13th gig. A great dancing audience and good time was had by all... We then headed up to Hunter, NY for our first appearance at the German Alps Festival. It was a fun time sharing the stage with the great entertainers and jamming with my friend, Die Schlauberger. Of course, the great weather didn't hurt the attendance either! Unfortunately, our good weather didn't follow to Bethlehem Musikfest for closing day/night. Luckily, we still had a wonderfully, receptive crowd and enjoyed the best sound crews the festival has ever had at both Volksplatz (thanks Dave, as always!) and Festplatz. Now, I'm in California! A fun reunion job with my dear friends- The Balich Family on Thursday at Little Switzerland, had a full house... Last night was a blast at Teske's Germania for the band in San Jose and Saturday/ Sunday we're playing at the Cotati Accordion Festival.... if you're around come check out the fun... Hope to see ya down the road...alex

Cotati!

alexmeixner — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:14:40 +0000

This place is really special! I don’t think there is another place where the stage and audience can appreciate a rapper in 7/8 time, an Italian polka band, Gypsy jazz and Irish punkers all with accordion being played on every song (Mandated in all the performer’s contracts!). As always, the Cotati Accordion Festival did not disappoint. The weather might have been a little rainy on Saturday morning—but miraculously when the Alex Meixner Band hit the stage, the sun came out and was perfect for the rest of the weekend! It was great to visit with so many of my friends out in Northern California and to present the current band to the Cotati audience. We got a great response from everyone with our shows and enjoyed jamming with a myriad of cool accordionists from around the world. On Saturday, it was a particularly good to meet up with the guys from Accordion Noir Radio and their band The Creaking Planks… check em out….both the show and the band…. On Sunday, of course, it was a total honor to share the stage with my good friend Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs. I also got to jam with them (including the great accordionist David Farias), Tara Linda and the legendary Flaco Jimenez. Great times…. Looking forward to getting home for a bit… playing a little duo gig with my buddy Joe Oberaitis and getting some time with the family… alex

Videos from the Road

alexmeixner — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:36:07 +0000

I've really been having a blast on the road this summer so I thought that I should post some fan videos of our performances: Barbes 8/7/2010 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhmi2oUrCFk] Hunter Mountain 8/14/2010 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfdoFnlpFnY&feature=related] Cotati Accordion Festival 8/22/2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oIRSqCxcAo If you have any film or photos, I would love to see them! You can send them to me at alex@alexmeixner.com or post them on my Facebook Page. ...and since it is the Oktoberfest season, be sure to check out www.alexmeixner.com to find out if I will be near your town soon. :) alex

wurstfest_2009_01

alexmeixner — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:28:57 +0000

Wurstfest! In Image and Sound!

alexmeixner — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:32:33 +0000

Oktoberfest season is well under way! We just had a great stretch in Helen, GA and there's more to come! One of my favorite festivals every year is Wurstfest in New Braunfels, TX. Last year, I had the great pleasure to meet photographer, Johannes Arlt, at Wurstfest. This year, Johannes has a special exhibit at The German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven, Germany. The multi-sensory exhibit will feature pictures from Wurstfest past as well as music from your very own, Alex Meixner! You can find Johannes' story for Wurstfest last year here. Get ready! We'll be back in New Braunfels this year for Wurstfest Oct. 29th through Nov. 3rd. If you're not in the area, we'll be up and down the East Coast all Oktoberfest season. Check out www.alexmeixner.com for more details! See you on the road! alex

Rolling through the Northeast….

alexmeixner — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:29:20 +0000

Oktoberfest season is really rocking for The Alex Meixner Band here in the northeast. From the Newport, RI Oktoberfest to Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, PA we have been treated to some really rocking audiences! It really feels like the audiences are growing overall for the band—both with the young and old. Thanks to everyone who is coming out and digging the shows. Looking forward to the remaining shows for this tour in NY, NJ and of course Texas!!

Wurstfest!!!!!

alexmeixner — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:24:11 +0000

The Mighty Alex Meixner Band closed out the 2010 Oktoberfest season with our regular trip to New Braunfels, TX for Wurstfest. This year, being the 50th Anniversary, was an extra special year. I wish I could remember to write about all of the special moments, people and music that was shared and celebrated- but suffice to say, this was the most successful of all of my trips to TX. I am overwhelmed and very gracious for the hospitality that was extended to my band and I. There are a bunch of posts on our Facebook fan site and videos are being posted on You Tube by numerous people….. I look forward to hopefully returning next year and seeing y’all again… In the meantime, thank you again for your support… I have a few weeks off at home, before hitting the road for continuing recording sessions for the next studio album and some Christmas performances…. All the best to everyone, alex