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About Me I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I reside to this day. Being that I grew up in a household full of musicians, it was my destiny to also become a musician. I started playing the piano when I was just tall enough to see over the keyboard, received my first drum set when I was ten years old, started taking tuba lessons in the 4th grade, picked up the bass guitar in 7th grade, and somewhere in the midst of all that I began playing the accordion. I officially started my musical career at age 11, occasionally filling in on drums for Don Nedobeck's Water Street Tavern Band. I'll never forget my first "big gig" back in 1982 in Lake Geneva, WI, from where I returned to Milwaukee with a crisp $100 bill. No one in my 6th grade class would believe I made a hundred dollars. In 1986 at the age of 16, I joined up with the Ed Hause Band and performed with them full-time for twenty years. During that time, I also became involved with several other polka bands in the Milwaukee area. Currently, I am the full-time drummer for two area bands and regularly help out others as a sideman, whether it's playing drums, accordion, tuba, keyboard, or bass guitar. Altogther, I've performed with over fifty bands throughout my career so far, and play approximately 175 events a year. My musical career includes many notable highlights. In 1993, the MIDI Magic Polka, an original composition on my "Don't Shoot the Accordion Player" recording, reached the top ten polka charts on the west coast. In May of 1994, I was requested to lead a polka band for a Republican fundraiser here in Milwaukee at the Mecca Convention Center, which included about a thousand high-profile celebrities such as Former President George Bush and Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. In November of 1998, at the age of 28, I was inducted into the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Sideman of the Year award. My band was inducted in 2000 as the recipient of the Horizon award for best new/young band. I received a second Sideman of the Year award in 2006. I run a business called Polkasound Productions out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It started in 1990 as a four-track recording studio and has since grown into a 24-track digital studio with its name a respected label in the polka recording industry. Through Polkasound Productions, I administrate several websites, including Wisconsin Polka Music. WPM is one of the top-ranked polka websites in the world, receiving over a million hits each year. A "closet songwriter", I occasionally compose new music, both inside and outside the polka genre. I've written/composed over thirty songs to date. In 2008, I was appointed to a four-year term as a Notary Public of the State of Wisconsin. This is an office reserved for exemplary citizens to provide notorial acts such as certifying copies of legal documents, administering oaths and affirmations, and witnessing the signing of affidavits. I
am currently a member of these fine polka organizations:
 
Hobbies and
Interests, Past and Present
Artwork - From 1984 to 1992 (age 14 to 22) I was an avid artist specializing in oil landscapes. I created over 150 works in oil, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and ink during this period. Click on the thumbnails images below.                                        Cats
- I don't consider myself a "cat person", but I was blessed to have the
most wonderful cat in my life for almost seventeen years. I found
Kittling in 1993, in the middle of
Winter, wandering as a stray in the parking lot of a rural Wisconsin
dance hall.
She passed away peacefully on November 4th, 2009. Roughly six
weeks later, another cat, Snickers, came into my life in the most
miraculous way. Not only did I meet Snickers just like I met
Kittling -- in the middle of
Winter, wandering as a stray in the parking lot of a rural Wisconsin
dance hall -- but it happened on December 20th, Kittling's birthday.
Coins - It's not too often you receive a Sacagawea dollar or a Kennedy half-dollar in your day-to-day transactions, but then you're probably not doing business with me! I regularly circulate these and other seldom-seen coins to foster an interest in others about coin collecting. Diecast Police Cars - In 2001, I combined my hobby of collecting diecast police cars with my capabilities as a graphic designer and spent a little over a year making customized, limited editions of various Milwaukee-area police agencies. I either donated my cars or sold them at auction on eBay. Some of my cars sold for over a hundred dollars. Click on the small images to see full size pictures.        Music and Studio Recording - Polkasound Productions Recording Studio operated non-stop for ten years, from 1990 to 2000, churning out many polka recordings, countless demos and other projects. Having come back into service on a limited basis in 2005, Polkasound is where I record the music for my own CDs. The studio is a 24-track digital facility which can be expanded to 40 tracks when needed. Computer-based MIDI sequencing software is synchronized with the 24-track hard disk recorder for maximum flexibility. Taking Pictures - As a photographer, I'm as amateur as they come, but I'm not too shabby at digital editing. Click to view a selection of photos that I've made available as complimentary desktop wallpaper for your computer. Web Design - I estimate that I have created roughly 1,150 web pages since 1996. This link will take you to a page that chronicles the evolution of this website's design. Some of my other website creations are: Favorite Food: Macaroni & cheese Favorite Beverage: Chocolate milk Favorite Milwaukee Pizza: Filippos (68th & Lincoln) and Maria's (51st & Forest Home) Favorite Color: Orange Favorite Polka Bands: Jeff Pecon, Eddie Rodick, and the late Gaylord Klancnik An obscure claim to fame of mine is a computer solitaire win in 78 seconds with a score of 9,616 (draw-one, standard scoring). |